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

[ohnowewontgo]

About 30 minutes give or take with traffic.

Thanks!

 

[zy144622]

Thanks for the replys.I was not trying to be difficult, I do realize that any hotel can have issues anywhere. Just surprized I guess, we seem to buy into the idea that Disney is "magical" and then here of something going wrong and it surprizes you. No big deal I am looking forward to the trip this sat 16 and will enjoy the resort.I am leaving a ton of snow behind so thats good and hope the weather turns a bit warmer there .Thanks for this thread it has been very helpful. On a side note is there wireless internet service on site? Thanks Nan

Yes there is but my experience with it was not good. Very slow and often times did not work at all. May have been due to the number of people attempting to use it, not sure.

 

[andrewilley]

Yes there is but my experience with it was not good.

When did you try it? When first launched it was painfully slow (1 Mbps) but sometime over the past six months or so they've pushed it up to 3 Mbps which is much more usable.

I streamed live video of the view from the window of the room via wi-fi during Presidents Week in Feb, and the stream stayed up for about 6 days straight (which really surprised me, I expected to need to re-authenticate it every 24 hours).

Andre

 

[Venomhatch]

When did you try it? When first launched it was painfully slow (1 Mbps) but sometime over the past six months or so they've pushed it up to 3 Mbps which is much more usable.

I streamed live video of the view from the window of the room via wi-fi during Presidents Week in Feb, and the stream stayed up for about 6 days straight (which really surprised me, I expected to need to re-authenticate it every 24 hours).

Andre

Yeah it was clocked a few times by me @ 3.64 gb

 

[Izzieheartscindy]

Hi all,

I just wanted to post my experience at POR.

We just got back yesterday from an 8 night stay. We were booked in two Royal Guest Rooms Standard Views. I sent a fax four days prior to checking in to request our main priority of connecting rooms and secondly Oak Manor. We arrived at POR on ME 45 minutes after landing at MCO so that was great! It was COLD for most of our stay so that was a big bummer! In the middle of check in, the computer system crashed and they had to revert to manual check in. My CM did not know how to do it so he had to watch what the CM next to him was doing. This process took over 50 minutes! Luckily, before the system went down he was able to see our room assignments but he was not able to tell if the rooms were ready. On the positive, we were granted all requests and even upgraded to Courtyard view!! On the negative side, it was already 4:30 pm so we should have been able to get into a room!! They had to manually take the carbon copy of my credit card for room charges. So funny! I hadn't seen that machine in years!!!! I would come to find out it wouldn't be a good thing, though... We needed to get out of there because we had 5:30 dinner reservations but couldn't get our KTTWC because the system was down. Now, at this point, my kids are losing it in the lobby. At 5 and 1 they are tired and hungry and want out of this lobby! I asked the CM how I was going to get into the park without a KTTWC and he offered free one day park hoppers. Nice! EXCEPT, they would not give the other room the same since they had room only reservation. At this point I decide I am not going to get upset because this is our first day at DISNEY!!!! We walked to the South Depot and this was our longest wait of the entire trip. We waited 30 mins for a bus and almost missed our reservation. The rest of the trip was pretty much smooth sailing with the buses except for our last day to MK when we had to wait for a FOURTH bus because the cheerleaders descended upon us!

We finally got into our rooms - 9267 & 9268 - and they were wonderful!!! (Incidentally, Venom was very near us and I don't know what his issue was but we didn't have any issues.) We really loved the rooms and the location was great. The resort is gorgeous and the theming of the Royal rooms is incredible!! Worth dealing with buses to be there!

The food court was ok. Very crowded but we never ate there except for breakfast and that was only for a quick bagel, muffin, etc. We never went in the pools because it was so cold. (I'm talking low 40s at some points in the trip!) And we didn't have time to see Ye Haa Bob so I was sad about that!

Upon check out, I did not receive the bill on my door so I went down to the lobby. Turns out that the American Express card I gave them for room charges was posted on my account but never made active. So they charged my Visa debit card that I used to pay the last amount due on my resort package to pay for the room charges. That is not ok!! What if I didn't have enough money in my checking account to cover the charges???? I did, but that's not the point. They charged a card without my authorization. My AMEX is the card I use whenever I travel because I want the points and also I like the protection that it carries versus theft, etc. I also have it saved to my disney experience account. So I was not happy about that but again I didn't want to be upset on my last day so I just let it go.

So, would I recommend POR? Yes! It is a great moderate resort and the Royal rooms are amazing. The buses and size of the resort (if you are in certain buildings) can certainly be a pain, but for the price compared to a deluxe I was very happy. DH doesn't like to go to the same hotel year after year so next year we will try something new. I'd like to try BC or YC in a warmer time of year and enjoy the pool!

Thanks to all for the great advice and help on this board!!

 

[kandim]

Yes there is but my experience with it was not good. Very slow and often times did not work at all. May have been due to the number of people attempting to use it, not sure.

We were there early-mid Feb & found the internet to be just fine in POR, the parks & DTD. My daughter is a grad student, needed to post assignments during our stay & had no problem at all.

 

[Venomhatch]

We finally got into our rooms - 9267 & 9268 - and they were wonderful!!!

So, would I recommend POR? Yes!

Yeah you were close. In fact I walked by your rooms once or twice for ice, and exploring.

 

[stephyarcouette]

Hi all,

It was COLD for most of our stay so that was a big bummer!

We never went in the pools because it was so cold. (I'm talking low 40s at some points in the trip!)

Man it better warm up before end of April!

 

[Venomhatch]

Man it better warm up before end of April!

Lately especially this past Friday and Saturday were above 70-75F.

 

[Izzieheartscindy]

Man it better warm up before end of April!

To be fair that was the low temp in the am and pm. The middle of the days were warmer but not until the last two or three days did we see 70 degrees.

 

[Izzieheartscindy]

And it was very unseasonably cold from what I understand. But I won't take that chance again!

 

[firstwdw]

sorry-found my answer-not sure how to delete entire post

 

[dutchdisneyfamily]

90 days until we check in to POR:cool1
We have a preferred room booked for 6/9-6/18. So excited. Anyone else planning to be at POR in June?

We will be in a Royal Room pool view 6/6-6/14!

 

[Wismgari]

I had assumed I just had to fax in my request but now I keep reading about room requests on the original reservation... anyone know how I would go about adding this from the UK without having to call up an international number?

Also, I am not sure exactly what I want to request - I am indecisive so does anyone have any suggestions? I definitely want a top floor room (although would this then rule out the 2nd floor in the mansions where there is only two floors in some bits of it? I basically don't want anyone walking around above me!). I also want to be as close to the main building as possible BUT I also really want somewhere that is quiet and pretty (I have a garden view room booked). I am not sure if I prefer AB or the mansions, as I prefer the outside of the AB a lot with all the trees and different shaped pools, but I much prefer the interior of the mansions! There is only me and my bf going so we don't need the extra bed in AB. It is my first ever visit to any Disney park so I am just trying to make it as perfect as possible! Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[BMC423]

I am not sure about the general store but I know you can have beer delivered through Garden Grocer.com if you decide to order water, snacks etc. I had to call them directly and give them my ID information etc but the rest of the order I was able to do online. It was a $40 minimum with a $12 delivery fee when I did this last spring.

We also use garden grocer. We ordered water, chocolate milk, and beer. The price was pretty decent and the delivery was done on time.

Online Check-in question

Why should I do it? If I do do online check in, will I still be able to request a room via fax or will it be negated because I've already checked in?

I've heard that on-line check in will not let me be as specific with a request as the fax process so I'm thinking it's not worth doing.

What I have done in the past and plan to do for this trip is to do online check-in and then call and confirm or add my requests. I have never had a problem with it. Last year we stayed at CBR, after I checked in online I called up and requested a second floor, corner room, at a specific bldg and all of my request were met. Best part of the whole thing was our room was ready when we arrived at 11am.

 

[cjsm&d]

And it was very unseasonably cold from what I understand. But I won't take that chance again!

February is always a crap shoot weather-wise. We go around Presidents day week.

Our last POR stay in 2009 it was warm all week.

In 2010 our CSR stay it was in the 60's during the day and 40's at night, and only reached the 70's our last couple of days. (We're Mainers and still went in the pool all week)!

Our last visit CSR/Swan in 2011 it was 80 degrees every day!

This year we're going April 15-22 and expect nice and warm!!!

 

[andrewilley]

I had assumed I just had to fax in my request but now I keep reading about room requests on the original reservation... anyone know how I would go about adding this from the UK without having to call up an international number?

Also, I am not sure exactly what I want to request...

The official process for making any room requests at Disney is to have them added to your original reservation by the booking agents. The agents can apparently add as much free-form text as you want, and this will be visible to the resort room assignment team - however sometimes it's a bit of a battle to make sure they've entered exactly what you ask them to!

For many resorts, that's pretty much the end of the story, and later faxed requests are often ignored unless they are for specific medical issues, etc. However the room assignment team at Port Orleans are extremely helpful and they do go out of their way to try to help - and they DO read faxed requests and will try to match them if they can. It's still not guaranteed of course, but a lot of people have reported good success using this method.

And as far as calling from the UK, just use a pre-dialler such as www.telediscount.co.uk. All you need to do is first dial their prefix number (0844 861 8686) and then the American number you wish to call (which would be 001 407 WDISNEY for the WDW Reservations Center). That call will cost just one penny per minute from a standard BT landline, and there's nothing to set up, you just call it. If you booked via a UK travel agent it might be easier to speak to them first though, as you'll need your Disney reservation reference number (usually as 12-digit number).


Now as to what you actually want to request... well it seems to me that the only things you're sure about are that you want an upper floor room, not too far from the main area but with a pleasant view... so why not request just that, and leave the rest to chance so you'll have a nice surprise when you get there? As long as you don't end up with too much of a walk the whole resort is really nice, so maybe don't over-think it?

Andre

 

[Wismgari]

The official process for making any room requests at Disney is to have them added to your original reservation by the booking agents. The agents can apparently add as much free-form text as you want, and this will be visible to the resort room assignment team - however sometimes it's a bit of a battle to make sure they've entered exactly what you ask them to!

For many resorts, that's pretty much the end of the story, and later faxed requests are often ignored unless they are for specific medical issues, etc. However the room assignment team at Port Orleans are extremely helpful and they do go out of their way to try to help - and they DO read faxed requests and will try to match them if they can. It's still not guaranteed of course, but a lot of people have reported good success using this method.

And as far as calling from the UK, just use a pre-dialler such as www.telediscount.co.uk. All you need to do is first dial their prefix number (0844 861 8686) and then the American number you wish to call (which would be 001 407 WDISNEY for the WDW Reservations Center). That call will cost just one penny per minute from a standard BT landline, and there's nothing to set up, you just call it. If you booked via a UK travel agent it might be easier to speak to them first though, as you'll need your Disney reservation reference number (usually as 12-digit number).


Now as to what you actually want to request... well it seems to me that the only things you're sure about are that you want an upper floor room, not too far from the main area but with a pleasant view... so why not request just that, and leave the rest to chance so you'll have a nice surprise when you get there? As long as you don't end up with too much of a walk the whole resort is really nice, so maybe don't over-think it?

Andre

Andre, thank you so much! I have never heard of that international phone service before - that is great! And yes you are right, I will just say top floor, close to the main building with a pretty view... I am sure I will be happy wherever I end up - I will FINALLY be at Disneyworld afterall! Thanks again

 

[andrewilley]

I am sure I will be happy wherever I end up - I will FINALLY be at Disneyworld afterall! Thanks again

You're welcome. And then for your next trip, you'll be all clued up as to which area you think you'd prefer next time. (And yes, you will be going back... )

Andre

 

[KittyKat1978]

The official process for making any room requests at Disney is to have them added to your original reservation by the booking agents. The agents can apparently add as much free-form text as you want, and this will be visible to the resort room assignment team - however sometimes it's a bit of a battle to make sure they've entered exactly what you ask them to!

For many resorts, that's pretty much the end of the story, and later faxed requests are often ignored unless they are for specific medical issues, etc. However the room assignment team at Port Orleans are extremely helpful and they do go out of their way to try to help - and they DO read faxed requests and will try to match them if they can. It's still not guaranteed of course, but a lot of people have reported good success using this method.

And as far as calling from the UK, just use a pre-dialler such as www.telediscount.co.uk. All you need to do is first dial their prefix number (0844 861 8686) and then the American number you wish to call (which would be 001 407 WDISNEY for the WDW Reservations Center). That call will cost just one penny per minute from a standard BT landline, and there's nothing to set up, you just call it. If you booked via a UK travel agent it might be easier to speak to them first though, as you'll need your Disney reservation reference number (usually as 12-digit number).


Now as to what you actually want to request... well it seems to me that the only things you're sure about are that you want an upper floor room, not too far from the main area but with a pleasant view... so why not request just that, and leave the rest to chance so you'll have a nice surprise when you get there? As long as you don't end up with too much of a walk the whole resort is really nice, so maybe don't over-think it?

Andre

I have stayed at a value my three previous trips and always had requests given to the agent over the phone. I have never had any request granted. I had to change my room all three times. Not sure if it's different for Mod's and yes I did add a few request over the phone for my May trip, but with my past experience, I will be sending a fax in to make sure.