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

[Practically_Perfect]

I had a king room this time and a few years ago. I just happen to get them because usually I travel alone.

Both had tubs. They will reserve the h.c. rooms first for someone who requests the h.c. type. I have yet to be put in a king room with the h.c. shower.

Thanks Tara! Really appreciate the quick response

 

[sazzifrazz]

I just got back last night from a 7 night stay at POR. I had requested a trundle bed and buildings 14 or 16 in the bayou. I checked in online as soon as I could. We arrived Friday Dec 10 at 9pm and were told that they were filled to capacity and we were in the mansions and no trundle. I was very dissapointed. Check in was kinda...less than magical. The man who helped us was less than helpful. He didn't even tell us how to get to our room. He noticed that on teh computer it said we had either a cot or an air mattress. When I asked if we would be charged extra he said he didn't know. We stopped and asked the bell services if our garden grocer order had been delivered. They seemed confused but eventually said that yes they have it and for us to call when we get to our room and they will bring it right over. We found our mansion building to be in a great location. It was a quick walk..probably just as close as the buildings i had requested. We were in room 9292 of Oak Manor which is right across the bridge next to a quiet pool. It took us lots of walking to find our room though since it was a dark maze. Once in the room we found a large folded up bed whcih we were able to push in between the door and our bed. it worked out fine. DS is only 4 so this bed was perfect for him. BTW, we were not charged extra for this. We called for our grocery order at 9:30pm. At 10:30 we decided to go to bed since it had been a long day of travel. Of course DH and I tossed and turned waiting for our grocery delivery knock. At 11 pm they came. Really?! An hour and a half? Not cool...no tip. We finally fell asleep and were woken again at 1:45am with our luggage. We lasted at 8:30pm. That seems like kinda a long time but we had packed essentials in our carry on.
The bus situation on this trip was not good at all. The first morning we got to the main bus stop at 6:50am to get to a 8:15am ADR at animal kingdom. We waited an hour for a bus, no exageration. I even went to bell services to ask what the issue was. They put a call in and 5 min later a bus pulled in. We were late for our ADR. That was just the beginning of our bus issues. They pack those things. One night after wishes the bus stop was packed. They had 2 busses and one was standing room only and the other was closed while they loaded a scooter. The full bus would not leave! They were asking for 2 more people to come on and stand. The first 5 families in line had strollers and babies/toddlers so we all refused. The bus was chockablcok full...its not like it was half empty. The driver just kept saying he had room for 2 more to stand and couldn't leave. It was absolutely ridiculous! Disney has REALLY gone down hill with transportation since my last property stay 2 yrs ago. They packed the busses so full of standers that it was really unsafe. I feel like we spent more time waiting for busses and stressing about it. We have decided we will not stay on property again unless they improve the bus situation. We stayed in a off property condo with a rental car last trip and it was 100x easier.
The food court was busy but seemed well run. Boatwrights was pretty good. The piano man was great. Mousekeeping was good...no issues. The hotel itself was fine. We have stayed here 4 times total and always liked it. Too bad the busses stunk.

 

[jeanylaser]

I wanted to know what is a trundle bed?

 

[lov2b@disney]

I wanted to know what is a trundle bed?

Here is the trundle at POR-

it fits under the bed when not in use.

 

[skater]

I just got back last night from a 7 night stay at POR. I had requested a trundle bed and buildings 14 or 16 in the bayou. I checked in online as soon as I could. We arrived Friday Dec 10 at 9pm and were told that they were filled to capacity and we were in the mansions and no trundle. I was very dissapointed. Check in was kinda...less than magical. The man who helped us was less than helpful. He didn't even tell us how to get to our room. He noticed that on teh computer it said we had either a cot or an air mattress. When I asked if we would be charged extra he said he didn't know. We stopped and asked the bell services if our garden grocer order had been delivered. They seemed confused but eventually said that yes they have it and for us to call when we get to our room and they will bring it right over. We found our mansion building to be in a great location. It was a quick walk..probably just as close as the buildings i had requested. We were in room 9292 of Oak Manor which is right across the bridge next to a quiet pool. It took us lots of walking to find our room though since it was a dark maze. Once in the room we found a large folded up bed whcih we were able to push in between the door and our bed. it worked out fine. DS is only 4 so this bed was perfect for him. BTW, we were not charged extra for this. We called for our grocery order at 9:30pm. At 10:30 we decided to go to bed since it had been a long day of travel. Of course DH and I tossed and turned waiting for our grocery delivery knock. At 11 pm they came. Really?! An hour and a half? Not cool...no tip. We finally fell asleep and were woken again at 1:45am with our luggage. We lasted at 8:30pm. That seems like kinda a long time but we had packed essentials in our carry on.
The bus situation on this trip was not good at all. The first morning we got to the main bus stop at 6:50am to get to a 8:15am ADR at animal kingdom. We waited an hour for a bus, no exageration. I even went to bell services to ask what the issue was. They put a call in and 5 min later a bus pulled in. We were late for our ADR. That was just the beginning of our bus issues. They pack those things. One night after wishes the bus stop was packed. They had 2 busses and one was standing room only and the other was closed while they loaded a scooter. The full bus would not leave! They were asking for 2 more people to come on and stand. The first 5 families in line had strollers and babies/toddlers so we all refused. The bus was chockablcok full...its not like it was half empty. The driver just kept saying he had room for 2 more to stand and couldn't leave. It was absolutely ridiculous! Disney has REALLY gone down hill with transportation since my last property stay 2 yrs ago. They packed the busses so full of standers that it was really unsafe. I feel like we spent more time waiting for busses and stressing about it. We have decided we will not stay on property again unless they improve the bus situation. We stayed in a off property condo with a rental car last trip and it was 100x easier.
The food court was busy but seemed well run. Boatwrights was pretty good. The piano man was great. Mousekeeping was good...no issues. The hotel itself was fine. We have stayed here 4 times total and always liked it. Too bad the busses stunk.

That's too bad you didn't get to stay in AB. How many people are in your family? I never realized that they could stick us in the mansions. I guess I always felt "safe" with our family of 5 that we would get AB. I never thought they could just give us a cot .

The bus transpo has always been an issue with this resort (although we had better luck this past Sept.). It also sounds like its becoming an issue everywhere . Its not fun to have to stress over transportation.

 

[jeanylaser]

thanks!

 

[cbiss]

Projected start dates for POR are April 2011 going through the fall.

I talked to the Superintendent two weeks ago, while they were working on POFQ and he said the renovations there were going on-schedule, so the April date would be about right.

We are going the end of Sept and I can't wait to see what the refurbed rooms look like! I hope they do the "themed" rooms!!

 

[mkleinbe]

The bus transpo has always been an issue with this resort (although we had better luck this past Sept.). It also sounds like its becoming an issue everywhere . Its not fun to have to stress over transportation.

We have always stayed at Pop and have never had issues with transportation. I love only having one stop. I'm excited to try POR out this summer, but the busses make me very nervous. We'll have our car so we'll definitely drive to Epcot and DHS, but driving to MK and AK is a hassle too. Sigh.....

 

[myjourney]

We have booked a stay at POR for the first time in March, and would like advise on the best area for us to request. We will have our own car and rarely eat at the resorts so I do not need to be close to the main building. But if it is warm enough I would like to be close to the Main swimming pool and a bus stop. My husband likes to leave the driving around Disney to the bus drivers.

 

[mommykds]

I didn't know it was ok to stay at the mansions with 5. Wonder if that is something one could request? We've stayed at AB before & it would be nice to stay at the mansions for a change if POR allowed that.

 

[Megsmachine]

I didn't know it was ok to stay at the mansions with 5. Wonder if that is something one could request? We've stayed at AB before & it would be nice to stay at the mansions for a change if POR allowed that.

How old is everyone going?

 

[poohlover]

Our family is finally going back to the World after 5 years! We have settled on PORS, it sounds relaxing and beautiful. We are a family of 7, so I am not sure how to frame the request for rooms. DH and I would love a room alone, 5 children, 22, 20, 18,16, and 13 then are willing to share a room in Alligator Bayou with a trundle bed. If we request this will we have a shot at getting it?

Is there anything else we can/should request in the way of specific rooms? Can we request a location? We are interested in quiet and relaxing scenery. Is it possible to make more than 1 request now?

I also realize that requests are just that and we can not count on them happening. We are using disney reward points gained over the past years so hopefully the hotel rooms will be paid for.

Any other ideas for my group? Any suggestions as to what is fun at this resort would be appreciated. We are looking to book ressies for Thanksgiving week 2011...I know it will be crowded,but with all the kids, schools and work schedules we are working around this seemed to make the most amount of sense. Our oldest DD and her DH will be staying with his parents at Saratoga Springs. This will be our first real vacation in 5 years! Can't wait!

 

[andrewilley]

No reason why your 'kids' can't all stay in one room if they are happy to do so. The trundle bed would just about fit a 13-year-old, as long as they are not especially tall. Are the others OK with sharing double beds? Disney will treat the 18-year-old as a third adult in the room, and thus make a surcharge for them.

For you, you could always book a King Bed room to stop anyone trying to swap into your room.

There's so much to do a the resort (see the FAQ in the first post of this thread) but watercraft and bike rentals would be a good start, plus maybe a horse-drawn carriage ride for the two of you?

Andre

 

[scgirard]

We are going on February 13, 2011 with 5 of us and staying at POR. It will be my DW and I along with our DD-13. We will also have our niece that is 9 and nephew that is 12. For our situation what do you think would be the best sleeping arrangements? Who should we put on the trundle bed? We are open to suggestions at this point. Thanks!

 

[onelugnut]

my 3 kids fight over who gets the trundle bed.

the girl usually wins, (as with everything)

 

[skater]

my 3 kids fight over who gets the trundle bed.

the girl usually wins, (as with everything)

Our girl usually wins everything too. Although she would strongly disagree with this statement .

 

[skater]

Our family is finally going back to the World after 5 years! We have settled on PORS, it sounds relaxing and beautiful. We are a family of 7, so I am not sure how to frame the request for rooms. DH and I would love a room alone, 5 children, 22, 20, 18,16, and 13 then are willing to share a room in Alligator Bayou with a trundle bed. If we request this will we have a shot at getting it?

Is there anything else we can/should request in the way of specific rooms? Can we request a location? We are interested in quiet and relaxing scenery. Is it possible to make more than 1 request now?

I also realize that requests are just that and we can not count on them happening. We are using disney reward points gained over the past years so hopefully the hotel rooms will be paid for.

Any other ideas for my group? Any suggestions as to what is fun at this resort would be appreciated. We are looking to book ressies for Thanksgiving week 2011...I know it will be crowded,but with all the kids, schools and work schedules we are working around this seemed to make the most amount of sense. Our oldest DD and her DH will be staying with his parents at Saratoga Springs. This will be our first real vacation in 5 years! Can't wait!

Make an adr for a dtd restaurant and take the boat down. Its a pretty ride and one of the best features of this resort.

 

[Megsmachine]

We are going on February 13, 2011 with 5 of us and staying at POR. It will be my DW and I along with our DD-13. We will also have our niece that is 9 and nephew that is 12. For our situation what do you think would be the best sleeping arrangements? Who should we put on the trundle bed? We are open to suggestions at this point. Thanks!

I would put your 12 yo nephew on the trundle. My 10 yo slept on it just fine. Being the only boy he will most likely want to be by himself down there! I will say it is not very big but...again better then sleeping with his sister!

 

[scgirard]

I would put your 12 yo nephew on the trundle. My 10 yo slept on it just fine. Being the only boy he will most likely want to be by himself down there! I will say it is not very big but...again better then sleeping with his sister!

I am tending to agree with you but my DD wants to sleep there as well. As long as it sounds like we could put either one of the kids there, my DW and I will decide before we get there. We just don't want our trip to "The happiest place on earth" to end up starting out miserable because the kids are fighting over who gets the trundle. Thanks for your input.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Any other ideas for my group? Any suggestions as to what is fun at this resort would be appreciated. We are looking to book ressies for Thanksgiving week 2011...I know it will be crowded,but with all the kids, schools and work schedules we are working around this seemed to make the most amount of sense. Our oldest DD and her DH will be staying with his parents at Saratoga Springs. This will be our first real vacation in 5 years! Can't wait!

See Bob Jackson's show in The River Roost. It's a fun show for all ages! Also, be sure to take the boat to Downtown Disney.

We haven't rented surrey bikes yet, but hope to do so on our next trip.