POR questions

[Sophie_2003]

Hello,

We are booked at POR and I am starting to worry about buses. Is it really true they always fill up at POFQ? Any recent experiences? DH's patience (impatience) is legendary!

Another absolutely non-related question: if we need a fridge should we request now or at check in? And can you get milk at th grab n go? DD is a Cheerios eater and we drag a box wherever we go. Need that bol to get her going to LOEMH!!!

TIA,

Sophie

 

[pixdust]

We stayed at POR in March of '06 during Spring Break. While the buses were crowded, I don't remember them ever being totally full. I always found a seat. And the only time we waited what I thought was too long was for the Downtown Disney/Typhoon Lagoon bus. All the other parks had frequent buses. We didn't really have a problem. It still beats the heck out of driving.

 

[tluvstink]

We stayed at POR inOct 05 and the buses were fine. I had to stand once on the way to AK but was able to find a seat every other time. OF course that was almost 2 years ago so things may be different.

Every room has a fridge and you can buy milk there. We loved POR and would stay there again without hesitation.


Terri

 

[Momelie]

The rooms at POR all have fridges in them, no worries there. Yes, you can get milk at the store in the main building there at the resort, along with other stuff.

The buses..... well, if your husband is even slightly impatient, you might have a much better time if you took your car! I'm in the same boat, and life has been SO much more pleasant since we started driving to the parks - any kind of forward movement is better than impatiently waiting.

But if that's not possible, try to stay in the mansions, I think they get picked up first. Once we were in Magnolia Terrace, and didn't have full buses going past us - and that was spring break, IIRC.

 

[lilyv]

POR was absolutely beautiful in mid August. As I've posted before, yes, you'll have neighbors waiting for buses, but the buses come every 15 or 20 minutes. No big deal. Enjoy your visit!

 

[Sophie_2003]

Thank you so much for the replies...reading all the reviews/comments is making my head spin and second-guessing every decision!!!

Sophie

 

[AuroraBelleCindy]

We were at POR from 8/26 to 8/31 and we stood on a lot of buses - but it was the first week of free dining and the resort was completely booked -

They sell 1/2 gallons of milk at Fulton's General Store and also donuts which were good for a quick breakfast!

 

[KristenHoneymooner]

The buses..... well, if your husband is even slightly impatient, you might have a much better time if you took your car! I'm in the same boat, and life has been SO much more pleasant since we started driving to the parks - any kind of forward movement is better than impatiently waiting.

It always confuses me when people say driving their own cars is faster. Isn't Disney World traffic congested with thousands of people trying to get in and out at the same time? Aren't the lots huge and you park your car far from the park anyway? And wouldn't your car be roasting hot after a day in the Florida sun (vs air conditioned bus). I have never driven at Disney World -- I'm just asking. The resort busses (GF not POR) seemed very convenient to me

 

[Jaymie]

When were there in July the busses weren't shared with POFQ for the most part. Maybe during slower times in the mid afternoon, but in morning and evening, we never stopped at POFQ.

 

[CapeMayMommy]

We were at POR from 8/26 to 8/31 and we stood on a lot of buses - but it was the first week of free dining and the resort was completely booked -

They sell 1/2 gallons of milk at Fulton's General Store and also donuts which were good for a quick breakfast!

We used snack credits from the DDP. We were on free dining and had milk/donuts . Two snack credits and the whole family had breakfast. I found it was a good use of the credits.

 

[Hawk]

It always confuses me when people say driving their own cars is faster. Isn't Disney World traffic congested with thousands of people trying to get in and out at the same time? Aren't the lots huge and you park your car far from the park anyway? And wouldn't your car be roasting hot after a day in the Florida sun (vs air conditioned bus). I have never driven at Disney World -- I'm just asking. The resort busses (GF not POR) seemed very convenient to me

Not at all. We rent a car and drive all over. The roads are well lit at night and are very easy to navigate; plenty of signs.

Tim/Hawk

 

[Momelie]

What he said! We can make it from the park exit of Epcot or Studios to POR in less than 10 minutes (add a couple of minutes if you take trams, I don't), a little more for AK, and for MK, less than 10 minutes from TTC, but the monorail to there takes a while. Right at 10 minutes for Pop and the All Stars.

When dealing with impatient people, its always better for them to be doing SOMETHING (like driving or walking) rather than sitting still and waiting. Or that's my experience, at least.

Traffic has never been a problem, never a traffic jam and always moves quickly - never seen more than 10-15 cars at once at most booths, and that was a hard ticket event.

 

[Mayl]

We stayed in POR this april. LOVED the resort, HATED the buses

We are going back in Jan 08 and we booked FQ for the single reason of having first shot at the busses.

This way we can still use POR pool and food court if we want, but get a smaller resort and first crack at buses.

 

[Cindie-rella]

We never had a "bus" problem while at POR. Never, ever, stood, When leaving the parks at night the buses would sometimes be over-filled. But before we'd stand we'd wait for another bus. There was always another close behind. Most of the resort buses were over-filled, not just POR. I especially did not care for the BW/BC/YC/SW&D buses. When we were there we had to stop at each one which felt like forever.
Don't worry, if a full bus comes along at POR just wait for the next...it won't be far behind. Use the 1st bus depot at POR , I believe it's considered the "south" depot. Don't be so concerned, POR is a great resort . I'm sure you'll love it. Please, do not let the fear of "crowded" buses frighten you away. Most people never have a problem at all. I believe you can have a problem at any resort anyway. We waited over 45 min once at the POLY for a DTD bus...go figure!
Have a wonderful time!

 

[Youarehere]

If it seems to be a problem after you check it out, you can always walk over to POFQ to get on the bus. It would be a 5-10 minute walk over to POFQ and you should get a seat.

 

[sue1013]

Since you said your DH impatience is legendary why not rent a car. Whether the busses are crowded or not you WILL still have to wait for them. We always use the busses but we have patience. There is nothing worse than waiting for a bus with a pacing impatient person, then they start huffing and puffing, making louder and nastier comments about the wait as if they are alone. If that is your DH please rent a car the rest of us on the bus really don't want to hear the complaining.

 

[KimWDW]

We were booked at POR, but last week I changed my mind and changed our ressie to go back to Pop. We've had great experiences at Pop the last three times and loved the non-sharing, non-stop busses. I was scared of the POR bus transporation issues. So, I switched to Pop and saved ourselves $400. At least with Pop, we know what we're getting and we love that resort. I was scared I'd be paying more for POR and be so disappointed with the bus situation.

 

[YesMickey]

We stayed @ POR twice in '06. Spring Break and Week before Christmas. The best time to catch a bus from the resort was first thing in the AM. We found the buses only went to both resorts and all of the stops during the middle of the day when there are fewer passengers. But on the flip side you will notice Port Orleans does have the longest lines when the leaving the parks at closing time. So if you have little ones it is best to take them to the bathroom before you go to wait for a bus. As for taking a bus to Downtown Disney. Why?, when you can take the boat. That is the main reason for staying at Port Orleans for us.

 

[Lilolvr]

The only thing that I didn't like was the shared transportation. Not so much leaving the resort but leaving the parks because the queue is shared with POFQ as well. You'll have to let us know how it works out when you return.

 

[binky]

We never had a "bus" problem while at POR. Never, ever, stood, When leaving the parks at night the buses would sometimes be over-filled. But before we'd stand we'd wait for another bus. There was always another close behind. Most of the resort buses were over-filled, not just POR. I especially did not care for the BW/BC/YC/SW&D buses. When we were there we had to stop at each one which felt like forever.
Don't worry, if a full bus comes along at POR just wait for the next...it won't be far behind. Use the 1st bus depot at POR , I believe it's considered the "south" depot. Don't be so concerned, POR is a great resort . I'm sure you'll love it. Please, do not let the fear of "crowded" buses frighten you away. Most people never have a problem at all. I believe you can have a problem at any resort anyway. We waited over 45 min once at the POLY for a DTD bus...go figure!
Have a wonderful time!

Cindie-rella, we had the same experience, but I would advise against using the Main Depot. Most everyone says that the Main Depot is crowded (although we never used it, so I don't know first-hand) so that's where the pushing and line-cutting is more likely to happen. We used the West Depot, and it was very quiet and almost empty. We always got a seat, and the West Depot was the first stop, with the Main Depot last. I think that when a bus picks up POFQ and then goes to POR and fills up at the Main Depot, another bus starts at the West Depot. Whatever the case, the bus was empty every time we got on. All the outlying depots were uncrowded. We never waited more than 5-10 minutes for a bus. Coming back at night, I remember waiting in some lines, but honestly it couldn't have been too bad because nothing terrible stands out in my memory. I have stayed off-site with a car, on-site with a car, and on-site without a car, and I would always rather use Disney transportation than drive given the choice! Good luck