Port Orleans Riverside FAQ thread - Royally Refurbished for 2011

[tink15823]

The nice part of the mods is that they have a large closet/dressing/sink area where you can lean the air mattress during the day, out of the way of the floor space.

Thank you that makes me feel even better .

 

[mskermit]

wow, i really want to stay at POR on our aug 2012 trip but you guys are scaring me with the bus service!!! We always stay at the cabins at FW but this time it will only be 3 of us going and i cant see staying there. MY concern is always the buses since i have a daughter in a wheelchair. When staying at FW we usually use the boat to MK and the monorail to Epcot. hhmmm... might have to re think this

 

[KCmike]

Great shots pinkxray!

Down in the bayou

 

[cherylsmike]

We stayed at POR for our first WDW trip. We adored it. We had some problems with our first room so they upgraded up to a river view. It was so peaceful and pretty. We hardy saw anybody else when we were close to our room (Oak Manor). I am hoping to stay there with the kids this December. It is worth the gamble for queen sized beds and an upgraded room for quiet beauty that is POR. I thought y'all might enjoy these...

 

[Sue M]

wow, i really want to stay at POR on our aug 2012 trip but you guys are scaring me with the bus service!!! We always stay at the cabins at FW but this time it will only be 3 of us going and i cant see staying there. MY concern is always the buses since i have a daughter in a wheelchair. When staying at FW we usually use the boat to MK and the monorail to Epcot. hhmmm... might have to re think this

I've had good bus service at POR.

 

[Sue M]

Loving all these wonderful pics

 

[anorman]

We stayed at POR for our first WDW trip. We adored it. We had some problems with our first room so they upgraded up to a river view. It was so peaceful and pretty. We hardy saw anybody else when we were close to our room (Oak Manor). I am hoping to stay there with the kids this December. It is worth the gamble for queen sized beds and an upgraded room for quiet beauty that is POR. I thought y'all might enjoy these...

Your pictures are beautiful! I am keeping my fingers crossed for a river view room in Oak Manor as well. Sounds like you really enjoyed that location. I'll be there in 31 days!

 

[andrewilley]

Loving all these wonderful pics

Same here. POR really is the most beautiful and diversely landscaped of the moderate resorts. Indeed, apart from the two Lodges, I don't think even any of the deluxes match it.

Andre

 

[2manydaves]

I've had good bus service at POR.

Me too.

 

[Missytara]

I have had nothing but wonderful bus service at POR. But I travel at odd times during the day, and I am usually by myself, so it doesn't make much difference to me.

I have a funny story though; last year, I took the water taxi down to DTD. I waited maybe two minutes at the dock and two guys came up. We sat there no more than three minutes and one says to the other, "I told you we should have taken the bus, this thing is so slow."

Literally, they were there three minutes.

No more than three more minutes went by and here comes the water taxi. One comments to the other, "I didn't think the thing would ever come."

Seriously, six minutes and you are already complaining about the service.

Ironically, the first thing the captain says when we take off, is the schedule for the service, and he adds, "I know I am somewhat bias, but we are much faster than the bus service."

I turned and just smiled at them.

While I agree there are issues about the bus services from time to time, really a great deal of it is perception.

 

[aubriee]

wow, i really want to stay at POR on our aug 2012 trip but you guys are scaring me with the bus service!!! We always stay at the cabins at FW but this time it will only be 3 of us going and i cant see staying there. MY concern is always the buses since i have a daughter in a wheelchair. When staying at FW we usually use the boat to MK and the monorail to Epcot. hhmmm... might have to re think this

If you do a search of my old posts you'll find a review I did when we stayed at PORS a few years ago with my mom. She has to have an ECV down there and bus service at PORS was absolutely terrible that week, if you were in an ECV. The bus stops first over at POFQ, then makes the rounds over at PORS. The problem wasn't that the handicapped seats already had ECVs, but that the bus drivers would not ask people sitting in those seats to move. The sign over them says you will be asked to move if they are needed for the handicapped, but the bus drivers we had all that week refused to ask anyone to move. Every single time we were told someone was sitting in those seats, so we had to wait for the next bus. Either that or we were repeatedly told the lift was not working. The evening we were going to MNSSHP we sat through four MK buses, at which point I called and complained. All of them had room, but had able bodied people sitting in the handicapped seats and the drivers would not ask them to move. It took us over two hours to get to MK. We missed our ADR at the Wave that night, even though we allowed well over an hour to get there. We just had some horrible bus drivers that trip that didn't want to deal with an ECV and found any reason not to. If it wasn't for the ECV the bus service would have been fine though. With the ECV, it was so bad that my mom swore she'd never go back to WDW.

If you do choose to stay at PORS with an ECV, make sure you catch the bus at the first bus stop.

 

[jenny105]

I have had nothing but wonderful bus service at POR. But I travel at odd times during the day, and I am usually by myself, so it doesn't make much difference to me.

I have a funny story though; last year, I took the water taxi down to DTD. I waited maybe two minutes at the dock and two guys came up. We sat there no more than three minutes and one says to the other, "I told you we should have taken the bus, this thing is so slow."

Literally, they were there three minutes.

No more than three more minutes went by and here comes the water taxi. One comments to the other, "I didn't think the thing would ever come."

Seriously, six minutes and you are already complaining about the service.

Ironically, the first thing the captain says when we take off, is the schedule for the service, and he adds, "I know I am somewhat bias, but we are much faster than the bus service."

I turned and just smiled at them.

While I agree there are issues about the bus services from time to time, really a great deal of it is perception.

I don't put any stock in the bus horror stories. I really think it depends on the person. If you are that impatient that you can't even wait 6 minutes, of course you're going to be disappointed with the transportation! Ridiculous.

 

[Missytara]

I don't put any stock in the bus horror stories. I really think it depends on the person. If you are that impatient that you can't even wait 6 minutes, of course you're going to be disappointed with the transportation! Ridiculous.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Some of my favorites are that you are standing in line with another group and a second group comes up and asks how long you have been standing there.

They will roll their eyes and say, "Like a half an hour, at least."

I always say to the second group, "Seriously, we have been standing here for eight minutes."

 

[ShhhQ]

If you do a search of my old posts you'll find a review I did when we stayed at PORS a few years ago with my mom. She has to have an ECV down there and bus service at PORS was absolutely terrible that week, if you were in an ECV. The bus stops first over at POFQ, then makes the rounds over at PORS. The problem wasn't that the handicapped seats already had ECVs, but that the bus drivers would not ask people sitting in those seats to move. The sign over them says you will be asked to move if they are needed for the handicapped, but the bus drivers we had all that week refused to ask anyone to move. Every single time we were told someone was sitting in those seats, so we had to wait for the next bus. Either that or we were repeatedly told the lift was not working. The evening we were going to MNSSHP we sat through four MK buses, at which point I called and complained. All of them had room, but had able bodied people sitting in the handicapped seats and the drivers would not ask them to move. It took us over two hours to get to MK. We missed our ADR at the Wave that night, even though we allowed well over an hour to get there. We just had some horrible bus drivers that trip that didn't want to deal with an ECV and found any reason not to. If it wasn't for the ECV the bus service would have been fine though. With the ECV, it was so bad that my mom swore she'd never go back to WDW.

If you do choose to stay at PORS with an ECV, make sure you catch the bus at the first bus stop.

Ok, now you are starting to scare me!!!! I need an ECV and DM uses a personal electric W/C!

 

[Kaewin]

I went there last year and had a great time so we are going again in Nov. I had a few pics to share

 

[Sue M]

More great pics Now if we could just find someone there now to post pics of the renos I so hope to get a new room in Acadian House

 

[crostorfer]

More great pics Now if we could just find someone there now to post pics of the renos I so hope to get a new room in Acadian House

I asked for Acadian House for October, I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hope we get it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least 95% of the other people staying at POR for my days in Oct aren't Dis'ers and don't know a refurb is going on in that building.

 

[Sue M]

I asked for Acadian House for October, I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hope we get it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least 95% of the other people staying at POR for my days in Oct aren't Dis'ers and don't know a refurb is going on in that building.

Maybe Magnolia Terrace will be completed by Oct too!

 

[wdwtink]

Where are most of the rooms, Alligator Bayou or Magnolia Bend? We have requested Alligator Bayou, how likely are we to get it? Leaving next week and we are very excited about our first stay here!!

 

[andrewilley]

Maybe Magnolia Terrace will be completed by Oct too!

Should be, yes.

Where are most of the rooms, Alligator Bayou or Magnolia Bend?

There are 1024 rooms in each section. At the moment, parts of Magnolia Bend are closed for refurbishment though, so I guess you'd be more likely to get Alligator Bayou anyway.

Andre