Port Orleans Riverside Q&A Thread 2014 (Please read first post for FAQs!)

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

I will need to go to the desk to have a few days of the extra adult charge taken off the reservation anyway. So not sure online check-in will actually save me any time or if it will screw up the issue. Thanks for your help

Good luck getting the adult charge taken off your reservation if you're talking about 5/2 & 5/3 for your mom. We tried to remove my daughter & her bf last year at BC because they wouldn't be there the entire time we were & they refused to. So we paid an extra $100 for 2 nights they weren't in the room. Even emailed WDW & nothing got done, so good luck!!

 

[buggy2727]

Getting ready to fax... what do you think?

Hello, and good day to you!

On May 2nd, my family and I will be visiting Walt Disney World at your Port Orleans Riverside resort. This is our family’s first visit to Walt Disney World and we are very excited to be guests at your resort. We would be most grateful if you could possibly accommodate a few requests for a room. We have 3 children aged 8 and under a short walk would be helpful on the little legs (and even the big legs)!! We have a paid Standard View Room as part of our reservation so it would be lovely to have a nice view of the property. If possible, we would love a room that is close to the main buildings and bus depot - something around building 16 would be perfect for us! It would be very magical to receive any pixie dust if at all possible. It would be the most magical experience to achieve that for us. We understand that these are requests but if you can help us out to the best of your abilities we would be ever so grateful. We will be arriving at your resort very soon, and would greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide in making our wonderful vacation more enjoyable and magical.

 

[Candlelady]

Good luck getting the adult charge taken off your reservation if you're talking about 5/2 & 5/3 for your mom. We tried to remove my daughter & her bf last year at BC because they wouldn't be there the entire time we were & they refused to. So we paid an extra $100 for 2 nights they weren't in the room. Even emailed WDW & nothing got done, so good luck!!

Hmm...that's not a very family friendly policy for a family destination.
I understand charging for more than 2 adults, but not for the nights they won't be in the room. My daughter and granddaughter can only come for 4 nights so I don't see why I would have to pay the surcharge for 7 nights. Plus they are arriving and departing using Magical Express, so it's not like Disney wouldn't have proof of their length of stay.
Anyone in the know want to weigh in on this situation?

 

[Venomhatch]

So I'm getting ready to fax in my "request" and have a question. People suggest getting a 1st floor if you have a stroller but I think we'd actually prefer a 2nd floor room since I would think those would be more "quiet". Am I going to regret this when I'm lugging up a stroller? My youngest is almost 5 so they can walk up themselves if that matters! TIA!

Getting ready to fax... what do you think?

Hello, and good day to you!

On May 2nd, my family and I will be visiting Walt Disney World at your Port Orleans Riverside resort. This is our family’s first visit to Walt Disney World and we are very excited to be guests at your resort. We would be most grateful if you could possibly accommodate a few requests for a room. We have 3 children aged 8 and under a short walk would be helpful on the little legs (and even the big legs)!! We have a paid Standard View Room as part of our reservation so it would be lovely to have a nice view of the property. If possible, we would love a room that is close to the main buildings and bus depot - something around building 16 would be perfect for us! It would be very magical to receive any pixie dust if at all possible. It would be the most magical experience to achieve that for us. We understand that these are requests but if you can help us out to the best of your abilities we would be ever so grateful. We will be arriving at your resort very soon, and would greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide in making our wonderful vacation more enjoyable and magical.

We have the room request fax thread to discuss this usually, it can crowd this thread up with those. But to answer your questions if your fine with the second floor then go with it. But AB buildings, usually where they put families of 5, has no elevators and I dont know how you feel about that, but it doesn't bother me walking up them. Your fax looks great make sure to send it in 5 days before your arrival for the optimum window for them to try and help you with this Magic.

If you need further help with this your welcome to PM me directly or join me in the Room Request thread.

D~

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

Is there a workout room at POR?

The reason I ask....DD (16) just had her time off sheets signed by teachers. Her phys ed teacher is giving her a rather difficult time because she will be missing the weight room session while we are away. So she has to track all physical activity while we are away. And if there is a weight room in any of the hotels we stay at she is to check them out as well.

If there isn't, no biggie....we plan to get her a cheap pedometer so all her walking is tracked!

I am pretty sure the only moderate with a workout room is CSR. Your daughter will walk so much she may surpass whatever exercise the rest of the class is getting.

 

[awalker1015]

Is there a workout room at POR? The reason I ask....DD (16) just had her time off sheets signed by teachers. Her phys ed teacher is giving her a rather difficult time because she will be missing the weight room session while we are away. So she has to track all physical activity while we are away. And if there is a weight room in any of the hotels we stay at she is to check them out as well. If there isn't, no biggie....we plan to get her a cheap pedometer so all her walking is tracked!

The jogging trail is lovely at POR.

 

[LiliBelle]

So I'm getting ready to fax in my "request" and have a question. People suggest getting a 1st floor if you have a stroller but I think we'd actually prefer a 2nd floor room since I would think those would be more "quiet". Am I going to regret this when I'm lugging up a stroller? My youngest is almost 5 so they can walk up themselves if that matters! TIA!

First time we went with kids we had a stroller and were on 2nd floor at CBR. It was a nightmare. The kids were fine - it was lugging that dang stroller (sit and stand.). I've always requested 1st floor since!!

 

[Nechville]

So I'm getting ready to fax in my "request" and have a question. People suggest getting a 1st floor if you have a stroller but I think we'd actually prefer a 2nd floor room since I would think those would be more "quiet". Am I going to regret this when I'm lugging up a stroller? My youngest is almost 5 so they can walk up themselves if that matters! TIA!

I've been second floor every time with a stroller and had no problems. Once at POFQ we were as far as possible from an elevator but right by stairs so DH picked up the front and we carried it up/down. And it was a Bob, so not exactly lightweight. Another time at CSR we just took the elevator as it was on the way.
Since I've never been first floor, can't say if it is more quiet but 2nd floor was certainly not an inconvenience for us at all.

 

[Skjhjb]

I am pretty sure the only moderate with a workout room is CSR. Your daughter will walk so much she may surpass whatever exercise the rest of the class is getting.

Yep...that is exactly what I said to the teacher when we met with her at parent teacher interviews.

There is a weight room in our off site hotel that we are in the night before we check in to Disney. We will just take some photos of her there and then go with the pedometer plan!

 

[buggy2727]

We have the room request fax thread to discuss this usually, it can crowd this thread up with those. But to answer your questions if your fine with the second floor then go with it. But AB buildings, usually where they put families of 5, has no elevators and I dont know how you feel about that, but it doesn't bother me walking up them. Your fax looks great make sure to send it in 5 days before your arrival for the optimum window for them to try and help you with this Magic.

If you need further help with this your welcome to PM me directly or join me in the Room Request thread.

D~

Oh!!! Sorry about that! And that's where I got the fax template too! I didn't even think to post it there

 

[Venomhatch]

No worries.

 

[dixiegirl]

We will be arriving before 3:00 also. My guess is we will get there around 12:00. How likely will it be that our room will already be ready ? We plan on eating at the food court then going to Epcot, but would like to be settled into our room before we head out.

Honestly I would say on all my trips it's probably a 50/50 shot. I prefer to get settled first too but it's no biggie either way. Last year our room was not ready but they texted me when it was - awesome! Got back from the parks and bell services brought our bags to us out of storage. I just make sure the backpack I take on the plane with me is ready for a park day.

 

[LGTD]

How do the buses run at Port Orleans Riverside? Is there a pattern where they always start at one bus depot and then go to the next or do they alternate. If there is a set pattern where is the best place to get on the buses so that you aren't excluded from a fully loaded bus?

 

[Venomhatch]

How do the buses run at Port Orleans Riverside? Is there a pattern where they always start at one bus depot and then go to the next or do they alternate. If there is a set pattern where is the best place to get on the buses so that you aren't excluded from a fully loaded bus?

I suggest going to South Depot aka near main building, but that is personal preference.

They do change and South does get extra buses over the other ones. Plus you can monitor estimated times for next bus to park.

*There should be a CM now out there at the south depot helping to make sense of lines for people waiting.

 

[LGTD]

Does anyone know why there are no standard view rooms for Port Orleans Riverside available for most of September?

 

[LGTD]

I suggest going to South Depot aka near main building, but that is personal preference. They do change and South does get extra buses over the other ones. Plus you can monitor estimated times for next bus to park. *There should be a CM now out there at the south depot helping to make sense of lines for people waiting.

Thanks!

 

[kbmartin]

On one day of our trip, we plan to do a breakfast buffet at the Contemporary Resort well before MK opens for the day. Will a bus come to the South Depot around 7 am? I'm nervous to make an ADR for 7:30-7:45 am...

 

[kugelette]

Can you hear neighbors in the rooms at POR? Can non-resort guests also take the ferry to DTD?

 

[dansdad]

Can you hear neighbors in the rooms at POR?

It depends on how loud they are. If they are normal, no you can't.

Can non-resort guests also take the ferry to DTD?

Yup.

 

[Ravenne]

Can non-resort guests also take the ferry to DTD?

Yep. Non resort guests can pretty much use any of the resources and facilities at Disney resorts with the exception of the pool. Pools are for guests staying at that specific resort only.