PORTOFINO BAY HOTEL INFO...FAQ`s and more.......

[MamaKate]

Does the Villa pool offer food/beverage service? We've only used the Beach pool in the past but in November it will only be my teen daughter and me and I think the Villa pool would be more relaxing. But I do like the food service offered at the Beach pool.

 

[georgina]

Does the Villa pool offer food/beverage service? We've only used the Beach pool in the past but in November it will only be my teen daughter and me and I think the Villa pool would be more relaxing. But I do like the food service offered at the Beach pool.

Yes the servers from the beach pool will come around, and you can always use the QR code by the chairs to place an order and they will bring it.

 

[MamaKate]

Yes the servers from the beach pool will come around, and you can always use the QR code by the chairs to place an order and they will bring it.

Awesome! Thanks.

 

[georgina]

I love the Villa pool. Just hopped over there last week from Cabana Bay and had a nice fruit plate and cocktail. The rain came a bit earlier than predicted though, cutting my afternoon short.

 

[Deb1993]

Can you access the laundry room directly from the West Wing if you room is there without going to the Lobby or Villa wing? I’ve been trying to find good maps.

We were just in the West Wing and if you walk past the elevators and through the Villa wing there is a sign for the elevator that brings you to the laundry room.

 

[Deb1993]

One more quick question before we check in next week. We booked a club level room for 7 nights and we prefer to be on the top floor. A balcony would be fantastic but I understand there are not many available. Should I call in my request for the top floor and a balcony if possible or should I just ask when we check in(we will arrive early, probably around 7:30 or 8:00am so we can get our express pass and head to the parks, but we don't need a room right away and would be willing to wait)

A few trips ago, a top floor notification that somehow appeared on my (bay view) reservation resulted in us being on the 5th floor West Wing with a dungeon like window, not the normal large windows. We asked them to remove that notification because we don't want to be in that awful room ever again.

 

[Deb1993]

Does the Villa pool offer food/beverage service? We've only used the Beach pool in the past but in November it will only be my teen daughter and me and I think the Villa pool would be more relaxing. But I do like the food service offered at the Beach pool.

Yes, the loungers have a QR code where you can place your order and it will be brought to you (from Splendido's).

The Villa Pool is lovely.

 

[jperrot1]

How far of a walk is it from villa 5th floor rooms to the club? Also, how far from club to the boat? Finally, How far from the villa room to the main pool? Thanks!

There are 2 different elevator locations for the villa. One elevator is instant access to the spa and fitness center which is by the beach pool and the quiet pool is just steps away. The time it takes to get from 5th floor to the pools is 15 seconds from the time you call for the elevator and the time you step out of the elevator. The beach pool is pretty much right there. The quiet pool is also a few steps from the elevator. The short answer is a couple minutes on average from any 5th floor room to the pools.
To get to the club lounge, or walk to the boat transportation, you would go to the other elevators on the other side of the floor. It could take around a minute to get to these elevators, depending where your specific room is located on the hallway. Once you call for the elevator, it will take under a minute to wait for an elevator, get off elevator (3rd floor) and walk to the club lounge. The quick answer is 1-2 minutes.
Now, you would take those same elevators for club lounge access to get to the boats, but you would take the elevator down to the 1st floor. It’s about a 2 minute walk from when you step off the elevators and get to the boat. The quick answer is 3-5 minutes from any given room to the boat.
I know you didn’t ask this question, but I would guess you will be going from the club lounge to the boat, and that will be 3 minutes
I can recommend a club room for a convenient room location, and great vacation experience.
Have a great day.

 

[yaya74]

What is the bathroom configuration of a club queen double - do they have walk-in showers or a tub? They are not the same as a deluxe, correct?

The first club 2 queen room I stayed at back in 2017 had a HUGE bathroom with a walk-in shower AND a jacuzzi tub. The sink, tub, shower, and toilet were all enclosed in the same room.
The room I stayed in two weeks ago does not have a tub, just a walk-in shower. It is still a nice size bathroom. The bedroom side is very roomy.

 

[traci]

The first club 2 queen room I stayed at back in 2017 had a HUGE bathroom with a walk-in shower AND a jacuzzi tub. The sink, tub, shower, and toilet were all enclosed in the same room.
The room I stayed in two weeks ago does not have a tub, just a walk-in shower. It is still a nice size bathroom. The bedroom side is very roomy.

Thank you yaya

 

[mistysue]

Yes! We loved the hotel and feature pool! We’re having a blast and just upgraded to 3 park APs to pop back over during our DVC stay starting tonight for 6 nights (I refuse to buy any more day tickets for WDW & they won’t sell me an AP ).

Just wanted to give a heads up to those with Celiacs/Gluten intolerance - gluten is hidden in so much that a concerted effort would need to be made by the venue to offer enough GF offerings to make it worthwhile!

Did you do anything to contact them in advance about your allergies, or just ask when you were there?
I've been told a few times to contact the hotel when we get closer and I'm wondering if it seems to make a difference for people. I have until early November.

 

[Madame]

Did you do anything to contact them in advance about your allergies, or just ask when you were there?
I've been told a few times to contact the hotel when we get closer and I'm wondering if it seems to make a difference for people. I have until early November.

Yes. This was the response. We were very proactive.

 

[mistysue]

Yes. This was the response. We were very proactive.

That's not reassuring. Thank you for letting us know what we're getting in to.

 

[hultrain]

Hi. I’m sure this is answered somewhere in this long thread so sorry if this is a repeat, but where can I find the most current water taxi/bus schedule? What’s the best form of transportation to get to the parks early? Taxi? Bus? Walk?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

No schedule, the water taxis just run continuously during reasonable hours except when stopped due to weather. Water taxi or walk are always the easiest & best choices, weather permitting.

 

[Jamie77]

No schedule, the water taxis just run continuously during reasonable hours except when stopped due to weather. Water taxi or walk are always the easiest & best choices, weather permitting.

I just got back from Portofino. While standing in line at the boat dock I overheard a person tell another that the water taxis run on the 7's. 9:07, 9:17, 9:27, etc. I hadn't heard of that before my stay but I timed it and sure enough, that's when a water taxi would show up. At times it took a minute or two more but it did help to know where I was time-wise if I'd just shown up at the dock.

 

[disney k family]

I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who answered my questions regarding Portofino Bay!!! We stayed 7 nights from August 24-31 in a club level room.

I would definitely recommend the club rooms. We enjoyed eating in the lounge every day!!

Breakfast: There was a really nice variety at breakfast and everyone(myself, husband and children ages 14 and 17)was able to find something they enjoyed eating. If you did not want the hot offerings there was yogurt, bagels, fruit or cereal every day.

Lunch: We took lunchtime breaks from the parks everyday because it was very hot. We were surprised that the lounge also worked for us at lunch time. It alternated daily from warm breadsticks with marinara sauce to warm pretzels with a mustard dip. They also had veggies, dip, chips, pita bread and cookies/pastries

Dinner: Dinner was also enjoyable. We checked it out each evening to see if it was something we were interested in and surprisingly it worked great for our family. I am not a huge fan of pork so the night they offered that I ate the veggies and had a salad.

Dessert from 8:00-9:00pm was ok. Nothing worth going out of your way for but still nice if you were in the area.

The club lounge saved us a lot of money because we never wanted to eat in the restaurants. The kids grabbed snacks in the parks(ice cream, butter beer, fudge, Cinnabon, icees and voodoo donuts) but we didn't step foot inside a restaurant. The one thing I will say is that the club lounge was pretty busy and the employees work hard. They were constantly cleaning and replenishing food. They seemed very patient and kind but maybe a bit over worked. Some of the families in the club lounge were "needy" but the staff always put a smile on their face and helped. Some families perhaps should have been reminded to use the serving tongs and not stick their hands in the cookies, dinner rolls or other dishes. I was a bit out of my comfort zone since we have not eaten out much in the last couple years but I quickly got over it and enjoyed the experience.

I would highly recommend Portofino Bay. We loved the extra space in the room and we didn't feel like we were on top of each other like you do in smaller hotel rooms. I requested a high floor and we were placed on the 5th floor overlooking the Villa pool. It took about 3-4 minutes to get to the club lounge. We also spent a couple afternoons at the villa pool. It was nice and relaxing. The boat service was quick and one day we decided to walk because there was a pretty big line up. Thank you for the tip to walk through the Hard Rock parking lot. We couldn't believe how quickly we got to city walk. We walked by an employee in the Hard Rock parking lot and he smiled and said "you found the secret short cut"

All in all it was a great trip and we all agree that we prefer Portofino Bay over Royal Pacific where we stayed about 5 years ago. Hoping to be able to return next year for another week long trip!

 

[Tink Fans]

Here is the new menu (new chef) for the lounge. Staff are all wonderful and Disney K Family gave a perfect description above. We are enjoying Club very much and chatting with all the staff.

 

[youngdeb12]

Which method is best for submitting room requests? Email or calling the hotel directly? We will be there in just over 3 weeks!

 

[Tink Fans]

I emailed a few days before and they replied. I was happy with the room they gave us -and it was ready by 1 pm (bonus)