Port Orleans Riverside FAQ thread - Royally Refurbished for 2011

[3sweetpeas]

I haved to say that my dad and stepmother are pretty much over it - I can just say the word Dis and I get the eye roll immediately.

I think seriously, get over it, I am a little tired of hearing about her painting and soap business.......so we are even!

That's right!

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Good Morning, Oh Gods (and godesses) of POR! What time is earliest check in? I want to be at the door and ready to check in when they open!

 

[Venomhatch]

Wow Andre that site about 20k was awesome. I was saddened also. Thanks for sharing!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

i always thought they should have made the Nemo ride "Under the Sea" and added little mermaid things..couldn't have been that hard to do..use the basic elements of the ride and change the hull. Then when Nemo came out (before the living sea changes) I thought that would be a good use of the lagoon...sad that they couldn't save it!

 

[Missytara]

Good Morning, Oh Gods (and godesses) of POR! What time is earliest check in? I want to be at the door and ready to check in when they open!

The doors are open 24/7.

The computers roll over for the day at 7:00 am for check-in.

If you are there before 7:00 am, the bakery is open and the beverage station as well at 6:00 am. There are tables in the food court, the lounge across from check-in and right outside the food court doors as well.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Good Morning, Oh Gods (and godesses) of POR! What time is earliest check in? I want to be at the door and ready to check in when they open!

i did online check in a few days before and my packet and room was ready when I got there at 11am

If you get there too early, the room might not be clean yet. I would head to the parks and get a few hours of park time then head to the hotel

 

[Missytara]

i did online check in a few days before and my packet and room was ready when I got there at 11am

If you get there too early, the room might not be clean yet. I would head to the parks and get a few hours of park time then head to the hotel

Actually, they should check in first, because they can either get the first available room, or their room will be ready when they get back from the parks. It is always best to check in first; that way you don't have to rush back from the parks to check - they will just call you when the room is ready.

I have gotten my room as early as 7:00 am when the computers roll over until about mid afternoon at very busy check-in times. With the new computer system, rooms do come available early in the morning.

They will also want to check-in to get their park tickets on their KTTW card.

So I strongly suggest, if you are already there that early, to go ahead and check in at 7:00 am when the computers roll over for the day.

 

[travelgoddess]

We are going to arrive by 8am on Friday, I don't expect our room will be ready. We're just gonna leave our stuff with bell check and head to MK.

 

[Chicago Mo]

You need a time machine, WDW did have the subs until the mid 90's. Sadly no more. http://www.20kride.com/photos_after.html

We will get double-Dumbo, Mermaids and mine-trains in their place though.

Andre

Quick Story on this.
In 1978 was my first trip to WDW with my Parents. went on this ride we were the last ones to aboard. CM's then shut that HUGE door on top of my Father's head, i remember him being in a lot of pain from it!!! believe it or not that and the fact you could not see threw the water are my only memories from that ride!!

 

[Venomhatch]

Well pleasant journeys to all going in the next week or so. I hope you have a great time and have a magical time while visiting.

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Actually, they should check in first, because they can either get the first available room, or their room will be ready when they get back from the parks. It is always best to check in first; that way you don't have to rush back from the parks to check - they will just call you when the room is ready.

I have gotten my room as early as 7:00 am when the computers roll over until about mid afternoon at very busy check-in times. With the new computer system, rooms do come available early in the morning.

They will also want to check-in to get their park tickets on their KTTW card.

So I strongly suggest, if you are already there that early, to go ahead and check in at 7:00 am when the computers roll over for the day.

Thanks Missy! I'll be there waiting at 7! And I don't care if my rooms ready, as long as I can get my KTTW and dining credits started. I DO care about getting my req for a refurb room, though!

 

[Ed J]

i always thought they should have made the Nemo ride "Under the Sea" and added little mermaid things..couldn't have been that hard to do..use the basic elements of the ride and change the hull. Then when Nemo came out (before the living sea changes) I thought that would be a good use of the lagoon...sad that they couldn't save it!

Do you mean a ride like this?

http://youtu.be/pVxWB6U6brs

Sorry for the poor quality.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

if you do online check in at home, your room should already be assigned and keys printed when you get there. All I did was show my drivers license and they handed me the packet. I love online check in!!

 

[Venomhatch]

Do you mean a ride like this?

http://youtu.be/pVxWB6U6brs

Sorry for the poor quality.

Wow I all i could focus on was the white arrow pointer in the middle of the screen. Watching a video someone else recorded on their computer. But yeah it would be nice to have the Nemo ride here like that.

 

[Ed J]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPBpPMj-UbY

I was being lazy

 

[Stini228]

Hi all, we are just back from an absolutely FABULOUS 4 night stay at POR!!

We (DH & I) arrived at 8am on Thurs, the 20th. We were helped by a very nice CM who to my surprise advised us that our room was ready. I had requested either Acadian or Magnolia, hoping to get one of the newly refurbed rooms. The CM let us know we were in building 34. I politely asked if there was anything available in Acadian or Magnolia, and she happily looked for us. Sure enough, there were a room in Acadian available, and it was also ready! woo-hoo! We were assigned 8232, which isn't too far from the main building and right near the North bus depot. We LOVED the room,,it was immaculate and very pretty! Some pics:

Tiana and Naveen - so cute!

Inputs, if anyone is curious:

And some towel animals:

Our view:

We ate in the Riverside Mill twice, both times it was good. Can't beat the make your own pasta, yum.

The bus service was stellar,,seriously. I couldn't believe it. We've stayed at many Disney resorts over many years, and this was the best we've ever experienced. We never waited for more than 10 minutes anywhere.

Also, one afternoon I did some reconn, like a good DISer would, so see if I could get a peek at any of the upcoming AB refurbs. All I found was a closed parking area (near building 37):

and a checklist/diagram of some fixes to a room. These were posted all along building 36:

We did also see a "Disney Textiles" truck pull in late one night and unload some pallets in the closed parking area...new fabrics maybe??

And, they are putting a fresh coat of paint on building 27:

Well I could go on and on...this place is truly magical!! Let me know if anyone has any questions. I'll be posting more pics in the POR pics thread soon, hope everyone enjoys them

 

[lorainfam]

Hi there, have a question that hopefully someone here can answer....

We are scheduled to arrive on November 11th. Our CM niece booked two rooms with her discount. Our family of 4 and for my In Laws which will consist of a party of 5. She also requested connecting rooms. So, from what research I have gathered we would be put in the AB section for the party of 5. The In laws arrive the following day.

So, the question is....in the AB section do they only have rooms for parties of 5? Do you think that we will have any issues with obtaining connecting rooms since they do not arrive and check in the following day?

 

[andrewilley]

So, the question is....in the AB section do they only have rooms for parties of 5? Do you think that we will have any issues with obtaining connecting rooms since they do not arrive and check in the following day?

AB is the only section which is able to sleep five (so that does take priority when the resort is full) but otherwise there's nothing to stop smaller groups being allocated there.

We've stayed in AB as a group of two, three and four - although never five so far.

Andre

 

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

Hi there, have a question that hopefully someone here can answer....

We are scheduled to arrive on November 11th. Our CM niece booked two rooms with her discount. Our family of 4 and for my In Laws which will consist of a party of 5. She also requested connecting rooms. So, from what research I have gathered we would be put in the AB section for the party of 5. The In laws arrive the following day.

So, the question is....in the AB section do they only have rooms for parties of 5? Do you think that we will have any issues with obtaining connecting rooms since they do not arrive and check in the following day?

You can have up to 5 people in a room in AB. Your party of 4 should be fine (assuming they have a room in AB at the time you check in...a very good possibility).

On the other hand, I'm not sure you'll be able to get connecting rooms with your in-laws arriving a day later. You can always request it, and your in-laws can re-request when they show up. Remember, requests are just that, not guarantees. I wish you the absolute best of luck.

 

[andrewilley]

That's a very interesting pic, thank you for posting it. Even if the layout is actually for a Magnolia Bend room, I think - it saves a bit on printing costs I guess.

But at least it all indicates they seem to be right on schedule for starting work on building 36 today. The parking lot would be set up as a staging area for the construction equipment.

Andre