Positive POR report 5/20-5/26

[SnowByte]

I know there's been some not-so-good comments on PO-R lately (always Dixie Landings to me), but we had a really great week at PO-R. We were in the mansion side, Acadia House, but wish we had gotten Magnolia Terrace. This was our 5th time staying here since 1994 and is still my most favorite resort (out of the one's we've stayed at).

We thought the food was really good at both the food court and Boatwright's. I actually loved the coffee at the food court and would walk their each morning to get it. The CM's were nice and friendly. Our maid service was adequate, but nothing special.

To us, everything was up to par except for the bus service. We did notice a definite increase in wait time and they seemed to try to pack in as many people as possible. However, we were lucky enough to have a car so we drove everywhere the rest of the week and that worked out great! It was so much easier and quicker. If we arrived to the parks early enough we would get a great parking space. We would take a break in the afternoon and drive back later and still find a good space up front.

The only other negative was the lattice seperating the main pool, but I'm hoping that's just temporary.

I would definitely recommend this resort. We love it!

 

[Meriweather]

My favorite resort!!

 

[ophyllia]

We also just returned from POR and loved it. My DBF hasn't been to Disney in about 22 years so it was all new to him so I tried to get to each of the resorts and he kept saying how much he liked POR because of the spacing and the nice food court.
He too was addicted to the coffee. It made a very nice walk each morning. This was my first time staying there and I now think this may be my resort of choice even over many of the Deluxe resorts. It just had so much character. I took tons of pictures and when I figure out how to post them here I will.

 

[clarke must go]

Thanks SnowByte for posting your positive experience. We will be staying at POR beginning Saturday 6/8 and I was beginning to worry since I've also been reading a lot of negative feedback concerning POR, although most of the negativity seems to center around the poor bus service. We've been to DW twice in the past and stayed at the All-Stars resorts and never used our car, only the Disney busses. It doesn't sound like that would be a good idea at POR these days. I'm most concerned with the lack of organization, i.e. no lines. If everybody resorts to racing to the bus doors to get on, or even worse, pushing and shoving to get on a bus, it would certainly dampen our enthusiasm for our trip. That thought conjures up memories of our last trip when two men engaged in a fist fight jockeying for position along the MK parade route!

Could you elaborate on what it was like to drive your car into the parks? Do the theme park lots open at a certain time, say an hour before the park opens? Are there lines to wait in to enter the parking lot and find a space or is it pretty much drive right in and park? Does anyone else have an opinion as to whether it would be better to drive your own car to the parks vs taking the Disney busses? Thanks for any feedback!

 

[pooh6890]

POR has the farthest bus stops at Epcot and I believe the rest of the parks also. The busses are generally very slow, very full and the lines are incredibly long after Illuminations. We found they had to call for more busses every time we were there. I hate also that they try to fit so many people on one bus. We usually wait for the next one to make sure we have a seat. Nothing is more annoying than people expecting my kids to give up their seat and then have to stand and practically fall over people on the way home. They definately need to work on their bus service.

 

[SnowByte]

When we drove to the parks from POR we left about 30 minutes before opening time and drove right through the gates. We didn't have to wait in line to park. CM's are there to guide you. We were able to go thru the bag checkpoints and then wait on line for the park to open. It was very quick and easy. Though on busy days (like MK on Sat) you may want to leave a little earlier. I highly recommend driving. Make sure you have a good map reader in the car!

Our first day is the only day we rode the buses and there was a pretty bad 'bus incident' that occured on the way back from EPCOT that evening. I don't know if it's been mentioned on this board or not, but anyway... on May 21st there was a big line of people waiting in line for the POR bus to arrive. The bus came and then these three 20-something african-american people (2 girls and a guy) run to the back door of the bus and start banging on it to let them in. Someone on line yelled at them to get on the back of the line. They didn't. They managed to cut in front of somebody the last minute and get on the bus. The bus driver (I think) told them to get off the bus. They wouldn't. A few passengers started getting very angry with these people and they were going back and forth with words. All of a sudden one of the girls starts going crazy and screaming curse words (the 'F' word mostly). Another women screamed out "There are children on the bus!". It was pure pandemonium! The bus driver turned the bus around back to EPCOT. Security got on the bus and 'escorted' these people off the bus. We heard one lady say 'This is NOT a Disney Moment'. It was pretty scary at the time. That was the last time we used the bus that week. I'm sure it was just an isolated incident and I WOULD ride the busses again IF the wait time improves.

 

[Grumpygal]

I was there the first week of May and didn't notice any real problems with the bus service. Yes it was crowded but we didn't see any major problems. For the most part (with only one exception) we never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus and we always got a seat when leaving POR.

I think this will always be my favorite place to stay. I just love the atmosphere and everything else there. I've looked at some of the other resorts but always keep coming back to POR.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

The only park it may be worthwhile to take a bus to is MK. We always drive to the others and it is so easy and convenient. Can come and go as you please, no crowds to fight off! They see your "resort" pass on your dashboard and simply wave you through in the mornings, no stopping to pay or anything. It is a breeze.
BTW, we LOVE PO. Foodcourt is the best! Very relaxing atmosphere, lots to see and do !

 

[TINKTWINS]

In April we had a rental and drove everywhere. We were traveling with 4 kids though. We took a bus once to Mickeys BBQ and it was not a good experience, we also encountered people who didnt care that you were standing there longer and were dealing with 2yo twins and strollers ect. We vowed no busses again. The 2yos didnt sit good on the bus. They need the comfort of their car seats. Having our own ride was much easier for us. However maybe id try it again when my kids are older. But dealing with pushy rude people does put a damper on your day, so the less chances of encountering that the better. Dont want to lose the Magic first thing in the AM.

 

[pooh6890]

I have twin 17 year old girls.....(Enjoy them while they are young and not too much trouble....ha ha).......