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

[kkayluvsdis]

Duplicate. Sorry

 

[abmitch01]

I just booked for our first on site stay for 8/9-8/19. I requested a room near the main building for convenience sake with meals, etc. I was told only the Bayou rooms are near the main hall. From reading on here, I'm kind of skeptical of that. I'd like to surprise my dd with the elegance of a mansion room. Should I call back? what building should I ask for if they can do it? any help appreciated.


confession: I want a Royal room and my dd is 15! it just looks so fun!

 

[abmitch01]

also, I heard there is a campfire with stories and smokes. I heard about the man who tells jokes in the lounge, sounds fun. And movies outside. Do they give you a guide as to what is going on that week at the resort?

 

[csjordan]

I just booked for our first on site stay for 8/9-8/19. I requested a room near the main building for convenience sake with meals, etc. I was told only the Bayou rooms are near the main hall. From reading on here, I'm kind of skeptical of that. I'd like to surprise my dd with the elegance of a mansion room. Should I call back? what building should I ask for if they can do it? any help appreciated.


confession: I want a Royal room and my dd is 15! it just looks so fun!

Was there on 4/4, booked garden view, but was upgraded to royal room for DS's 16th birthday! The room was great! I would definitely go that route. We loved it!

 

[jesster]

I just booked for our first on site stay for 8/9-8/19. I requested a room near the main building for convenience sake with meals, etc. I was told only the Bayou rooms are near the main hall. From reading on here, I'm kind of skeptical of that. I'd like to surprise my dd with the elegance of a mansion room. Should I call back? what building should I ask for if they can do it? any help appreciated.


confession: I want a Royal room and my dd is 15! it just looks so fun!

There is a mansion building (building 85, maybe) just across a bridge from the main building, and I think there might be RR in there. It's really not that far at all even though it looks like it might be on the map.

Just have to take a moment to brag on POR. Our family of five was there last Saturday (April 26) and took DME over from MCO. It was a Saturday arrival, which I expected to be busy, and it was, and I was bummed at first when I saw the loooong on-line check-in line around 2:30pm. I stood in line for maybe 4 minutes, thinking I'd be there forever with how slow some families are (sorry, but they are!), but in no time a CM with an iPad approached me and asked for my name. She had my reservation pulled up, asked me to wait a minute, then was back with my welcome packet and room number. It was awesome! Our check-in at POR took MUCH less time then our CL check-in at CR. We loved the resort overall, the main building was top-notch, with it's nice shop, pub and QS, and we especially loved the pool and pool bar. We were first floor in building 15, room 1520. It was a great way to start our Disney vacation! We'll be back, POR!

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

I just booked for our first on site stay for 8/9-8/19. I requested a room near the main building for convenience sake with meals, etc. I was told only the Bayou rooms are near the main hall. From reading on here, I'm kind of skeptical of that. I'd like to surprise my dd with the elegance of a mansion room. Should I call back? what building should I ask for if they can do it? any help appreciated. confession: I want a Royal room and my dd is 15! it just looks so fun!

The Alligator Bayou preferred rooms are the closest to the main area. Check out www.portorleans.org to see layout & schedule of activities.

 

[GreyStr0ke]

I just returned form a quick weekend trip at POR. I haven't stayed there since it was Dixie Landings so it's been quite some time. We requested rooms in Magnolia and our requests were granted. We had room 8580 and 8578. The rooms were really nice and exceeded my expectations. Our location was also perfect. We were right near the East bus stop and only a short walk to the pool and main building.

One of the highlights was Bob Jackson at the River Roost. We went there both Friday and Saturday night and enjoyed the service and entertainment there. I would highly recommend making it a priority to visit the Roost one night while Bob is there.

I ate at the food court twice. Once for a late dinner and once for breakfast. The place was packed when I went for breakfast on Sunday. I just wanted to get my food and get out of there as quick as I could.

It was raining pretty much the whole weekend so i didn't get to go to the pool but stopped by Muddy Rivers pool bar on Saturday night.

The only complaint I would have is with the bus system. In the past 3 months I've stayed at Saratoga Springs, The Dolphin, and now POR. POR was by far the worst when it came to buses. Getting to Animal Kingdom took an hour and a half and getting back was no better. Getting back from Hollywood Studios was about the same. Next time we will definitely be driving to the parks.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Koh1977]

Here's some taxi information: http://www.taxifarefinder.com/newsroom/2012/03/20/taking-taxis-with-infants-toddlers-and-young-children/ Additionally, the child safety laws in FL do not apply to for-hire car services, including taxi cabs. That means thousands of children visiting Orlando and riding on the state’s roads in taxis are likely not in a safety seat. You can request one when hiring a taxi/driver.

Thanks for the info!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[librarymom2007]

I just returned form a quick weekend trip at POR. I haven't stayed there since it was Dixie Landings so it's been quite some time. We requested rooms in Magnolia and our requests were granted. We had room 8580 and 8578. The rooms were really nice and exceeded my expectations. Our location was also perfect. We were right near the East bus stop and only a short walk to the pool and main building. One of the highlights was Bob Jackson at the River Roost. We went there both Friday and Saturday night and enjoyed the service and entertainment there. I would highly recommend making it a priority to visit the Roost one night while Bob is there. I ate at the food court twice. Once for a late dinner and once for breakfast. The place was packed when I went for breakfast on Sunday. I just wanted to get my food and get out of there as quick as I could. It was raining pretty much the whole weekend so i didn't get to go to the pool but stopped by Muddy Rivers pool bar on Saturday night. The only complaint I would have is with the bus system. In the past 3 months I've stayed at Saratoga Springs, The Dolphin, and now POR. POR was by far the worst when it came to buses. Getting to Animal Kingdom took an hour and a half and getting back was no better. Getting back from Hollywood Studios was about the same. Next time we will definitely be driving to the parks. Any questions, feel free to ask.

We have stayed at POR for the past 2 years and have never had a bus ride longer than 20 minutes to any park.

 

[Venomhatch]

We have stayed at POR for the past 2 years and have never had a bus ride longer than 20 minutes to any park.

Yeah I second this.

 

[amy-bee-0]

I can't give you a direct extension number for them, but the 1-407-934-6000 number should be able to connect you to someone at the resort on request - ask to speak to a manager in the Housekeeping department, who should be able to check on who cleaned your room after you left and find out what happened. There is a storage area in each building that they sometimes put things in temporarily before it gets taken to Lost Property. You could also fax the resort on 1-407-934-5777, which goes direct to the Riverside admin offices.

Andre

Thanks Andre. I'm really hoping to get them back.

 

[hunmcbunny]

We have stayed at POR for the past 2 years and have never had a bus ride longer than 20 minutes to any park.

ditto even though I've only been there once and it was during spring break!

 

[Ismo]

We have stayed at POR for the past 2 years and have never had a bus ride longer than 20 minutes to any park.

Same here. And we went over Easter last year when the park crowd numbers were almost 10s everyday.

 

[andrewilley]

Is anyone here now (POR) or arriving today? ? I have more than a half case of bottled water and some other snacks I'd love to pass on if possible!

If you don't get any takers, just hand out free stuff to your neighbours, people heading to the parks, by the pool, etc. We did that with 20 left-over quick-service credits' worth of snacks on our last day last year.

I just booked for our first on site stay for 8/9-8/19. I requested a room near the main building for convenience sake with meals, etc. I was told only the Bayou rooms are near the main hall. From reading on here, I'm kind of skeptical of that. I'd like to surprise my dd with the elegance of a mansion room. Should I call back? what building should I ask for if they can do it? any help appreciated.

Some of the mansion building rooms in 80 and 85 (Parterre and Magnolia) are quite close to the bridge over to Ol' Man Island, which makes for some great locations there too.

also, I heard there is a campfire with stories and smokes. I heard about the man who tells jokes in the lounge, sounds fun. And movies outside. Do they give you a guide as to what is going on that week at the resort?

No smokes that I know of, they used to sell smores though! Now you can get free marshmallows to roast.

Yes, there's a guide that you'll get in your Welcome Pack (which I upload monthly too, see www.portorleans.org/recreation-activites-schedule.php)

Andre

 

[TeachTink]

I just returned form a quick weekend trip at POR. I haven't stayed there since it was Dixie Landings so it's been quite some time. We requested rooms in Magnolia and our requests were granted. We had room 8580 and 8578. The rooms were really nice and exceeded my expectations. Our location was also perfect. We were right near the East bus stop and only a short walk to the pool and main building.

One of the highlights was Bob Jackson at the River Roost. We went there both Friday and Saturday night and enjoyed the service and entertainment there. I would highly recommend making it a priority to visit the Roost one night while Bob is there.

I ate at the food court twice. Once for a late dinner and once for breakfast. The place was packed when I went for breakfast on Sunday. I just wanted to get my food and get out of there as quick as I could.

It was raining pretty much the whole weekend so i didn't get to go to the pool but stopped by Muddy Rivers pool bar on Saturday night.

The only complaint I would have is with the bus system. In the past 3 months I've stayed at Saratoga Springs, The Dolphin, and now POR. POR was by far the worst when it came to buses. Getting to Animal Kingdom took an hour and a half and getting back was no better. Getting back from Hollywood Studios was about the same. Next time we will definitely be driving to the parks.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

What took so long? Were the bus stops really crowded?

This is my first time staying on-site and I'm nervous about the bus transportation. This doesn't make me happy.

 

[Venomhatch]

What took so long? Were the bus stops really crowded?

This is my first time staying on-site and I'm nervous about the bus transportation. This doesn't make me happy.

I believe that to be an isolated time. I have never seen or been in a situation where it would take that long. I mean a bus ride an hour and half long. I could have drove to Winter park or almost to Jacksonville in that time. So there must have been something else going on. And buses come every 20 mins or less to the parks so I don't really know what that deal could have been.

 

[GreyStr0ke]

Well the hour and half includes the time we spent waiting for the bus. When we were going to AK the first bus was full so we had to wait for another which took an additional 20-25 minutes to get there. Then we had to stop at Blizzard Beach which no one got off or on for. However, there were other people waiting for a Magic Kingdom bus who had been waiting for over 45 minutes and were not very happy. Shortly after they complained to a bus driver going to DTD two Magic Kingdom buses showed up. It may have just been a bad day all around for the buses.

Please don't take this the wrong way. I really enjoyed POR and have nothing negative to say about the resort itself. I'm just getting fed up with the bus systems in general.

 

[buggy2727]

We have stayed at POR for the past 2 years and have never had a bus ride longer than 20 minutes to any park.

We are also here now and were here over the weekend. On Saturday morning we waited 40 minutes for a bus to MK. We got to the bus stop at 6:55 and had an 8:05 ADR. Watched 4 DHS buses go by and 2 buses for each of the other parks. After we stood there for 10 minutes and watched the bus pass for each of the other parks, the 2nd DHS bus came. I called the front desk to let them know we were at the depot waiting for a bus and had an early ADR. The lady seemed very attentive but then another 25 minutes (& 4 buses) went by and no MK bus. I called again and got another woman who didn't seem to care as much, she said something about a bus that went by 15 minutes ago... I told her there was no such bus. She said another was coming in 6 minutes. It did finally come, we stopped at the other POR stops, then POFQ and finally MK. By the time we got to the castle, we were slightly late. Getting home was a pain to, we waited for 15 mins at closing and the bus that said riverside when it pulled up, past our line and went to a different hotel, all star maybe? Oh and yes that line was longer but there was already a bus there! The next day we went to DHS for RD. The bus came so quickly, we were there an hour and a half before opening! Its so hit or miss. I will say, on park return I feel like our bus is always the last to come. So we've had a tough go with the buses. I also had some issues with my room which I already have as feed back to the front desk. Oh and we did request to be close to the main building but we are one building away from the furthest point! Needless to say, we have had a rough go with the hotel but are having fun at the parks.

 

[Venomhatch]

We are also here now and were here over the weekend. On Saturday morning we waited 40 minutes for a bus to MK. We got to the bus stop at 6:55 and had an 8:05 ADR. Watched 4 DHS buses go by and 2 buses for each of the other parks. After we stood there for 10 minutes and watched the bus pass for each of the other parks, the 2nd DHS bus came. I called the front desk to let them know we were at the depot waiting for a bus and had an early ADR. The lady seemed very attentive but then another 25 minutes (& 4 buses) went by and no MK bus. I called again and got another woman who didn't seem to care as much, she said something about a bus that went by 15 minutes ago... I told her there was no such bus. She said another was coming in 6 minutes. It did finally come, we stopped at the other POR stops, then POFQ and finally MK. By the time we got to the castle, we were slightly late. Getting home was a pain to, we waited for 15 mins at closing and the bus that said riverside when it pulled up, past our line and went to a different hotel, all star maybe? Oh and yes that line was longer but there was already a bus there! The next day we went to DHS for RD. The bus came so quickly, we were there an hour and a half before opening! Its so hit or miss. I will say, on park return I feel like our bus is always the last to come. So we've had a tough go with the buses. I also had some issues with my room which I already have as feed back to the front desk. Oh and we did request to be close to the main building but we are one building away from the furthest point! Needless to say, we have had a rough go with the hotel but are having fun at the parks.

I am PMing you now!

 

[andrewilley]

After we stood there for 10 minutes and watched the bus pass for each of the other parks, the 2nd DHS bus came. I called the front desk to let them know we were at the depot waiting for a bus and had an early ADR.

One of the problems with the WDW bus system is that the buses are run from specific 'hubs' (e.g. the theme parks and Downtown Disney) not from the resorts. This means that DHS might be sending bus after bus to Port Orleans - but those buses need to return to DHS, they can't just decide to go to MK to help out the people waiting for the MK.

In the meantime, it's up to the MK despatch system to assign buses for the MK, and they obviously were not doing that very effectively. Also, prior to an hour before park opening the buses are pretty ad hoc anyway, it's only after that time that they start to run the 20 minutes schedule.

Sadly the hotel front desk only has limited ways to help, as you found out - and if you called them on the phone then you would have initially been answered by the central WDW switchboard anyway, not by anyone actually at Port Orleans.

Not that it helps you now, but it might have been worth calling 407-WDW-RIDE which should connect you with the transportation department. For some reason they don't seem to promote that number very much though...

Andre