POR......... Should bad reviews scare me away?

[jasper]

We are thinking of splitting our stay between the Swan and POR for two reasons.

1. We like the excitement of trying something new and we have never been to POR. We enjoy the theming and landscaped grounds and it seems like POR has all that, along with a nice pool.

2. We would like to save some money. The Swan is currently $189-$249/nt for April 2005, and POR is $149-$169/nt.

BUT.......................I have read dozens of reviews on POR and there have been quite a few bad reviews mixed in with the good ones. In particular, there are complaints about the crowds on the busses, dirty bathrooms, dated rooms, thin walls (as in being able to hear 'noises' from neighboring bathrooms), trash on the grounds, etc.

Should I be scared away from POR, or is it more likely than not that we will enjoy our stay? Are there plans for the rooms to be refurbished by April 2005?

What do you think?????

 

[safetymom]

People are more likely to post a bad review than take the time to post a good review.

Many many people have stayed at POR without any problems and loved it. POR is refurbishing rooms so by the time you get there you may get one of the new ones.

 

[jonemick]

Last November we checked out early after 2-days at POR we were supposed to stay 6. My son was allergic to all the mold in the carpet and air conditioner coils. I would only stay there again if the rooms were totally refurbished. I do plan on staying part of our 14-day July2005 trip if the rooms are refurbished.

As for the thin wall comments, I have had just the opposite experience at POR, we have always thought POR to be fairly noise free, including the building structure. We have experianced more noise in the hallways of the Disney deluxe resorts then any noise at POR. By the way we have stayed at POR three different times for a total of about 20 days.

As for the buses, we rent a car no matter where we stay because the bus service has not been very good for us. Back in 1999 we had good bus service our whole 10 day stay, but since then we have rented a car to drive to the parks for the most part.

If you only have four people in your group you could request the POR mansion section which have all be refurbished.

 

[jasper]

Do you know how recently POR Mansion rooms were redone and which building is in the best location? Can you request a particular building? Also, the grounds at Alligator Bayou seem more natural and rustic than the Mansion area. Is there a huge difference? I would prefer more of a natural setting than a formal one.

Also, would rather not be there if there is a lot of refurbishing construction going on, but would imagine that is mostly behind the scenes stuff. Is that the case?

Thanks

 

[sue1013]

I've stayed at POR about 7-8 times. As far as noise the other poster is right that the hallways in the deluxes are noisier than POR. Last time there I thought the room next to us was empty. After a couple days I saw a family with 2 children under 5, asked them when they got arrived. They'd been there before us, never heard anything. We've never had problems with the busses, there are times we had to stand but I use public transportation all the time so it doesn't bother me. Try it I think you'll find it a very relaxing quiet resort.

 

[landmark]

As one poster stated I think you will always hear the bad comments more than the good. Unfortunatly we are always so quick to tell people when we haven't received the best service rather than running and telling twenty of our best friends about the great cashier we just had at Walmart.

Anyway I haven't stayed at POR but I have stayed at POFQ which is a sister resort and shares busses. From what I experienced in May, I wouldn't stay at POR during peak season and rely totally on Disney transportation. The busses start at POFQ and then go to POR. There are I believe three stops by POR so if you are at the final stop there were several times that the bus was already full. Being at the first bus stop would be a great help. POR is also quite a bit larger and more spread out than POFQ.. POFQ only has one bus stop and it was rarely crowded.

I will stay that they were doing their best with the busses. There was one time waiting for the busses at Epcot after closing that it was horrible... when I scanned the line I figured we'd be about the 8th bus or so... but they called in extra busses and had about four busses show right up. They were really working on getting the people back to their resort ASAP so they may have worked out a better schedule for the busier times of year ???

Another thing to consider is that the POR rooms are being refurbished... the POFQ had all already been refurbished and I didn't have any complaints about them at all. In fact I wasn't asked at checkin whether I wanted a smoking or non smoking room. I assumed we were in a nonsmoking section for 5 nights! On the last night I could smell smoke coming through around the connecting door (never heard we had neighbors at all!) called front desk and imagine my surprise when we found out we were in fact in the smoking section! I never noticed and I'm sensitive to smoke smells! I am still amazed that I couldn't tell at all. wow!

All said and done we have booked one night next March as POR the night before our Wonder Cruise. My DD wants to see Bob Jackson that night and we want to enjoy what POR has to offer such as the nearby boat to DTD that evening.

I try to not base my opinions entirely on reviews that I read... but take them into account. Consider recently all the conflicting reviews of the Poly.

 

[jasper]

Landmark .............thanks for the detailed response!!!

 

[sugermouse]

We ahve never had a bad experience at this resort and are staying there again this xmas.

 

[LorieR]

Stayed there in December 2001 and 2002 and are heading back there in 12 days!!!! Never had any problems with the rooms at all! Love the whole experience there and can't wait to go back. My DH and I always rent a car because we just like being able to go where and when we want to and be able to go off site if we wish.


Lorie
:thewave:

 

[miko]

We will be staying at POR (last of the mods on the to do list) in December and splitting it with Beach Club. I guess I am of the opinion that unless every post is reporting significant issues/problems I just regard many of the bad ones as isolated occurences or sour grapes. I have had a few less than spectacular stays at WDW but none were vacation busters and usually had Disney actions to resolve the annoyances.
Splitting stays is the only way we visit now (unless trip is 3 nights or less) so at least you have a fair chance of having a good experience at one resort!

 

[tygerlilli]

all i can tell you is that my husband and i loved our stay at POR. we stayed in the Bayou section. the room was clean and comfy. Mousekeeping was effcient (and funny!-- they made us little critters out of towels almost everyday!). we were a very short walk to the bus station, pool and main building. the food was good. the landscaping and atmosphere is beautiful. i would go back there again in a New Jersey second!

 

[ricktib]

Originally posted by safetymom
People are more likely to post a bad review than take the time to post a good review.

Agreed. We were there earlier this month and had a wonderful experience. Love the new mattresses and fridges. Very good food at the food court also. We'll be going back for sure.

 

[Hillbeans]

I just stayed at POFQ, and visited POR for the day. We loved them both.

I honestly think some people expect the Ritz Carlton for the $94 they're paying a night at a Moderate Disney Resort.

Someone complained before they didn't get a shower cap and only one bottle of shampoo....so what? Is that something to get upset about, I guess for some people, that's a yes and some people are never happy. Last I looked, shampoo cost $1.00 at the supermarket.

I'm sorry to come off harsh, but I really think some people expect way too much and will of course then be disappointed. We loved POR/POFQ and would stay there again.

 

[flyball]

The last time we stayed at POR was 1996, but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We've stayed at many of the Disney resorts, including the deluxes, and I think the landscaping at POR beats them all. There's so much wild life to view on the many scenic walkways. As for transportation, we thought the busses were much better than when we stayed at WL. We also thought the location was very convenient; we never felt like it took us a long time to get anywhere. The resort is relaxing and offers some amenities that some deluxes don't. I think it's a great choice and wouldn't hesitate to go back. (By the way, we read a lot of negative posts about AKL before we tried it, but I'm glad we didn't let them deter us from vacationing there because it's our favorite resort so far!)

 

[2xcited4wrds]

We stayed 6 nts in May this year--loved this resort--had AB bldg15 with new renovated room--close to everything---pool great--fishing fun---boat rides awesome--tandem bikes a hoot!--hairbraiding for kids--food court good---loved sharing with POFQ--boat ride to DTD very convenient and relaxing--buses as good as buses can be but we don't mind a little wait--fun animals all over, i.e. bunnies, squirrels, etc., great sand playground area for kids while parents can sit on deck and relax on rockers with a nice cold drink-- Bob Jackson action packed!

It was me, dh and 3 kids and we all enjoyed our time there. We did not do a park everyday we had a lot of down time which was fun!

I am sure you will have fun whichever hotel you choose!

 

[Spartan]

POR is my favorite resort that's within our budget. We just returned this past weekend. All of the mansion rooms are refurbished. They were working on 1 or 2 of the bayou buildings while we were there (can't remember the building numbers - I think one of them may have been 18). I've stayed there many times, and I thought it was in as good as shape as I've ever seen it. I would certainly take a refurbed room in the mansions over a non-refurbed one in the bayou as long as you don't need the 5th person trundle bed. As far as the appearance, you might get the impression that the bayou area is most peaceful and quiet, but I think the opposite is true. One indicator for me is that the quiet pools at the mansions always had less people in them than the ones in AB when I walked by. They were still putting in fridges in the mansion rooms, and told me that if our room didn't have one, they would bring one to us (they're nice by the way - hidden in a cabinet like the TV).

We had a car, but still used the busses some of the times - mostly for MK. The waits were about the same as any other time - depending upon the time of day. We weren't sharing buses with FQ, although I have been there at times when we were. I'm guessing they do this based on the crowd levels.

 

[ufgator]

I've stayed at all the moderates and just stayed at POR a couple of weeks ago. Everything was great! We stayed in Room 9725 in Panterre Place. I requested Panterre. I love the way they redid the rooms and the mattresses are more comfortable than they used to be. Mousekeeping was great, the room was quiet, we were close to a quiet pool and the walk to the food court was short. There are bunnies on the property. A CM said all of the mansions have been redone. I've never stayed in Alligator Bayou before. I've also stayed at POR during the spring and the magnolias are so pretty. We always drive to the parks so I'm not sure about the buses. Now POR is tied with POFQ for my favorite moderates. Enjoy!

 

[AllisonG]

I stayed at POR in December 2000. We had a terible experience and left 4 days early to transfer to WL.
I am however staying at POR again in a few days. I am giving this resort a second chance. It's been almost 4 years and I'm sure things have changed.
I will let you know how it all goes when I get back!

 

[jasper]

Great reviews...................$94/night though? The lowest rate for late-April 2005 is $149/night. Is that still a good deal? Is it worth the extra $20 for a "preferred view?" What can I do to get a lower rate?

Can you request a certain building and is it a good choice to be near the food court and the main pool? If so, what buildings do you recommend?


I know, lots of questions...............

Thanks again.

 

[jmcdonnell04]

Looking forward to returning to POR -- it was my first on-stay
property ten years ago. After discovering this web-site three
months ago, I heard about a $79 /night room rate there and booked for a short stay Thurs-Monday in early December. The rate had to be booked by Oct. 10th.

I can't wait for my two daughters to enjoy the Christmas
festivities. We have our dinner ticket package for Jim Cavaziel
(The Passion) performing at the Candlelight Processional and
the Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom.

We are going to surprise them when they get home from
school on Thursday. Will have their bags packed and off
we go.

Keep reading these threads -- my wife and I thought we were
Disney experts (Vacation club members and cruises) but I have learned so much from this site and it is good to find so many Disney enthusiasts.

Keep a positive and open outlook when reading the negative
reviews. Some times bad things happen but you need to look
for the positive/magical experiences to balance things out.
I do not even have my refund yet from my shortened Sept 4th
cruise but that has not dampened my enthusiasm and love for
all things Disney.