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

[3sweetpeas]

How do you enjoy a day or evening at the resort? What are your favorite activities? We will be at WDW for 10 nights. Will have park hoppers and prefer to be at MK for fireworks as much as possible minus 1 night at HS for Fantasmic and some nights at the resort and/or Downtown Disney. It's me (DH), DW and DS7.

Are there activities at POR during the day or is it mostly quiet until evening?
Anyone do the cane pole fishing? Sounds like fun for kids. And definitely want to ride with DS in a Sea Raycer.

I'm thinking some days we will go to a park at rope drop, do our favorite rides and come back to the resort for a long afternoon swim, dinner at Boatwrights at 5pm or Quick Service, evening carriage ride, and Yee Haa Bob. Will DS be allowed with us in the bar area where Yee Haa Bob entertains? I imagine the carriage ride is more fun after dark.

Downtown Disney doesn't thrill us... (I'd rather be in the parks) but thinking we will take the boat to DD for dinner at T-Rex and stay in DD for a little bit if there is live music outside (was on our last trip). Might also check out the new Splittsville bowling place that will be opening.

We always plan resort days to rest up a bit and they usually go kind of like this....

Sleep in, eat breakfast at food court, swim a few hours and then we love to rent 2 sea racers and ride to Downtown Disney (we usually do the 45 minute ride or hour). We love it and it is so relaxing. We usually get cleaned up in the evening and go to a favorite dining reservation or something like Hoop De Doo Revue. Or we explore other resorts by bus and monorail and boat. FUN!

Yee Haa Bob is great fun for kids and adults. Kids are allowed in the bar area. He has 2 different shows and I'm not sure of the times but the later one I believe is geared a little more to adults.

We haven't done the carriage ride yet but would love to! The grounds are so lovely.

Have fun!

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Sounds like a perfect day! Thank you! We might go to Downtown Disney more often even if just to take the boat, have dinner, listen to some music and come back go the resort Port Orleans seems like a wonderful resort. I saw the videos of YeeHaa Bob... Funny will be sure to check him out!

We always plan resort days to rest up a bit and they usually go kind of like this....

Sleep in, eat breakfast at food court, swim a few hours and then we love to rent 2 sea racers and ride to Downtown Disney (we usually do the 45 minute ride or hour). We love it and it is so relaxing. We usually get cleaned up in the evening and go to a favorite dining reservation or something like Hoop De Doo Revue. Or we explore other resorts by bus and monorail and boat. FUN!

Yee Haa Bob is great fun for kids and adults. Kids are allowed in the bar area. He has 2 different shows and I'm not sure of the times but the later one I believe is geared a little more to adults.

We haven't done the carriage ride yet but would love to! The grounds are so lovely.

Have fun!

 

[mvazul]

I just booked our very first stay today for POR. SO excited!! I am a CPCM and this will be my first stay as a Cast Member. My husband and 10 year old daughter will be joining me. I will be working tomorrow through Tuesday and then they will be joining me Tuesday night for six days and five nights!! Neither of them have been to Animal Kingdom, so that's where we will be on Wednesday.

Quick question about WiFi in the rooms. Is there a router there that we can hook up a personal WiFi modem? Even though we will be on vacation, my husband will still have some work to do. Unfortunately, his work laptop does not always like to play nice with other modems. So, he is planning to bring ours from home. If not, I am living in CP housing and can hook into the one in my apartment if needed.

We will be staying in a Royal Guest Room - Garden View. Any experience with this type of room and location? I can't wait!!

Michelle

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

YEAH only 1 more day until first time at Riverside...we have done French Quarter many times but decided to mix it up this time..has anyone done both and which do you prefer and why??

We've done POFQ twice and POR once - I think I prefer POR, but I really love both.

I love the compact-ness of POFQ and the single bus stop, but I think I like the atmosphere at POR better (part of the reason though is that we went to POR in March and POFQ in Jan and Feb so the weather was a lot better, therefore more for us to do - we rented those bikes, a boat, etc.).

I would stay at either one again in a heartbeat.

 

[tzolkin]

I'm also glad to read 3sweetpeas ideas.

We will be doing about 3 "resort days" this trip. Normally we stay 11 nights and do 10 full park days, but this trip we were only able to get 8 day tickets with the YES program.

On arrival day we plan to unpack, swim, get some groceries, and we have a dinner reservation at Ohana.

We are taking two days off (Sat & Sun) in the middle of our trip. We booked a Royal Room for MIL who will join us just for those two nights (she doesn't want to go to the parks). I'm still debating how we plan to spend the weekend. We want it to be relaxed, but we also want to enjoy what the resort has to offer.

We are definitely planning to take the boat to DTD and will be having lunch/dinner there. Right now I have a 4:00 reservation at TRex on Saturday, but we could likely change that to either a different time or Sunday.

I have read great reviews about YeeHaa Bob, but my kids are also excited to watch the outdoor movie Saturday night which is at about the same time. Most likely we will be out late every other park day so this would probably be our only evening to do either.

I've also been thinking about having the two younger kids do the Pirate Adventure Sunday morning while DH and our teen DD rent a SeaRacer.

What about the other activities, like the pool party? Worth it to plan to be at the pool around that time or only bother if we happen to be there at that time?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Down to a week until we leave and I think I'm just getting anxious.

By the way, this will be our first stay at POR.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Hoping for more resort time too. Arriving MLK weekend 1/19-1/29. Usually go to the parks right away but might spend more time at the resort, downtown Disney and other things like mini golf or Typhoon Lagoon until the MLK weekend crowd is gone. I figure the park crowds will not be too bad that Sat afternoon before dinner, and the first few hours Sunday morning, and Monday evening.

 

[Gorechick]

Do the royal rooms have a spot to plug in multiple electronics chargers? Do I have to pack a power strip?

 

[germ539]

I know I've seen this somewhere on this thread or a POR thread past, I thought you could request a microwave for your room on a as available basis. Is this true Andre?

 

[dansdad]

Do the royal rooms have a spot to plug in multiple electronics chargers? Do I have to pack a power strip?

IMHO, a power strip is the way to go.

 

[Venomhatch]

Do the royal rooms have a spot to plug in multiple electronics chargers? Do I have to pack a power strip?

I usually bring one, maybe a small one real slim not heavy. I plug all kinds of things in. DSLR, iPhone 4s x2, MBP, and kid's netbook, dsi, etc.

 

[Gorechick]

Thanks! I'm mailing some stuff ahead of time so I'll stick a strip in the box.

 

[andrewilley]

I know I've seen this somewhere on this thread or a POR thread past, I thought you could request a microwave for your room on a as available basis. Is this true Andre?

Not sure, I've read that too but never actually heard from someone who did it. There is one in the food court though.

IMHO, a power strip is the way to go.

Or in my case, two or three...

Andre

 

[BDL]

I have read great reviews about YeeHaa Bob, but my kids are also excited to watch the outdoor movie Saturday night which is at about the same time. Most likely we will be out late every other park day so this would probably be our only evening to do either.


By the way, this will be our first stay at POR.

Since you have a teen child going with you, she can watch the younger ones at the movie, then, they can join you at Yee Haw Bob, hit the arcade or head back to the room.

You are going to LOVE POR. At least once during your stay, that you will realize that you are walking the grounds a little bit slower. And, "no", it's not due to all the walking we do in WDW. It's because the grounds are just that beautiful, that you want to take them in as much as possible.

The pictures are great. But when you are actually there... And surrounded by the scenery, the smells, and the sounds (and some times absence of sounds), it really is something else.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

How long is the farthest walk from standard room to old man swimming pool and to Riverside mill. We will request alligator bayou and it does not look very far. I prefer not to pay extra for a preferred room or river view. But at Caribbean Beach resort, some of the rooms were very very far away from the main building and main pool. Port Orleans looks smaller than CBR. Thanks.

 

[3sweetpeas]

You are going to LOVE POR. At least once during your stay, that you will realize that you are walking the grounds a little bit slower. And, "no", it's not due to all the walking we do in WDW. It's because the grounds are just that beautiful, that you want to take them in as much as possible.

The pictures are great. But when you are actually there... And surrounded by the scenery, the smells, and the sounds (and some times absence of sounds), it really is something else.

Very well put!

 

[Forensicmom]

I know I've seen this somewhere on this thread or a POR thread past, I thought you could request a microwave for your room on a as available basis. Is this true Andre?

I would like to know this as well. Last time we went to Disney (last year), we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and there was a microwave. We used it to reheat leftovers and make oatmeal in the mornings.

We are staying at POR from Nov 14 - 20 and we're so excited. Never stayed there before.

One arrival day (Wed), we will get unpacked, eat lunch and should be at MK by 1:00. We plan to spend the day there. We will hop over to the POlynesian for dinner at Kona cafe and then back to see the fireworks.

Day two will be at HS and then taking a boat to Epcot for dinner at San Angel Inn.

Day three (Fri) will be back to MK and then some relaxing time at the resort before dinner at Portobella in DTD.

Day four (Sat) will be all day in AK, then dinner at Sanaa at AKV. Relax at night.

Day five (Sun) will be all day in Epcot. Dinner at Tokyo Dining.

Day six (Mon) will be our "leftover day" to go back and see or do anything we missed or just want to do again. Then we will relax by the pool before dinner at Boatwright's Dining Hall.

Day seven (Tue) We have all day to do whatever we want. We will catch ME at 5pm to head to the airport for our 8:15 flight back home.

We're so

 

[LovingDisny]

Just curious. For those of you who ship a box of things to the resort prior to your arrival, do you then ship them back home or take them home in luggage?

 

[Gorechick]

I'll be shipping back home too.

 

[LovingDisny]

 

[LovingDisny]

I'll be shipping back home too.

Thanks for the quick reply! Does the resort send it home for you?