Port Orleans Riverside Q&A Thread 2013, Part Three (NOW CLOSED, see 2014 thread)

[vdoucet78]

Just wondering, which area do you guys request?? Mangolia bend or Alligator bayou??

We stayed in Magnolia Bend in the Royal Guest Rooms last year only because they were all that were available to book under Free Dining. This year we are doing Alligator Bayou in the preferred section because we want a short walk to the main building. I'd love to stay in the Mansions sometime as well. I like all the areas of POR but I don't want to be all the way in the back section of Alligator Bayou.

 

[lillykat]

So glad to be rejoining this group! Just booked for mid-May! We had a perfect location in oak manor last year. We are back and forth as to whether we go back to RGRGV or try preferred rooms. Can I get some pros and cons?

Nice having the extra bed with 2 young ones ( celebrating their birthdays there they are turning 5 and 7). Close to the food court and pool. Much less storage space though which is big concern.

Loved the rgr's we had a nice location but we could end up much further next time. Fun headboards. The east bus was great for MK days.

Any other thoughts or suggestions. We will need connecting rooms so getting requests might be harder than just one room.

Can't wait to go back we plan to do a lot we missed out last trip.

 

[Venomhatch]

So glad to be rejoining this group! Just booked for mid-May! We had a perfect location in oak manor last year. We are back and forth as to whether we go back to RGRGV or try preferred rooms. Can I get some pros and cons?

Nice having the extra bed with 2 young ones ( celebrating their birthdays there they are turning 5 and 7). Close to the food court and pool. Much less storage space though which is big concern.

Loved the rgr's we had a nice location but we could end up much further next time. Fun headboards. The east bus was great for MK days.

Any other thoughts or suggestions. We will need connecting rooms so getting requests might be harder than just one room.

Can't wait to go back we plan to do a lot we missed out last trip.

Well maybe I will be still in resorts when you revisit. Maybe I wont. I have displayed some interest to move up and have a few positions on my mind so I will still try to be active here.

 

[Katelly]

Well, final packing is being done and we will be going to the airport around 4am and heading for Disney!!!

Really looking forward to staying at POR for the first time. Thank you Venom and Andre for all the great info on this resort, it was such a help!

 

[lillykat]

Well maybe I will be still in resorts when you revisit. Maybe I wont. I have displayed some interest to move up and have a few positions on my mind so I will still try to be active here.

Well I wish you all the best of luck if you do move on but for selfish reasons your help for our last trip was amazing and i hate to see you move on. I hope you will still be around for more wonderful advice. We just loved the resort and plan to really spend a lot more time there this trip! What do you suggest? We LOVED our oak manor rooms (9270&9269) last trip. But the preferred rooms look so close. But they look like the have no real storage space. A RGRGV room could be a distance though right?

 

[Venomhatch]

Well I wish you all the best of luck if you do move on but for selfish reasons your help for our last trip was amazing and i hate to see you move on. I hope you will still be around for more wonderful advice. We just loved the resort and plan to really spend a lot more time there this trip! What do you suggest? We LOVED our oak manor rooms (9270&9269) last trip. But the preferred rooms look so close. But they look like the have no real storage space. A RGRGV room could be a distance though right?

I will carry my tricks, tips, and help with me. I just may be a little bit busier. Everyone to enjoy their stay with us is my goal. But I am only one human so I try. I say if you have had a Royal Room once. You don't need it again, unless your children are begging you. But the AB rooms including the preferred, yes they are closest to the main building. Those can be fun also. Still themed with the fold out bed, and log style bed frames. I definitely think the preferred-s are very nice as well. I definitely had less issues with my room in building 14.

PS: The refurb left them with smaller storage for cloths around the TVs, but after my last experience, I keep my belongings in my suitcases, so storage is not so important to me.

 

[lillykat]

I will carry my tricks, tips, and help with me. I just may be a little bit busier. Everyone to enjoy their stay with us is my goal. But I am only one human so I try. I say if you have had a Royal Room once. You don't need it again, unless your children are begging you. But the AB rooms including the preferred, yes they are closest to the main building. Those can be fun also. Still themed with the fold out bed, and log style bed frames. I definitely think the preferred-s are very nice as well. I definitely had less issues with my room in building 14. PS: The refurb left them with smaller storage for cloths around the TVs, but after my last experience, I keep my belongings in my suitcases, so storage is not so important to me.

.

That was my reasoning. I thought the pull down looked fun! We tend to get a lot of refill drinks, bring breakfast to the room so on can dress and eat so on so close is important to us. But the grandparents are concerned about storage space. We do love the mansions though. I think we would be happy either way so just which would be better fit.

We want to do the carriage ride again and maybe try a bike or boat rental this trip. So excited!

 

[3dadknight]

I hope someone can give me some advice. We booked POR pref room SPD package with a March 2 check in. A couple of weeks later we decided to move up our arrival day to March 1 but we won't arrive until around 9:00 pm. So we tried to book a room only discount for March 1 but they did not have a pref room left under the discount. The CM doing the booking suggested a pool view room (same price as pref) for the 1 night reservation and trying to change to a bldg 14 pref room (our request for the SPD) when we arrive on March 1. He said to only do online check in for the SPD but not the room only (not sure why). Basically we are trying to avoid having to change rooms after 12 hours at the resort. We will already be moving to Poly for a couple of nights after the SPD. So we don't want to spend two mornings moving around. Did the CM give good advice? Should I put this all in my room request fax a few days before we check in or will it be too confusing? Our goal is a pref room on ground floor in bldg 14, and not move until we check out and go to the Poly. Thanks!

 

[lillykat]

Venomhatch one question. We had some glitch last trip. I had a MB according to the computers last May even though they were not testing then. It said I had a MB and 2sets of tickets BIG mess. They had to cancel our entire reservation 2days in and rebook.

Now I noticed the MDE is showing a card for all four of us and 2for me. But it says I have 2MBs. I don't want to mess up our reservation for this trip. I don't want to deactivate our new tickets. How do I know?

 

[ny3boys]

Glad to hear your review. My biggest concern about booking here was that I wasn't sure that it would be enough room for my family of 5. Was size was the murphy bed?

We stayed a few weeks ago. There are 5 of us, me, hubby and 3 boys ages 9, 8, and 6. We found it to be plenty spacious. The Murphy bed isn't quite a twin size, but I slept on it one night without any problem. I am 5' 4" tall and 105 lbs. there wasn't enough clothes storage for everyone to unpack, but we just left mine and hubby's stuff in the suitcase and it was fine. We had a stroller in there for the youngest too.

 

[Venomhatch]

Venomhatch one question. We had some glitch last trip. I had a MB according to the computers last May even though they were not testing then. It said I had a MB and 2sets of tickets BIG mess. They had to cancel our entire reservation 2days in and rebook.

Now I noticed the MDE is showing a card for all four of us and 2for me. But it says I have 2MBs. I don't want to mess up our reservation for this trip. I don't want to deactivate our new tickets. How do I know?

In my MDE it said we had two active KTTW cards and one active CC with them I just deleted it and started fresh this time. That worked for me. The MBs are still in finalization of getting all the bugs worked out now.

 

[chimo2u]

I about 20 minutes from Edmonton

Me too - Morinville

 

[Canooknic]

I'm clearly just a big ol' freak!!! Hubby has just surprised me with a trip in February and I have requested Block 28! It was so perfect for everything last February - the pool was empty, its so close to the West bus stop and so quiet that our very light-sleeper boys weren't disturbed at all!
I'm feeling pretty confident that we'll get our request honoured!!

 

[andrewilley]

Basically we are trying to avoid having to change rooms after 12 hours at the resort. We will already be moving to Poly for a couple of nights after the SPD. So we don't want to spend two mornings moving around. Did the CM give good advice? Should I put this all in my room request fax a few days before we check in or will it be too confusing?

First, make sure the two bookings are linked on the system in advance, that way they should get flagged at the resort before you arrive anyway.

Second, yes send a fax mentioning that you have two consecutive reservations due tio dining plan restrictions (give both reservation numbers) and saying that you would like to stay in the same preferred-location room if possible. They normally try to ensure this happens if at all possible. (You could even suggest building 18, which has some water view rooms - maybe you could get best of both worlds?)

Andre

 

[lillykat]

In my MDE it said we had two active KTTW cards and one active CC with them I just deleted it and started fresh this time. That worked for me. The MBs are still in finalization of getting all the bugs worked out now.

If I deactivate them it won't affect the current package I have booked?

 

[Venomhatch]

If I deactivate them it won't affect the current package I have booked?

It may. I didn't have a package at the time I did it.

 

[3dadknight]

First, make sure the two bookings are linked on the system in advance, that way they should get flagged at the resort before you arrive anyway. Second, yes send a fax mentioning that you have two consecutive reservations due tio dining plan restrictions (give both reservation numbers) and saying that you would like to stay in the same preferred-location room if possible. They normally try to ensure this happens if at all possible. (You could even suggest building 18, which has some water view rooms - maybe you could get best of both worlds?) Andre

Thanks, Andre! That sounds a lot more logical than what the CM who booked us suggested. I will call today and make sure they are linked in the system. Building 18 may be the way to go. We are just trying to avoid what happened in 2011 when my wife and then 4 yr old daughter got off at the wrong bus stop and wandered the grounds looking for our room late one night for 45 minutes before a CM in a cart came across them and gave them a ride to the way back of the AB area. The grounds are beautiful, but not late at night with a half sleeping 4 yr old after a full day at the parks. They will know the main building stop when they see it this time. We can't wait to get back to POR, only 91 days to go!!

 

[lillykat]

It may. I didn't have a package at the time I did it.

I didn't look until after my father booked the trip.

 

[Music City Mama]

Just back (11/23 - 11/29)

~ First time at POR (stayed at POFQ a few years ago).

~ First and foremost, we really enjoyed the resort and our stay. Will definitely stay here again.

~ We were in a RR in Oak Manor -- standard view. We were right at the edge of where it turns into garden view (#9226) and I was very pleased with the location. I personally don't care about the view unless I'm staying deluxe, so even if we would've had a parking lot view, it wouldn't have mattered at all to me.

~ Requests. I did not request a particular building because looking at the map, I didn't see how either building would matter that much re: walking. I guess being in Oak Manor was nice, though, because it put us closer to the East Depot -- but to be honest, we used both South and East equally (both coming and going). I did, however, request a 2nd floor and a corner room. Both requests were met.

~ The room. We were very pleased. In most of the photos I have seen of the Royal Rooms, the colors appeared like a dark bluish/purple to me, but, without a doubt, it was blue. The only purple was in the headboard, the background of the large Tiana picture and Rapunzel's dress. The room was definitely more blue/gold than purple/gold. I have boys and even though I wasn't really worried about them thinking it was too princessy, I can say without a doubt now, that it wasn't.

~ We had a fridge from the start and we received the runner for the bed a couple of days in.

~ Housekeeping. Fantastic. Was very clean upon arrival and they did a nice job each day.

~ Bus service. I thought the bus service was just fine. The longest we ever waited was maybe 15 minutes -- but usually just 5-10. I don't think I ever had to stand on the bus, but my husband and older son did several times.

~ Boat service. We waited over 20 minutes for a boat, but I think we were just unlucky since I could tell that the next boat probably got there about 10 minutes after that.

~ Small MagicBand problem. One day we ran back to the room for something and none of our bands would get us in the room (the light wouldn't come on at all). It wasn't urgent, so we dealt with it later that afternoon. They felt like the battery probably needed to be replaced in the door lock and they said they would send someone over. When we went back to the room, it was working. Housekeeping had already been there, so we think that she had probably already put in a request to have the door fixed since she probably couldn't get in either. When the maintenance guy came, he said it did have a new battery in it, so I guess it got resolved while we were at the park.

~ Food court. We ate there for dinner our first night around 8:30 p.m. Absolutely crazy. Went there for lunch around 1:30 another day and it was fine. Didn't dare try the breakfast rush. We didn't get around to trying Boatwright's but plan to next time.

~ Overall. The resort has a lot to offer. We were there during a cold spell (low of 39 one evening!), so we didn't get to swim, but we did walk around the area and the kids played on the playground for a bit. Between that and the boat rentals, bike rentals, Yee Haa Bob, the nightly movies (the one night we could do this, it was in the low 50's -- no thank you!) etc., you have many of the amenities of a deluxe resort (minus the prime location). I wasn't a fan of the multiple bus stops (5 if you include POFQ), but it's not like I didn't know this in advance. We did have the luxury of having our own vehicle and we did drive several times.

We'd definitely stay here again. If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer.

 

[hippsmom]

Just back (11/23 - 11/29)

~ First time at POR (stayed at POFQ a few years ago).

~ First and foremost, we really enjoyed the resort and our stay. Will definitely stay here again.

~ We were in a RR in Oak Manor -- standard view. We were right at the edge of where it turns into garden view (#9226) and I was very pleased with the location. I personally don't care about the view unless I'm staying deluxe, so even if we would've had a parking lot view, it wouldn't have mattered at all to me.

~ Requests. I did not request a particular building because looking at the map, I didn't see how either building would matter that much re: walking. I guess being in Oak Manor was nice, though, because it put us closer to the East Depot -- but to be honest, we used both South and East equally (both coming and going). I did, however, request a 2nd floor and a corner room. Both requests were met.

~ The room. We were very pleased. In most of the photos I have seen of the Royal Rooms, the colors appeared like a dark bluish/purple to me, but, without a doubt, it was blue. The only purple was in the headboard, the background of the large Tiana picture and Rapunzel's dress. The room was definitely more blue/gold than purple/gold. I have boys and even though I wasn't really worried about them thinking it was too princessy, I can say without a doubt now, that it wasn't.

~ We had a fridge from the start and we received the runner for the bed a couple of days in.

~ Housekeeping. Fantastic. Was very clean upon arrival and they did a nice job each day.

~ Bus service. I thought the bus service was just fine. The longest we ever waited was maybe 15 minutes -- but usually just 5-10. I don't think I ever had to stand on the bus, but my husband and older son did several times.

~ Boat service. We waited over 20 minutes for a boat, but I think we were just unlucky since I could tell that the next boat probably got there about 10 minutes after that.

~ Small MagicBand problem. One day we ran back to the room for something and none of our bands would get us in the room (the light wouldn't come on at all). It wasn't urgent, so we dealt with it later that afternoon. They felt like the battery probably needed to be replaced in the door lock and they said they would send someone over. When we went back to the room, it was working. Housekeeping had already been there, so we think that she had probably already put in a request to have the door fixed since she probably couldn't get in either. When the maintenance guy came, he said it did have a new battery in it, so I guess it got resolved while we were at the park.

~ Food court. We ate there for dinner our first night around 8:30 p.m. Absolutely crazy. Went there for lunch around 1:30 another day and it was fine. Didn't dare try the breakfast rush. We didn't get around to trying Boatwright's but plan to next time.

~ Overall. The resort has a lot to offer. We were there during a cold spell (low of 39 one evening!), so we didn't get to swim, but we did walk around the area and the kids played on the playground for a bit. Between that and the boat rentals, bike rentals, Yee Haa Bob, the nightly movies (the one night we could do this, it was in the low 50's -- no thank you!) etc., you have many of the amenities of a deluxe resort (minus the prime location). I wasn't a fan of the multiple bus stops (5 if you include POFQ), but it's not like I didn't know this in advance. We did have the luxury of having our own vehicle and we did drive several times.

We'd definitely stay here again. If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer.

So glad you enjoyed your stay...we arrive 12/16 for our first stay at POR. Currently we have RGR standard view booked. My DH and 13 yo DD plan to golf three times while we are there and I am a little concerned about her carrying her clubs back and forth to the lobby...is there a building you would suggest that I request to make this a little easier? Thanks.