POR vs WL need advice! (long)

[Doctor Mouse]

Travelling with family, including 2 girls just under 3 years old and trying to decide between properties. Not worried too much about cost difference but I am more interested in thoughts on the best experience.

Details:
3 night stay, 1 day in MK, 1 in Epcot
Girls are not yet in to princess thing so not sure that POR gets extra points for that

Worries
Transportation
Pools
"Disney magic"-this is where I am really stumped. I booked WL and, as a deluxe, assumed it would somehow be "better" than POR as a moderate. But I checked out the photos and my impression is that POR just seems more "magical." WL strikes me as more like a nice ski lodge than anything particularly "Disney." But then I read the reviews of WL and they seem universally positive so I am not sure...

I think what may have turned me off was watching a video of the Whispering Canyon restaurant and it made the WL seem more "campground" than deluxe resort whereas the PR seemed from watching the videos to be a little more "resort-y."

SO...I would love to get opinions from people who have stayed at both or who have strong impression (positive or negative) of one of the hotels. Either way, we will have a great trip but I am looking to maximize the "pixie dust" for the little ones!

THANKS!!!!

 

[Herbie]

I have to say the we were "underwhelmed" by the WL. Yes its a beautiful building, but the rooms felt small, and not deluxe at all. I would always choose a moderate over the WL. PO is a great resort.

Also, other than a boat to the Mk, all transportation options are the same. Save the money and go with POR.

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

Transportation is a big issue with little ones in your group. Transportation to Epcot will be equal from either WL or POR. I personally think it is nice to take the boat to MK from WL and would prefer that to the bus from POR. I don't think the WL is very "campground" at all. It has a very ski lodge type vibe in my opinion, but it is a beautiful and striking building with a magnificent and unforgettable lobby. I say that even though the resort is not really my personal taste. POR is made up of smaller buildings laid out over the resort, rather than one centralized building like WL. As far as Disney magic, that is always in the eye of the beholder and people will find that in different places. I honestly don't think either WL or POR is more magical than the other, just different styles. I would suggest viewing as many videos and pictures as you can to decide what will suit YOU best.

 

[Karabee]

Agree with PP. WL did nothing for me. The pool area was small, the rooms were dark and old (I realize dark goes with the theme, but I mean really dark - not all nature is brown and hunter green!). We like to relax by the pool in the afternoon and the kids games are so loud it wasn't even relaxing at all - music and CMs yelling into the microphone. I also didn't think the service was the best. The only plus for WL was that we had good transportation and the boat to MK was really nice. Since you're only talking about 2 park days though, I don't think it really matters.
POR was somewhat different to me since it was my second Moderate ever, but honestly, for the price, its wonderful. I think the grounds are so lovely and peaceful. We never had issues with transportation, and the boat to DTD is fantastic.
Overall, I would stay at POR again, I would not stay at WL.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I am at WL right now for an 11 day stay (this is day 3). I have to tell you...this place is amazing!!!!

As far as the rooms being "dark and old", we are in a brand new room that is absolutely gorgeous....reds, tans and blues (no hunter green).

As far is it not being "Disney"...we look out on our balcony and Cinderella's castle is right there! We can see the monorail wizzing by! Our shower has Bambi tiles in it and the pillows have thumper!!! Not sure how much more Disney you can get!!

It is sooooo peaceful here! We come back from the crazy parks and there is not a person in sight!!!

The pool has not been crowded (and it's July), we have had plenty of space to play with our children and have been able to secure a table to put our stuff down...

Needless to say, I am a WL fan, but you can make the decision yourself! Good luck!

 

[Doctor Mouse]

Thanks everyone! This is exactly the kind of opinions I am looking for. Keep it coming!

 

[jimandami]

Having stayed at both, I would also choose WL, both for convenience and for resort feel. The thing about POR that didn't feel that "resort like" is that it is spread out over a bunch of buildings, instead of a central area. Plus, the outdoor hallways make it seem a little bit motel-ish to me. Now, that is not to say it is a bad place to stay, I would just choose WL first. WL has a beautiful lobby, nice pool, and beautiful courtyard area. One other thought, though...have you considered AKL? It is similar to WL, but to me, has a more resort feel.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've never stayed at POR, but we love the WL . The atmosphere is relaxing, the pool is fun, Roaring Forks is one of our favorite CS places, and we love taking the boat to MK. It's also convenient to take the boat to the CR for shopping, dining, or just visiting and then hop on the monorail to visit the Poly and GF as well. We also like that it has interior corridors and everything is under one roof. We have stayed at one mod and while the rooms at the WL aren't huge, they are a little bigger than the mods. Good luck deciding, but if it were me, I'd go with the WL .

 

[auntfrannie]

I've stayed at WL once and POR many times. The WL is nice and it's nice to be able to take the boat to the MK. But the rooms do nothing for me and I'm just not that impressed with resort in general. Roaring Forks, the quick serve location, is way too small for a resort that size!

I prefer POR for its beautiful landscaping. Everyone comments on how large and spread out it is, but that's what I like about it. I've never had a problem with transportation there but I always use the South Depot (the main stop). The food court is large and has a lot of nice options.

 

[jenlw]

I've been having a similar dilema. For my family, the big deciding factor is going to be transportation. I originally had a room booked at WL with a discount through my husband's airline discount. When Disney opened up free dining, we had to forego our room discount to get the free dining. So...I switched to the Port Orleans Riverside to save some money and get free dining. It looks amazing as well. I have had several friends stay at POR and they all said it was a nice hotel. Now that POR has all queen beds, that helped me make my decision to switch from WL to POR. When we went to Disney in 2007 we stayed at the Grand Floridan because my kids were small and we wanted the conveience of hopping on the monorail and being back to our hotel in a matter of minutes (for naps, etc). Now that they are bigger that is no longer a concern.

WL does not have the monorail, but does have the boat that goes directly to MK and one that goes to the Contemporary. The more I thought about it, the fact that we would have to take busses everywhere if we stayed at POR became a concern of mine. I know some people don't mind, but I started to stress about it. For instance, one night after a day at MK, we have dinner reservations at 8:00 pm at the Polynesian. So we will take the monorail from MK to the Polynesian. Then to get back to our hotel, we have to take the monorail back to MK, then get on a bus back to POR. When we have breakfast reservations at Chef Mickey, we will have to make sure we get up early enough to take the bus from POR to MK. Then take the monorail to the Contemporary. After a long day at the park, I just think it will be much nicer to finish up a long day at MK, go eat at the Polynesian and then be able to take the monorail back to MK or the Contemporary and then take a boat ride to our hotel. No waiting for an empty bus, etc. By staying at the WL, on our Chef Mickey breakfast day, we will just get on the boat to the Contemporary. Easy! So for us, it is really not about the niceness of the hotels. Both look beautiful. For us, it was about conveience of getting to and from our hotel. My brother-in-law went to Disney last year and stayed at POR. They loved it, but did say when they were all tired, the bus was a beating. Also, I like that WL is close to MK. You can see the fireworks from the hotel, you can see the water parade at night from the beach, etc. You just feel closer to MK. POR was closest to Downtown Disney.

All that being said, I really don't think you can go wrong with either the WL or POR. Both are so nice, nice pools, etc. For me, I switched back to WL because the thought of all the bus transfers was stressful. However, that is just me. Some people do not mind the busses at all.

Since you are just going to MK and Epcot, the WL would be very conveinent. You would never need a bus. To go to MK, take ferry to the park. To go to Epcot, take ferry to MK or Contemporary and then monorail to Epcot. Easy. POR would not be too bad either. Bus to MK. And Bus to MK, then monorail to Epcot. It just gets tricky if you have dinner plans at other resorts. Then you have to get back to a park to get your bus back to POR.

Hope that helps! Good luck with your decision. Your family will have a magical time wherever they stay!

 

[mad madam mim78]

I love PoR. It's gorgeous and well priced. I love the small town feel of it. The surroundings are so peaceful. It doesn't feel touristy. To me the little extra convenience you get from being able to ride the monorail are not worth thousands of extra dollars. I'll take my chances with the busses.

 

[MMS1125]

What are the dates you are going? Really depends on the resort choice for me. If it's the holidays I'm all for WL. It's one of the cheaper deluxes and I love the nature feel plus it's beautiful decorated for Christmas. The boat to MK is nice. I honestly think once you leave the values the "in your face" Disney feel goes away. Some people like the calmer feel of mods and Deluxes (I do) but if you want a true Disney FEEL then values are the place to get that. I wouldn't pick a mod or deluxe for the Disney feel so don't go into it expecting that. Of course there will be touches b/c you are in the world but it's def in small touches vs huge right in front of you.

are the monorail resorts out of question? With 2 toddlers the transportation to MK and EP would be a plus in my book. For 3 nights I think I'd splurge if I could for the Poly or CR

 

[elaw]

I really don't think you can go wrong with either the WL or POR. I've stayed at both many times and on even on the same trip (Split Stays). If I had to choose one over the other I'd pick WL every time. It's a lot more compact/centralized and everthing is under one roof (probably easier with the little ones). I also find the bus service to and from WL a little better than POR and the boat rides to the MK are wonderful.

 

[gillenkl]

We love WL - boat to MK and monorail from Transportation Center to Epcot. We have stayed at The Fort campground and WL is no comparison to camping.

 

[Doctor Mouse]

Thanks all. We're going at the end of October. Poly and CR are pricing out a little more than we'd like to do.

I get that WL is different from FW camping. I guess that I meant that I was concerned that WL might have a more "rough around the edges" culture and not feel refined or sophisticated. I admit that I base this solely on the whooping and hollering going on in the Whispering Canyon video I saw but I prefer something that feels a little more upscale and I'm not sure if the video represent an accurate picture of the WL "vibe" or if it is just the scene in the restaurant.

 

[shannonstar]

If you are looking for magic, POR royal rooms would fit the bill. portorleans.org is a great resource for pictures, maps, etc is you are trying to make your decision between the two.

 

[elaw]

... I guess that I meant that I was concerned that WL might have a more "rough around the edges" culture and not feel refined or sophisticated. I admit that I base this solely on the whooping and hollering going on in the Whispering Canyon video I saw but I prefer something that feels a little more upscale and I'm not sure if the video represent an accurate picture of the WL "vibe" or if it is just the scene in the restaurant.

The Whispering Canyon's whooping and hollering can get a bit loud and annoying but it is usually very short lived and has never made it feel any less refined or sophisticated to me.

 

[jenlw]

I have not stayed at WL yet, but I have heard the Whispering Canyon Cafe is rowdy. However, from what I have researched, that is definitely not the atmosphere of the whole hotel. I'm imagining the atmosphere is a quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the parks, that somewhat resembles staying in Yellowstone, etc.

Now when I think about occasionally hearing the WC Cafe as we are walking back to our rooms OR think about hearing all of the crying over-tired kids on a crowded bus, late at night, with standing room only and strollers everywhere, I would take the cafe any day. However, I am probably making the bus scenerio worse than it is. My brother-in-law said he really did love POR, but the busses were the worst part of his whole trip. They went the week before Thanksgiving week, which is usually a slow week. I can only imagine the busses in the summer. If you are going in late October, I can't imagine the busses would be that bad.

That being said, with the ages of your girls, again, I think conveience to the parks would be my first priority.

Really is a tough decision, but I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you decide.

 

[cjsm&d]

Thanks everyone! This is exactly the kind of opinions I am looking for. Keep it coming!

I love POR, but if I were taking a couple of 3 year olds, I'd go with WL no doubt. Whispering Canyon is terrific and in no way campground! The kids will love it. The boat to and from MK is great. This is the next best thing to a monorail resort.

I'm assuming the day at EPCOT is for the parents? because there is really nothing there for a 3 year old (IMO and experience of course). When our DS was 3 we spent most of our time at MK, with a visit to AK, because all kids love to see animals. HS and EPCOT were lost on him, though he did like the Honey I shrunk the kids playground at HS...

If money were an issue, I'd go with POFQ with little ones ove POR. Smaller, cozier, and the pool is really for little ones.

 

[cjsm&d]

Thanks all. We're going at the end of October. Poly and CR are pricing out a little more than we'd like to do.

I get that WL is different from FW camping. I guess that I meant that I was concerned that WL might have a more "rough around the edges" culture and not feel refined or sophisticated. I admit that I base this solely on the whooping and hollering going on in the Whispering Canyon video I saw but I prefer something that feels a little more upscale and I'm not sure if the video represent an accurate picture of the WL "vibe" or if it is just the scene in the restaurant.

Whispering Canyon is focused on entertaining the kids. it is not the top reataurant at the resort. Artist Point is a lovely restaurant. I think the moment you walk into the lobby of the resort you'll know your not in a hokey place (again IMO).

Here are some pictures. Go in reverse order to see the grounds and restaurants first.
http://allears.net/acc/wlss.htm