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

[Phatoomch]

OK, the official answer is that in the Royal buildings there are 6 rooms with roll-in showers (one standard, two garden, one water and two river views, all ground floor), plus another 8 wheelchair-accessible rooms with bathtubs, and another 13 rooms modified with extra handrails/etc.

All of those room categories should be visible by anyone at the reservations center, and the special needs department has apparently already been assigning these rooms to guests who specifically require them, so they do know about them.

If you have any further problems, please get in touch with me and I'll put you in touch with someone who can give you more assistance.

Andre

Again, thank you! I called today and felt much more confident with my requests as I was armed with your excellent info .... at first the CM was unsure about roll-in showers in RGRs, only that there were wheelchair-accessible rooms so I recited your "there are 6 rooms with roll-in showers, plus another 8 wheelchair-accessible rooms with bathtubs, and another 13 rooms modified with extra handrails/etc - I need one of the 6 with the roll-in shower." ... yep, had your post handy so she delved deeper and bingo, I got Oak Manor, Water View RGR with roll-in shower so I am VERY happy After a long day in the parks, my Mum will be able to shower pain-free

I am so excited .... December is soooooooo far away Just waiting to find out who the narrator will be for our evening of Candlelight Processional - our date still says TBA.

 

[pigletto]

Hello POR fans. We're thinking of possibly taking a trip right after Christmas instead of February this year and surprising the kids.
This would be the third and last trip with the AP's. We know how crazy crowded it would be but we plan to spend a lot of time enjoying things other than the parks, and we've been quite a few days this year so we won't feel deprived if we don't get to ride as many things as usual. Resort will be important.
Moderate is in the budget so I have narrowed it down to POR and POFQ.

We've stayed at POR once before and loved it.

Out of POR or POFQ which would you choose for the busiest week of the year?
I imagine we'll really want somewhere relaxing at the end of the day so I thought POFQ would be the best choice. Also with it only having one bus stop it will make transportation a little easier I think.
Or would you suggest POR? I just love it there but I am worried about it being packed solid because it holds so many more people .
Any thoughts?

 

[Disney before Sally]

I read about the butterfly garden here: http://allears.net/acc/faq_dxl.htm

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I read about the butterfly garden here: http://allears.net/acc/faq_dxl.htm

We were at POR in 2006 and 2008 and asked around and no one knew where the butterfly garden was. They looked at me like I had three heads.

 

[jenniferma]

I read about the butterfly garden here: http://allears.net/acc/faq_dxl.htm

It's too bad it's still not there. I would definitely go check it out. We live in the DC area and there is one next to the Natural History Museum on the Mall and the Fairfax County parks have areas that attract them-- I love butterfly parks!

 

[jenniferma]

Hello POR fans. We're thinking of possibly taking a trip right after Christmas instead of February this year and surprising the kids.
This would be the third and last trip with the AP's. We know how crazy crowded it would be but we plan to spend a lot of time enjoying things other than the parks, and we've been quite a few days this year so we won't feel deprived if we don't get to ride as many things as usual. Resort will be important.
Moderate is in the budget so I have narrowed it down to POR and POFQ.

We've stayed at POR once before and loved it.

Out of POR or POFQ which would you choose for the busiest week of the year?
I imagine we'll really want somewhere relaxing at the end of the day so I thought POFQ would be the best choice. Also with it only having one bus stop it will make transportation a little easier I think.
Or would you suggest POR? I just love it there but I am worried about it being packed solid because it holds so many more people .
Any thoughts?

We've only stayed at POR, but I've been through both (carriage ride!) and I love POFQ grounds as well. I like who compact it is and I think there are way fewer bus stops there, correct? If we had two kids, I would definitely try POFQ, just for the compact layout of the resort. Either way though, I
think you can't go wrong!

 

[maxiesmom]

Out of POR or POFQ which would you choose for the busiest week of the year?
I imagine we'll really want somewhere relaxing at the end of the day so I thought POFQ would be the best choice. Also with it only having one bus stop it will make transportation a little easier I think.
Or would you suggest POR? I just love it there but I am worried about it being packed solid because it holds so many more people .
Any thoughts?

I've stayed at both resorts, and they are both fabulous. However, I do think POFQ would be the better choice for a busy time of year. I have stayed at POFQ over the 4th of July, and it was great! The bus service was the best I have ever experienced, we honestly never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. Plus, even though the parks were busy, the resort never felt crowded. It was still peaceful, and still a good place to relax from the craziness of the parks.

 

[alex9179]

I'm just loving this thread! Due to really good sale from Southwest, we've decided to fly instead of drive and are adding a day at the beginning AND end of our vacation this fall. I was planning on just spending the first night at POR, but it's sounding so nice that I want to do the first 2 days instead. I especially love that it has a ferry to DTD for our dinner ADR on Sunday night. Sooooo much nicer than taking the bus! I'd take a boat everywhere, if I could, for those few minutes of relaxation before the stimulation of the parks/people

We're a family of five so we'd be in AB, thank goodness for the refurb and queen beds. My daughter really liked The Princess and the Frog and even looks a little like Tiana I can't wait to surprise the kids.

Thanks for the hints on requesting a room by the main building. My kids will appreciate that if it's granted.

 

[Missytara]

I'm just loving this thread! Due to really good sale from Southwest, we've decided to fly instead of drive and are adding a day at the beginning AND end of our vacation this fall. I was planning on just spending the first night at POR, but it's sounding so nice that I want to do the first 2 days instead. I especially love that it has a ferry to DTD for our dinner ADR on Sunday night. Sooooo much nicer than taking the bus! I'd take a boat everywhere, if I could, for those few minutes of relaxation before the stimulation of the parks/people

We're a family of five so we'd be in AB, thank goodness for the refurb and queen beds. My daughter really liked The Princess and the Frog and even looks a little like Tiana I can't wait to surprise the kids.

Thanks for the hints on requesting a room by the main building. My kids will appreciate that if it's granted.

The water taxi to DTD is also a big plus if you are dining at a resort and you are not returning to a park. You can take the DTD from any of the resorts, and after 4 pm, the water taxi runs every 10 minutes, so you are never waiting long for a water taxi to return to POR in the evening.

 

[Missytara]

I just switched my reservation from garden view to preferred. We are a family of 5 so we would be in the AB anyway. I did this to prevent being way out from the main building. But now, I just realized I might have given up my "garden view" and get stuck with a parking lot view! From looking on the map, it appears that 15 is the only preferred building that would have a parking lot view? Could I request "not building 15" if that is the case? Also, is it possible to get a river view if you have booked preferred?
I am also wondering about the corner rooms. Are they the king rooms or do some of the corner rooms have the queens?

Does anyone have any great room locations they have had in the preferred section?


Thanks! I can't wait to get back to POR in November

I have been in corner rooms with a king and a corner room with two beds. They have all been in the mansions.

It is possible to request a view in the preferred buildings; keep it simple and confine it to one request. Depending on how busy the resort is that week, they may be able to satisfy your request. I would also tell the CM you don't mind waiting for a room that meets your request. I arrive the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it is a very busy check-out day. I arrive around 10:30 am and have never waited longer than 1:30 pm for my room; I have always had my requests granted.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I had to change my dates and just booked a Royal Room, Riverside view.

Silly for someone going solo but I just love the pictures of these rooms and I love walking along the river in the mornings.

Is there a bus to DTD that runs about 9:30am since the boat doesn't start until 11am? I plan on checking out Festival of the Masters at DTD one of the days it's there and would love to go there early for a quick breakfast someplace.

 

[Zachsmom4]

We have never stayed at POR but I am considering it for our next trip. Do all of the preferred rooms have a murphy bed? I would like to book a preferred room but there will be three of us and we will have no need for that bed and I'm afraid that this will just be wasted space for us.

 

[Kathy Z]

We have never stayed at POR but I am considering it for our next trip. Do all of the preferred rooms have a murphy bed? I would like to book a preferred room but there will be three of us and we will have no need for that bed and I'm afraid that this will just be wasted space for us.

The preferred rooms are only in 4 buildings in the Alligator Bayou section. All the rooms in that section have the murphy bed. The preferred buildings are numbers 14, 15, 18 & 27. They are preferred because they are near the Food Court & the main pool. If you have not already looked at page 1 of this thread you will find lots of helpful information there including a resort layout map.

 

[MomofMy2Princesses]

Got my Mickey Mail today!
We have ressie's at 8:05 at CRT. What time do the busses start picking up for the Magic Kingdom when it opens at 9? I'm a little worried about getting there for our ressie's!

 

[Venomhatch]

Got my Mickey Mail today!
We have ressie's at 8:05 at CRT. What time do the busses start picking up for the Magic Kingdom when it opens at 9? I'm a little worried about getting there for our ressie's!

Congrats!!! I have never had a problem with ressies at wdw, they even told me one time they still hold it if your thirty mins late!

 

[nannye]

Hi there as you can see I'm new to this site.

We'll be on our way to WDW as of the 1 Aug and are staying at POR for 18 nights. We're a family of four Me (DW) DH, DS (12) & DD (8) 9th birthday whilst we're away (first family trip)...all very exciting.

Just wondering will we be allocated a room with two queen size beds or will there be pull out beds. (I apologise if this has already been answered elsewhere). Also would we be better off asking to be near the food court or just go with the flow?

One final question can you order cakes etc for birthdays?

This may have already been answered but as Andre said boardwalk bakery. You can also get fancy custom cakes delivered to dining reservations. Look for the official cake chatter thread for more info. I ordered a Cinderella themed cake for our dinner at park fare for v's birthday and a Mary poppins cake for our last dinner with her parents.

 

[nannye]

2.5 weeks and we will be there. I am working like a madwoman to finish v's customs and still need to plan our days aside from all our adr s and which days we are going to the parks.

Ahhhh we are there July 5 to 12 anyone else there at that time.

Also I have heard mention of Dis Meets ay Yee Haw Bobs and was just wondering what this was all about?
Thanks
Erin

 

[Phatoomch]

I had to change my dates and just booked a Royal Room, Riverside view.

Silly for someone going solo but I just love the pictures of these rooms and I love walking along the river in the mornings.

Is there a bus to DTD that runs about 9:30am since the boat doesn't start until 11am? I plan on checking out Festival of the Masters at DTD one of the days it's there and would love to go there early for a quick breakfast someplace.

Not silly at all!!! I think that is pretty awesome

 

[Phatoomch]

Hello my POR friends

For all you Dads out there, Happy Fathers Day

 

[Gorechick]

It's also my birthday and 60 days to go for our awesome vacation!