POR..Very Disappointed..

[KorieDWnut]

I am very sorry you had such a horrible experience.

We love POR. As a family of 5, with 3 small children, we think POR fits us perfectly. I am not willing to spend more on deluxes yet. I don't even mind how far away the rooms are. It sort of forces us to slow down a little bit. Our last room was the furthest away we have ever been from the food court but I would still just make the trek to get a drink, just to go for a walk alone. It was nice.

One night after leaving MK, the busses were ridiculous but there were seperate busses for POR and POFQ and FQ's line was empty...weird! So we got on that bus and then walked to the ferry boat area at POFQ and then took the boat over to POR. It took some time but it was much calmer than waiting in line forever to ride on a crowded bus.

I always found POR very quiet, even during busy times which is one reason we love it so much.

 

[jamstew]

Hi,

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

Thanks

Nikki.

I stayed at POFQ in September and loved it. I had a river view in Bldg. 5 I think.

 

[kileybeth]

does anyone know when POR was last renovated? Industry standards are usually under 8 years I think (could be off and know it depends on occupancy) Just seems like I have looked at the same pics over on allears.net for years now?? wondering if POR is due for a rehab at least the Mansions section? I seem to remember new bedspreads in AB a little bit ago? Was that just soft goods I wonder or total rehab?

staying in AB in 2 weeks I'll definitely let everyone know what we find!

 

[morgy827]

We also would often get off the bus at POFQ. Not only is the boat ride nice but it is a beautiful walk along the river to POR...especially at night. One of the reasons I love POR is because of how spread out it is. It has the most beautiful grounds and walking them is an attraction in itself. I guess if your in a rush to see the parks it wouldn't be the best but if you are the type who likes to "stop and smell the flowers" this resort would be perfect. It has so many picture perfect spots.

We also love the food court. We never ate there for lunch or supper but we ate breakfast there every day for 9 days and never got tired of it. We also have not eaten at Boatwrights but there was never a line and the pictures I have seen posted of the food there looks great.

As for the bus situation I think it's all about timing. The time of the year and the time of the day. The last time we were there it was Sept and free dining and we never had a problem with the bus. We always went to the main depot at the front of the hotel after breakfast and it worked out great. We also never had a problem getting a bus home except for in DTD one night where we waited about 15-20min. As for people pushing their way onto the bus I think that is common, unfortunately, everywhere in Disney whether you are waiting for a bus, or the afternoon parade at MK or in the pre-show room of Little Mermaid. It's just human nature.


We also stayed in the Mansion room and we were at the back facing the parking lot. We did not request any particular room and were not willing to pay for the "preferred room or water view" We were happy with the room nonetheless. We also have never had any probs with cleanliness but I think that every resort will have an off day or two just like we all do in our own housekeeping skills .

Being that I am not willing to pay the exorbitant prices that Disney charges for a deluxe hotel I think POR is the best choice. I would not hesitate to stay there again and am actually going to be there in 4 weeks for my honeymoon. I can't wait as I think it is one of the most romantic resorts on property. But just like anything it is all personal preference.

 

[epcotfan]

I feel the same way OP and I last stayed there 10 years ago. The bus factor was a real put off for me. Definitely won't stay there again.

 

[sassyat30]

I am also not a big fan of POR. My main issues are never getting a well-located room, and the buses are awful. On my last 2 stays at POR, I got rooms in the exact same area - the back corner parking lot of mansion Parterre Place. This area isn't particularly close to anything, and I think you can't be any further from the main pool. I think if I ever could get a better located room, I would enjoy the resort more, but I just can't get one no matter what I do. I made room requests both times I stayed there, but they were not even looked at.

My problem with the buses was that I couldn't get on one without being aggressive! I used the the main stop at the food court since it was closest to my room (not that any bus stops were close to Parterre Place, actually). Every morning, the buses were usually pretty full from POFQ, and usually were standing room only left. So when a bus came (especially MK ones), everyone would push to get on, usually just to end up standing for the whole ride anyways. There are no queues to line up in, so it's a free-for-all! Anyone who wasn't quick and assertive was left waiting for the next hall-full bus. Every morning, it took me 3 buses to finally get on an MK one. After 3 days of this "survival of the fittest gets to ride the bus", I gave up in disgust and drove everywhere.

So between always having the most remote rooms and bad buses, I have no desire to ever stay at POR anytime soon!

The South Depot (the "main" one) is the last stop at POR before you leave the resort to go the parks. So all those people you saw on the bus were other POR guests.

 

[MommyBuzz909]

What is the bus stop at POR or even POFQ that picks up FIRST??

 

[2008wildcat]

Being new on this forum, I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but it seems like this thread is reoccuring in ALL the resorts.

Having been to WDW twice in the last 3 years, and going again in October, I have done a LOT of reading on various forums and informational sites.


I researched CBR, which had much the same complaints......dirty, too spread out, etc, etc.....we stayed there in November/December of 2007 and found it to be quite enjoyable, no issues whatsoever.

Maybe Disney is just slipping, and the bad experiences get posted, and the good do not, but I have stayed in POR when it was Dixie Landings, and liked the fact that you are not crammed into a big square hotel.

Seems like peoples preferences and expectations are a whole lot different, and when things don't go their way, it is a bad experience.......

 

[Shmily1]

Gee, I must have been at a different POR in January... we loved it!!! It was beautiful, took about 3-5 minutes to wait for a bus, and about 3 minutes to get to the main building or the bus depot. DH said that's the best resort at WDW--even better than BC!! We will definitely be going back!!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

The South Depot (the "main" one) is the last stop at POR before you leave the resort to go the parks. So all those people you saw on the bus were other POR guests.

Oops! I guess I should have mentioned I last stayed at POR over 2 years ago, and the buses clearly came from POFQ first in the morning. And the rare occassion when I did get on a semi-empty bus, it then went around to every POR bus stop, so the bus wasn't coming from within POR itself before it came to the main stop. Maybe things have changed - it couldn't have been worse!

I remember every morning, it would take me an hour and fifteen minutes to get to MK from the main POR bus stop. Too long!

 

[PirateKitty]

OP-sorry to hear you had an unpleasant stay. We stayed there in October and had a wonderful experience. We were on our honeymoon and I was very pleased with POR. Our room was very clean & quiet, and was only about a 5 minute walk from the lobby. We only had one bad experience with transportation, but other than that we never waited for than 5 minutes for a bus and always had a seat. Maybe it was the time of year, not sure.

Hope you find a resort that better suits you.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Oops! I guess I should have mentioned I last stayed at POR over 2 years ago, and the buses clearly came from POFQ first in the morning. And the rare occassion when I did get on a semi-empty bus, it then went around to every POR bus stop, so the bus wasn't coming from within POR itself before it came to the main stop. Maybe things have changed - it couldn't have been worse!

I remember every morning, it would take me an hour and fifteen minutes to get to MK from the main POR bus stop. Too long!

When we stayed there last Aug., South Depot was the LAST stop if you were going for park opening and West was the FIRST. We always got on at West to a completely empty bus. Once the parks are up and running, the bus makes the loop stopping at POFQ 1st, then South 2nd which is why people get so confused, but it is not an issure 1st thing in the morning. We also never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus. The resort was full for free dining so maybe they were running extra busses.

does anyone know when POR was last renovated? Industry standards are usually under 8 years I think (could be off and know it depends on occupancy) Just seems like I have looked at the same pics over on allears.net for years now?? wondering if POR is due for a rehab at least the Mansions section? I seem to remember new bedspreads in AB a little bit ago? Was that just soft goods I wonder or total rehab?

staying in AB in 2 weeks I'll definitely let everyone know what we find!

I thought a rehab was done post 9/11 but I'm not positive. We stayed in AB building #25 and didn't have any problems. I know I've seen somebody on these boards post the rehab date and I didn't think it was that long ago.

 

[Mililani Mom]

Hi, we went to POR at the start of the New Year. Since it was booked, there was no way we could switch rooms. Anyway, our room was sadly quite dirty upon checkin (the floor didn't look vacuumed). We also found a prior guest's sippy cup (my kids saw it when we initially checked in, I found it a few days later and dumped it). Also, our sink never really looked that clean (toilet and shower were fine however) but.... we loved our mousekeeper anyway because he left oodles of towel animals and ALWAYS decorated our room to the hilt. We tipped $4.00 ($1.00 per person) plus a special cookie from home (Hawaii). My kids were always tickled to see how Jose did up the room. Jose also always left an abundance of extra towels and soap and shampoo. My sister (who stayed at POFQ at the same time), never had any towel decorations (they tip the same as us, heck I think they leave $5.00 for the 4 of them, but no cookie), anyway, she jokingly said that maybe our Mousekeeper was too busy decorating and that's why the room wasn't that clean.

The other POR employees were not too "magical." I don't know if the holiday crowds were wearing them down and they were just tired of tourists at that point.

Between the two Port Orleans resorts, I prefer POFQ (the laundry room and pool is more accessible).

 

[nikki'smom]

Sorry about your experience. Hopefully you still had a great vacation.

 

[mslclark]

I'd have to agree with you. We stayed at PO-R in 2005 - AB section - and loved it. Went back in 2007 and was disapointed. Our room was fine - clean and in good shape, but the grounds areas were not clean at all - cigarette butts and beer bottles left in front of our door one morning, and stayed there all day. We felt an air of indifference from the CM's there as well.

Note: I'd say the last rehab of AB was 2005 or prior, because our room in 2007 was identical to our 2005 room.

 

[*disgal*]

When we stayed there last Aug., South Depot was the LAST stop if you were going for park opening and West was the FIRST. We always got on at West to a completely empty bus. Once the parks are up and running, the bus makes the loop stopping at POFQ 1st, then South 2nd which is why people get so confused, but it is not an issure 1st thing in the morning. We also never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus. The resort was full for free dining so maybe they were running extra busses.

We were there in Aug. 2006 for free dining and this is what we found to be true also. We were closest to the West Depot so we went there every morning to find an empty bus. Then we went around to all the other stops, with the Main Depot last. This was where the majority of the people were.

Also, in the afternoons when we came back, the West Depot was dropped off first after POFQ. We loved that!

The only time I REALLY hate the buses is after a day at MK. They try so hard but you still have to wait forever for a bus, at least we did. But I love that when you go to MK, they drop you right off at the front instead of at the TTC (when you drive your car).........so I take the bad with the good. What else are you going to do?