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

[mousefan73]

Sorry i mis-read thinking you wanted to use the bags to throw over. As garment bags is brilliant.

 

[rosie49ers80]

Thank you both! I'll request the extra sheet. I was trying not to request anything else, since aside from my son's previously mentioned disabilities, he's a stroke survivor and has a right-side weakness making him tire easily, so I've requested a ground floor. But I guess this isn't like adding a "room request" right? I just want Pixie Dust to fall where it may (or not, as the case may be) and try to be a more or less "normal" family

EDIT: I've got an even better idea! I'll bring new garbage bags from home and use them as garment bags!

You can also check Walmart for inexpensive garment bags. I get them there for my daughters dance recital costumes and they generally last a few years so for like $3 you may feel better about the closet.

 

[momofboyz3]

I came back last week from our 1st vacation and stayed @POR. I'm a single mom of 3 boys and never thought I would be able to do it. I booked a basic room. A few days before arrival I did an online fax explaining how this was our 1st vacation and how excited I was to have the opportunity to stay there. I asked for a top floor if possible. Well when we checked in we had been upgraded to a ROYAL ROOM in the mansions facing the pool. This was so amazing I crtied to the bellman! I would like to email someone thanking them for spreading pixie dust our way..... Should I send it to the same place I faxed in my original top floor request???

 

[emlibs1mom]

I came back last week from our 1st vacation and stayed @POR. I'm a single mom of 3 boys and never thought I would be able to do it. I booked a basic room. A few days before arrival I did an online fax explaining how this was our 1st vacation and how excited I was to have the opportunity to stay there. I asked for a top floor if possible. Well when we checked in we had been upgraded to a ROYAL ROOM in the mansions facing the pool. This was so amazing I crtied to the bellman! I would like to email someone thanking them for spreading pixie dust our way..... Should I send it to the same place I faxed in my original top floor request???

Awesome! How was the rest of your trip?

 

[bumbershoot]

Thank you both! I'll request the extra sheet. I was trying not to request anything else, since aside from my son's previously mentioned disabilities, he's a stroke survivor and has a right-side weakness making him tire easily, so I've requested a ground floor. But I guess this isn't like adding a "room request" right? I just want Pixie Dust to fall where it may (or not, as the case may be) and try to be a more or less "normal" family

EDIT: I've got an even better idea! I'll bring new garbage bags from home and use them as garment bags!

If you're near an Ikea they have a set of 3 garment bags that are decent. Might be more fun than a sheet or garbage bags.

What would you suggest as the best way back to POR after watching Wishes from the Poly beach? (we will be having dinner at Ohana and should finish up at about the right time for Wishes).....

Keep in mind that we are first time Disney travellers and this will be our first night. On another thread, it was recommended that I just cab it. I don't love the idea of taking a cab - one of the reasons I wanted to stay on site is for the 'free' transportation. I had thought I would grab a bus to DTD and then a boat to POR. But maybe that won't work so late at night? (Wishes starts at 10 while we are there). Suggestions?

Doing the DTD run can be SO miserable, and you don't want your first night to have possible "misery" attached to it. A cab would be so much nicer and quicker.

 

[momofboyz3]

Awesome! How was the rest of your trip?

Best 8 days of my life! POR was perfect. The disboards def helped me plan it all out.

 

[kdaniels16]

This will be our fist trip and we are surprising the kids. ( 4 and 6 yrs). Here's my question. How long into the trip can we keep the secret? My hope is to keep them guessing till we get off the MK bus in front of MK. Is this realistic? We've been on a Dis cruise before and I'm thinking I can let them think we are doing that again and that's what all the Disney stuff is all about....or will they be able to see the MK (the only recognizable Disney park to them) on the ride from the airport/ at the POR or elsewhere?
Also, I would love our first trip over to the MK to be by the boat. Any way to do this as we won't have a car?

 

[dansdad]

This will be our fist trip and we are surprising the kids. ( 4 and 6 yrs). Here's my question. How long into the trip can we keep the secret? My hope is to keep them guessing till we get off the MK bus in front of MK. Is this realistic?

Just make sure you keep them occupied when you go under the "Welcome to Walt Disney World" sign on the way from the airport to POR.

We've been on a Dis cruise before and I'm thinking I can let them think we are doing that again and that's what all the Disney stuff is all about....or will they be able to see the MK (the only recognizable Disney park to them) on the ride from the airport/ at the POR or elsewhere?

We've stayed at POR a couple times and really don't remember being able to see MK on the way there from the Airport. So I think you're good there.

Also, I would love our first trip over to the MK to be by the boat. Any way to do this as we won't have a car?

This one is tough. To arrive at MK via boat you will need to get from POR to one of these:

Wilderness Lodge
Ft. Wilderness
Poly
Grand Floridian
Ticket and Transportation Center

There is no bus that will take you from POR to any of the above. So you could take the boat from POR to Downtown Disney. Then take a bus from there to one of the resorts listed above. Then take the boat over. It will be a little time consuming, but it is doable.

 

[bumbershoot]

This will be our fist trip and we are surprising the kids. ( 4 and 6 yrs). Here's my question. How long into the trip can we keep the secret?

Until the moment you sit near another family, whose children know about their trip, talking about WDW and your kids realize you're all going on the same plane. While you might keep the cruise pretense up in the airports/airplane, the magical express bus might be somewhat obvious, and again, if you get near people talking about WDW... If either of them is reading, the bus from POR to MK is going to be tricky, since the buses say exactly where they are going. And, once again, if you're near other people who are talking about what they are doing and where they are going, the surprise will be done at that moment.


Be careful with the "we're going on a cruise" thing...they might actually really WANT that, and you might not get the reaction you want

 

[Mom2six]

Can you get bed rails for the fold down bed in the alligator bayou room and has anyone used them ( if they have them) do they work well? Thanks.

 

[andrewilley]

Well when we checked in we had been upgraded to a ROYAL ROOM in the mansions facing the pool. This was so amazing I crtied to the bellman! I would like to email someone thanking them for spreading pixie dust our way..... Should I send it to the same place I faxed in my original top floor request???

What a fantastic surprise for you, sounds like the room assignment team managed to spread a little bit extra pixie dust for you. They love being able to do that when they can.

You can send a fax to the same number thanking them directly (or you could address it to the General Manager of the resort if you like) but it'd also be worth emailing the main guest relations address, as that will get their actions noted officially by Disney too. Send to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com.

Can you get bed rails for the fold down bed in the alligator bayou room and has anyone used them ( if they have them) do they work well? Thanks.

Yes, you can request bed rails, and they do work on the fold down beds.

Andre

 

[lifeguardette]

Hey all,

My family and I (all adults) are heading to POR for our first WDW trip (we are DL vets) November 16-23, so excited! We booked a garden view

We will be catching a red eye flight and landing at MCO at 6:15 in morning. Will POR be okay with holding our bags from that early in the morning until our room is ready?

Thanks!

 

[andrewilley]

We will be catching a red eye flight and landing at MCO at 6:15 in morning. Will POR be okay with holding our bags from that early in the morning until our room is ready?

Sure, Bell Services will store everything for you. If the resort is not 100% full then you might even get a bit of pixie dust and find they have a room ready. 6:15am might be pushing it a bit though...

Andre

 

[andrewilley]

This will be our fist trip and we are surprising the kids. ( 4 and 6 yrs). Here's my question. How long into the trip can we keep the secret? My hope is to keep them guessing till we get off the MK bus in front of MK. Is this realistic?

Also, I would love our first trip over to the MK to be by the boat. Any way to do this as we won't have a car?

I think that even though Port Orleans is not "in your face Disney" like some of the resorts, you'll be very, very lucky for them not to notice that they are in Disney World! They'll board a bus with Mickey Mouse on the side, there will be a "Welcome to Disney World" video playing on the bus, and a massive banner over the entrance to Disney Property, not to mention a shop right there in the lobby full of Disney toys... It'll take a lot of distracting or explaining away!

It might be worth getting a taxi from the airport, rather than using Magical Express, to help you maintain the secret for a bit longer? Then one of you takes the kids straight across the reception lobby and out of the doors on the other side which gets you to the marina area to look around, while the other adult deals with checkin.

You could try saying something about it being a business trip for Daddy but that he gets to take you all along with him to enjoy the hotel while he's working? That might work. Talk up stuff like the swimming pools, boat rides, trips to the shops, etc - all things that you will be able to do while you're there, so they won't get disappointed about looking forward to anything that isn't going to be there.

For your first visit to the MK, take the bus to Epcot first (which is actually the closest park anyway) and then just near where you get off the bus (before you get into Epcot itself) is the monorail station. Take the monorail directly to the Transportation and Ticket Center (how much fun will that be for them!) and when you get off you can get the big ferry boat over to the Magic Kingdom. I can't think of a better or more fun way to do it! (The ferries don't always start operating quite as early as the monorail service, but I'm guessing you won't be doing this very first thing in the morning anyway)

Or, as I said above, to avoid the impact of the initial Disney transportation and narrations, perhaps get a taxi from Port Orleans to the TTC (which is where taxis take you for the Magic Kingdom anyway) and get the big ferry boat from there. A fairly innocuous and cheap trip, as the taxi should take the back route from POR directly to the TTC which avoids the big public entranceways and MK parking lot area. (Just tell the driver to turn RIGHT when leaving Port Orleans property, then turn LEFT at the next lights and follow the road all the way round until he gets to the TTC turn.

Andre

 

[momofboyz3]

What a fantastic surprise for you, sounds like the room assignment team managed to spread a little bit extra pixie dust for you. They love being able to do that when they can.

You can send a fax to the same number thanking them directly (or you could address it to the General Manager of the resort if you like) but it'd also be worth emailing the main guest relations address, as that will get their actions noted officially by Disney too. Send to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com.

Andre, this thread was what prompt me to send an online fax to them. I didn't follow your outline, because I was doing it off my phone. I didn't ask for anything really, just a basic simple letter. Yet that started the most amazing week of my life. So thank you for helping me do that for my kids. This forum helped me so much!!!!! Heidi

 

[bartleby1]

This will be our fist trip and we are surprising the kids. ( 4 and 6 yrs). Here's my question. How long into the trip can we keep the secret? My hope is to keep them guessing till we get off the MK bus in front of MK. Is this realistic? We've been on a Dis cruise before and I'm thinking I can let them think we are doing that again and that's what all the Disney stuff is all about....or will they be able to see the MK (the only recognizable Disney park to them) on the ride from the airport/ at the POR or elsewhere?
Also, I would love our first trip over to the MK to be by the boat. Any way to do this as we won't have a car?

What a wonderful surprise for your kids! I have always wanted to surprise mine, but I would never be able to keep my big mouth shut that long, LOL!

Honestly though, I would be very careful about letting them think you are doing another Disney cruise or they might be disappointed when they find out you are not.

It will be very difficult to keep your secret until you reach the magic kingdom though. There is a big huge welcome to Disney sign that can't be missed as you enter Disney property. We always drive down but I still get teary eyed when we drive under the Disney arch! I think that should be your big reveal time. I don't see how you would be able to hide that from he kids unless they are blindfolded or asleep.

 

[kdaniels16]

Thank you all, that gives me a lot to think about. Now if only I can keep the secret myself. One other question- this trip (in Sept) is for both kids birthdays. One has a Sept birthday, the other October. Any suggestions on how to make it special? I know about the buttons but I'm thinking about getting something put in the room before we arrive. Would POR do something like that and would it cost me a fortune?

 

[ChristineOH]

Thank you all, that gives me a lot to think about. Now if only I can keep the secret myself. One other question- this trip (in Sept) is for both kids birthdays. One has a Sept birthday, the other October. Any suggestions on how to make it special? I know about the buttons but I'm thinking about getting something put in the room before we arrive. Would POR do something like that and would it cost me a fortune?

Have you gone to YouTube and watched people surprising the kids with Disney? There are amazing ones, and then there are ones with kids who are upset that they aren't going where they were told, and kids who are just overwhelmed and confused in general. Watch some, and it will give you some ideas of how your own kids might react and some do's and don'ts.

 

[ALD85]

So, not to sound "unappreciative" but what would make them upgrade people to a RR? I've seen a few people here now say they got that "pixie dust." But my issue is I specifically paid for preferred so I'm guaranteed AB. I don't like the mansions at all and would be utterly disappointed (which I would quickly get over) if I was "upgraded" to the mansions...

 

[Andrea817]

Thank you all, that gives me a lot to think about. Now if only I can keep the secret myself. One other question- this trip (in Sept) is for both kids birthdays. One has a Sept birthday, the other October. Any suggestions on how to make it special? I know about the buttons but I'm thinking about getting something put in the room before we arrive. Would POR do something like that and would it cost me a fortune?

Www.disneyflorist.com has lots of great gifts to have sent to the room. From what I've read here on the DIS, it can't be put in your room AT check-in but anytime after. So maybe have it sent while at MK, so when they return they see it in the room after their magical day. A few weeks back we were at WDW celebrating DH birthday and we had a voicemail In the room from Mickey, that would be fun for the kids!