Port Orleans...here is what I thought!

[princess angel]

While I have never stayed at PO, I did go visit it during my recent trip to WDW.
Based on pictures and reviews I had seen prior to visiting it, Iwould have told you that between all 3 sections, FQ, Mansions and Alligator Bayou, i would like the Mansions best and AB lest, with FQ in the middle...
well, after walking around the entire reosrt, checking out all common areas, even sneaking a peek into a couple of rooms (as the housekeepers were cleaning..) I was surprised to find that Alligator Bayou was by far my favorite!
The whole theming and feeling while walking around there is one of great beauty and calmness. The landscaping is lush and pretty, the buildings are small and cozy, yet beautifully upkept, they looked brand new and very pretty.
The rooms themswlves might be rustic looking with the log beds, but I didnt get the rustic feeling on the grounds, it was just gorgeous!

My second favorite was the Mansions, they were very pretty, and it seemed somewhat sunnier over there! They dont have quite as much theming and character as the Bayou though.

The FQ was my least favorite, it just didnt appeal to me, while its pool was nicer than Riversides, the grounds themselves were less lush it seemed so small, and well, I dont care for the jesters and such in the theming.
I also found the lobby at Riverside to be much nicer than the FQ (even the restrooms!)


We walked all around, along Sassagoula river also, it was absolutely gorgeous! river is so beautiful to look at from Riverside also, by the Manision (especially over the little bridges)


well, that is my review, I am so glad I visited PO, what a pretty place

Laura

 

[jaguar9748]

I wholeheartedly agree! I stayed at FQ and was not impressed. It is a lovely resort, but it didn't do anything special for me. I stayed in the mansions (Partierre Place) with a beautiful waterview room which was lovely, but the building was awfully big as was the quiet pool. We always stay in the Bayou section. We love the smaller, more intimate buildings and the more rustic rooms. The landscaping is spectacular! Riverside Alligator Bayou is our 2nd home!

 

[SeaSpray]

Thanks for your review, Laura, and for explaining exactly why you liked or didn't like each area I personally don't care for the jesters either. As for Riverside, I think taking a quick stop over there to see it in person is a great idea; you never know what might appeal to you in person.

 

[hockey mom]

The grounds and the rustic look are what we loved about this resort when we stayed there. We are hoping to try again one year with lots of time to enjoy all the resort offers.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

Thanks for your review Laura. We are booked into FQ next May. We really wanted AB at Riverside but the CM at CRO told us they like to save these rooms for families so it would be unlikely our request would be met. Having already stayed in the mansions we opted for FQ. I hope we are not disappointed.

 

[Kirby]

DisneyFreaks, I would try again and talk to another CM. I can't imagine them denying you the right to stay in Alligator Bayou just because you couldn't "fill" the room.

The part I like best about Alligator Bayou is the winding gray path through the lodges. You can't see all the way through to the main buildings and I like that.

 

[susy]

I know that one day we will stay at either one of these resorts.
I am leaning towards FQ because of the smallness of the resort, BUT I am less than thrilled with the pictures of the rooms that I've seen. They seem to be "themeless". AB rooms are cute and the mansions are "pretty" and go with that theme. The room itself is very important to me.

How spread out is POR REALLY?

I tought that CBR was too spread out for me, but I would stay there again (even if I never used the main pool or food court).

 

[goofy4tink]

I've stayed in both AB and MB. I like them both. The atmosphere in AB is incredible. We were in bldg. 35, which is a ways out there. It only took about 6 mins. to walk to the food court and the bus stop was about 4 mins. away. It is a very tranquil area. Also liked the more formal theme at the mansions area. It just had more evidence of people there. Not huge crowds, but more than AB had. We would be staying in AB next Aug but dd says 2 times in a row in the same place is enough. So we'll try CBR, unless I get a terrific code for a deluxe.

 

[JulesMom]

I love PO-FQ because of it's size and it never seemed crowded at all.

But, I like AB the best! We had a "swamp" outside our room. A pool of water with running water at the edges. It was way COOL!

 

[Kirby]

I guess this difference for me since I have stayed at both POR and CB now (we were in Trinidad South so I know for sure how far the walk is), is that at CB you get on the main path and you can see from one end of the resort to the other. Whereas at POR in Alligator Bayou (we were in Lodge 25) the winding paths made each turn interesting. That's why I prefer POR better even though I loved CB. The landscaping is a big factor also.

 

[justhat]

I have never stayed at either of these hotels but would like to try them at least once. It just seems that everytime we decide to stay there, we get a great rate somewhere else that we just can't turn down, since we might not see that rate again. I have one question about the PO though, and it seems stupid, but I'll ask anyway. Are there a lot of bugs hanging around there, like more than at the other resorts, because of all the water? Other than the pools, the All Stars really don't have any water, but Coronado Springs had that big lake and though walking from our room to the main building was fine, when we toured the resort and walked on that long bridge there were gnats and mosquitos everywhere. I was just wondering if this was a problem at PO too and if we'd need to bring insect repellent when we walk around the grounds.

 

[goofy4tink]

We never noticed any creepy/crawly things. But we have always been there in late Oct/early Nov. So maybe the bugs weren't such a problem.

 

[jaguar9748]

Disneyfreaks - definitely call back. My mother-in-law stayed in a Bayou room by herself with no problem. I don't know how many folks you have, but if you want a king size bed Alligator Bayou room 2601 is fabulous!

Suzy - haven't been to CBR, but POR is not as spread out as you think. Coronado is much bigger, in my opinion and even that isn't a bad walk. I'll be able to compare CBR and POR next month.

Justthat - have stayed at POR every summer for the past 4 years and have never had a problem with bugs of any kind. Some folks report bugs at OKW and AKL, but I have never seen or heard of a bug problem at POR.

 

[Boots]

Thank you for great review!

 

[princess angel]

I have to say that I did not find POR to be too spread out, and this is coming from someone who is used to deluxe resorts that are more compact.
We walked all through the whole resort, the Mansions then to the common areas, passed the pool and then through AB, we took in the scenery, and strolled around and still it didnt take very long. It couldnt be more than 5 - 8 minutes to a bus stop or the food court from any building. and besides, it is such a beautiful and scenic resort, I wouldnt mind the walk

I cant imagine the resort would have any problem w/bugs. most of the resorts are on some kind of water and have ponds and such, I have never had a problem.

Happy day everyone!

Laura

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Sorry guys - I was very disappointed with our 8night stay at French Quarter last week. It was the only place available on Disney property for an 8night stay with only 24hr notice. It wasnt our fault - DCL cancelled our cruise on us! If I had my choice I would have stayed at our DVC home - Wilderness Lodge Villas. It cost us 1.5 times as much staying at PO/FQ as it would have if we stayed at VWL!!
(On the positive side though - DS10.5 did enjoy the pool)

 

[DisneyFreaks]

You guys are making AB sound so wonderful. We're already paid in full at FQ and I'm not sure they could change us this late in the game since we have three rooms booked. We have always been told that because there would only be two in the room AB could only be requested and not guaranteed. With my luck I know we'd wind up in the mansions again. LoL
imgoingtodisney, may I ask what it was that you didn't like about French Quarter?

 

[DMRick]

I'm goign to Disney..what did they do with your cruise being cancelled? Did they give you food vouchers or tics into the parks? I think that would have been very expensive, having planned for a cruise and then have to pay for other things. Did they give you any bonuses, if you don't mind my asking?