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

[LovingDisny]

Get sick a little and drop out of the disboards for a while and wow this jumped quick from 24 to 28 pages. Better now. I have updated everyone's dates and updated the fax thread.

Glad you are feeling better!

 

[Napria]

We would, except for one thing - the AAA Diamond Parking Pass.

We drive, so, while we're at Disney, we drive to DHS & AK, and, depending on where we stay, to EPCOT. So the parking pass is a great benefit to us.

I just wanted to say thanks for ALL the help & advice! The POR thread has some great DISers!

I still have no clue where we're staying!

We have mostly stayed at Fort Wilderness Campground in an RV (pulled by our truck) and at checkin they give us a pass to put on our dashboard (or hang from our mirror -- can't remember) that enables us to park at the parks for free. Is this only for the campgrounds? I was kind of planning on free parking while staying at POR.

Also, double check with your AAA agent. When they say there is no availability, they may mean with the AAA allotment of discounted rooms. You may want to ask specifically if they could book a room at POR without any discount?

Good luck!

 

[Wendy31]

** As long as your a AAA member you can get this pass, we just go into our local office and ask for one..You do not need to book though AAA. Hope this helps.

I did NOT know this! One of the only reasons we book through AAA is for the Diamond Parking Pass!

However, in 2010, we were planning to drive down to EPCOT during 1 day of our beach vacation. If I remember correctly, when I called to ask our AAA agent if we could have a Diamond Parking Pass, she told me that the Diamond Parking Passes came "packaged together" w/ the AAA MYW packages, so we couldn't just have a Diamond Parking Pass - we would have to purchase a package to get the pass.

We have mostly stayed at Fort Wilderness Campground in an RV (pulled by our truck) and at checkin they give us a pass to put on our dashboard (or hang from our mirror -- can't remember) that enables us to park at the parks for free. Is this only for the campgrounds? I was kind of planning on free parking while staying at POR.

Also, double check with your AAA agent. When they say there is no availability, they may mean with the AAA allotment of discounted rooms. You may want to ask specifically if they could book a room at POR without any discount?

Good luck!

Yes, if you're staying at a Disney resort, you can park at the parks for free.

However, if you book a package through AAA, you're given a Diamond Parking Pass - which allows you to park right behind the handicapped sections at the park, which is nice because you're always within walking distance to the front gates & don't have to wait for the parking trolleys if you end up at the back of the lot.

That's what I'm thinking about POR - that there are no more AAA discounted rooms.

However, w/o any discounts at POR, it's actually a little cheaper for us to stay at Beach Club w/ free dining or much cheaper for us to stay at FW w/ free dining.

So, DH & I are currently deciding if we'd rather stay at the Beach Club & be a walk away from EPCOT or stay at FW & be a boat ride away from the MK.

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

I did NOT know this! One of the only reasons we book through AAA is for the Diamond Parking Pass!

However, in 2010, we were planning to drive down to EPCOT during 1 day of our beach vacation. If I remember correctly, when I called to ask our AAA agent if we could have a Diamond Parking Pass, she told me that the Diamond Parking Passes came "packaged together" w/ the AAA MYW packages, so we couldn't just have a Diamond Parking Pass - we would have to purchase a package to get the pass.



Yes, if you're staying at a Disney resort, you can park at the parks for free.

However, if you book a package through AAA, you're given a Diamond Parking Pass - which allows you to park right behind the handicapped sections at the park, which is nice because you're always within walking distance to the front gates & don't have to wait for the parking trolleys if you end up at the back of the lot.

That's what I'm thinking about POR - that there are no more AAA discounted rooms.

However, w/o any discounts at POR, it's actually a little cheaper for us to stay at Beach Club w/ free dining or much cheaper for us to stay at FW w/ free dining.

So, DH & I are currently deciding if we'd rather stay at the Beach Club & be a walk away from EPCOT or stay at FW & be a boat ride away from the MK.

I think it depends on which AAA office you're dealing with whether or not you could get the Diamond parking without booking a package through them.

 

[CJK]

I think it depends on which AAA office you're dealing with whether or not you could get the Diamond parking without booking a package through them.

Exactly! At my local office, they will not give you the AAA pass unless you book a package. We used to be able to get the pass without booking a package years ago, but not anymore.

 

[Napria]

Yes, if you're staying at a Disney resort, you can park at the parks for free.

However, if you book a package through AAA, you're given a Diamond Parking Pass - which allows you to park right behind the handicapped sections at the park, which is nice because you're always within walking distance to the front gates & don't have to wait for the parking trolleys if you end up at the back of the lot.

So, DH & I are currently deciding if we'd rather stay at the Beach Club & be a walk away from EPCOT or stay at FW & be a boat ride away from the MK.

Oh! Now I get it. Our son is handicapped so we do park in the handicapped section when he's with us, which is pretty much always, unless he is too tired and one of us stays back in the room with him.

And personally, I'd choose BC over FW for the proximity to EPCOT, and the pleasant strolls around the lake and Boardwalk area at night. We like walking, though. You can also walk to HS, if you're REALLY into walking.

 

[bumbershoot]

She also told me that POR wasn't available at all.

I wonder, though, why the WDW site shows availability at both POR & CR gardenview?

Because they are a different travel agency than the disney site. They get different availability. Just like Expedia has different availability, etc.


Seems like if you want to stay there and if the money works out, why let potentially closer parking for two parks make or break that decision?

 

[maggiemayhem]

Has anyone ever had issues with bugs in the rooms at POR?

And this might sound silly, but... what about alligators on the PO riverbanks?

 

[Venomhatch]

Has anyone ever had issues with bugs in the rooms at POR?

And this might sound silly, but... what about alligators on the PO riverbanks?

Well my opinion is biased about the bugs but as to gators, no gators in the river. They have teams that actively go up and down the river keeping eyes out for them.

 

[maggiemayhem]

Well my opinion is biased about the bugs but as to gators, no gators in the river. They have teams that actively go up and down the river keeping eyes out for them.

That's a relief that there are folks specifically keeping an eye out for gators around there. What do you mean when you say your opinion is biased about the bugs?

 

[mcever4]

I thought I would pop in a post a little review of our stay at POR. We just got home on Sunday from an 8 day stay. I can honestly say, this is now my FAVORITE resort! I would probably try to stay at a monorail resort if I won the lottery, just to try it and be close to the MK, but otherwise, POR is now my resort of choice! I will try to hit some main points...

Our room: We stayed in Alligator Bayou building 36, room 3634. I had requested a Mansion room and at check in was a little disappointed I didn't get that. I was told I could switch rooms, but the one I was assigned to was ready (we checked in at 12:00pm), and if I switched I would have to wait till later in the day for an available room in the Mansions. I didn't want to wait, so I kept the Bayou room. I was afraid I wouldn't care for the décor, I don't really like the rustic feel. BOY WAS I SURPRISED!!! I LOVED our room ! DD especially liked it since we got a room with a Murphy Bed! It was clean, comfortable, and Mousekeeping was wonderful. DD was happy with several towel animals during our stay. We were maybe a 3 minute walk to the North Depot bus stop and not more than a 10 minute walk to the lobby. It was a very nice walk and we did it a couple of times a day.

Pool: DD loved the pool and especially the slide. It was crowded, we were there Memorial Day week, so I expected that. We had to look around for a chair late in the afternoon, but always found one.

Buses: NEVER once had an issue with buses!! They came quickly and we were at the parks in about 15 minutes tops.

Boat to DTD: We did this one night and it was a very nice 20 minute ride.

Food: We only one QS meal, but it was wonderful and PLENTY of food! DS(16) is a big eater and he couldn't finish his create your own pasta. We did take it back to the room and put it in the fridge. He took it over to the food court the next day to heat it up in the microwave.

I can't find a single negative thing to say about our stay. I am already planning a trip for just DD and myself for around December 2015 (I know, that's a long ways off!) and am trying to convince her to pick the Royal room. She loves Ariel and really wants to stay in a Little Mermaid room. Maybe I have enough time to change her mind!

Feel free to ask me any questions!

Robin

 

[Wendy31]

Because they are a different travel agency than the disney site. They get different availability. Just like Expedia has different availability, etc.


Seems like if you want to stay there and if the money works out, why let potentially closer parking for two parks make or break that decision?

Well, because w/o the free dining or resort discount at POR, Beach Club (w/ free dining) & FW (w/ free dining) are actually cheaper for us.

And, no, if we really wanted to stay there, I wouldn't let the Diamond Parking Pass be the reason or not staying there. In this case, we're not staying there because we can save money & stay somewhere else.

And, after I thought about it, I realized the reason our AAA agent said there was no availability was probably because all the rooms allocated for the AAA discount were booked.

It's okay, though. We're definitely now keeping POR in mind for our next trip!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Just printed our boarding passes and heading out to Target for those last minute things that always pile up. By this time tomorrow we should be on the ground in Orlando and heading towards DME

Thanks to everyone for the great advice on this thread and refreshing my memory of POR since it has been nearly 8 years since we stayed there.

I did send a fax late last week requesting a top floor room (and corner if possible) but did not request a specific building since we are booked in a Royal Room and either building is A-OK with us. I also did on-line check in so hopefully check in is a quick process!

I will try to pop on later tomorrow to let you know how it turns out! If anyone needs me to check out anything (or photograph anything) please PM me!

Thanks again!

Yay!!!! How many days will you be there? We check in to our Royal Room on Saturday!!! Maybe we'll see you there

 

[SRUAlmn]

Hope you're feeling better now. Yup, we're well on our way to another 250 pages!

Did anyone hear the DIS Unplugged podcast a month or so back, where our POR FAQ Thread was the only resort thread appearing in the DISboards Top-10 Busiest Threads for the month of March?

Andre

That's awesome! So glad to be a part of it!!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Yay!!!! How many days will you be there? We check in to our Royal Room on Saturday!!! Maybe we'll see you there

We are at POR until 6/14 when we are moving to YC to finish our stay.

 

[NokOnHarts]

Our room: We stayed in Alligator Bayou building 36, room 3634. I had requested a Mansion room and at check in was a little disappointed I didn't get that. I was told I could switch rooms, but the one I was assigned to was ready (we checked in at 12:00pm), and if I switched I would have to wait till later in the day for an available room in the Mansions. I didn't want to wait, so I kept the Bayou room. I was afraid I wouldn't care for the décor, I don't really like the rustic feel. BOY WAS I SURPRISED!!! I LOVED our room ! DD especially liked it since we got a room with a Murphy Bed! It was clean, comfortable, and Mousekeeping was wonderful. DD was happy with several towel animals during our stay. We were maybe a 3 minute walk to the North Depot bus stop and not more than a 10 minute walk to the lobby. It was a very nice walk and we did it a couple of times a day.

Surprised in a good way to hear that you were happy with building 36 - that looks so far on the map! Did you find it fastest to go through the pool area to the main building from your room or around the river? Also, did you use both the North and South depot or mainly the north? Curious if one was better than the other. Nice to hear a positive review of the "outer" buildings. Sounds like a great trip!

 

[mamaloya]

I checked out yesterday after an 8 day stay. I loved it!!!! It was very rustic. I was in building 35, room 3522. We loved the theming. DD17, DS13, DD12, DD10 and myself. Our thoughts:

Room: Plenty of space for us. My oldest put her suitcase on the window seat. We had our food next to the fridge. My stuff was hanging. The others used the drawers. I also brought baskets for my undergarments. We had unused space and felt organized the entire time. Fridge wasn't cold when we got there. They sent someone right away to scrape the ice from the back. We had to keep the door propped open to keep it cold. You would think they would remove the wood panel and keep just the tin punch plate for circulation.

Murphy Bed: My DS13 is 5'5" tall. He slept on it because he didn't want to share with his sisters. His feet hung off but he said it was comfortable. It is the same height as the regular beds.

View: Garden view. Around the corner from the quiet pool. Beautiful woods view.

Walk: Not bad walk to our van. I have RA and did not find the walk to the main pool or West Depot difficult at all. We even walk to FQ to go to the pool once. We loved strolling around the grounds.

Food: We shared two make your own pastas and it was plenty for us. It was delicious. We enjoyed breakfast as well. We ate at off hours and finding a table was easy. I didn't like the food at FQ though.

R vs FQ: We found FQ to be "citified" not as woodsy. Mansions was also more open and less shaded. We really liked the wooded feel of AB. Lots of critters but nothing scary unless you count being startled by a frog jumping across my path. Which I considered kissing but remembered Tiana turned into a frog instead of the frog turning into a prince, so decided to wait longer for my prince. LOL The pool at Riverside seems much more shady and woodsy as well.

Pool: I didn't like the pool party either. Loud and no one was really interested. They had to beg for participants. My kids enjoyed the slide and I enjoyed the spa. Really liked the feel of it. I am a country girl though.

Buses: While not always quick. It wasn't as bad as I expected since it was booked to capacity. People were generally courteous and friendly which makes a big difference.

Boat: Very nice, friendly captains, not long waits. LOVED!!!

Ye Haa Jackson: LOVED!!! He is amazing. My kiddos had so much fun. We got his pic and autograph. He told us to stay for the next show and he would call my son up to help him but we had to go to bed. Lots of fun, high energy.

Gift Shop: Loved being able to send purchases back to resort. Didn't like the lack of resort specific merchandise.

Other: If you want the pressed penny of Mickey playing the trumpet, the machine is in the arcade. The front desk said they no longer had it but we happened upon it. The CM that checked us in was not very knowledgeable. Friendly CMs and guests though.

My only complaint is they need better signs on the walkways. I kept getting turned around. Luckily it is not that spread out so getting lost wasn't too bad.

I would definitely stay here again.

 

[Srbright]

I find it very hard to believe that nothing is available at rack rates at POR. Have you checked yourself? What are your dates?

There aren't any for our dates either, 9/18-9/28. We were art POR then I changed to POFQ Pool view. I wanted to change back but nothing is available.

Stacy

 

[goingtowdwwithkiddos]

I have read through some but not all of course . We are getting closer to our stay at POR and I have a question if anyone can answer. For the pool are we allowed to bring floating devices (ie arm band and tube) as DD3 does not swim, or are there life jackets allowed or provided??

 

[dansdad]

I have read through some but not all of course . We are getting closer to our stay at POR and I have a question if anyone can answer. For the pool are we allowed to bring floating devices (ie arm band and tube) as DD3 does not swim, or are there life jackets allowed or provided??

Life jackets are provided free of charge. Noodles are allowed. Not sure about the arm bands and rings/tubes though.

ETA - From Andre's awesome site portorleans.org. Arm bands and swim rings are allowed.