Port Orleans Riverside

[Princess Mags]

I'm considering moving from value to moderate for our next trip in December and am thinking Port Orleans Riverside. We usually stay at Pop Century and love the food and bus service but think that we might like to try something new. Is upgrading to a mod worth it? For those of you who have stayed at Riverside, how is the transportation, i.e. how long is the average wait for a bus, do you share a bus with any other resorts, how far away is the bus stop; is the food, both quick service and sit down, good; how are the rooms and what are your overall impressions, likes and dislikes of the resort? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kmb584]

In my opinion, upgrading from a value to a mod is 100% worth the price difference. DD and I travel to The World quite a bit and I like the extra space a mod affords, at a price that I can afford. I attempted POP this past April and only lasted 1 night before calling to upgrade to a mod (CBR). The room just felt too small, despite it only being the 2 of us, and I truly missed the privacy curtain/door between the main room and bathroom. DD is a very light sleeper and wakes up at the slightest sound or light.

POR is a lovely resort but also one of the largest on Disney property. What does that mean? If your room is located towards the back of the resort, expect a ~15 minute hike to the main area. The rooms are standard fare and divided into 2 sections - Magnolia Bend (the rooms are housed on "plantation mansions") and Alligator Bayou (offering a lodge-like feel). Magnolia Bend is currently undergoing renovations and the first completed section is set to be completed next month.

POR offers numerous swimming pools, 'Ol Man Island is the main pool and most crowded. There are 2 leisure pools in Magnolia Bend and 3 in Alligator Bayou. The satellite pools are less crowded but offer less features.

There are 4 bus stops (North, South, East, West) located on the property with South being the main stop. Due to the size of the resort, expect crowds and the possibility of having to stand depending upon which park you're traveling to and which stop you board. When I stayed at POFQ we shared a bus with POR, and FQ was picked up first. They also offer a water taxi to and from DD and FQ - it's a quick, relaxing ride!

I found the food and the choices to be excellent, and I often traveled from POFQ to POR for dinner or a late night snack after returning from the park. Riverside Mill is the official name of the food court and it offers numerous stations with enough choices to please even the pickiest of eaters. Boatwright's is the on-site sit-down restaurant and offers a bayou themed menu (gumbo, catfish, etc). While the menu piqued my interest I never dined at Boatwright's so I can't comment on the food. The River Roost Lounge houses a full bar as well as appetizers and provides live entertainment 5 nights a week.

Now that I typed out a novel, I hope that you find some of my information and opinions helpful when choosing a resort! All in all, POR gets

 

[Backstage_Gal]

check out the POR Riverside thread on this board

 

[elaw]

or here ... http://www.portorleans.org/

 

[WorldWacky]

I absolutely love POR. We are a family of 5, so staying at POR Alligator Bayou has been the best economical choice for us. I would request a room near the South Depot - Building 16 worked well for us. Even if you have to share a bus with FQ, you'll be next in line, so to speak. We go during President's Week in Feb. and never had to wait long for a bus. I believe they send more busses our way because of the heavier crowds. The kids had a blast at the pool and while we didn't have a chance to see him, Yehaa Bob at the River Roost Lounge is said to be wonderful. I think you'll really like it.

 

[nanalisa]

There are 4 bus stops so everyone is pretty close. Last year we were in AB 18 and very close to food court, parking and bus stop. Week before last we stayed at Magnolia Terrace and were very close to the bus stop. There was a short walk to the food court, but it was a beautiful walk around the main pool. For seven days we didn't wait more than 10 min for a bus from the resort. There was a very large amount of people waiting for a bus one night at MK closing but after waiting about 10 min 3 buses showed up and they didn't pack them. We had a very positive bus experience this trip. As a matter of fact, several time I saw Mears busses at the park bus stops. We are always happy at POR. The food court is busy in the mornings so we usually avoid it but the food is good. We stayed at ASM one time and while we enjoyed the resort, the room and beds were small. Now that POR has queen beds, we will probably always stay there. Yes I think it's worth the extra money to upgrade to a mod.

 

[aubriee]

I go solo to WDW several times a year and pretty much stay at a Moderate every trip (sometimes do a split stay at two moderates or a moderate and a deluxe). However, I have also stayed at Pop many times, AS Sports twice, and AS Music once, so am familiar with the values. I much, much prefer to spend the little extra that a moderate costs. Truthfully my favorite mods are a close tie between CSR and POFQ, but PORS would rank third. We enjoy it, but the buses can be a little slow and since POFQ is first picked up, you may be standing in the mornings. We love the boats to DTD though and also love PORS's food court. The atmospere there is wonderful too--just so peaceful and relaxing. It's definitely worth the price difference.

Again I'd choose CSR over PORS, but would choose PORS over one of the values. CSR has the best bus service and best kids playground on property and we prefer their main pool too. Plus CSR is more centrally located than PORS.