Port Orleans Riverside FAQ thread --- 2012, Part One --- NOW CLOSED

[Missytara]

Let me say I love Disney and cant wait to go but I really need the Queen beds. I booked with a pin and chose Garden view Quuens because that was the cheapest available. I am prepared for a problem when I get there. I noticed that the standard and the River views are both stating 2 queen beds. So they either need to upgrade my room or put me in standard and refund me some $$.

I am really surprised that everyone is getting so excited about this "queen bed" thing being suddenly the greatest thing in the world.

I was there last December; with connecting rooms and 4 beds. They were queen sized mattresses on a double bed boxspring and bed frame. The mattress only overhangs about three inches on either side. It's not like one is suddenly going from a double to a king sized bed.

Quite frankly, I didn't even notice the difference, except for the beds closest to connecting door, the mattress overhung the door by about three quarters of an inch and you had to open the door around the mattress, since the space is so tight.

 

[Animal]

While I completely agree that you're right in an ideal world, the difficulty is that there simply aren't that many refurbished queen bed rooms to go round for all the Garden View bookings as yet. I reckon that about one-third of the available capacity so far has queen beds, with that ratio due to change to 50% once the two 'Royal Room' buildings are taken out of the mix over the next few weeks. The whole problem will gradually go away over the coming months, until all the rooms at the resort have been refurbished (August).

It was a description error on Disney's website to claim that all Garden View rooms have queen beds from day one, which they have now corrected. But whatever the reason, the resort can't just magic up enough queen bed rooms to go round in the short term, so SOME people are definitely going to end up with doubles.

Hopefully a lot of people didn't even notice, or don't care about, the bed sizes - they were simply making their booking based on the view (or maybe it was the cheapest option available at the time). If so, the people who did book specifically based on that one line in the small-print will be a small enough number for the resort to accommodate within the currently limited number of refurbished rooms.

I would certainly suggest that you contact the Reservations Center now though, and get them to add something along the lines of "queen bed listed in original booking" to the requests section. It might also be worth contacting the resort directly a few days before you arrive to re-confirm that.



Yes, they do have some good choices in the grab'n'go chillers - but those are separate items rather than the sort of drinks you can refill whenever you like using the Refillable Mugs.

Andre

So let me get this straight. Since the cancellation terms are also "smallprint," can I insist on a refund of my deposit if I cancel within the deposit forfeiture window? I'm thinking Disney would enforce the smallprint on this one. I must correct you again. This problem will not fix itself by August if I go in February. The fact that the rooms will match their descriptions 180 days from now is irrelevant for my trip 20 days from now. Folks who want to retain their sources at POR won't tell you this, but I will. If POR does not provide a room consistent with your booking, insist on being reaccomodated at POFQ. Escalate, escalate, escalate. Disney knows how to protect its interests. You should, too!

 

[shoney]

I am really surprised that everyone is getting so excited about this "queen bed" thing being suddenly the greatest thing in the world.

I was there last December; with connecting rooms and 4 beds. They were queen sized mattresses on a double bed boxspring and bed frame. The mattress only overhangs about three inches on either side. It's not like one is suddenly going from a double to a king sized bed.

Quite frankly, I didn't even notice the difference, except for the beds closest to connecting door, the mattress overhung the door by about three quarters of an inch and you had to open the door around the mattress, since the space is so tight.

It's not just "queen beds"...It's the fact that Disney sold us on POR by stating beautiful, new, refurbished rooms with queen beds. I wouldn't have booked POR otherwise!

 

[xceebeex]

Hey everyone, this is my first post here, but this site is awesome. Anyway, my wife and 2 kids (3yrs and 1 yr) along with my mother/father in law and brother in law his wife and son, are planning a trip to Disney May 5th-12th and have pretty much narrowed it down to POR and POFQ. From what I have read here so far it looks like POFQ is fully renovated and has queen size beds and POR is partially renovated. It looks like people think POR has the better food court and POFQ has better (quicker) access to the bus since it is only one stop. POR is a little cheaper for the nights we are looking at since they are running 20% off. So my first question is, how easy is it to request a certain area in POR (one that is renovated)? Second, what is the likelihood of me getting what I request? And lastly, is there a specific thread somewhere that lists the advantages/disadvantages of POR/POFQ or do I have to basically look at the FAQ’s for each and compare that way?

Thanks!

 

[mickeyplanner]

Sorry, the cast member you spoke to is talking complete and utter... erm, well, you know what I'm trying to say.

The Acadian House and Magnolia Terrace mansion buildings are now both completely refurbished, and have been so for several months. Four Alligator Bayou buildings are also done (14, 36, 37 and 38). If you like the mansions, I'd suggest the river-facing parts of Magnolia Terrace would be a great choice. Alligator Bayou 14 is very close to the main building, but is classed as a 'Preferred' location.

What is due to start around 15th January is work on the 'Royal Room' updates for Oak Manor (and then Parterre Place) which might be where your cast member got confused. Not quite sure what they mean by 'front' either... the front would really be the parking lot side, as that would have been the mansion entrance way, with the river/gardens at the 'back' of the buildings, but not sure if that's how it's referred to internally.

Andre

I am just starting to read this thread today because we booked a Royal Guest Room for our trip March 7-12. We received a phone call today from AAA telling us Disney called to say that the Royal Guest Rooms will not be ready for our trip. What have you heard? I am very upset because the whole reason we booked this trip was DD really wanted to stay in a new Royal Guest Room. Now that we can't stay in one of those rooms there is really no reason for this trip except we have our airfare booked.

 

[andrewilley]

It's the fact that Disney sold us on POR by stating beautiful, new, refurbished rooms with

Interesting, where did they write that? I only noticed the specific queen bed error within the Garden View booking description, nothing else.

All of the descriptions do now correctly say "two double beds" by the way, so future guests won't be misled, but I agree that is closing the stable door after the horse has bolted as far as existing bookings go.


And to the other poster, yes indeed ask for a swap to POFQ if you wish, as that section has had all queen beds for about 8 months. Or even cancel completely if you prefer - as you say, Disney would not be able to stop you.

All I'm saying is that although this is quite clearly Disney's error (no arguments from me there, I was the one who pointed it out months ago) there is sadly no pixie-dust formula that will magic queen beds into every single Garden View room at POR overnight; they simply aren't in all rooms at POR yet, and won't be until the refurbishment is complete. Nothing anyone can say or do will change that.

What I do know is that the resort staff are trying to help out guests wherever they can, as they are fully aware of the description error, and I'm sure they will try to put you into a refurbished room if the queen bed item was a real "deal breaker" for you.

So do feel free to explore any other options you like, but personally I'd give them a chance to fix it first before going in with all guns blazing, but hey maybe that's just me?

Andre

 

[shoney]

Interesting, where did they write that? I only noticed the specific queen bed error within the Garden View booking description, nothing else.

All of the descriptions do now correctly say "two double beds" by the way, so future guests won't be misled, but I agree that is closing the stable door after the horse has bolted as far as existing bookings go.


And to the other poster, yes indeed ask for a swap to POFQ if you wish, as that section has had all queen beds for about 8 months. Or even cancel completely if you prefer - as you say, Disney would not be able to stop you.

All I'm saying is that although this is quite clearly Disney's error (no arguments from me there, I was the one who pointed it out months ago) there is sadly no pixie-dust formula that will magic queen beds into every single Garden View room at POR overnight; they simply aren't in all rooms at POR yet, and won't be until the refurbishment is complete. Nothing anyone can say or do will change that.

What I do know is that the resort staff are trying to help out guests wherever they can, as they are fully aware of the description error, and I'm sure they will try to put you into a refurbished room if the queen bed item was a real "deal breaker" for you.

So do feel free to explore any other options you like, but personally I'd give them a chance to fix it first before going in with all guns blazing, but hey maybe that's just me?

Andre

I had lots of points to cash in on my disney visa. We decided to either go "cheap" with a value or "splurge" on a deluxe. Since the disney website was sooo slow and constantly locking up on me. I did the old-fashion thing and picked up the phone. I asked the CM for value and deluxe pricing. I wrote down my info to review. She then said to me "I know you don't want to stay at a moderate, but I would like you to consider POR. They are refurbishing the resort and have a category for your dates, garden view, that will be one of their new and beautiful rooms" She then urged me to take a look at the resort. I did just that on here and tripadvisor. I also confirmed that the garden view did include queen beds. I called back and booked the resort again confirming what I was told.

I even called back again months later and it was confirmed again. CM stating "disney wouldn't book you in a room that wasn't available".

I am going to POR in February and have put in my request and hope it gets honored.

 

[Debrn]

I am just starting to read this thread today because we booked a Royal Guest Room for our trip March 7-12. We received a phone call today from AAA telling us Disney called to say that the Royal Guest Rooms will not be ready for our trip. What have you heard? I am very upset because the whole reason we booked this trip was DD really wanted to stay in a new Royal Guest Room. Now that we can't stay in one of those rooms there is really no reason for this trip except we have our airfare booked.

If you go back quite a few pages you will see a lot of postings about this. Unfortunately the construction is behind schedule. Disney has offered an upgrade to deluxe resorts, you should be able to choose anywhere but contemporary or BLT.

 

[Venomhatch]

If you go back quite a few pages you will see a lot of postings about this. Unfortunately the construction is behind schedule. Disney has offered an upgrade to deluxe resorts, you should be able to choose anywhere but contemporary or BLT.

I thought everyone had been called by now. Wow. I stopped by my local AAA for Disney Day yesterday. Spoke with the Disney Rep there and he told me they should be pretty much done or down to the last few calls but I don't know if he was really informed or not. In fact to be honest I felt like I knew more than he did. They even said during the presentation RGR was not opening until April. Shows how much they know. Or are they right now, Andre?

 

[andrewilley]

I am just starting to read this thread today because we booked a Royal Guest Room for our trip March 7-12. We received a phone call today from AAA telling us Disney called to say that the Royal Guest Rooms will not be ready for our trip. What have you heard?

If you read back through the last ten or so pages here there's been lots of discussion on this. Basically, the Royal Room opening dates have been delayed by three weeks due to construction delays. There's a news summary with all the details at http://www.portorleans.org/rehab.php#040112.

However, Disney have been phoning round all effected guests and have been offering some pretty decent complimentary upgrades to deluxe hotels (many people have been asking for, and getting, the Polynesian for example - even with a lagoon view if you had originally booked a water view at POR). The contact details for the team handling it are in that news item.

Andre

 

[andrewilley]

I even called back again months later and it was confirmed again. CM stating "disney wouldn't book you in a room that wasn't available".

The Disney Reservations Center do have to take some of the blame in this whole mess, as the consistency of their information can sometimes be... erm, well a little patchy! In this case though, they were just reading the same incorrect descriptive text that we've all seen on the website, and making the (correct, as it happens) assumption that queen beds would mean refurbished rooms. Unfortunately, as we've now found out, the queen-bed description on their system was wrong from the outset (or at least premature anyway).

But as I keep saying, it's not like the Royal Rooms delay - in this case, one-third of the rooms are already done, so if you politely point out that the queen bed wording was the main reason that you booked in the first place, then I'm sure they will do their very best to accommodate you. Or if they can't, ask to speak to a manager and see what they can do for you. There are always options....

Andre

 

[shoney]

The Disney Reservations Center do have to take some of the blame in this whole mess, as the consistency of their information can sometimes be... erm, well a little patchy! In this case though, they were just reading the same incorrect descriptive text that we've all seen on the website, and making the (correct, as it happens) assumption that queen beds would mean refurbished rooms. Unfortunately, as we've now found out, the queen-bed description on their system was wrong from the outset (or at least premature anyway).

But as I keep saying, it's not like the Royal Rooms delay - in this case, one-third of the rooms are already done, so if you politely point out that the queen bed wording was the main reason that you booked in the first place, then I'm sure they will do their very best to accommodate you. Or if they can't, ask to speak to a manager and see what they can do for you. There are always options....


I completely agree. It isn't the cm's fault. I blame corporate for not providing the proper information.

I'm sure I am not the only one who fell "victim" to this. It is upsetting, but I am sure they will do their very best to keep their customer happy.

I have faith that it will all work out!

 

[andrewilley]

I noticed that the standard and the River views are both stating 2 queen beds.

Oops, where is that listed? I thought they had corrected all the errors now! (POFQ should correctly show two queens, but POR should show two doubles for all categories except King Bed and Royal Rooms)


On the plus side, the room amenity lists on the booking pages now include "complimentary Wi-Fi access" in the list, which wasn't there before. I'm sure no-one is going to be complaining about that change though!

Andre

 

[maui13]

We booked Garden View Rooms with Queen beds. Is it better to call disney reservations to add a caveat that we really would like to be guaranteed Queen beds. Or does it make more sense to call POR directly now with that request. Sounds like some of the CM's are clueless. Ideas?

 

[andrewilley]

We booked Garden View Rooms with Queen beds. Is it better to call disney reservations to add a caveat that we really would like to be guaranteed Queen beds. Or does it make more sense to call POR directly now with that request. Sounds like some of the CM's are clueless. Ideas?

All three - i.e. (1) add it to your reservation, (2) call the resort a few days before you arrive, and (3) yes, some of the CMs at the Reservations Center do seem to be clueless.

Andre

 

[Missytara]

We booked Garden View Rooms with Queen beds. Is it better to call disney reservations to add a caveat that we really would like to be guaranteed Queen beds. Or does it make more sense to call POR directly now with that request. Sounds like some of the CM's are clueless. Ideas?

You will never be able to call the resort directly; you will end up at a Central Call Center that will reiterate to you the requests that are already on your reservation.

 

[mpres2]

Missy, if you will look through the earlier posts on this thread, someone (probably Andre) has posted the correct number to reach the reservations specialist at the resort. If I remember correctly, this was the team that actually does the room assignments.

I also booked POR on the promise of Queen beds and a refurb. room. It's a little frustrating to see those who had booked Royal rooms getting an upgrade to deluxe while the rest of us won't likely get anything. The thing is, the Royal room folks are being upgraded because there are no rooms at POR that even remotely match what they were expecting. They paid a ton extra for those rooms and guest services was obligated to make sure that they had a room in the same or better category. I don't think the difference between queen and full beds is anywhere near that big a deal, it just feels like an injustice to get less than I was offered. That being said, this is the first and possibly only trip to Disney and I'm not going to let the size of the beds be a deal breaker.

If it is a deal breaker for you, I would suggest that you call the reservations call center and explain, very nicely, how you feel. Let them know that you would like to be upgraded to another location and ask them to help. Since you had originally intended to pay for a deluxe, they can help you to do that now.

 

[Dixiemom]

I have been looking thru what seems like 1000's of photos of Riverside but can't seem to find the origin of the water slide. I have seen a pic of the end that goes into the pool, just not many others.....I'd love to see more if anyone has some. Thanks!

 

[andrewilley]

I have been looking thru what seems like 1000's of photos of Riverside but can't seem to find the origin of the water slide. I have seen a pic of the end that goes into the pool, just not many others.....I'd love to see more if anyone has some. Thanks!

It starts in this little shack above the pool area.

Andre

 

[andrewilley]

Missy, if you will look through the earlier posts on this thread, someone (probably Andre) has posted the correct number to reach the reservations specialist at the resort.

No, it wasn't me that posted it, nor would I post any internal phone numbers or email addresses that I might (or might not ) have been given.

I believe a phone number was given out to someone else on these forums as a more immediate contact in case he had any further problems - but I'm not entirely sure whether the intention was to then have that number posted to the whole internet...

The correct, officially published, contact number is still 1-407-934-6000, and yes that does connect you to the central switchboard for POR and all the other Disney resorts. The cast members there have access to all the regular resort computer systems and will try to help you on the resort's behalf, but they are also able to transfer your call directly to someone at the resort if the situation warrants it.


I think you might be right about this whole queen bed issue getting blown out of proportion though. First, there's a pretty good (and growing) chance you'll get queen beds anyway --- but if not, people of all shapes and sizes seem to have somehow managed to survive at Port Orleans for the past 20 years with only double beds, is it really such a massive deal breaker for the next few months? By the time I get back from the parks at night, I think I could sleep on pretty much anything!

Andre