Port Orleans Riverside FAQ thread - Royally Refurbished for 2011

[FloraFauna]

The alligator pillow in the refurbished room pics is awesome!! I would LOVE to have one for my home.

If they were sold in the gift shop, I would buy one

 

[Colleen27]

Wow, I love the new decor! I didn't really expect to - rustic isn't my thing but we'll be in AB because we're a family of 5 - but they really outdid themselves with the soft goods in that room. The comforter is gorgeous and I love the privacy curtain fabric.

 

[andrewilley]

That's a thought, could someone (Erin?) please measure the new murphy-bed mattress for us? The old trundle bed mattress was 70"x30" for comparision (I measured one).

Andre

 

[goofyredraider]

My kids are already arguing over who will get to sleep in the murphy bed if we get a refurbed room.

I guess I'll have to develop a rotation schedule if we do

 

[Stini228]

Love it!! thank you so much for the pics! I love the privacy curtain..and I want the bedspread and pillow, adorable!

 

[softballmom3]

I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only family that normally always lives out of or suitcases on vacation We never take the time to put all of our clothes away in drawers.

You are not alone!!!! We do the same thing unless there's just a couple of things I want to hang up. By the end one of the suitcases holds all the dirty clothes...well maybe two

Loving the pics of building 36. I sure hope we are lucky enough to get it this weekend!

 

[ShhhQ]

I may be in the minority here.... but I don't care for some of the decor changes in AB. I am so glad we got to stay here in Sept. because some of the reasons I fell in love with the room are no longer appealing to me. I preferred the country feel of the old bedding... although I do like the new in a little way... the dark green part is ok, but could do without the pea green turn down portion... yuck. I also dislike the divider curtain and the shower curtain.

 

[disneymom1229]

I absolutely love the new rooms!!! Cannot wait til August. I can just picture my DS 5 curled up on the murphy bed...he will be so excited!!!
I do really like the green accents and alligator pillows. What I could not tell from the photos, however, is if there is no underbed storage anymore? Not a big deal if not, just curious. We actually did empty out our suitcases and would store them under the bed or on the bench, which other than for that I will not really miss it. Also, right under the tv on the murphy bed frame, can anyone tell if that is an input area for media devices for the tv?

 

[ejrj]

I have a question about bed rails that can be requested (for little ones). For those of you that have had them, would they be compatible with the new murphy bed?? TIA.

 

[GinCar]

That's a thought, could someone (Erin?) please measure the new murphy-bed mattress for us? The old trundle bed mattress was 70"x30" for comparision (I measured one).

Andre

This is the information that will make or break where we stay in March. I have reserved a room here, but my DS thinks the bed will be too small for him. I would love to be able to have the measurements, too.
TIA!

 

[gigi1313]

I have a question about bed rails that can be requested (for little ones). For those of you that have had them, would they be compatible with the new murphy bed?? TIA.

i was wondering the same thing... my 3yo could fall out of that (if i can get him to sleep in it, rather than with me!) whereas i would not be concerned that he'd fall off the floor

 

[ckmommy]

We leave Friday--Arrive Saturday. I called CRO and had them put Building 36 down as a request. I also did online check in, so I can only hope the the request from CRO was crossed with the online check request. We will see very soon.

 

[goofyredraider]

i was wondering the same thing... my 3yo could fall out of that (if i can get him to sleep in it, rather than with me!) whereas i would not be concerned that he'd fall off the floor

Let me just say that my 8 year old fell out of the regular bed at POR in July. He hit his head on the nightstand...it was SO hard...and those beds are pretty high off the ground. He cried for a long time and had a good goose egg. :/

 

[SurlyMermaid]

I tried to post earlier, but my phone keeps crashing here. To answer some of the questions, we requested bldg 36 at check-in, but not on our reservations.

The CM who checked us in wasn't even aware of the refurb, but she was very sweet & helpful, and took the time to try to fulfill our requests.

As far as storage, it seems fine to us. There's a ton of *space under the sink, 3 drawers under the Murphy bed, and a shelf next to the fridge.

Building 37 is definitely almost done, the construction noise woke us up yesterday, but we are NOT complaining. 38 still has people staying there, so I assume work hasn't started there yet.

I'm pretty sure the Murphy mattress is the same size as the trundle was. My daughter is 5'4 and she's sleeping comfortably on it, but it is pretty much as long as she is.*

I'll try to get more pics of the details in the room when I don't have exhausted kids sleeping on it.

 

[aubriee]

I'm unsure if I like the new AB refurb or not. I think for the most part I do though. We were in AB 18 a few years ago and really liked the rustic look of it. I've never stayed in the Mansion section though. I'll be back to WDW in May for a solo trip and was planning on staying at POFQ, but am now having second thoughts. I love POFQ, but was there last May and will be there again in Feb. I've also stayed at CSR multiple times and at CBR twice, since staying at PORS. The only reason I'm considering switching the May trip to PORS is just because I haven't stayed there in awhile.

Is PORS good for a solo traveler? What are my chances of getting a refurbed room in AB for May 5th-13th? What are the chances of the preferred rooms (AB 14, 15, 18, or 27) being finished? Is it worth it to go with a preferred location if you are solo and want to be fairly close to the main building or should I just stay with POFQ? With the Mansions now having the Princess rooms I guess they'll be full of families. I think I'd probably prefer a quieter location.

 

[andrewilley]

What are my chances of getting a refurbed room in AB for May 5th-13th? What are the chances of the preferred rooms (AB 14, 15, 18, or 27) being finished?

Just 4 of the more remote AB buildings will be complete by then (36-39) but none of the Preferred Locations I'm afraid (they won't be started until around 8 May).

Andre

 

[Missytara]

Is PORS good for a solo traveler?

I can tell you last year I did an 8 day, all resorts, no parks stay and I had a blast. It was my fifth stay at POR.

I would go to a resort for dinner, stroll around for a while and take the bus back to DTD, stroll around some more and take the water taxi back to POR. I highly recommend it.

The great thing about POR is that it is spread out and you don't feel overrun by large families, etc. I never even notice them except at the food court early in the morning.

Go for it.

 

[Missytara]

Andre - I was mulling this over while I was sipping my glass of wine at my favorite local watering hole. Being an architect (while I was daydreaming about my trip starting next Saturday), I was thinking how this whole refurb thing might have played out.

When we do renovations to public buildings, we have to upgrade any ADA standards to the new codes, as well as any updates to building codes. Once you renovate, you are no longer "grandfathered" to the old codes.

I am wondering if it was similar at POR - I remember the statement that once the queen beds go into the mansions, there will no longer be room for the rollaway - I am thinking the County most likely told them they can no longer put a family of 5 (if needed for overbooking) in the mansions, so the queen beds made a nice change.

Also, I am wondering if the trundle bed had anything to do with it as well; maybe some sort-of issue with the county as to its location on the floor, so they went to the murphy bed style. Again, a nice change over the old version.

Just a thought.

 

[gigi1313]

I am wondering if it was similar at POR - I remember the statement that once the queen beds go into the mansions, there will no longer be room for the rollaway - I am thinking the County most likely told them they can no longer put a family of 5 (if needed for overbooking) in the mansions, so the queen beds made a nice change.

i disagree with the "queen beds mean no room for rollaways" thing because there are queen beds at CSR in the same size room, and we had no problem getting/fitting a rollaway in one of those rooms... it could be an occupancy thing (but as i learned here at the DIS, occupancy is based on much more than room size, but stairwell/stairway size, hallway size, etc) but i'm not so sure we will see any difference w/the rollaway in the Mansions if need be... just my $.02.

 

[Missytara]

It could be an occupancy thing (but as i learned here at the DIS, occupancy is based on much more than room size, but stairwell/stairway size, hallway size, etc) but i'm not so sure we will see any difference w/the rollaway in the Mansions if need be... just my $.02.

Exactly my point, the mansions are only meant to be for an occupancy of 4 - however, they have been known from time to time to place a family of 5 with the rollaway.

I believe the County may have told them with the new arrangement, they can no longer do that.