REALLY want AB room!

[rjvose17]

We have decided to change our minds once again, at one point we were booked a POR Royal room,then Coronado Club level, then down to All star sports because it's hard to beat the price with the AP discount, and now we have switched to POR standard view. We REALLY want Alligator Bayou but can't request them on the online check in part..... ANYONE have any hints or tips on how to make it happen? TIA

Also how's the walk between Riverside and French Quarter, we have a TIW card and it's accepted at the FQ food court so we will probably do a trip or two over there.

We consider ourselves Disney Vets but this is one resort we don't know that well since we are DVC members! (we are out of points if you are wondering it might be time to add on )

 

[mrzrich]

Can you have an imaginary child to bring your family size up to 5?

 

[aaarcher86]

Change to a preferred room. They're all in AB.

 

[mrzrich]

As for walking between the POR and POFQ, I found this on another site:

How far apart are the two resorts? Can I walk between them, use the other swimming pools, or top up my refillable mug?

Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside are ‘sister’ resorts in that they operate under one management structure and share a number of facilities. Although they may appear to be some distance apart on a map or when you’re driving or taking the bus, in fact the dividing line between the last building of French Quarter (Building 7) and the first of Riverside (Parterre Place) is merely a narrow road bridge. It’s a very pleasant short walk alongside the Sassagoula river bank between the two resorts, and you can comfortably stroll the 875 yards from one food court to the other in around 10 minutes.

Other options include taking the Sassagoula Water Taxi which runs every 20 minutes or so and takes around five minutes to travel between the two docks. You could even use the Disney buses, as most of the bus services departing from French Quarter make their next stop at Riverside — but do check with the bus driver first, in case the bus you are trying to catch is going straight on to its final destination!

Because the two Port Orleans resorts are linked, anyone staying at either resort is able to use all of the facilities at the other — including (unusually for Disney hotels) the swimming pools. Indeed, the walk between the two main feature pools is just 985 yards should you wish to try them both out in one session. There is probably more incentive for guests staying at French Quarter to travel over to Riverside though, as many of the major facilities are located over at the somewhat larger Riverside resort. These include the only table-service restaurant (Boatwright’s Dining Hall), cycle rentals, evening horse drawn carriage rides, the fishin’ hole and the five quiet pools. On the other hand, the French Quarter food court is the only place to get beignets!

And yes, you can purchase a Rapid Fill refillable mug from either the Riverside Mill or the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory and get unlimited hot or cold drink refills from the beverage dispensers at all of the food courts for the rest of your current stay.

 

[BelleKer]

Everytime we have stayed at POR, and booked a standard room we have been in AB. I have wanted one of the non-royal room mansion buildings.

 

[nkereina]

Change to a preferred room. They're all in AB.

Exactly what I was going to say. Booking a preferred room will guarantee you a room in AB. Otherwise, it will be just a request.

One good thing you have going for you is that AB has more standard room inventory than the mansions, since the royal rooms take up half of the mansions rooms. You should still have a good chance of getting a room in AB, even if you don't book preferred. You can add the request to your reservation over the phone, do online check-in, be prepared/willing to wait when you arrive if necessary, and you can also fax your request a few days before you arrive.

 

[Saimaeve]

The walk is super easy. I wandered between the two a few times without realizing where I was going. That was after a long day in the parks with a 7 year old with me.

I think when you check in you can ask for an Alligator Bayou room. The only thing that might prevent it is if you asked for a Royal Guest room (Only in the Magnolia Bend buildings) or if the view you booked doesn't have rooms available in that area

 

[Lillabelle0]

We stayed at POR this summer and we were in AB. We did book a preferred room though. The walk between the two resorts is not bad at all. We took the boat from DTD to POFQ, had beignets and walked back to our room a few times. It was a pleasant and peaceful walk. I did find AB to be a bit farther out though. It also made me feel like I was in the woods!! Enjoy your stay!!

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

Can you have an imaginary child to bring your family size up to 5?

That was going to be my suggestion -- add fictional 2 year old to your reservation. They don't need a ticket or dining plan.

I have no idea if it will work, but if you don't want to upgrade to preferred it's worth a shot.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

All the rooms in the mansions are nice. Even the ones facing parking. I also prefer AB since it was Dixie Landings.

I booked pool view this time since we will probably be getting back to the room after Ol man island is closed. We love to float after a long day out.

 

[Allison]

Can you have an imaginary child to bring your family size up to 5?

I would hope people would not do this and take away a room from a family of 5 who needs it. If there are rooms available in AB, the OP can request it when they arrive.

 

[mrzrich]

I would hope people would not do this and take away a room from a family of 5 who needs it. If there are rooms available in AB, the OP can request it when they arrive.

Really?

There are loads of families with less then 5 people who get rooms there. I was assigned an AB room on a solo trip. What are the that odds of every family staying at AB is a family of 5?

It not likely that a family of 5 will be turned away.

 

[Kat913]

I love POR. It's our favorite moderate- you will have a wonderful time. The grounds are beautiful & it makes walking very enjoyable! But if you don't wish to walk as pps have said you can use the water taxi or buses to go to PFQ. Just an added note-each time we have stayed at Riverside with the TIW card they excepted it at the quick service place there also even when it was't listed. We also used it for drinks at the RiverRoost. Haven't been there recently though.

 

[Allison]

Really?

There are loads of families with less then 5 people who get rooms there. I was assigned an AB room on a solo trip. What are the that odds of every family staying at AB is a family of 5?

It not likely that a family of 5 will be turned away.

I believe I was clear. If there are plenty of rooms it shouldn't be a problem to make it a request.