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

[Sue M]

I leave in a bit over a week Still nothing.

Have you phoned the TA?

 

[Sue M]

See my post #2780 just above for both of these.




It's actually a pretty quiet resort generally (as there are very few "main route" pathways, so people quickly spread out heading to their buildings) but I guess any of the embedded woodsy areas would be the best - e.g. buildings 26, 28, 39.




Not really, the fully Accessible rooms need to have the two queen beds spaced further apart for access by wheelchair, so that would block the location of a connecting door. There are some Florida Special rooms (just with extra handgrips, etc) which might have connecting doors though.




Correct. Parterre is generally the most remote - although it has some really nicely located rooms at the end of the northern wing. Oak and Magnolia are the most central. Acadian isn't bad, but some of its further rooms can still be a bit of a trek. But the mansion buildings are so big that there can be a big difference in distance/view/convenience/etc from one end to the other.

Andre

I've been really lucky with room locations in Acadian & Magnolia, getting locations on either side of quiet pool, so right by Old Man Island Bridge. 15 days, fingers crossed!!

 

[andrewilley]

I read somewhere that all of the Mansion buildings have elevators too- is that true? We will likely have a double stroller and my dad may have issues with steps at the end of the day.

They do, yes. However the elevators are located in the central section of the building only, so there might be a bit of doubling back needed to get to them, which could partially negate the advantage of being close to that footbridge. Why not ask for a ground floor room, it might be easier for you?

This means we will be needing another room, but not necessarily in AB now. What should we do? It will just be my wife, son, and I in one room, and the In-Laws and SIL in another. We are on the counter service dining plan, do you think it will be offered for free.

Adding a second room is easy enough. If you want to ensure that you are still located in the Alligator Bayou section you could change to a Preferred Location booking which guarantees you rooms in buildings 14, 15, 18 or 27. Otherwise, you can always just book regular rooms and request AB, but that would not be guaranteed.

Over the last few years, Disney has offered free dining from mid/late August for a month or two. It's become a bit of a tradition and it might be a hard one for them to break (although I'm sure they would love to!) as people have started to expect it. Be aware that the offers are sometimes limited to certain room categories, so you might have to adjust your booking (and also lose any other discounts you may otherwise have been entitled to) in order to receive the 'free' dining.

Andre

 

[SteviesDaddy]

Thanks Andre for your help, I'm sure I will be back with more questions.

 

[MKB419]

Hi All,
We are leaving in 11 days for our POR stay. So very excited to stay in a royal room. I am trying to get motivated to pack. Any advice on weather and what type of clothes to pack? Checked the weather sites all seem to run from freezing to slightly warm. I start out trying not to over pack, but never seems to work out.lol . One final question is there an iron and ironing board in the room?

 

[yayornay]

From everything I've read there is an iron and ironing board in the room.

Has anyone noticed noise if you've stayed on the ground floor from above? My boys are quite, um, wild, and I was thinking we should probably stay on the ground floor to keep from bothering the people below us. But...I don't want to hear a lot of upstairs noise either! Any thoughts?

 

[canlafre]

We will be there in 27 days!! So very excited! Our Magicbands will be arriving today! Can't wait!

 

[andrewilley]

Hi All,
We are leaving in 11 days for our POR stay. So very excited to stay in a royal room. I am trying to get motivated to pack. Any advice on weather and what type of clothes to pack? Checked the weather sites all seem to run from freezing to slightly warm. I start out trying not to over pack, but never seems to work out.lol . One final question is there an iron and ironing board in the room?

At this time of year, all bets are off weather wise until really a few days beforehand. It could be cold, it could be a bit warmer. It certainly won't be in the 90s though. Plan to take layers, as it's quite possible that at times it might be warm enough for shorts and tee-shirts in the middle of the day, but definitely cooler at night.

Yes, there's an iron and ironing board in the room, plus washing facilities by all the quiet pools.

Has anyone noticed noise if you've stayed on the ground floor from above? My boys are quite, um, wild, and I was thinking we should probably stay on the ground floor to keep from bothering the people below us.

Yes, noise can travel downwards. Jumping about and heavy-footed children can definitely be heard in the rooms below.

Andre

 

[staticgirl50]

Have you phoned the TA?

I have an email she is no longer employed I also have the email to the women in charge of the TA. I have been oin contact with them both. I was told I would have themn last week, now its monday then it was today and now its Wed.

 

[staticgirl50]

I have an email she is no longer employed I also have the email to the women in charge of the TA. I have been in contact with them both. I was told I would have them last week, now its Monday then it was today and now its Wed.

My first experience with a TA ever. So far it has done nothing but give me an ulcer. I don't even care anymore about the gift card promised, I am just praying I was not scammed and my family shows up to no reservation or something crazy. My head is running rampant with horror stories and all because they did not hold up to their end of the deal. I just want my mickey mail, then I will feel a ton safer!

 

[lovebugkim]

Hello Everyone!! I'm excited to be joining the thread as I just finished reading EVERYTHING. Andre you have an awesome site up & even though I'm not a POR first timer I enjoy looking through it. Venom you are beyond helpful with all of your insider tips!! We will be a party of 5. My DH, me, twin DS (2), & my sister. We have a Garden View booked and will be starting our trip on Feb. 8!! We got our MagicBands late last week & waiting on our Mickey Mail. Our TA is just getting back from the Marathon so I'm sure it will be a while. I've never sent a faxed request, but thanks to Venom I plan on it!! (Do you work at this resort?)

This will be our 3rd time at POR & I love everything about it!! The 1st time DH & I stayed in the Mansions Acadia House. They were beautiful, but I wasn't a fan of the Grandma themed rooms. Last year, we were in AB building 26 with a corner room upper floor by the stairs & I loved it!! I would love to stay in the new RR, but did not book it.

 

[staticgirl50]

Lol you know the calgon commercial;l? Well, Port Orleans take me away... Three more working days before I leave!

 

[jcyoung]

My first experience with a TA ever. So far it has done nothing but give me an ulcer. I don't even care anymore about the gift card promised, I am just praying I was not scammed and my family shows up to no reservation or something crazy. My head is running rampant with horror stories and all because they did not hold up to their end of the deal. I just want my mickey mail, then I will feel a ton safer!

Wow...I think I would call Disney directly and make sure. I'm crossing my fingers for you...hoping it all works out!

 

[indigoxtreme]

My first experience with a TA ever. So far it has done nothing but give me an ulcer. I don't even care anymore about the gift card promised, I am just praying I was not scammed and my family shows up to no reservation or something crazy. My head is running rampant with horror stories and all because they did not hold up to their end of the deal. I just want my mickey mail, then I will feel a ton safer!

As the other poster said call Disney directly Did you get a confirmation # of any kind from the TA ask to speak to a manager when you call Disney. Tell the person on the phone that many things are messed up by your TA and you want to be assured you have reservations. Hope things work out for you

 

[cbrown1007]

My first experience with a TA ever. So far it has done nothing but give me an ulcer. I don't even care anymore about the gift card promised, I am just praying I was not scammed and my family shows up to no reservation or something crazy. My head is running rampant with horror stories and all because they did not hold up to their end of the deal. I just want my mickey mail, then I will feel a ton safer!

Oh my gosh. That is so awful. I am a TA, and I could not imagine doing that to someone. I do this, bc I want to see people HAPPY and help them plan their DREAM vacation. I just do not understand people sometimes...

Have you called Disney directly? Do the people above her have any info for you?!?!

 

[staticgirl50]

Oh my gosh. That is so awful. I am a TA, and I could not imagine doing that to someone. I do this, bc I want to see people HAPPY and help them plan their DREAM vacation. I just do not understand people sometimes...

Have you called Disney directly? Do the people above her have any info for you?!?!

I am going to call Disney after dinner. I do have a reservation number thank goodness and it appears correct in the system. I cant check in online though, but I am sure that is no big deal. I finally got a response telling me I don't NEED my Mickey Mail, in a not so very nice way, and that she mailed it several days ago. I guess maybe I am crazy for wanting it, but, that part makes it all real for us. Builds our excitement. Unfortunately all this trip has done so far is give me an ulcer! Fingers crossed I am stressing over nothing, but regardless I will never ever use a TA again. Especially one that fires agents all the time and other things I am now hearing about said TA. Time will pass quickly and hopefully its all set!

 

[lovelyvacations]

See my post #2780 just above for both of these.

It's actually a pretty quiet resort generally (as there are very few "main route" pathways, so people quickly spread out heading to their buildings) but I guess any of the embedded woodsy areas would be the best - e.g. buildings 26, 28, 39.


Andre

Thanks Andre for the info. I have found all your responses so helpful! Can't wait to get to Disney!

 

[atutor2]

Hello!

We just booked our 6/1-6/7 stay in a garden view on Sunday night. I'm glad we went ahead and booked because the rooms under the current discount are almost gone On this trip will be me, my DH, my 15 year old DD, and my 6 year old DS.

We've stayed at Pop, AKV, CSR, and BLT. We are spending the week before this trip in Seacrest on 30A for our annual beach trip and decided to drive to WDW for the first time. I really hope it goes well! I figure a beach trip will break up the drive to Disney pretty well!

Why POR? It seems centrally located. We rented a car last trip when we rented DVC points at AKV and realized we hate the bus transportation. It was much more pleasant to not cram into the bus. When we wanted to leave, we got to leave. POR seems to be in a great spot. I also like the boat ride to DTD. The traffic around DTD seems to take up a lot of time. Do you end up having too many people taking the boat? Do you end up having to wait for the next one like the bus? That's fine, but I just want to be mentally prepared.

We did put in the request for the Alligator Bayou section. My son wanted some Disney theming, and we almost booked a Royal Room. When I showed him the Alligator Bayou, he was thrilled. It is definitely more of a boy theme than the Royal. He is a great kid about expectations and knows it isn't guaranteed. My question for the group is what are my chances of getting AB with a Garden View? I have the request on the reservation noted. I plan on following the directions noted on the first post on this thread (online check in, fax in the request).

Thanks, everyone, for a great thread!

 

[atutor2]

Oh, thanks for all the pictures! My teenager loves photography, and she is really excited about the resort based on the pictures. So many pictures to take!!

 

[marciemouse]

Made our reservation for a post cruise stay in October. It will be our kids' first time at WDW, and I think POR will be perfect. Called and made our room reservation using a AAA discount but hoping that free dining or another, higher room only discount comes out. Really excited about F&W Festival at Epcot and our first stay at POR!