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

[andrewilley]

Hi! I was hoping someone could give me some advice on what to do. I have two rooms on two reservations for a preferred location room.

Hi again, and welcome to the POR thread.

Yes, Preferred Locations are in AB buildings 14, 15, 18 and 27 only. Of those, the only one that has been refurbished so far is 14. Buildings 15, 18 and 27 are all scheduled (at the moment anyway, the timetable is all a bit hazy!) to be completed around mid-June, which is probably going to be too late for you. That said, several of them will probably be closed from the end of May, which definitely pushes up your chances of getting building 14.

You'll also need to request a ground floor room by the way, as the two-story Alligator Bayou section does not have elevators (unlike the three-story mansion buildings, which do).

Also, your request for "Adjoining" rooms could mean nearby, i.e. within a few doors; if you want rooms with an actual connecting doorway, ask for "Connecting" rooms. Remember these are all only requests though, and the more separate things you ask for, the harder it will be for them to allocate rooms which provide everything you want.

Andre

 

[Venomhatch]

LOL isn't this place addictive. I thought you were heading to bed lol.

 

[andrewilley]

LOL isn't this place addictive. I thought you were heading to bed lol.

Nah, just had an hour-and-a-half drive home from work through heavy snow first, and now brain's too active to sleep yet... zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Andre

 

[Venomhatch]

Nah, just had an hour-and-a-half drive home from work through heavy snow first, and now brain's too active to sleep yet... zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Andre

You should FTP me some shots from your area of the globe. Maybe even with snow.

 

[annmarieda]

I appologize ahead of time for jumping in without reading through...

I stayed at POR a couple years ago in building 18. I LOVED it. Now looking at going back and considering POR again but am I correctly reading that if I were to want that building again it is now in a category that would make it a higher price? I guess it makes sense..the location is pretty good. I just feel sad that I didn't get a chance to stay there again with it being a standard room. I love the look of the new rooms though... so assuming the refurb is complete by the time we go it might be worth it to pay the extra.

 

[crazyboutdisny]

So what did talking to a supervisor do for you? Im sorry, there has just been so much (mis) information around I just want to recheck. Like I said when I called, the guy insisted all of POR has queen beds, there was no reason for me to have a qn bed request. I booked early Aug and at that time we were guaranteed qn beds. We were debating on trying a different resort when we booked this but becuase it was to be refurbished and the bigger beds we knew it was a no brainer as POR is our favorite. But, I want to make sure we have queen beds and if not I want to know what I should say. I dont want to be rude, but I cant even get accurate information when I call now, so I doubt Ill know until we check-in and I want that to go as smooth as possible as we will be getting there after about 16 hours in the car, so we want to unload and nap.

I got absolutly nowhere when I called. I even asked how Disney would compensate me if I arrived and did not have queen beds that I paid extra for. First she said I didnt pay extra for them and I said yes I did. We selected garden view over standard because garden view said queen beds. The she said "well what exactly do you want Disney to do." I guess I should have said upgrade me to deluxe but I said guarantee me queen beds and she said I cant do that. She also said she couldnt move us to POFQ because we have 5 people. I really have this feeling that they just slapped queen matresses on the full sized box springs and called it queen! If this is the case, I will be really irritated!!

 

[disney*mom*82]

I got absolutly nowhere when I called. I even asked how Disney would compensate me if I arrived and did not have queen beds that I paid extra for. First she said I didnt pay extra for them and I said yes I did. We selected garden view over standard because garden view said queen beds. The she said "well what exactly do you want Disney to do." I guess I should have said upgrade me to deluxe but I said guarantee me queen beds and she said I cant do that. She also said she couldnt move us to POFQ because we have 5 people. I really have this feeling that they just slapped queen matresses on the full sized box springs and called it queen! If this is the case, I will be really irritated!!

It really depends on who answers the phone for WDW on what kind of answer you get. One person got an upgrade, doesnt mean we are all going to get an upgrade, would be nice, but Im not thinking its going to happen.

I have been told all the way up to today that I was GUARANTEED queen beds. I know this isnt true. Just like DH was told last week that the refurb was completely done. Again, we know its not true. Im so glad we have the Disboards, as most here are pretty knowledgable!

I may try calling again later and seeing what the next CM says. If we check-in and do not have the correct room then, I guess we will do our best to be sure to get what we have been told since August that we would get. If not, its not going to ruin my trip, Im not sour about any of this. I LOVE WDW and if a little bit of uncomfortablness happens, we will live.

 

[crazyboutdisny]

It wont ruin mine either but I cant deny that at first I will be slightly irritated. We were orginally going to book at the french quarter and have two rooms ( I am traveling with my 2 daughters and my friend and her daughter) When we discovered we could book queen beds at POR and share a room, saving us money, we were able to extend our stay. So one one hand its yeah....we are staying 8 nights and on the other its boo....full sized beds. For us, this is no drop in the bucket! It is a HUGE treat that we are going back so soon after only being there in 2010. And I am SO glad I found there boards so I am going into this knowing there is a strong chance we will only have full beds. But no matter what we will have a good time....after all it is the happiest place on earth

 

[andrewilley]

When we discovered we could book queen beds at POR and share a room, saving us money, we were able to extend our stay.

There are a lot of people in the same boat. To Disney, I guess the original description error was originally not too major a concern - a bit like all the other items listed in the room amenities page which if not present won't exactly break someone's vacation. And in the majority of cases they are probably right, and people just want beds for four people to sleep in, and aren't too worried about 5 inches either way.

However for some people it IS a deal-breaker, and the words "queen beds" are the reason they made that room choice in the first place. Sadly, at the moment, the plain and simple fact is that only about 35% of POR's rooms actually have queen beds (rising to 50% once both Oak and Parterre are closed for their refurbs). That number gradually increases through to August, when the whole resort will be completed. This is why Disney simply CANNOT guarantee every Garden View guest a queen bed room at POR - especially in Alligator Bayou where the completion rate is currently only 25%.

All that notwithstanding, the resort staff are fully aware of the situation and will do their very best to accommodate anyone for whom this is a big issue (but you need to let them know it is important to you). They just can't do it for everyone right now, no matter how much they would like to.

Andre

 

[Lisadaa2]

We need 2 rooms because my mother and her boyfriend are coming too. We decided on preferred rooms to make the walk for them easier. Soooo, I would like to not look at a parking lot. Also is one building better than others??? Quieter or closer, etc??? It would also be nice to be next door to them but definitely not a big deal. We may need a break from each other anyway
So what do you think I should request? TIA

 

[fbarker]

We are going to WDW at the end of March. We have "reserved" a room with a King size bed and have also requested building #85.

I hope we get both!!

 

[mouselovenfamily]

We are heading down the end of March and have three reservations. A one night only, a 5 night with Free dining for 5 and a 3 night with free dining. My 3 night reservation is a River View and my 5 night is a Garden View. I was hoping to downgrade my 3 night so we may be able to keep the same room and no luck. Nothing is available a POR the entire time I am there! I bet most of it is all the room confusion with what will be available. My husband is thinking it will be packed and I said with areas being closed for renovation, it shouldn't be that bad. Hopefully I can downgrade my river view at check in.

 

[Gorechick]

During our stay in August, we are planning on taking breaks in the afternoon back at POR to swim and relax. We'll either be grabbing a QS lunch before we leave the parks or when we get back to POR. Are there enough choices for kids and adults at the food court where we won't get bored ? Is it usually super busy in the afternoon?

 

[andrewilley]

We decided on preferred rooms to make the walk for them easier. Soooo, I would like to not look at a parking lot. Also is one building better than others???

Building #14 is the closest to the main area, but that and #15 do have some parking lot views, so you could get one of those. I'd suggest building #18 is a nice compromise - still fairly close, but no chance of a parking lot view. Check on the map in the first post of this thread for more details. Or you could ask for "building 14 but not parking lot view" and keep your fingers tightly crossed...

We are going to WDW at the end of March. We have "reserved" a room with a King size bed and have also requested building #85.

You should definitely get the King Bed as that is what you've booked, and building 85 (Magnolia Terrace) is a pretty big area so hopefully they'll be able to find you a room there.

We are heading down the end of March and have three reservations. A one night only, a 5 night with Free dining for 5 and a 3 night with free dining. My 3 night reservation is a River View and my 5 night is a Garden View. I was hoping to downgrade my 3 night so we may be able to keep the same room and no luck. Nothing is available a POR the entire time I am there!

There may be more rooms available, but just not with the free dining offer. Otherwise, make sure all your bookings are flagged as 'linked' on Disney's systems, and then try contacting the resort a few days before you arrive and explain what's happened and see what the room allocation team can do for you to avoid you having to change rooms. Although you may not get a refund of those River View surcharges if they do need to downgrade you, who knows maybe it might even work the other way around!

I think you will still need to pop back to the front desk on each change of booking day to get new keycards with your new dining plan points loaded onto them. Also be careful to use up all your old points by the end of the 'checkout' date of that first Dining Plan booking as they won't carry over.

Are there enough choices for kids and adults at the food court where we won't get bored ? Is it usually super busy in the afternoon?

Plenty of choices, yes - see http://www.portorleans.org/riversidemill.php for the menus, plus there's all the grab'n'go cabinet stuff too. Afternoons are generally not too busy, the worst time is between 8.30am and 10am (avoid if possible!) and then again mid-evening when people get back from the parks. See you there maybe!

Andre

 

[Gorechick]

Thanks Andre! It would be great to run into you. We'll be there Aug. 18-25. My head is swimming trying to figure out our itinerary, using easywdw to try and plan parks. So much more to thnk about planning for 4 instead of 2. Trying to figure out ADR's too, almost 180 days out.

 

[hunmcbunny]

Andre, I just love you lol You have made this trip planning thing soooo much easier. The more I learn the more I just know we are gonna love POR!

 

[HankScorpio]

Has it been announced whether RGR will all be 2 queen beds? Or will some RGR rooms have 1 king bed?

 

[andrewilley]

Has it been announced whether RGR will all be 2 queen beds? Or will some RGR rooms have 1 king bed?

All Royal Rooms will have two queen beds, no King Bed rooms at all I'm afraid (and no extra murphy beds).

Andre, I just love you lol You have made this trip planning thing soooo much easier.

Aww shucks, thank you so much.

(Incidentally, and I generally don't mention this much, but if anyone thinks my info or advice on portorleans.org or elsewhere has really helped them out, or saved them money, then it is possible to help toward offsetting some of the portorleans.org site running costs by using the small 'Donate' button on the site. But regardless of that, I'm just glad to be able to help people plan and enjoy their vacations!)

Andre

 

[Stan Solo]

Has it been announced whether RGR will all be 2 queen beds? Or will some RGR rooms have 1 king bed?

Sorry, they will all be two Queen beds only.

 

[Stan Solo]

Ok march 9th for the non Americans

I'm not American and I would read 03/09/12 as March 9th 2012 and not the 3rd of September 2012...unless you meant North American...Ummm how would a person from Mexico read 03/09/12?