POR..Very Disappointed..

[DisneyInDel]

Just got back from a 9 day stay at POR with DW,DD and DSIL..Let me start by saying the boat to DD, the lounge area and the cast members were all a pleasant part of our stay..that was about it..

The place is one of the older resorts and is definitely showing it's age, but the staff is not doing a very good job in the cleanliness of the areas and the manicuring of the grounds..our room was in dire need of a paint job, loose handles and more signs of age...this resort is in need of an overhaul. Even though it is too widely spread out for my taste, it has the potential to be very beautiful...I hope this changes in order to keep up with the Disney standard that I have become accustomed to..

Also..the bus system there is horrendous..always a wait and never any rhyme or reason as to when and where the next bus will come to or what park it's headed...Maybe I was spoiled from our trip in September where we stayed at Coronado Springs..that was a real pleasure..in all respects..

I have always been of the mentality that when life gave me lemons I would make lemonade, but this trip left me cold...POR is not a good place to stay, but with that being said, I need to start planning our next trip in November when 12 of us will be heading down from Delaware, Maryland and Arizona to stay for a week...not sure where, just not at POR..

P.S...Everest is best when you ride in the back.

 

[digman6]

we stayed at Xmas and were also hoping for more then we got!

Dh did not like all the brush all over it seemed to be a hazard for the little one who tripped over branches etc.
the room we had smelled like chlorine for 3 days. the good thing is we had
1st floor room and we were close to the buses( when they did come by).

I too would pick another resort even if it cost me more money, it worth it when you are already shelling out a ton whats a few extra bucks for what you REALLY are expecting to get.

It was a good time but I really wanted more of a WDW "FEEL" then I got there!

 

[wideeyes]

sorry you didn't like it. we stayed last september and loved it.

 

[mm6mm6]

Sorry to hear that. We stayed at POR and absolutely loved it. Maybe it's the timing. We were there in the summer. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus to wherever we needed to go.

We thought the theming was wonderful and the grounds were immaculately mannicured. So very green and lush.

Our daughter had a blast catching fish in the Fishin' Hole, we thought that was a very unique experience for just $4. The CM was so helpful with putting worms on her hook and showing her how to catch a fish. It was a magical moment for us.

You're right about the boat ride to DTD. That's an attraction all to itself. It was great to take it while the sun was out and then to come back in the dark.

We really enjoyed the layed back, spread out way POR is set up. It felt so much more like a "resort" than a "hotel."

I recommend it highly!

 

[Mickey23]

Just got back from a 9 day stay at POR with DW,DD and DSIL..Let me start by saying the boat to DD, the lounge area and the cast members were all a pleasant part of our stay..that was about it..

The place is one of the older resorts and is definitely showing it's age, but the staff is not doing a very good job in the cleanliness of the areas and the manicuring of the grounds..our room was in dire need of a paint job, loose handles and more signs of age...this resort is in need of an overhaul. Even though it is too widely spread out for my taste, it has the potential to be very beautiful...I hope this changes in order to keep up with the Disney standard that I have become accustomed to..

Also..the bus system there is horrendous..always a wait and never any rhyme or reason as to when and where the next bus will come to or what park it's headed...Maybe I was spoiled from our trip in September where we stayed at Coronado Springs..that was a real pleasure..in all respects..

I have always been of the mentality that when life gave me lemons I would make lemonade, but this trip left me cold...POR is not a good place to stay, but with that being said, I need to start planning our next trip in November when 12 of us will be heading down from Delaware, Maryland and Arizona to stay for a week...not sure where, just not at POR..

P.S...Everest is best when you ride in the back.

I'm with you. I didn't care for it and especially the shared transportation. The resort is too big to have to share buses.

 

[fall08CP]

We were there less than a month ago and didn't enjoy it either Everything was a long walk, the boat was reallllllly slow, the theming didn't do it for us, and the busses weren't reliable. I'm glad some people can enjoy it, but it's not for us.

 

[bartleby1]

Just got back from a 9 day stay at POR with DW,DD and DSIL..Let me start by saying the boat to DD, the lounge area and the cast members were all a pleasant part of our stay..that was about it..

The place is one of the older resorts and is definitely showing it's age, but the staff is not doing a very good job in the cleanliness of the areas and the manicuring of the grounds..our room was in dire need of a paint job, loose handles and more signs of age...this resort is in need of an overhaul. Even though it is too widely spread out for my taste, it has the potential to be very beautiful...I hope this changes in order to keep up with the Disney standard that I have become accustomed to..

Also..the bus system there is horrendous..always a wait and never any rhyme or reason as to when and where the next bus will come to or what park it's headed...Maybe I was spoiled from our trip in September where we stayed at Coronado Springs..that was a real pleasure..in all respects..

I have always been of the mentality that when life gave me lemons I would make lemonade, but this trip left me cold...POR is not a good place to stay, but with that being said, I need to start planning our next trip in November when 12 of us will be heading down from Delaware, Maryland and Arizona to stay for a week...not sure where, just not at POR..

P.S...Everest is best when you ride in the back.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience there. It stinks to spend all that money and be let down. We've stayed at POR the past 6 years and last summer we left with a similar feeling about it needing some work and updating. It definitely didn't live up to our expectations. I won't go into the details but our room was definitely not up to disney standards. I'm really torn about where to stay this year if we go. We travel with my parents who love POR and we are also a family of 5 (my youngest in now 3 years old) so we are limited unless we put one of our kids in my parents room which I would prefer not to do. I also don't want to pay the price of a deluxe.

Were you in the AB section or at the mansions? Maybe some sections are better than others? Seems to be hit or miss from what I've read.

 

[DisneyInDel]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience there. It stinks to spend all that money and be let down. We've stayed at POR the past 6 years and last summer we left with a similar feeling about it needing some work and updating. It definitely didn't live up to our expectations. I won't go into the details but our room was definitely not up to disney standards. I'm really torn about where to stay this year if we go. We travel with my parents who love POR and we are also a family of 5 (my youngest in now 3 years old) so we are limited unless we put one of our kids in my parents room which I would prefer not to do. I also don't want to pay the price of a deluxe.

Were you in the AB section or at the mansions? Maybe some sections are better than others? Seems to be hit or miss from what I've read.

We were in the Mansions..Oak Manor..Bldg 90.

A party of 5 makes it tough...I know..we have 3 daughters.

If not for that, I would recommend Coronado Springs...our kids are all over 21 now, so we travel as adults..that makes a big difference in figuring out resorts and rooms now...and it helps that they all kick in some $$ (sometimes)

 

[kileybeth]

When I saw you were from DE I thought perhaps you were my girlfriend who just returned last week from POR AB. but no, she actually loved the resort and they are long time CSR fans!

I can not abide unclean rooms so am hoping this is a hit or miss issue. My DH and I stayed in the mansions last Sept and thought they were very nice. Now we did not have our children with us, we had a king bedded room, our buses were on time BUT we too felt the resort is to spread out (seemed like a mile to coffee in the am).

We return to POR in 2 weeks AB this time because of number of children with us, I am not excited to be honest about the accomadations (I am not a rustic girl in any way shape or form) but it is what we have to do if we want to go this time. Trying so hard not to think about our last stay (POLY CL) or at least not compare and go in with a "this is going to be okay" attitude. I didn't even read the thread about what don't you like about resort. . " or whatever it was!

someone please encourage me!! I am sorry OP trip was such a downer especially as they are fellow Delawareans!

 

[bartleby1]

We were in the Mansions..Oak Manor..Bldg 90.

A party of 5 makes it tough...I know..we have 3 daughters.

If not for that, I would recommend Coronado Springs...our kids are all over 21 now, so we travel as adults..that makes a big difference in figuring out resorts and rooms now...and it helps that they all kick in some $$ (sometimes)

Thanks, our bad experience was in Magnolia Terrace, rooms 8605 and 8606 I believe. The location was great, but the rooms were not. Maybe they are more worn due to the good location but it definitely is scaring me about staying there again. Of course, next time we would be on the AB side since we'd need a trundle bed.

Decisions, decisions...

Thanks for the info!

 

[boxer]

I LOVE the POR, and the statement the other poster said sums it up the best----the fact it is a little spread out kind of gives you the vibe of a resort rather than a hotel. The best part of POR is the rooms (especially at AB) give you privacy away from the main building, BUT still within a reasonable walk. I think it is the rustic landscaping that gives the illusion you are further away than you really are.

We're trying the AKL this time (after like 6 consecutive stays at POR), and I hope it lives up to the precendent POR has given us.

 

[DisneyInDel]

When I saw you were from DE I thought perhaps you were my girlfriend who just returned last week from POR AB. but no, she actually loved the resort and they are long time CSR fans!

I can not abide unclean rooms so am hoping this is a hit or miss issue. My DH and I stayed in the mansions last Sept and thought they were very nice. Now we did not have our children with us, we had a king bedded room, our buses were on time BUT we too felt the resort is to spread out (seemed like a mile to coffee in the am).

We return to POR in 2 weeks AB this time because of number of children with us, I am not excited to be honest about the accomadations (I am not a rustic girl in any way shape or form) but it is what we have to do if we want to go this time. Trying so hard not to think about our last stay (POLY CL) or at least not compare and go in with a "this is going to be okay" attitude. I didn't even read the thread about what don't you like about resort. . " or whatever it was!

someone please encourage me!! I am sorry OP trip was such a downer especially as they are fellow Delawareans!

Sorry..not your girlfriend..not even a girl.


I dont wanna put too much emphasis on the negative here..after all, we were at WDW..and even the weather being downright cold for 2 of our days couldnt keep us down..we absolutely love being at Walt's place..even now that we are middle aged with adult kids (is that like jumbo shrimp?). That is the only place we ever want to vacation and we actually opted for POR because of a discounte deal and the desire to try a new moderate resort..like I told my wife, nothing ventured, nothing gained and we gained insight on one of the resorts..we werent gonna be in love with all of them, so what the hey.

Never fear, fellow Del DISer..spending time at the House of Mouse is a cure all...it is never bad..just sometimes not as good as others. I am always in between trips. Why? Because I love it!!!

Have fun and enjoy your time there...there is no better place in this world than Walt Disney World!!

 

[lshaw]

Just got back from a 9 day stay at POR with DW,DD and DSIL..Let me start by saying the boat to DD, the lounge area and the cast members were all a pleasant part of our stay..that was about it..

The place is one of the older resorts and is definitely showing it's age, but the staff is not doing a very good job in the cleanliness of the areas and the manicuring of the grounds..our room was in dire need of a paint job, loose handles and more signs of age...this resort is in need of an overhaul. Even though it is too widely spread out for my taste, it has the potential to be very beautiful...I hope this changes in order to keep up with the Disney standard that I have become accustomed to..

Also..the bus system there is horrendous..always a wait and never any rhyme or reason as to when and where the next bus will come to or what park it's headed...Maybe I was spoiled from our trip in September where we stayed at Coronado Springs..that was a real pleasure..in all respects..

I have always been of the mentality that when life gave me lemons I would make lemonade, but this trip left me cold...POR is not a good place to stay, but with that being said, I need to start planning our next trip in November when 12 of us will be heading down from Delaware, Maryland and Arizona to stay for a week...not sure where, just not at POR..

P.S...Everest is best when you ride in the back.

Ok, I thought it was just me, but we just got back from 7 nights at DW- first three nights we stayed at Beach Club- (we are DVC members) and then we switched over to POR (feb 29th to march 4th) My husband and I both hated this resort- we stayed in the Acadian House- we had the most run down room and it was filthy- I have posted this once, I think, but when I went to go to bed and pulled down the bed spread (12:00 midnight), there was orange GUNK in several places stuck to the inside of the spread- I of course called housekeeping to bring me another, they did after quite a long time, but it being our first night there, I was completely disgusted and the experience at this resort just got worse- from the main pool being OVERCROWDED, only ONE hot tub, (which was always filled with young kids (even at 11:00 pm), the only thing done in our room was the beds made- (and they didnt even perform that function well) The front door to our room had all kinds of black scuff marks all over it as well as grime in every corner of the room itself. The bus system was ridiculous. I did not expect this to happen, as most of the reviews seemed great. Live and learn, we will never stay there again.

 

[DisneyInDel]

Ok, I thought it was just me, but we just got back from 7 nights at DW- first three nights we stayed at Beach Club- (we are DVC members) and then we switched over to POR (feb 29th to march 4th) My husband and I both hated this resort- we stayed in the Acadian House- we had the most run down room and it was filthy- I have posted this once, I think, but when I went to go to bed and pulled down the bed spread (12:00 midnight), there was orange GUNK in several places stuck to the inside of the spread- I of course called housekeeping to bring me another, they did after quite a long time, but it being our first night there, I was completely disgusted and the experience at this resort just got worse- from the main pool being OVERCROWDED, only ONE hot tub, (which was always filled with young kids (even at 11:00 pm), the only thing done in our room was the beds made- (and they didnt even perform that function well) The front door to our room had all kinds of black scuff marks all over it as well as grime in every corner of the room itself. The bus system was ridiculous. I did not expect this to happen, as most of the reviews seemed great. Live and learn, we will never stay there again.

The black scuff marks on the door..we had the same thing...that was not a very good first impression, was it?

And the bathroom..small doesnt describe it....the tub/toilet area was smaller than any All Star/Pop Century room I have ever stayed in..

 

[NIKKI 1]

Hi,

We have been thinking of booking POFQ, did anyone see if that looked of the same standard?

Thanks

Nikki.

 

[chickenskin]

Just there in Dec. and loved it, going back in 3 weeks. We've stayed there numerous times and always had a great stay. To each his/her own.

 

[Brooknwdw]

I too am interested in knowing if these problems extend to the POFQ? If so, I will switch back to POP..we love the values and I'm not paying MORE to stay there with these types of issues.

 

[figmentfan0724]

i honestly have to say some of these issues have to be a hit or miss type of thing, I have stayed there twice, once last june and once in sept and we never had a single problem. I can say that waiting a long time for a bus is a seasonal thing. I have a friend who works in transportation and they don't run as many buses this time of year as they do in say june or july. my question to you is, did you say anything upon checkout to the CM about your expierence?

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

OP, I'm so sorry that you had a bad experience at POR. We stayed there in Oct. and Dec and had an amazing time.

I DID notice small things that were showing it's age.

We loved the grounds while staying in the AB. Did you stay in the Mansions or AB?

 

[mefordis]

Sorry to hear that. We stayed at POR and absolutely loved it. Maybe it's the timing. We were there in the summer. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus to wherever we needed to go.

We thought the theming was wonderful and the grounds were immaculately mannicured. So very green and lush.

Our daughter had a blast catching fish in the Fishin' Hole, we thought that was a very unique experience for just $4. The CM was so helpful with putting worms on her hook and showing her how to catch a fish. It was a magical moment for us.

You're right about the boat ride to DTD. That's an attraction all to itself. It was great to take it while the sun was out and then to come back in the dark.

We really enjoyed the layed back, spread out way POR is set up. It felt so much more like a "resort" than a "hotel."

I recommend it highly!

We also had a great experience in Sept 1996 at POR. We didn't take the busses, though. In two mos we are staying at POFQ and plan to take the buses. I hope we are not disappointed!