Port Orleans riverside good decision?

[krishouse]

Hi everyone.
I have been on the phone for the last couple of days and I know it is last minute but I have been trying codes for the first or second week of january... that being said this is a trip on a smaller scale because we are purchasing ap's and hoping to do an October trip, the cm I spoke to offered Port orleans as an option at $85.00 a night which seemed pretty reasonable in my book, but she also said there was limited availablity at AKL for $135.00 poolview, I booked Port Orleans but I have been hearing some negative feedback. We will have 2 adults 2 kids 11,4 and our infant... I know this is silly but I have been doubting the decision and can't help wondering if I should call back and see if AKL is still availble.. any help and opinions would be so helpful!
thanks
kris

 

[Sandi]

POR is our favorite resort. It has terrific theming, a wonderful pool, and a good food court. Especially at the $85 rate, it can't be beat.

That being said, I've never stayed at AKL. I have stayed at WL and didn't find that it beat POR for the money. For our upcoming February trip, however, we are splitting our stay between POR and Polynesian. Depending on how long you're staying, a split trip might be a good option so you can try them both.

I've also read some of the negative posts about POR. We always have found housekeeping and the staff to be first rate. We've stayed in AB buildings 14, 15 and 18 on five different trips. The boat to Downtown is a fun little side trip.

AKL seems like it is far away from everything. We love Boma and the theming is nice, but it is a hike to get anywhere.

 

[FloridaGirl]

The rooms were nice when I stayed earlier in the year-- the resort is quiet and gorgeous--- the restaurants are nice and Bob Jackson and his live entertainment is the BEST and cant be missed-- it is my favorite Moderate=== Have a blast and enjoy your decision!

 

[Spartan]

Just back a couple of days ago from POR. I've stayed there several times, and thought the resort was starting to look worn, but the refurbished rooms are now very nice with the fridges, better mattresses, and bigger TV's. I like the new decor (at least in the mansions - I didn't see the inside of any of the bayou rooms). Other than some minor construction that has closed off the walkway near the water wheel, I thought the resort was in great shape. We didn't have much contact with CM's or housekeeping (other than when I looked myself out of the room on the way to the pool), so have no complaints concerning any of the service.

 

[corinascot]

We loved it (me, dh, ds age 9). It was so quite and peaceful. We were in Magnolia Terrace in a newly refurbished room. The bldg was full but you'd never know it b/c it was so quite. And the mousekkeping was fine.

We loved the swimming area and the food court. And we liked the boat to DTD. I liked having access to both POR and POFQ pools and facilities. We're going to try POFQ this spring for something different. We swam there while at POR....ds and I took the boat to POFQ and dh drove and picked us up.

I hear AKL is also very nice, but I don't know if it's $50/day nicer.
No complaints about POR here! I think you'll like it.

Corina

 

[NCombs]

I can't comment on AK but we really like POR when we stayed there in June.

 

[cobbler]

I like Riverside, never been to FQ - - yet.

I think you will enjoy it. Its nice and quiet and quite pretty.

 

[bsusanmb]

We have stayed at a lot of resorts, but our favorite is POR. We like the Magnolia Bend Mansions, but your children will probably like the feel of the Bayou better. It is a full place for kids with a trundle bed. It seems families with kids prefer the Bayou - couples the Mansions. The grounds are beautiful and have won lots of awards for the landscaping. You can ride a boat to downtown Disney free and it is really fun at night. The pool is great, and I agree with above poster - go see the piano player Bob in the lounge - he loves kids and plays songs and games for them. He is a riot. The food court is nice and a manageable size. I have always found housekeeping to be excellent. If you have any issues with your room, just call and let someone know. When we go to POR, we feel at home. We've stayed at the Beach Club villas and the stuffy feel isn't our cup of tea. Don't regret you decision - it is awesome. I couldn't get the special rate for POR, so we are going to the CSR in Dec. Wish we could do POR!!!
Susan

 

[debaudrn]

We just returned from POR. We are DVC members and usually stay at DVC sites. For this trip we were out of points and got a great AP rate through DU for POR. We checked in at 7 PM Thurs. 10/21 and went to the rooms. Mansions, building 85, rooms 8607 and 8608-connecting. Both rooms had dirty coffee pots, coffee and old grinds still in pots. Both rooms had small pieces of paper on the floor and candy on the floor. Beds were great (new mattresses), refrigerators in rooms. Very quiet, never heard a thing from outside, through the walls or connecting door. When we called about the coffee pots we were told they were too busy and couldn't come to clean them. NOT a good answer. We called several times for replacement packs of coffee too and eventually went to the desk and picked them up ourselves. Overall good trip, but definitely shows us why we purcahsed the DVC membership ion 1996. I am completely spoiled wtih those facilities!
Debbie
THe F&W festival is great and MNSSHP was a blast!

 

[disneymania]

We've stayed at POR 2 x & are staying again in late January. We really thought about Poly or another deluxe resort but like you, plan to maybe use the money saved to buy annual passes (that is my plan anyway...hope to convince DH). I went back & forth with my decision & when I looked at the extra money over the course of a week, I just couldn't justify it. POR is a nice resort. I have stayed at better places but it is a good deal for the money. We have 5 ppl so are really limited in locations.

 

[sugermouse]

POR is one of our favorite resorts. We will be spending xmas there again this year. You made an excellent choice.

 

[MiJo]

We (DW and I) stayed at POR back in '99 in the Alligator Bayou section and really enjoyed it. We have stayed at AKL and enjoyed that a lot, also. It's nice to be able to see the giraffes walking around right below your balcony. However, you don't really spend all that much time at the resort so we prefer to save some money and go with a Moderate. It was nice to stay there once, though. Last trip, we stayed at POFQ and really like it. In January, we will be returning to POR and are hoping to stay in the Mansions. Don't miss Bob Jackson in the lounge. I believe he is there Wednesday-Sunday evenings. He offers some of the best family entertainment at WDW! Also, when we were at POR in '99 we noticed some interesting sound effects in the AB section when we were walking along the paths around sunrise. If you listen carefully, you'll hear bullfrogs, crickets and roosters crowing! We also saw some otters playing in the Sassagoula River during our trip to POFQ in '03. There are also "quiet pools" around the resort for families to use.
You'll really enjoy this resort.