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

[GetGlowing]

Thanks Andre! I hate to have to haul an air mattress, but we may have to. Too bad travel agents who call themselves 'Disney specialists' are less informed than we are. She promised me over and over a roll away would not be a problem. Oh well!

I'm a travel agent, so I do want to step in and defend your TA just a little. With over 26 resort properties just at WDW alone, sometimes you have to rely that information the WD company gives you is accurate. Your TA has called WDW to ask about the rollaways and they tell her you can get one. How is she supposed to know otherwise? I'm looking at the Disney Resorts Reference Guide published earlier this year, and it says all Port Orleans rooms have queen-size beds. We all know what an issue that has been! I can't fault an agent for looking at current resort information then providing you info that's inaccurate but agrees with Disney documentation. You can't know every nuance of every resort or every cruise ship.

That's one of the reasons I like to prowl the resort boards myself and ask questions if I don't have an answer. I know these "ears to the ground," so to speak, are much more reliable than any printed documentation. I probably "waste" too much time here, but in the end, I'm better informed.

As for your travel documents, who knows where they are sitting. Here's how it works for me: Disney sends travel documents to my agency, which is on the other side of the country. Our office assistant has to open the envelope, figure out which agent the traveler belongs to, and forward the docs to the proper agent. Then it takes a few days in transit from the agency to me. Once I get the docs, I have to send to the traveler. So the docs are at least a week in the mail between Disney and the traveler, not counting any time that they sit on a desk or get delayed by a weekend. I've had docs reach me two days before the clients were leaving, requiring me to send via overnight mail. And sometimes I get them three weeks before a client travels. To me, it's an inefficient system. I suspect other agents have to deal with the same delays, especially if they're home-based and there are a few states between them and their host agency. But your agent should still be in contact with you about the whereabouts of the documents, especially since they're delayed. Have you asked about them?

Despite these hiccups, I hope you'll have a marvelous trip!

 

[hunmcbunny]

down to the single digits baby whoo hoo

 

[mouselovenfamily]

Hello from POR. We arrived here Saturday around 11am, it was the worst check in we had here ever, but we finally got into our room and it is a refurbished, lower level AB room and a corner room close to the parking lot. So, I was happy with that. We love the refurb, think they look great!

Sad to hear of your check in was so bad but hopefully everything has been great since! Hope your having a great time!!

down to the single digits baby whoo hoo

 

[disney*mom*82]

hi disneymom was wondering how is the bus service there? crowded on time? im a lil worried about that with my stay, thanks

The busses havent been that bad. We have only been to MK and DHS so far and we had to wait maybe 10 min at most each, the one to DHS was standing only, but wasnt that far of a drive. The bus stops have been fine too.

Disney mom, can you post pictures? Of the mug, coffee machine, refurb room?

I will post pictures tonight, we are heading to AK now. Anything else anyone wants picts of, let me know.

 

[Day-Day]

We stayed last week (March 3-8) and used the buses several times and had the best service ever. Maybe we were just lucky; one time we were the very last to board a packed bus after only a short wait. We used the South Depot (main bus stop near the lobby). Our worst experience was riding back (standing) from the MK with a bus driver that constantly hit the accelerator and brakes and did not run the air conditioning...

 

[IlovemesomeGoofy]

Hi, I'm new here...

My BF and I are hoping to make a trip to Disney this November!! We have never stayed at a resort before and through all my research I think we want to stay at Port Orleans!!

I am having a really hard time deciding between Riverside and FQ......it is hurting by brain!!

Any thoughts on why one would be better than the other??

 

[HiHoOffWeGo]

If you want compact and easy to get around then POFQ

If you want more of resort feel, larger ground to walk through plus an awesome food court then POR and I prefer AB section.

But remember you have the best of both as they are a five min. walk along the river.

Home is this resort complex. You will love your time away from the parks at Port Orleans.

 

[mskermit]

We called before arriving, we knew we were early, we called the POR number, asked for room assignments persons and asked if our room would be ready early, we were told yes, so we kept driving and got there around 11-11:15. I did not do online check-in and the regular check in line moved much fater than online. We check in and were told our room wasnt quite ready, bout would be in a few minutes, she took our cell number and said she would text us our room number. We go get our mugs and get a drink, then lunch, then shop, over an hour later and no text, we go back up and check...was told any minute. We explained our needing our room (DD4 has heart monitor and had to rest due to heart condition and her heart monitor recordings were full and we needed to use phones and such to download, etc, DS14 suffers from migranes and now has had one for over an hour, needs to lay down and rest.) Again we wait 30 min, an hour, plus. DH asks again, now he is told it may 4-5pm I look at our reservations, it does say check-in is at 3, not 4 or 5? So again, we wait, we are now in the area there by the gift show where there is comfortable chairs, DS14 is having to lay on the couch for a rest, Im still not able to properly care for DD4 and her heart monitor, etc. 3pm rolls around, I go up there, was told its not ready, I explained we have been waiting since 11am, how much longer??? She says she will call the building housekeeping manager, comes back and says within 30 min. 10 min FINALLY we get the text our room is ready. Im wondering if our room wasnt ready before that? IDK, it was HORRIBLE, we did get our room just after 3pm, but we did ask ahead if it would be done early, we also were told at 11-11:15 it would be ready before 12. It sucked.

I would have gone directly over the desk people and asked for the manager. expecially with a health condition. i have a handicap daughter so i understand your situation. im sure the resort mgr would have done something asap. i complained last trip that our cabin wasnt as clean as they usually are and werent cleaned that great while we were there, the person at the desk got the mgr and he gave us one day passes that were good for 2 years. he was very nice about it and couldnt apologize enough. i hope the rest of your stay is enjoyable!! we are going in august cant wait!!!!

 

[Daphne W]

Doing the happy dance! 10 more days

 

[germ539]

Just made a ticker to show when we will be at POR, I'm anxious to see how POR has changed since we were there in 1995 when it was Dixie Landings.

Doesn't look like it worked, what am I doing wrong?

 

[HappyGal]

down to the single digits baby whoo hoo

So exciting!!!

 

[germ539]

YAY!!!!!!

 

[songkat]

YAY!!!!!!

Good job! I was trying to post on how to do it, but my own code prevented me from typing it out for you.

 

[hunmcbunny]

Got my vacation shopping done, got my hair done (which I totally love my new do) 90% packed, dog sitter confirmed. Now the next 9 days just gotta hurry up fast!

 

[hunmcbunny]

YAY!!!!!!

lol yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[modegard]

I'm a travel agent, so I do want to step in and defend your TA just a little. With over 26 resort properties just at WDW alone, sometimes you have to rely that information the WD company gives you is accurate. Your TA has called WDW to ask about the rollaways and they tell her you can get one. How is she supposed to know otherwise? I'm looking at the Disney Resorts Reference Guide published earlier this year, and it says all Port Orleans rooms have queen-size beds. We all know what an issue that has been! I can't fault an agent for looking at current resort information then providing you info that's inaccurate but agrees with Disney documentation. You can't know every nuance of every resort or every cruise ship.

That's one of the reasons I like to prowl the resort boards myself and ask questions if I don't have an answer. I know these "ears to the ground," so to speak, are much more reliable than any printed documentation. I probably "waste" too much time here, but in the end, I'm better informed.

As for your travel documents, who knows where they are sitting. Here's how it works for me: Disney sends travel documents to my agency, which is on the other side of the country. Our office assistant has to open the envelope, figure out which agent the traveler belongs to, and forward the docs to the proper agent. Then it takes a few days in transit from the agency to me. Once I get the docs, I have to send to the traveler. So the docs are at least a week in the mail between Disney and the traveler, not counting any time that they sit on a desk or get delayed by a weekend. I've had docs reach me two days before the clients were leaving, requiring me to send via overnight mail. And sometimes I get them three weeks before a client travels. To me, it's an inefficient system. I suspect other agents have to deal with the same delays, especially if they're home-based and there are a few states between them and their host agency. But your agent should still be in contact with you about the whereabouts of the documents, especially since they're delayed. Have you asked about them?

Despite these hiccups, I hope you'll have a marvelous trip!

Thanks! Once we are settled at POR I am sure we will have a wonderful time! Right now I have time to fret and worry, so I do.

I understand your defense of our TA. This is only one issue in a long list of frustrations since the start of our bookings over a year ago. I did ask her about our WDW docs two weeks ago and she told me she had them and was just thinking of sending them. So I really don't know if she sent them that day or if they are lost in the mail, and then I wonder how long she had them before I contacted her.

We are all packed and ready to go accept for our docs and sleeping arrangements.

 

[Daphne W]

someone please explain to me how the credit cards works that is attached to your KTTW. Is it charged on a nightly basis or is it charged the night before you check out?

 

[browneyedgrl4282]

someone please explain to me how the credit cards works that is attached to your KTTW. Is it charged on a nightly basis or is it charged the night before you check out?

The night before you check out. We had an issue with a waitress adding tip and charging us for meals that she claimed we had extra but we did not. She took 4 meals out of our plan and charged us for child's meal (which we did not order) my dumb husband did not look at the receipt before signing and I noticed it as we were back at our resort. I immediately went to front desk where they told me that they would take care of it and not to worry about getting charged to our card because does not happen until the night before we check out. THey handled it!

 

[poohj80]

We've booked a RGR room for the night before our BLT stay in May but haven't told DD yet. I hope she isn't disappointed when we move to BLT.

Yes, there is a gold button on the side is each headboard that turns the display on. They run for 30 seconds, and then turn off automatically. We've been using them as night lights to check on my youngest in the PnP.

Thanks you! I have been trying to find this answer everywhere! I know we will be pushing that button all night!!

Just a picture, no special lighting effects. Would have been cute though, but I guess you've got to get SOMETHING for your extra $30 a night in a RGR.

Do the RBR have the murphy bed or just the AB refurbed rooms? Am I getting my rooms confused?

 

[HeatherLassell]

We've booked a RGR room for the night before our BLT stay in May but haven't told DD yet. I hope she isn't disappointed when we move to BLT.


Do the RBR have the murphy bed or just the AB refurbed rooms? Am I getting my rooms confused?

My kids are being surprised with our ROYAL ROOM too!

No there is no murphy bed in the RBR rooms. They ONLY allow 4 people in those rooms. (exception being babies under the set age)