My family and I will be checking in June 2 to POR. This is our first visit here and I'm kinda nervous because it looks so spreadout. If I requested a preferred room for a family of 5, in which area would I most likely being staying?
If you have paid for a Preferred Location (which is a surcharged area, so you will have paid for it within your booking price) you would be placed in buildings 14, 15, 18 or 27. See map in the first post for the locations.
On your arrival date of 2nd June, buildings 18 and 27 will probably be closed for refurbishment, so that means you should get either 14 or 15 (which will mean an already refurbished room). So that would mean you'll be very close to the main facilities building and also to the South bus depot (use the shortcut pathway next to the parking lot by the way, very easy!).
I'm due to stay at the POR in 14 days time, visiting from the UK and staying for 21 nights.
What are the likelyhoods of us getting a refurbished room? Do they tend to fill up all the refurbed rooms first do you know, then the others last? Or complete random?
Another question, with regards to the wifi access...do you know if its fast enough to cope with skype video calls?
By the time you check-out from the resort in mid-June, all bar four of the Alligator Bayou buildings will be either complete or currently closed for refurbishment. All of Magnolia Bend was completed a while ago. So your chances are pretty good to be honest, but it can't do any harm to add a request to your booking too. Without any specific requests, they would most likely allocate by room-type rather than looking at whether specific rooms have been refurbished or not.
The in-room wi-fi speed is adequate, but not really ideal for uploads and outgoing video calls. It's much faster in the common areas such as the lobby by the way, and I believe the poolside wi-fi is also pretty quick (talk about showing off though!! LOL)
I picked Port Orleans on price really and have been hearing that a lot of work has been done on the rooms and should be finish by August as we are not comming until the 16th.
But I would like to now if the other work on reception and other areas will be finished by then ?
Watch out, the Brits are coming! (we arrive the same day as you in fact)
All of the refurbishment, including the lobby, will be complete by then. There's always some sort of minor work going on of course (landscaping, painting, etc) as it's such a big place that work carries on year-round, but all the recent major work will be complete.
Andre
I am counting down the days. 
It was close to the bus stop, North I think, and because we're a family of 5 and always stay in AB, I chose this building so that we could walk through the mansion section for a change on our way to the main areas. 
I couldn't even connect half the time. Someone that worked in the food court told me that there was something that happened in the area to a tower and maybe that was it but I'm not sure. 
I learned this from experience! 
Don't tell DH...I'm adding a day onto our POR stay. We usually stay at a DTD hotel our arrival night but we should be able to get an early flight down and with the room only discount it will be like getting a night free.
