Port Orleans Riverside Q&A Thread 2013, Part One [Thread now FULL and closed]

[Tinkerbellie16]

Im just thinking the fishing watering hole looks fun for the boys and the boat to DTD looks fun too, we couldnt afford any ADRs this time but promised them the TREX cafe so it would be wonderful to have thier own personal resort boat to take them there ( would let me and hubby dump the car for the night too and have a little margarita!!) The 10yr old loves to Kayak so that would be perfect for him. I may be wrong but the pool area looks a little quieter than CBR which may be a good thing.CBR was a little too rowdy for my 4 yr old, he was scared to death of the big dunk tank on the pirate ship and wouldnt go anywhere near it. The alligator rooms do look lovely but then the other magnolia rooms do look closer. I guess I really dont mind which ones we get. We will know within the next few days if we can afford to do this ( hopefully we can) dont get me wrong...a value resort is better than no resort but I dooo prefer a mod resort. I take it the food is all the same at the food courts at the mods?

Disney resort pool crowds or rowdiness really depends on a lot of things - what time of year you go, what time of day, the weather, teen/kids groups staying, among other things. I found CBR main pool to be less crowded BUT I was swimming at 10 am! If you go during peak times, all the pools are more crowded. If you are concerned with rowdiness, I suggest the leisure pools rather than the main pool. Also, CBR has the water feature that you mentioned and it is a big draw for kids. Older kids may enjoy the rowdiness but the little kids might be scared of it!

I enjoyed CBR but I do feel that POR has more to offer. (It's been some time since my last POR stay though so definitely get the advice from the experts on this thread!)

As for the food, it varies between resorts. While in general you could say the food is 'similar' because they offer eggs, waffles, burgers, etc., they also offer unique food themed to that resort. I use allearsnet.com to check menus - they keep them updated with prices.

 

[MHSweb79]

We were at POR in January. I thought the food court was very good. I liked it better than the one at POFQ, which is overall our favorite resort.

The boat ride to DD is a big reason we love the Port Orleans resorts. It's just a little ferry but as you said, it's nice to ditch the cars & buses for a change.

 

[Missytara]

We were at POR in January. I thought the food court was very good. I liked it better than the one at POFQ, which is overall our favorite resort.

The boat ride to DD is a big reason we love the Port Orleans resorts. It's just a little ferry but as you said, it's nice to ditch the cars & buses for a change.

Next to POP for the values; POR has one of the best food courts on property.

Also, I would like to add having the water taxi to POR is a big advantage, especially for people like me that like to end their evening at a resort for a nice dinner.

You can take the bus back to the hub to DTD; I have personally never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus at any resort. Then the water taxi runs every 10 minutes after 4 pm, so there is bound to be a water taxi on its way.

 

[Missytara]

Just wanted to post to say we hit double digits today. 99 days to Disney!! I am really enjoying reading this tread and hearing about everyone's experiences at POR. Keep it coming!!

That will be me next weekend; we are at 105 today. I can hardly wait. I cancelled my trip last year, due to my friend wanting to go in June (my usual is the week after Thanksgiving), and my mom wanted to cruise to Bermuda last year.

It was wonderful, but nothing compares to being at Disney and POR.

 

[hockeymom3]

I'm at 70 days today and I feel like it is taking forever.....and I just booked!!!

I have to admit, being a family of 5, I was a little ticked off about not getting to have another economical option than POR. I kept thinking "what's wrong with this place"?? Once I actually coped with not really having any other choice I actually began to realize it looks like a pretty terrific place!!

Don't get me wrong, I know there are villas and stuff but really no other option comparable in price to POR for 5.

Now I realize i just didn't like the lack of options and not the options themselves. And I have all of you and your stories, pictures and videos to thank for that!!

Woohoo so excited.

 

[LovingDisny]

Im just thinking the fishing watering hole looks fun for the boys and the boat to DTD looks fun too, we couldnt afford any ADRs this time but promised them the TREX cafe so it would be wonderful to have thier own personal resort boat to take them there ( would let me and hubby dump the car for the night too and have a little margarita!!) The 10yr old loves to Kayak so that would be perfect for him. I may be wrong but the pool area looks a little quieter than CBR which may be a good thing.CBR was a little too rowdy for my 4 yr old, he was scared to death of the big dunk tank on the pirate ship and wouldnt go anywhere near it. The alligator rooms do look lovely but then the other magnolia rooms do look closer. I guess I really dont mind which ones we get. We will know within the next few days if we can afford to do this ( hopefully we can) dont get me wrong...a value resort is better than no resort but I dooo prefer a mod resort. I take it the food is all the same at the food courts at the mods?

My boys were 12 & 4 during our first trip to POR and they both loved it! They really loved the main pool. The food court at POR is much better than CBR in my opinion. More choices. The boat to DTD is a big plus also.
Happy planning!

 

[LovingDisny]

Well I have spoken first hand with the Room Assignment Team they are not at all close or even overwhelmed by room requests so you will be fine. Don't read too far into it. We thrive to make it as magical as we can.

Good to know! I have been away from the thread for a while because my trip seemed so far away!! now that it is closer, I am having so much fun catching up with everyone here.

 

[debedo]

I have a silly question - are there new mugs now?

 

[bumbershoot]

I have a silly question - are there new mugs now?

Nope. As far as I can tell, the one I bought in Sept 2011 is the same as the ones on sale now.

 

[debedo]

Nope. As far as I can tell, the one I bought in Sept 2011 is the same as the ones on sale now.

Thank you ! Thats ok, we bought a couple last year when we were there and no problem buying the same mug. Like to keep my collection going !!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Who on this thread would choose a royal guest room river view over the swan and dolphin?

We stayed at the Dolphin last summer in a grand suite (2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, dining room, wet bar area) on a teacher discount and it was amazing to have so much space and to be able to walk to 2 parks. This summer, we're staying at POR for a few reasons:
* It was more affordable (even with a comparison of a basic room, once you add in the resort fees and parking fees, the Dolphin was more.)
* It didn't feel as 'magical' to me as the Disney resorts. We'd come back from the parks in all our Mickey gear and have to wade through the HOARDES of convention goers at the bar in their "power suits" and it just felt strange.
* You can't charge to your room when staying at the S&D which isn't a big deal, but was a little annoying.
* All the extra fees really irked me!! I was paying a resort fee for things I NEVER used (except the bottled water,) and the parking fee is ridiculous!

Did it a couple of days ago, it worked out very well. We picked up from the bakery counter at the Riverside Mill. We had a 10" vanilla cake with fruit mouse filling and a TinkerBell picture on the top, with flowers. It was very light and tasty, the mouse offset the sweetness of the icing nicely. It was quite big - we still have a few slices left. It was yummy!

Andre

Do you have the contact info for them? Sorry if it's on the first page, I'll go check! My husband and I were married at WDW and are going back for our 6 year anniversary this summer. I'd love to do a little cake with the flavors from our Disney wedding cake!

ETA: I found this on portorleans.org - is it the correct contact info?
Specialty Cake Ordering Line: 1-407-934-5824 (supplied from Boardwalk Inn Bakery)

I hope you meant 'Fruit Mousse' filling.. because a Fruit Mouse filling at Disney World would be kinda cannibalistic and demented...

SAVE MICKEY!

 

[raydeen10]

I was wondering if a certain room or area should be requested for the Royal Guest Rooms with Garden View rooms?

 

[Megsmachine]

Well I have spoken first hand with the Room Assignment Team they are not at all close or even overwhelmed by room requests so you will be fine. Don't read too far into it. We thrive to make it as magical as we can.

Ok!
Thanks for your response. I guess people in the know (disers) probably make up a small part of all the guests at POR.

 

[ttcl516]

So everyone is talking about being contacted by the resort after sending in their fax request. No response yet

 

[Dis703]

Hello All!

I had joined this thread last month when we started planning our trip to WDW this May but after planning a split stay with POR/BC we ended up moving over to BC entirely. But we've decided to purchase annual passes and will be coming back next April and planning to stay at POR for that trip.

I did have one question though. This trip Alligator Bayou would have been our only option as we had an extra adult with us. But the next will be just us with 2 adults a 5 year old and 2 year old twins. So that means we would still qualify for any room that holds four. I love the look of the mansion rooms and was just wondering if there is any more or less actual room in the those rooms vs. Alligator Bayou? I'm hopeful we won't need pack & plays by then but I can't be certain.

TIA!

 

[Megsmachine]

Well I have spoken first hand with the Room Assignment Team they are not at all close or even overwhelmed by room requests so you will be fine. Don't read too far into it. We thrive to make it as magical as we can.

Ok!
Thanks for your response. I guess people in the know (disers) probably make up a small part of all the guests at POR.

 

[dansdad]

So everyone is talking about being contacted by the resort after sending in their fax request. No response yet

Not everyone is contacted. No worries.

 

[Venomhatch]

Ok, everyone I have had one heck of a day and am heavily exhausted. I couldn't meet Andre after all due to that. I am getting out all of the PMs I received real quick and then bed time. Until tomorrow everyone.

 

[jasonsk287]

I'll be staying at POR from 3/9-15- I called Disney to request Alligator Bayou and she noted it on my reservation. I'm not dead set on it so I won't bother faxing, but I feel pretty confident based on how she answered my request. We have a King Bed room booked, and she says that 90% of King Bed rooms are in AB anyway- so it happens to work out. Best of luck to everyone! Hope you get your requests!

 

[Shaden]

Ok, everyone I have had one heck of a day and am heavily exhausted. I couldn't meet Andre after all due to that. I am getting out all of the PMs I received real quick and then bed time. Until tomorrow everyone.

Awe, thats too bad Venom, I just want you to not be stressing out leading up to your vacation, want you to relax and enjoy the lead up.

Hope you have a better day tomorrow.