My December trip review for stay from 12/25-12/30:
Aligator Bayou - Room 3409
I can't remember how many times we have stayed at this resort (must be at least 8), but I never fail to be impressed by the magic of this resort. This is just a spectacular resort!
Checkin: Very smooth and fast. No lines (Christmas Day is a great day to arrive). I had requested Building 26 but room assigned wouldn't be ready until 5 PM. I asked the CM to check for another room and she found Room 3409 (Building 34 is just behind Building 26 and is closer to the West Depot) so we happily agreed to Room 3409 and were on our way to the room.
Room: Corner room at a hallway crossroad in the building (no extra window). Very nice room - furniture and bedding in good shape. Room was clean. Trundle was under the first bed, as always. Maid service was good and in the morning 4 out of the 5 days. We left $2 per day for the maid (personally gave it to her on the afternoon cleaning day - she was very appreciative). Left a note for extra towels daily and received plenty of towels. We didn't have towel animals, but she made cute flowers with the washcloths and a bow with the bathmat.
Laundry: $2 for 30 minutes (both washer and dryer). Very busy place!
Pool: Visited the quiet pool in Bayou cluster 34-39. Pool was very clean and empty. Due to the cold weather and the busyness of the parks, the pools were not top draws. Did not visit the main pool which will begin a month's rehab 1/6.
Boatwright's: Dined here Christmas night. Had a very nice dinner with good service and good food. DH had jambalaya, DS had a t-bone, DD and I had prime rib. Be sure to order the garlic cheese bites as an appetizer. Bill was $113 before tip. Steep, but nice Christmas dinner.
Food court: Good food with good selection. The food court has cut back over the years, but there is plenty of selection. Old and new mugs are still being used. We ate 3 dinners here selecting items from the grill and the salad area. We ordered a pizza one night which we picked up. DD got deathly ill after eating the pizza, but DS and DH were fine. It's hard to know if DD's illness was food or virus related, but she was pretty sad.
Bikes: DS and DD rented a 2-person surrey bike for $18 for 30 minutes. They had a good time riding all over the resort.
Carriage: Saw the the carriage briefly one night going over the bridge to Ol Man Island. There was no heavy advertisement of this new nightly addition.
Boats: Didn't use or check the DD boats because it was TOO cold to ride the boats. We chose the warmth of the buses!
Buses: Excellent service again until Saturday, the 28th. On the 28th the crowds started to build. As a result, the buses got slower because there were so many people to service. When you go at such a busy time, be prepared for longer bus waits and lots of standing on the buses!
Decorations: Beautiful in an understated way. There were no decorations in the bayou area. I wasn't at any of the mansions so I can't help there. There were decorations outside the main door, a beautiful tree in the lobby rotunda and beautiful swags throughout the main building. In Boatwrights there were beautiful wreaths on the wall. I like understated decorations anyway. Very festive! I took pictures which I will post on my website over the next few days:
http://community.webshots.com/user/jaguar9748
We thoroughly enjoyed our Disney Christmas at POR and enthusiastically recommend this resort to all!
