Port Orleans Riverside

[VisitingSince1982]

Just returned from a week in Disney staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Probably not the resorts fault but 3 out of 4 of us got a horrible stomach bug that laid us up 4 out of 7 days! We are a very clean family, sanitizing everything we touch. The bus service was atrocious from the long walks to the bus stop to having to share with the French Quarter. While we were waiting for our table at the California Grill on the last night I booked our room for next year in the main tower at the Contemporary with a park view. VERY pricey but with a 3 and 5 year old will be worth the money for the ease of getting to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot which are family favorites for the kids. If I decide to stay at a moderate resort again it will be the Caribbean Beach which we have enjoyed for years VIRUS FREE!!!

 

[Disneylover99]

Maybe you picked up something while you were stranded on the monorail.

 

[goofy4tink]

WDW, from Oct to April, is pretty much a Petrie dish! It's a good idea to wash your hands every hour when in the parks and be sure to keep your hands away from your face. Just about the only way to avoid germs, and getting sick, while in WDW.
Really sorry that had to happen. Not much worse than being sick in WDW....I know, my sd got a nasty something the day after we arrived once. She didn't get the germ I wdw, but she lost two days in the parks. Not fun.

 

[VisitingSince1982]

Let's just say for the first time ever....... I am glad to be home lol

 

[flutterby3744]

Sorry you had such a bummer of a trip! It's likely though that you picked up the bug from one of the thousands of people in the parks. Is that, and the buses the only reason you didn't like POR?

 

[BridgetR3]

I read through some of this thread and some of the Port Orleans pages but did not see the answer to this question.

We have a POR room booked for 5 of us. I know that we will be in Alligator Bayou and I've also seen that we will not have elevators in AB. One person in our party will be using a scooter and as such, we will need a first floor room. Can we be guaranteed the first floor somehow? I don't remember filling anything out when I booked. Should I call and add that comment to our reservations?

 

[dreamseeker9]

I read through some of this thread and some of the Port Orleans pages but did not see the answer to this question.

We have a POR room booked for 5 of us. I know that we will be in Alligator Bayou and I've also seen that we will not have elevators in AB. One person in our party will be using a scooter and as such, we will need a first floor room. Can we be guaranteed the first floor somehow? I don't remember filling anything out when I booked. Should I call and add that comment to our reservations?

Not sure when you are going, but yes - I'd call and add that comment. Then when you are about 5-7 days away, send in a fax. If you go to the main POR thread, check out the first page - there should be a fax template. One of the CMs who works at POR posts on that thread and is very helpful, Venomhatch.

 

[mousefan73]

There are so many ways to catch a bug and harder to pin point, where and how.. did you guys fly?? Could also be the airlines "fault". Or you guys brought it from home/school. Bugs can lie still a few days.

sucks being ill on vacation. My last Disney trip I had a cold/sinus infection from hell. Worst was sore throat and not tasting anything AND we had the diningplan.

 

[VisitingSince1982]

We usually stay at the moderate resorts when we visit. Our favorite is the Caribbean beach. The pool is more kid friendly with zero entry and an actual kid pool playground. Port Orleans just felt like a place where we slept. The big water wheel was not operating, they were re-roofing a couple of buildings and had no speed boat rentals. Besides the stomach issues I probably would not stay there again. Next year it's off to the Contemporary with a park view already reserved the room!!! But can someone help me pay for it!!!!! Haha

 

[Prose]

As others have said, there are so many ways to catch a virus when you are sharing space with tens of thousands of other folks. If you touched a stair rail, door handle, shared serving spoon at a buffet, the back of the seat in front of you on a ride or a bus, water faucet, "shooter" at TSMM or Buzz Lightyear, hand rail on a boat, your tray table or arms rests if flying, a public restroom along the way if driving, or in your hotel the remote control or telephone (two things that are rarely disinfected in any hotel room anywhere), you could have picked up a bug. It could happen to you, no matter where you stay.

 

[VisitingSince1982]

I agree and can't blame the resort. But I could never stay there again because all I would be reminded of is catching my sons vomit in bed at 3:30 am and 100 trips to the bathroom. It was a nightmare!!

 

[minnie mum]

I agree and can't blame the resort. But I could never stay there again because all I would be reminded of is catching my sons vomit in bed at 3:30 am and 100 trips to the bathroom. It was a nightmare!!

I understand where you're coming from and I think that I understood that you weren't blaming POR for the virus; just that now the two become associated with each other in your memories.

And not every resort appeals to every guest. The vocal POR army notwithstanding, it isn't my favourite mod either. I hope your next vacation turns out better.

 

[neptuneflame]

We also just got back from POR with no problems and no complaints, but I completely understand. Last year, I got the flu while we were staying at POP. After staring at those hotel walls for three days before we ultimately left early, we are determined not to stay there for a long time! That being said, a bug can be picked up anywhere, and there's not always much you can do about it. Sorry you got sick!

 

[Rebekkap]

Just returned from a week in Disney staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Probably not the resorts fault but 3 out of 4 of us got a horrible stomach bug that laid us up 4 out of 7 days! We are a very clean family, sanitizing everything we touch. The bus service was atrocious from the long walks to the bus stop to having to share with the French Quarter. While we were waiting for our table at the California Grill on the last night I booked our room for next year in the main tower at the Contemporary with a park view. VERY pricey but with a 3 and 5 year old will be worth the money for the ease of getting to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot which are family favorites for the kids. If I decide to stay at a moderate resort again it will be the Caribbean Beach which we have enjoyed for years VIRUS FREE!!!

You might want to rethink the "sanitising everything we touch" approach. It doesn't protect you from norovirus (the bug that usually causes stomach bugs). And people using anti-bacterial sanitisers is making it harder and harder for hospitals to sterilise operating rooms properly - you don't want a family member to go into hospital for an operation and end up with an untreatable infection.

Washing your hands with good old fashioned soap and water will protect you from norovirus much better than sanitising anything with a sanitiser.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/...-norovirus-spread/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

 

[Lyncha]

I agree and can't blame the resort. But I could never stay there again because all I would be reminded of is catching my sons vomit in bed at 3:30 am and 100 trips to the bathroom. It was a nightmare!!

My family will be staying at POR next month. Please let me know what room number you guys were in just in case. Just kidding, must have been horrible.

 

[maxiesmom]

I understand where you're coming from and I think that I understood that you weren't blaming POR for the virus; just that now the two become associated with each other in your memories.

And not every resort appeals to every guest. The vocal POR army notwithstanding, it isn't my favourite mod either. I hope your next vacation turns out better.

I'm one of the vocal army, but I totally get what you are saying. I had a bad experience with one of the managers at POR and it was 5 years before I went back. At CSR we had someone try to get through the connecting room door in the middle of the night and it was 10 years before I went back there!

Sorry you had such a rotten vacation.

 

[DrDad]

You might want to rethink the "sanitising everything we touch" approach. It doesn't protect you from norovirus (the bug that usually causes stomach bugs). And people using anti-bacterial sanitisers is making it harder and harder for hospitals to sterilise operating rooms properly - you don't want a family member to go into hospital for an operation and end up with an untreatable infection.

Washing your hands with good old fashioned soap and water will protect you from norovirus much better than sanitising anything with a sanitiser.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/...-norovirus-spread/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Hand sanitizers are still highly suggested and can be purchased in containers that clip to your belt loop. For the norovirus the best thing a family can do is get the Clorox wipes for the resort rooms and to clean the common surfaces each day *after* mousekeeping leaves. The surfaces that always need to be done are door nob/handles, toilet handles, remote controls, the clocks snooze button, the AC control panel, and of course the hair dryers. Also it is usually good to begin taking a multivitamin at least 30 days prior to your trip.

The real culprit isn't hand sanitizers so much as it is anti-bacterial soap that is now the rage in most households. Our bodies are designed to house good bacteria.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I agree and can't blame the resort. But I could never stay there again because all I would be reminded of is catching my sons vomit in bed at 3:30 am and 100 trips to the bathroom. It was a nightmare!!

OMG I can relate. My DD threw up all over me at the bottom of the escalator by soarin one year. No prior warning- no illness that I was aware of until then, literally as we stepped of the escalator. I was mortified not only for us, but the people around us. If soarin wasn't my favorite ride of all 4 parks...I'd be tempted to never return to that scene. That was 4 trips ago and it still haunts me every time.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Just returned from a week in Disney staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Probably not the resorts fault but 3 out of 4 of us got a horrible stomach bug that laid us up 4 out of 7 days! We are a very clean family, sanitizing everything we touch. The bus service was atrocious from the long walks to the bus stop to having to share with the French Quarter. While we were waiting for our table at the California Grill on the last night I booked our room for next year in the main tower at the Contemporary with a park view. VERY pricey but with a 3 and 5 year old will be worth the money for the ease of getting to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot which are family favorites for the kids. If I decide to stay at a moderate resort again it will be the Caribbean Beach which we have enjoyed for years VIRUS FREE!!!

Another thing I will agree with...the buses are HORRIFIC at POR. We have been there twice, and are booked there again in OCT, but ONLY because we will not be using the buses- we drive. We thought it was just a fluke the first year- so this past year, we tried again, nope. Luckily we drive, so after the first day of waiting 40 minutes for a HS bus- we drove the rest of the trip.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

My DD got sick when we were staying at the Boardwalk ... I have zero desire to go back there - I *might* try the Beach Club one day, but even that seems to close to the scene of the crime.