Port Orleans Riverside FAQ thread - Royally Refurbished for 2011

[DuckMom]

We just got back from POR today! We stayed in Oak Manor and had a wonderful time. It was our first time at POR and I loved it. The room was great, location was awesome to pools, lobby and bus stop and we had the world's best mousekeeper, Jen. She left elaborate animals everyday, extra shampoos and soaps and even little notes wishing us a magical day.

We did not have any huge bus issues ... they were crowded, but we never waited more than 20 minutes except once at MK after Wishes let out. I did a lot of standing however (once holding my 2-year-old which was lots of fun).

I'm not sure how long they will be there, but a HUGE group of high school football players arrived Thursday night and they seemed to be taking up a large amount of room at the food court and in the quiet pool near Oak Manor. Depending on how long they stay, I could see that impacting bus service a bit the next few days.

We can't wait to go back!

 

[rockin2it]

We just got back from POR today! We stayed in Oak Manor and had a wonderful time. It was our first time at POR and I loved it. The room was great, location was awesome to pools, lobby and bus stop and we had the world's best mousekeeper, Jen. She left elaborate animals everyday, extra shampoos and soaps and even little notes wishing us a magical day.

We did not have any huge bus issues ... they were crowded, but we never waited more than 20 minutes except once at MK after Wishes let out. I did a lot of standing however (once holding my 2-year-old which was lots of fun).

I'm not sure how long they will be there, but a HUGE group of high school football players arrived Thursday night and they seemed to be taking up a large amount of room at the food court and in the quiet pool near Oak Manor. Depending on how long they stay, I could see that impacting bus service a bit the next few days.

We can't wait to go back!

You have made me really excited for my trip now. This will be my first stay at POR and we are there for 11 days so I was a little nervous that I won't like it. But i keep hearing good things and I'm glad to see you liked it as a first timer. I love seeing the pictures people post.

 

[Stan Solo]

You have made me really excited for my trip now. This will be my first stay at POR and we are there for 11 days so I was a little nervous that I won't like it. But i keep hearing good things and I'm glad to see you liked it as a first timer. I love seeing the pictures people post.

Hey rockinin2it we will be leaving the same day you are arriving. This will be our first trip as well. As we are checking out and you are checking in I'll try to not hate you .

Did you check out the pictures at www.portorleans.org ? They have some great picture and info over there.

 

[andrewilley]

The more I read, the more it feels like POR has the worst bus service.

I think if you read almost any resort-related thread you'll find that ALL Disney resorts have the worst bus service - at least according to some posters' experiences. Alternatively, they all have great bus services according to others. It's very hard to be objective in comparisons.

We've taken a few buses over the past few days and have had no issues - even after Illuminations the buses came thick and fast (I timed them for fun, they were arriving every four minutes during the peak lines).

Andre

 

[andrewilley]

Thanks! Hope everyone doesn't get too much rain from Irene.

Ironically the storms seem to have sucked the moistiure away from WDW - it's been hot and dry all day.

Andre

 

[Venomhatch]

Ironically the storms seem to have sucked the moistiure away from WDW - it's been hot and dry all day.

Andre

Yeah now its going to dump it all on us tomorrow!!!

 

[andrewilley]

Are you back at the UK or are you still in Orlando getting pictures and information for your web site? If you are still at POR when do head back?

Still here until Tuesday. Hope to gather a few photos tomorrow...

Andre

 

[Venomhatch]

Still here until Tuesday. Hope to gather a few photos tomorrow...

Andre

Yes please cant wait to see them

 

[andrewilley]

Just to put the ongoing debate to bed once and for all (to use a very suitable metaphor) I had a great meeting today with someone who can give us an absolutely definitive answer on the extra bed in Alligator Bayou question. (Thank you for your generosity with your time if you are reading this)

So YES, the fifth person bed option IS staying, but not as a trundle bed (as they won't fit with the new queen beds). The new option will be a fold-down bed which is actually bigger than the current trundle beds, and it will allow an adult to use it rather than just kids. Oh, and AB fans will love to hear that the existing floor tiling in the bathroom and vanity areas will be staying, as it was only installed fairly recently. The general rustic concept will be staying too.

On the downside, one other thing that I learned it that the option to have an extra roll-away bed brought into the other areas (Magnolia Bend and French Quarter) will no longer be available with the queen beds. There will also definitely be no King Bed rooms available in the new Royal Room areas (which we already knew from the booking site).

On the recreation front, the new poolside game activities, movie screenings and campfires at both resorts will be staying year-round rather than being seasonal.

I hope to be able to get some detailed photos from Magnolia Terrace (which comes back into availability in a few days) before I leave and will post them when I do.

Andre

 

[Stan Solo]

Just to put the ongoing debate to bed once and for all (to use a very suitable metaphor) I had a great meeting today with someone who can give us an absolutely definitive answer on the fifth bed in Alligator Bayou question. (Thank you for your generosity with your time if you are reading this)

So YES, the fifth person bed option IS staying, but not as a trundle bed (as they won't fit with the new queen beds). The new option will be a fold-down bed which is actually bigger than the current trundle beds, and it will allow an adult to use it rather than just kids. Oh, and AB fans will love to hear that the existing floor tiling in the bathroom and vanity areas will be staying, as it was only installed fairly recently. The general rustic concept will be staying too.

On the downside, one other thing that I learned it that the option to have an extra roll-away bed brought into the other areas (Magnolia Bend and French Quarter) will no longer be available with the queen beds. There will also definitely be no King Bed rooms available in the new Royal Room areas (which we already knew from the booking site).

On the recreation front, the new poolside game activities, movie screenings and campfires at both resorts will be staying year-round rather than being seasonal.

I hope to be able to get some detailed photos from Magnolia Terrace (which comes back into availability in a few days) before I leave and will post them when I do.

Andre

Hey Andre, Thanxs for posting the definitive update from a reliable source. Looking forward to your pictures. We will be arriving on Sunday if you see me on a bus or something be sure to say hi. I'll have a LGMH on my backpack with Stan Solo and a small Maple Leaf on it.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Glad you got the word!

 

[Travel Mum]

Okay, you experts, we will be there in a few weeks so can you please help me work out what time we would need to get to the POR bus stop in order to get there in time for:

8 am Breakfast at Tusker House, Animal Kingdom

8.05 am Breakfast at Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom

9 am Rope Drop for Epcot

9 am Rope Drop for Hollywood Studios - but actually to get there about 8.15 am to prepare for the Toy Story dash!


I need to prepare my family about what time we are going to get up on holiday! Quite different from our normal holidays at a beach resort in Fiji


Many thanks

 

[rockin2it]

Hey rockinin2it we will be leaving the same day you are arriving. This will be our first trip as well. As we are checking out and you are checking in I'll try to not hate you .

Did you check out the pictures at www.portorleans.org ? They have some great picture and info over there.

lol @ trying not to hate me. I feel the same way when I'm leaving! I try not to hate anyone checking in.

I have looked at portorleans.org...actually I have gone to that site a TON in the last month. I have read everything about the resort and I really like seeing all the pictures. Actually, that site is why I requested AB because I just love the way the buildings look all cozy and are small.

 

[rockin2it]

I think if you read almost any resort-related thread you'll find that ALL Disney resorts have the worst bus service - at least according to some posters' experiences. Alternatively, they all have great bus services according to others. It's very hard to be objective in comparisons.

We've taken a few buses over the past few days and have had no issues - even after Illuminations the buses came thick and fast (I timed them for fun, they were arriving every four minutes during the peak lines).

Andre

I'm glad you haven't had any issues with the buses over the last few days. I am hoping that it will be like that when we get there next week. Timing buses for fun sounds like something I would do!

 

[Venomhatch]

Thanks Andre for fixing rumor control on that.

 

[DuckMom]

8 am Breakfast at Tusker House, Animal Kingdom

8.05 am Breakfast at Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom

We had these two last week and got to the bus stop at 7:20 both mornings. We were a bit early for Tusker House and a bit late for Crystal Palace (which was exacerbated by my insistence on hitting each PhotoPass person on the way to breakfast). We would have been ok on Crystal Palace, but the bus made a stop at French Quarter (one of the few times that happened on the way to a park) and it took up quite a bit of time for some reason. If I we do that ADR again, I would plan to be there at 7:10.

 

[DisMomJill]

I am currently booked at POFQ, but I'm going to call today to change it to POR so I can get FD for an extra day (starting 11/26 instead of 11/27). It looks like king rooms are available, so I will be upgrading to that (since my DD is only 2). I've read through portorleans.org, but I'm still really up-in-the air about what building(s) to request. I think building 14 in AB is out since those would be accessible rooms. So I was thinking about requesting building 15 or 18, or possibly Oak or Parterre. Could I get some advice from those who have stayed there before?

 

[disneylovr1]

I am currently booked at POFQ, but I'm going to call today to change it to POR so I can get FD for an extra day (starting 11/26 instead of 11/27). It looks like king rooms are available, so I will be upgrading to that (since my DD is only 2). I've read through portorleans.org, but I'm still really up-in-the air about what building(s) to request. I think building 14 in AB is out since those would be accessible rooms. So I was thinking about requesting building 15 or 18, or possibly Oak or Parterre. Could I get some advice from those who have stayed there before?

My favorite was building 18. Very close to the main building, but you also got to enjoy a short walk through the resort when you went to the food court or shop. Another reason we used to request it was that there are no parking lot views, so you would be guaranteed a garden view. Building 27 was always our second choice for the same reasons (next year that won't matter, since garden will be a new category). Now they are preferred buildings, so you have to book that and it is more expensive. Personlly I don't do that, so we have since changed our requests to buildings 26 or 28. More of a walk, but to me that's part of the fun of POR. It only matters when it's raining! If you want to pay for preferred and your biggest priority is proximity, building 14 is great. We randomly got put there once years ago, and you could be in the food court in literally seconds from some rooms. We just enjoy walking around the resort, so never actually requested to be that close. Building 15 is close as well, but lots of parking lot views so we always avoided it. However, a parking lot view also means your car is close if you have one!

 

[andrewilley]

I took a load of room photos this morning, might take me a while to upload them all from vacation though, but I'm hoping I managed to get a panorama view around the room (once I've processed the files).

Andre

 

[smalltowngirl504]

Hello!!! we had our first trip to WDW May 27th-June 2nd of this year.. We are returning for a repeat , fall of 2012... (our wedding is june 2012) so we have to make it later in the year, We will be staying in POR, because with a family of 5, its the most affordable!! We stayed at CBR, in may, and I wasnt impressed with the amount of walking ,and I was in Jamaica 46, so I was close!!!!... I am looking forward to POR, we had our own car last time, and we wont this time,so I am kind of dreading the bus system, we really loved being able to get ourselves around and not wait in lines!! I may look into renting a car, but probably not, I promised soon to be hubby, I would do this trip on a budget, our last one got expensive!!! Look forward to seeing the refurb rooms and getting to know everyone,I have looked through MOST of the pages on this thread... I am not impressed with the new headboards..that someone posted!! I also assume we would be in AB, I am anxious to see what those refurbs will look like!!! Oh My name is Tricia!!!! Have a great weekend, I hope Irene didn't rain on anyones vacation time!!!