The New and Updated Port Orleans Riverside FAQ Thread for 2008 --- NOW CLOSED

[Pixiedust34]

Half-gallon is no problem at all, but you might need to do some shelf-juggling for anything much bigger:

Andre

Thanks! I couldn't remember if a milk carton would fit in the fridge or not. The photo was great!

 

[janiejake]

Quote:
Originally Posted by andrewilley
Could I ask that the folks who are going to POR imminently [not jealous, honest...] pop back here when they return to update us? Things like the main pool and/or possible Alligator Bayou pool closures, the Boatwright's breakfast situation, and especially whether Disney have temporarily closed some of the accommodation buildings during this quiet period (and which ones). Many thanks!

Andre

I logged on to this thread just to find this info out...My question has to do with the Magnolia Bend section...if they have buildings not in use? Can't imagine ourselves in the AB section--I'd be an unhappy camper.
Also, watching that pool situation. I'm hoping that my quiet pool is able to be just that: quiet. Not too possible if they are inundated with swimmers from a closed theme pool. So, for those of you traveling in the next few weeks, please post/share your experiences and observations here. TIA!

 

[Pixiedust34]

Quote:
Originally Posted by andrewilley
Could I ask that the folks who are going to POR imminently [not jealous, honest...] pop back here when they return to update us? Things like the main pool and/or possible Alligator Bayou pool closures, the Boatwright's breakfast situation, and especially whether Disney have temporarily closed some of the accommodation buildings during this quiet period (and which ones). Many thanks!

Andre

I logged on to this thread just to find this info out...My question has to do with the Magnolia Bend section...if they have buildings not in use? Can't imagine ourselves in the AB section--I'd be an unhappy camper.
Also, watching that pool situation. I'm hoping that my quiet pool is able to be just that: quiet. Not too possible if they are inundated with swimmers from a closed theme pool. So, for those of you traveling in the next few weeks, please post/share your experiences and observations here. TIA!

I just want to say that we've stayed in both AB and MB. While both sections are nice, we prefer the AB. : ) Perhaps it's a matter of different strokes for different folks, but we prefer the rustic landscaping and the theme of the AB room.

As for the quiet pools..........I'm afraid to say that "quiet" is luck of the draw! Sometimes they are quiet. Sometimes they aren't. It all depends upon who is using the pool.

 

[Maine-iac]

We were in building 28, as well, when we stayed there! Unlike you, I found the bed to be soft, which is my preference. My DH and I agreed that they were probably the most comfortable hotel beds we've ever had.

(Of course, last time was at a Residence Inn and the mattress was so weirdly lumpy and I found myself either rolling OFF the bed or rolling downhill towards my DH... thus, I might have pretty low standards!)

We stayed in building 38 in Dec and found the beds VERY comfortable.
We will be staying at Pop this Dec. Back to the hard beds.

 

[B9erSteve]

I'm off to POR! We'll be there On the 7th If I can find computer access, I'll post my thoughts here.

 

[alleymaxx]

POR is somewhat spreadout, and if you think you're going to spend much time at all in the restaurant, food court, lobby, or general store, then you should definitely request lodging near that area. I personally don't mind the walking, but my partner did and made sure to mention it every day.

Out of the four mansions of Magnolia Bend, the closest to the South Depot, the "main" depot, is Oak Manor. You just walk across a bridge and then past the lobby and there you are. Although, if you're not adamant about using the South depot, I would recommend lodging in Magnolia Terrace. It's very close to the East Depot.

As far as which area to request, Magnolia Bend versus Alligator Bayou, that's really up to you. The layout of the rooms are identical, but the theming of each is vastly different.

Before making any decisions regarding your lodging, you should definitely check out andrewilley's website at http://www.portorleans.org. He's got just loads of information, photos, maps, etc that most likely will aid you in your decisions. I know it was and continues to be incredibly helpful to many of us.

And if the website doesn't meet your needs then just post something here and I'm sure someone will be able to help you out.

Thanks again Yarna for your reply & advice. I will definately check out that website.

 

[MomtoGKC]

We had our first stay at POR two weeks ago - we loved it! I was nervous because for some reason I felt "forced" to stay there since we have 5 people in our family. We stayed at WL on our last trip and we decided POR was like WL Junior. The landscaping was beautiful. The river was so pretty.

We usually don't use the main lobby much, we just want to be close to a bus stop. We got building 35 - WAY away from the main building but very close to West bus stop. In fact, I would almost guarantee that our walk to that stop was shorter than our walk from WL room to the bus or boat there - and I KNOW it was shorter than our walk from BCV to those bus stops! The only thing here was- we liked the food court so much we kind of wished we had been closer to the main building! The walk wasn't bad, but in the mornings we had 30 degree weather - too cold to walk. If we really needed something we drove from our room to the main building.

The busses were great. The only time we had a hard time was after Wishes one night - the line was super long and we had to wait at least two, maybe three busses - and even then we had to stand. Other than that I don't think we ever waited more than 5 minutes.

Rooms were fine for us. I would LOVE if they would go to queen beds like CSR. We have 3 kids- two sleep together in one bed, the other sleeps in bed with us when we're at a hotel. We would be better off with two queens and no trundle since none of our kids slept there, but since Disney says we have no choice we end up squeezing into 2 doubles. Although, just in case anyone is thinking of it, my DH slept in the trundle one night and said it's not so great for a 38 year old man. Oh, and we had two towel animals when we got there - but they were kind of strange looking so we're not sure what they were!! Once I get the pitures up I'll have to take a poll. One of my DD's tough she recognized a Yeti. I thought one was a turtle.

Overall, we really enjoyed POR and are looking forward to going back again someday!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I am so glad that I found this thread. We will be staying here in Oct and I am so excited. I have requested building 14 or 15 in the AB section. Hopefully we will get it. I am going to fax another request to the resort when it gets closer to time.

 

[monami7]

We are headed here for the first time next month. It is an extra trip for me. I am really excited! We usually stay DVC (SSR, BWV, OKW or AKV) but this is the only mod we have never tried. It looks great for our trip.
Heidi

 

[MinnieMom]

I'm sure everyone is getting tired of all my questions, so I'm sorry, but I am really having a difficult time choosing between POR and CBR for our upcoming trip. If anyone can answer the following for me I would be ever so grateful!!

How deep/shallow is the pool at POR?

What's the slide like? Fun for an 8 year old? Too much for a 4-year old?

Is it true that the Magnolia rooms are not being used now? I LOVE the looks of them and they seem to be in a great location too.

Can someone tell me about the storytelling around the campfire and the s'mores? I read that it is done seasonally, but when is that? We would be there March 28th - April 4th.

Thanks so much!

 

[andrewilley]

I'm sure everyone is getting tired of all my questions, so I'm sorry, but I am really having a difficult time choosing between POR and CBR for our upcoming trip.

No problem, don't worry!

How deep/shallow is the pool at POR?

Min 3ft, max 5ft (the Alligator Bayou quiet pools go up to 6ft in the middle sections)

What's the slide like? Fun for an 8 year old? Too much for a 4-year old?

Fun, 95ft long. Not massive, but great fun anyway. Fine for an 8- or 4-year old who swims well (or is wearing a floatation vest). Life guards are always on duty near the bottom (where it is 3' 6" in depth).

Is it true that the Magnolia rooms are not being used now? I LOVE the looks of them and they seem to be in a great location too.

Some do appear to be temporarily out of use due to low attendance, but Disney are not confirming anything officially. If they are at 60% capacity, I guess it's better to not use one or two of the four mansion buildings rather than have them all operating half-full.

Can someone tell me about the storytelling around the campfire and the s'mores? I read that it is done seasonally, but when is that? We would be there March 28th - April 4th.

It usually stops sometime during March, not sure if it will still be running by the end of the month though.

Andre

 

[MinnieMom]

Thanks so much andrewilley. That was so helpful . . . now if only you could make my decision for me!

 

[B9erSteve]

I can't speak for the Pool since it is currently closed. The pool at French Quarter got a little over 4 feet at the deepest though. Andrew appears to have answered this question already.

I currently writing from Magnolia terrace right now so I know its up and running. I've asked around a bit and have gotten no firm answers as to what is working or closed right now. But I checked before coming and found that the resort was "Booked" and now that I am here I can't say that it really appears all that busy here. This morning was the worst and that was because we slept in to enjoy the resort.

We did enjoy the campfire shichh seems to be popular, but I didn't notice any stories being told. But interestingly enough, the kids seemed to all run away to the nearby playground leaving the adults to enjoy the campfire. The s'mores were yummy though. And I didn't have to share!

 

[andrewilley]

I currently writing from Magnolia terrace right now so I know its up and running. I've asked around a bit and have gotten no firm answers as to what is working or closed right now.

One way to check would be by the parking lots - either if you're driving, or when the bus does a tour round the outside of the resort, are any of the mansion buidling car parks basically empty at the moment? (Unless they use them for temporary cast member parking to put us off the scent... LOL). One other recent poster was in Magnolia too, I think.

Any pics of the campfire area when there are people there would be nice... thank!

Andre

 

[B9erSteve]

Andre, I've looked at the parking lots a bit and found them to be uniformly empty.
There's a smattering of cars here and there but nothing that I could firmly establish "that looks deserted. I'm planning a walk about sometime today or Sunday and will look closely at each of the buildings for signs of habitation. I'll try too walk by the firepit on the few nights I have left and take a picture. I was told that they were doing the Firepit on only two nights in the week but then some of the castmembers told me that they were going to try to do it every night. (There's been more people stop by than usual for them) Tonight I'm at Cirque so I can't get one tonight but tonight DHS is only open to 7pm and I may be back early enough to get the pic.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Andre, I've looked at the parking lots a bit and found them to be uniformly empty.
There's a smattering of cars here and there but nothing that I could firmly establish "that looks deserted. I'm planning a walk about sometime today or Sunday and will look closely at each of the buildings for signs of habitation. I'll try too walk by the firepit on the few nights I have left and take a picture. I was told that they were doing the Firepit on only two nights in the week but then some of the castmembers told me that they were going to try to do it every night. (There's been more people stop by than usual for them) Tonight I'm at Cirque so I can't get one tonight but tonight DHS is only open to 7pm and I may be back early enough to get the pic.

You know what's weird though.......We stayed at POR when they were booked to capacity. The parking lot in front of our building was nearly empty, and I know we had plenty of neighbors. Either a lot of people fly and don't have a car, or they tend to park in the main parking lot area instead of outside their building. I think it would be hard to judge if buildings are closed by watching the parking lots.

 

[mickeystoontown]

We are currently booked at Pop but are CBR lovers. We are thinking about a stay at Port Orleans Riverside. I have a few questions though.

1) Is there a grab n go section in the food court?

2) How is the transportation? How many bus stops are there? How long does it take to reach the theme parks and Downtown Disney?

3) Any other Port Orleans tips?

Thanks!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

We are currently booked at Pop but are CBR lovers. We are thinking about a stay at Port Orleans Riverside. I have a few questions though.

1) Is there a grab n go section in the food court?

2) How is the transportation? How many bus stops are there? How long does it take to reach the theme parks and Downtown Disney?

3) Any other Port Orleans tips?

Thanks!

I have stayed at FQ but went to Riverside several times so can answer some of your questions!

1) There is a grab and go section.
2) We drove everywhere but I'm sure I have read there are 4 bus stops plus an additional one at FQ. Journey length wise we found the hotel to be quite central - 15 minutes was our longest journey. DTD is very close, and you can get a boat from the resort there, as well as a bus.
3) Try the beignets from FQ and the Magic Cookie Bars from Riverside! To die for! May have some more tips after May when we stay at Riverside for the first time!

 

[klmorg]

I'm sure everyone is getting tired of all my questions, so I'm sorry, but I am really having a difficult time choosing between POR and CBR for our upcoming trip. We would be there March 28th - April 4th.

Thanks so much!

Wow MinnieMom!! we will be at POR the same dates in AB. Hope you all have a blast!! This is our first time at POR. We were originally booked at the Contemporary but then realized all the construction going on and changed our ressie.

 

[Mom3girls]

We will be in AB section of POR March 25- April 1st. We should meet at the pool bar for drinks! Anyone have daughters around 8-13? My kids are very outgoing!!!