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

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Anyone know...

If we booked with a wedding discount (guests not the wedding party) will we be put in a certain block of rooms? I have no preference on where we are located. It's our first time at POR, so I'm open to any location. I'm more wondering because I know my in-laws would like to be next door, but I don't know if we would need to request that.

You can call and have them do a note that you are traveling with them. Make sure you have your ressie number and theirs. The CM should put the notes in your reservation and theirs as well. You can also call the front desk to confirm that the notes are there since there are multiple places to put requests and they don't always get put in the right location (or so I've been told.) My exDF and I were to get married in July and had POFQ as one of our options…I had a building request in for there and at POP…not that it matters anymore but everything happens for a reason! My room block coordinator had put in the request for me so maybe ask the DB or DG if they noted a building request and if not, request your own, Have a great time!

 

[andrewilley]

Thank you for this report. I understand this is a test/trial, but personally, the potential of this change does not thrill me. What happened to the personal touch of disney?

I do know what you mean, that first moment of arrival at the hotel and walking into the lobby is a big Disney moment (especially with some of the deluxes, like Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, etc).

However this trial system is not compulsory, I guess it's mainly for repeat guests who often ask about whether the Front Desk line will be shorter or longer if they do online checkin, or if they arrive at 10am or 11am, etc. Think of it as a "FastPass to your Room" if you like, or "Checkin+". If you don't want to use it though, that's entirely up to you.


A couple of answers to questions:

"Paid in full" happens automatically for packages at 45 days out (and I assume for room-only at 6 days?) so no need to do anything in those cases. If you want to check, or force a payment through so this system will definitely kick in, just call the Reservation Center in advance. The system will not apply to any bookings where an ID needs to be confirmed upon arrival (e.g. cast member bookings, etc).

Welcome Packs will not (for the trial at least) be sent to rooms in advance. If you need one - for example for a map, parking pass or other welcome collateral - you'll need to pop by the Front Desk at your convenience to pick one up.

MagicBands and all their paid features (park tickets, dining plan credits, etc) will go live once the reservation is centrally 'checked-in' on the system, which is also when your text will be sent advising you of your room number - so guests can go directly to a park upon arrival at WDW if they wish.

The room number will normally be confirmed and a text sent about one hour before your stated arrival time, but it could be as close as 15 minutes if a suitable room is not ready early enough. If a room is still not ready by then, a message will be sent advising of the delay but your band will still be activated for all the other features but obviously not for door-key access yet. A followup message will confirm the room number later, and you will be able to use the door-key feature after that.

There will be three other Walt Disney World resort hotels taking part in the trial at the same time.

Andre

 

[EpcotBill]

There will be no layoffs, Disney is constantly hiring new people.

Right, because Disney has never laid anyone off. If they can find a way to get by with fewer employees they'll do it.

 

[T4K]

Just sent my fax for Sunday check in! Thanks sooooo much for this thread!

Now I suppose I could pack....

 

[BebopBaloo]

My room block coordinator had put in the request for me so maybe ask the DB or DG if they noted a building request and if not, request your own, Have a great time!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Checked in this morning at 7:15am. The room was not ready but my requests for top floor, connecting rooms, and near elevator were met the CM said and we are in P.P. Which I had a hunch we would be. Check in was very quick and the CM was great and helpful. The food court was not very busy. I always get my mug from my ddp first to make sure my pin works so I don't have to worry about resetting it in a park later in the day if it doesn't work.

Addition....

The room in PP is perfect! A 5 min walk to the food court and about the same to the main pool. There were towels at the quiet pool today which a guest said was the first time all week that towels were there Food court didn't seem busy at noon or late afternoon! The room was clean and it's beautiful. Ended up being ready at 1pm but bc I have connecting rooms with friends we didn't want a room ready to unblock the requests that were met. Their room was finished around 2:15. Parking at dtd at noon was a hot mess. Had I known I would have taken the boat or bus!

 

[Momof2Singers]

Checked in this morning at 7:15am. The room was not ready but my requests for top floor, connecting rooms, and near elevator were met the CM said and we are in P.P. Which I had a hunch we would be. Check in was very quick and the CM was great and helpful. The food court was not very busy. I always get my mug from my ddp first to make sure my pin works so I don't have to worry about resetting it in a park later in the day if it doesn't work.

HI Tinkerbell, this is good news on the requests. Did you send a FAX, we need a couple of requests for medical reasons, yet my daughters want the Mansion rooms, I booked Preferred, yet when I added 2 days to my vacation, they somehow switched me to a garden view. I just noticed this. I am not sure how to handle it, since the Preferred rooms are in Alligator anyway. Did you use a sample fax recommended here? I don't want to ask for too much, and get nothing. Thanks for any help!

 

[Venomhatch]

Hello and good afternoon everyone! Back from a very busy week.

 

[goofy4tink]

Can't wait to get to POR tomorrow morning. Cabbing over from BWV...doubt our room will be ready, but at least we will be checked in, and our stuff will be there!

 

[wdwguy50]

Hello and good afternoon everyone! Back from a very busy week.

Welcome back. Thanks for all your assistance and advice. You definitely help all of us better access the Magic of Disney!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Nope I didn't fax. I had the agent make a note then Stopped by the resort to confirm if since I live in the area or you can call the front desk and ask.

 

[rubberbootbunny]

Just a quick question. Does anyone know if the boat to DTD is accessible to my small scooter? Or will I need to take the bus from POR?
And a follow up, how late do the boats run?

 

[Pineappley]

Just a quick question. Does anyone know if the boat to DTD is accessible to my small scooter? Or will I need to take the bus from POR? And a follow up, how late do the boats run?

My mum went on it on her scooter last year. I'm not sure if all boats are accessible but certainly some are. It was very easy to get on.

Don't know about the other query.

 

[rubberbootbunny]

Thanks pineappley

 

[Goldfrapplol]

Hello! We're staying at POR in late June and are planning to eat at Earl of Sandwich at Downtown Disney. How frequent is the boat service from POR to Downtown Disney? What would be the best route from Downtown Disney to the Magic Kingdom using only Disney transportation?

 

[kbmartin]

My husband and I are taking a very late flight to Orlando, and we'll probably arrive at POR around 12:30-1 am. Has anyone come in this late? How does the Magical Express work at night? Is the POR front desk a lot less busy at that time? I would imagine it would be... I'm just wondering how smoothly things will go. Are requests for rooms more difficult to get at night since most people are already settled in rooms by then? That's my major concern. I don't want to get stuck in the far corner of AB, far away from buses, marina, food court, etc. just because that's the only thing open at that point. We do plan to go through all the steps of faxing a request and online check-in, and I've already requested Magnolia Terrace over the phone.

 

[DisneyCDE]

As for Magical Express for arrivals after 10pm, you pick up your own baggage from baggage claim and bring it with you to the buses. It may take awhile to get to your resort as there are less buses running at that time of night, and when we did it recently they wait for a bus to fill. Seamless process, but takes longer than daytime. Check in will be relatively quick as not many people in lobby

 

[Venomhatch]

They wont wait all night or anything for the bus to fill up. They have a max wait time. I think the one time when we lived in VA and we went late, they waited 30 minutes max before they went ahead to the resorts filled up or not.

 

[Millie12591]

I'm not sure what happened but I responded right after your post about the trial run they are doing with check in and it's didn't post. ??? I also had a question about buses.....guess I'll ask it again.


Can anyone give me an idea of how the buses run at POR? I love the way the buses run at Coronado Springs Resort and wondered if they work in a similar fashion.

The way CSR buses work....the bus hits the second bus stop first, then third and then fourth being the last before heading to the front of the resort to the main building which is obviously the first bus stop, but it's last on the route, if that makes a darn lick of sense.
I like staying in one of the rooms closest to the fourth bust stop because this way I'm closest to the main pool and the last stop before reaching the front. I don't know why this works for me, but it does.

Is there a routine bus route at POR? Do they stop at POR first or POFQ? Do they go to a certain number bus stop first and or is it always the main building first and then so on, or is it totally random? I've read through a lot of the thread and can't seem to find anything on this, there is information about how unreliable the buses are when being picked up, but beyond that I haven't found anything. If this is predictable information it would be so helpful to us readers to have it on the main first page. Great job on the amount of information that there is by the way. The page is beautiful.

 

[Millie12591]

My husband and I are taking a very late flight to Orlando, and we'll probably arrive at POR around 12:30-1 am. Has anyone come in this late?
How does the Magical Express work at night? Is the POR front desk a lot less busy at that time? I would imagine it would be... I'm just wondering how smoothly things will go. Are requests for rooms more difficult to get at night since most people are already settled in rooms by then? That's my major concern. I don't want to get stuck in the far corner of AB, far away from buses, marina, food court, etc. just because that's the only thing open at that point. We do plan to go through all the steps of faxing a request and online check-in, and I've already requested Magnolia Terrace over the phone.

What I share is only from our experience. We came in pretty late one time and we just made sure not to put our yellow tags on our luggage and picked it up ourselves and then brought it to the ME desk with us, we took it out with us to put on the bus before we boarded, it's pretty easy.
Coming in late stinks since there is no where to eat that late (be sure to eat dinner at your last stop or bring it with you on the plane), but the desk will be virtually empty other than the CM's that are working.
And because of this, things will go very smoothly.
I will say that one way to ensure your room location and possible requests is to do early check in, I think this is a more sure way to get a room request than anything else we've tried in the past. I'm not saying it will guarantee your location but since they usually assign these rooms first you will have your room ready from almost first thing that morning. Every time I've checked in with early check in, our room was ready first thing in the morning when we got there (probably doesn't happen all the time-but it did for all four resorts we stayed at on our last trip in May of 2013). Now, that doesn't mean they may not switch it around with other people's request through out the day since you're coming in later, but at least you'll have a better chance than if you wait for when you get there. Good luck!