Port Orleans Riverside FAQ thread --- 2012, Part Three --- NOW FULL / CLOSED

[Moneypenny]

In less than 24 hours we will be at the airport. It will be about 8 degrees here and the forecast for next week in Florida looks glorious.

I sent a room request fax last week, but didn't hear back. Since I also had my requests attached to my original reservation, I'm not going to bother following up on the fax. For some reason it feels like I'd be nagging and I don't want to do that. We'll be happy to be there no matter where our room is.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone on the thread for the great info!

 

[ShesAPirate]

In less than 24 hours we will be at the airport. It will be about 8 degrees here and the forecast for next week in Florida looks glorious.

So exciting! Just 3 days for us! Totally looking forward to not needing a winter coat

Have a safe flight!

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

We're looking forward to our POR stay from 4/2 to 4/10. We're going to visit my daughter who is on the college program and we were able to get a great CM rate.

We're a party of 5 so we'll be in an AB room.

We are DVC members and haven't stayed at POR in about 10 years. Reading this thread has been awesome. Can't wait to go back!

 

[Teddie]

Hi all,
I was wondering about the life jackets people have mentioned borrowing. Can you borrow one for the whole time you are there or do you need to return it everyday? Also where you borrow (I'm assuming the marina) is it far from the main pool? Is there a cost associated with the life jackets (don't want to get there to have to turn around and run back to the room )?
I was also wondering how likely it would be to add two people to our dining reservations when we arrive. Our travel agent said I could call (I have 4 times so far with no luck of them being able to do it yet) but she also said when we check in or even that morning to try and talk to them. It's my MIL and mothers birthday on two of the nights and since my in laws decided later that they would come with us I wasn't able to get them in on those two nights.
I was also wondering when to ask about late checkout (flight leaves at 6 and we wanted to hit the pool and DTD before leaving), should I have put it in our room request fax? I sent that off yesterday.
Thanks so much for all the help!

 

[andrewilley]

For those of you reading this I am not Mr. Elg by any means.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply in any way that you were! I have met the now-famous Mr Elg on a few occasions, and I really don't think he's moonlighting on the boards as our very own Venomhatch.

We booked a Standard Room for our May trip. Since there seem to be like 6 room categories now, does that mean a Standard Room is a Parking Lot view?

Technically, yes. Take a look at the floorplans I created which show the official category of every room at Port Orleans. Click on the maps at www.portorleans.org/maps-and-directions.php for each building.

However there are some more and some less direct views of the parking lots, and many people have been given what might technically be an upgrade to a better view category - but please don't rely on that always being possible.

Let me guess, the person is in the tv!!! (I didn't see anyone else)

Andre - beautiful panorama! But your "spot the person" comment is messing with my head! Is there a person to be found? If there is, this is the most difficult "Where's Waldo" I've ever encountered..

Sorry folks. There were actually three people (all cast members) in the photos that I took for that panorama, but the two CMs in plainest view who were compiling welcome packs ducked behind the desk when I scanned round past them, and the other CM is mostly behind a pillar in the distance, and I photoshopped her arm out of the final shot to keep it tidy. So "the camera never lies" was a lie after all.

Andre

 

[bumbershoot]

Hi!

Our trip is rapidly approaching, and I find myself with a very specific question and no clue, other than asking here, how to get the answer.


Does POR Bell Services allow you to store something in there at the end of your stay, so you can come back a few days later to pick it up? (we're leaving there to go on a short cruise and have one bag that just isn't needed)

I know people *used to* do this with "swap" stuff, at least at the Values, but is something like it allowed anymore?

 

[andrewilley]

Does POR Bell Services allow you to store something in there at the end of your stay, so you can come back a few days later to pick it up? (we're leaving there to go on a short cruise and have one bag that just isn't needed)

Absolutely. A lot of cruise-goers do that sort of thing in fact.

Andre

 

[bumbershoot]

Absolutely. A lot of cruise-goers do that sort of thing in fact.

Andre

Ooh, that's excellent! Thank you.

 

[tink68]

13 more days for us and had to change alot of our dining resv's yesterday. But I think we ended up with some pretty good places. Ready to check in, drop stuff off at room and go have a drink and watch Bob entertain.

 

[KittyKat1978]

I was wondering if anyone has done this before:

Booked a standard room and request the mansions. When you get there, they don't have your category available in the mansions and you offer to pay the upgrade charge to get into any category the mansions?

I really don't care about the view as I don't spend much time in the room, but I really want to be in the mansions as I don't really like the AB rooms.

I was thinking of paying for a RR to make sure, but what do you think of my offer to pay to upgrade when I arrive to maybe save a little bit of money?

I also noticed that there are not alot of standard rooms, but there seems to be alot of gardenveiw rooms. Should I book a garden view room right of the bat and maybe get a better chance of being in the mansions?

 

[Venomhatch]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply in any way that you were! I have met the now-famous Mr Elg on a few occasions, and I really don't think he's moonlighting on the boards as our very own Venomhatch.

Andre

Its all good. I just could see where some reading it may misread it and think that. No worries...

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I always travel solo and I use the other bed for my suitcase.

I can't put a suitcase on a bed, even a hotel bed. Those things get rolled around the airport, into bathroom stalls, on the ground outside, etc. So I can't put it on a bed knowing that it might transfer that stuff (just like I don't put shoes on a bed or even in a suitcase without a plastic bag).

So now I'm worried, if other people do put suitcases on the beds, I wonder how often Disney washes the covers (the top comforter)? Does anyone know? Do they wash/replace the top bed cover before a new guest arrives? Or is this something I need to ask for to get done?

The hotels I stay at when I travel now have a bedsheet type duvet cover and they wash them between guests but how do hotels handle this when they have the thicker bedspreads? Or rather, what about POR??

Thanks!

 

[klwdisney]

I can't put a suitcase on a bed, even a hotel bed. Those things get rolled around the airport, into bathroom stalls, on the ground outside, etc. So I can't put it on a bed knowing that it might transfer that stuff (just like I don't put shoes on a bed or even in a suitcase without a plastic bag).

So now I'm worried, if other people do put suitcases on the beds, I wonder how often Disney washes the covers (the top comforter)? Does anyone know? Do they wash/replace the top bed cover before a new guest arrives? Or is this something I need to ask for to get done?

The hotels I stay at when I travel now have a bedsheet type duvet cover and they wash them between guests but how do hotels handle this when they have the thicker bedspreads? Or rather, what about POR??

Thanks!

NO hotels wash comforters very often! The first thing I do when I get in my room is pull that sucker off the bed! or fold it down. (then wash my hands). I also dont walk barefoot on the carpet.
and don't get me started on how i bring clorox wipes to wipe everything down before i'll touch it (i.e. remote control, phone, alarm clock, toilet seat, knobs, etc.) haha Yup. Certified Germaphobe here!

 

[sunnydays28]

I am not a germaphobe but I always remove the top cover before crawling into bed, we never sleep with it. For all the same reasons, people put all kinds of stuff on the beds and it never gets washed, plus they are terribly uncomfortable and itchy.

 

[Sherrkel]

A very special thanks to Venom for getting me in touch with Mr. Elg - he was a delight to speak to and so very helpful getting our request lined up for our 11 Royal rooms!! His attention to detail with our multiple connecting room requests was phenomenal. Thanks for everything you do!

Much appreciation to Andre for the great floor layouts that helped immensely with our planning - the portorleans.org site is fantastic, and wealth of information found there is awesome for this addict.

I sincerely appreciate all the information everyone shares here on this thread as well!

 

[Debrn]

I do exactly the same ... maybe the nurse in me, but when I saw 20/20 or maybe it was another show they showed all the nasty stuff under flourescent lights

NO hotels wash comforters very often! The first thing I do when I get in my room is pull that sucker off the bed! or fold it down. (then wash my hands). I also dont walk barefoot on the carpet.
and don't get me started on how i bring clorox wipes to wipe everything down before i'll touch it (i.e. remote control, phone, alarm clock, toilet seat, knobs, etc.) haha Yup. Certified Germaphobe here!

 

[hineline07]

I'm so excited, 65 more days until our first trip to Disney! We'll be staying in the RR, my DD is also so excited! I've seen post before about a campfire, do they still do this or only during colder weather? We will be there in April and was wondering if they still do it then? Thanks so much!

 

[Debrn]

And after I read on this thread that someone actually was putting their dirty clothes in the drawers I wipe down the drawers with Clorox wipes too

I do exactly the same ... maybe the nurse in me, but when I saw 20/20 or maybe it was another show they showed all the nasty stuff under flourescent lights

 

[Canooknic]

I never use the drawers, everything get out on hangers or stays in my case.

I found a travel sized disinfectant spray yesterday so that's coming with me now, I didn't have space for a regular sized container.

I can't believe that we'll be there this time next week!!!

 

[KELLY]

After over a hour on hold. Got our BB trip for pop with free QSDP to POR with the plus dining. The diffrence for 14 nights was only 400.00 if you took out the dining upgrade. I did get a standard room. I'm guessing since we are going during FD that we will end up in a mansion room. I may pay for a preferred room just to end up in ab. We are only a family of 4.