Very negative POR report

[DisneyFan09]

A co-worker just returned from POR Alligator Bayou and had horrible things to say. The room was dirty specifically the toilet (I won't go into details but the outside of it had OBVIOUSLY not been cleaned), the blanket had dried pink stuff all over it (maybe Pepto Bismol she said) and there was no vanity in the bathroom just two pedestal sinks with a two-by-four kind of thing in between them to put stuff. She called the front desk about the toilet at 3pm and they showed up at 9PM to clean it. She took the blanket to the front desk at 11:00pm to show them and they said they would get her a new one and it took them until 12:30am. She said the room had an overall dingy look to it.

I'm so upset about this because I am staying there in Oct., what should I do? We have five people and are staying at Poly for the first three nights but can't afford it for the whole stay. Won't WDW let us pay extra and stay at CBR? Why do they care if we are a little crowded?

 

[Luv2Roam]

Very true about the pedestal sinks at POR. I think ours might have had a not too deep shelf above the sinks. Makes it quaint I guess but not convenient, I agree.
I have said my (also not so nice) comments about POR. I suggest to you what someone from the WDW executive office told me about ANY WDW resort room that wasn't clean -- have them reclean the room while you are in the parks during the day.
I have not had to do this, as I have only stayed two other times (ASMu) and the rooms were very clean. (As was our CSR room.)
And I wonder how effective this would be after reading other posts. But rather than have another dirty room and hope it gets better the next day (which never happened) I would be firm but nice on having cleaner accomodations.

 

[jaguar9748]

Sorry to hear about your co-worker's dilemma at POR. I have stayed at this resort at least 8 times (7 in the AB section) and have never had a problem with the room. In fact, I have always been very pleased with the room!

In the AB rooms, there are 2 pedestal sinks (the sinks are similar in the mansion rooms). There is a mirror above each sink. Directly above the sink and under the mirror is a shelf for your toiletries.

There are good pictures on www.wdwig.com for your review.

Don't stress about it. If things aren't to your liking, be sure to call and speak to the manager. I'll bet you'll have a magical stay!!

 

[DisneyFan09]

Thanks for the pep talk jaguar!! I've been combing these boards trying to come up with some other ideas and just can't afford to stay at a deluxe our entire trip. I'm hoping that this is an isolated incident because I really couldn't find very many other negative reports! Are the sinks outside of the toilet area?

 

[SuzyQue]

Yes, the toilet & tub are in their own room. I agree, don't stress over it. We stayed there last Feb. for our first trip on site and we loved it!! And we'll be back there next month. We had none of the problems your friend had, and it's a shame they had to go through that. Yes the shelf above the sinks is small, but there is another one above the area you hang your clothes. Another suggestion made here on the boards is get one of those cheap vinyl shoe holders you throw over the door for all your toiletries etc. Don't worry, just enjoy the planning and look forward to the Magic!! ~~

Here is another site with great pictures.

http://64.41.109.164/dxl/index.htm

 

[smjj]

We just got back and also stayed in AB. We had no problems at all with anything. All was clean and fresh each day. The sinks are the pedestal kind but they presented no problems. If I remember, they had a shelf above each sink..smjj

 

[Gabrielle]

It seems to be hit or miss at POR.

You could switch over to PO-FQ - I was there recently and the room was in great shape with great housekeeping. I don't know why the Riverside section gets such uneven service.

I'd suggest you ask for a room change if you find the room unsatisfactory - to cut down on the aggravation.

 

[simonmunro]

I know how it is to fret about some part of an upcomming vacation that just doesn't feel like it'll be right for your family. Your room will most likely be beautiful, BUT if it's too stressful to wonder maybe you could find an alternate plan that makes you feel better. Could you do two All Stars or if one of you is a teacher, nurse or government employee you could stay at the Swan for 129.00. Their remodeling will be complete so you'll be sure of a room in great condition. You might even feel better and relaxed if you stayed at two connecting CBR rooms the whole vacation instead of the Poly part of the time. Would that be about the same money??? Just a thought, you could go back to the Poly next time.

 

[Mitla96]

We liked POR so much back in 2001 that I'm still considering staying there rather than Swan (Nurse's rate) in three weeks. We had NO problems with cleanliness, they made the towel animals and the grounds were just gorgeous. We had fun just walking around-we saw a red headed woodpecker as big as my forearm 10 feet ahead of us on a path.

I would go and complain if you need to. I"VE been debating about the Swan because it gets such mixed reviews. But with the Nurse's rate and the closeness to EPCOT I still think it is best for this trip (we only do one park per trip).

 

[Eyesnur]

I'd hardly call it hit or miss. There are how many rooms and how many people staying at POR daily and we hear about how many complaints? It is still a small percentage of people actually having problems, although this hardly minimizes the affect of those who do. But I wouldn't fret, I'd just take a good attitude with you and expect the best. If something is amiss politely ask that it be rectified immediately (which certainly could include a new room). If this can't be done request to switch resorts...Also, keep requesting to speak to superiors (move up the food chain).

I've only stayed at PO once (last year). We were in Aligator Bayou and our room was perfect! I liked the quaintness of the pedestal sinks and find this not to be a legitimat gripe. But cleanliness is next to godiness and aything less than clean is totally unacceptable anywhere anytime.

 

[BrianD]

Originally posted by DisneyFan09
... We have five people and are staying at Poly for the first three nights but can't afford it for the whole stay....

This is a little off topic, but I would suggest putting the deluxe resort at the end of the stay rather than at the beginning. It's much more desirable to move to a nicer resort during the stay than to downgrade in the middle and be dissapointed because you liked the deluxe so much better.

Just my advice!

 

[LorieR]

We stayed at Magnolia Terrace in Dec. 2002 and Arcadia in Dec. 2001 (mansions). We had absolutely no problems with our room conditions! The rooms were both spotless when we checked in and the housekeeping was fine during our stay! I would certainly not worry about it until I got there. If there was a problem at checkin, I would either ask for it be cleaned right away or ask for another room.

Why spend the time before your trip worrying about something that might or might not happen?? I wish I had another planned trip to WDW! I am afraid to let my husband know that I am ready to go back NOW!! lol

Lorie

 

[PamNC]

I would suggest you switch to Coronado Springs. It's our favorite moderate resort. It's the newest one of the three moderates, excellent theming, great pool, fantastic full service restaurant. The grounds are beautiful. I would NEVER stay at POR. It just doesn't appeal to me. We visited to see what it was like, and I can safely say I'm not impressed.

PamNC

 

[Eyesnur]

Good point Brian! I agree wholeheartedly on this.

 

[castawayfan]

I agree with PamNC. We had terrible housekeeping service at POR. Its the only resort we have had this problem. We had been advised by friends that they had the same problem, but thought it might just be an isolated case. The room was dirty every day, housekeeping was very, very late in cleaning our room each day and we complained without getting anywhere. CS is a beautiful resort and we have always had great housekeeping service when staying there.

 

[jaguar9748]

Definitely do the deluxe at the end! I went backwards once (DVC to lower end deluxe and it was fine, but kinda sad too).

One comment about resorts and cleanliness. As you can see, I've stayed at a few resorts. I've never had a problem at ASMu, POR, CBR, AKL, and WLV. I've had huge cleanliness problems at CSR (they gave me a free stay it was so bad), POFQ and the Contemporary. It just depends on the luck of the draw and does affect the way you think about that resort. If your room - regardless of resort - is not the way you expect it, contact the manager on duty immediately! Disney wants you to be happy because they rely on repeat business. Have fun!!

 

[simonmunro]

Many of us don't "spend time worrying before we get there" out of CHOICE, so it's not an option to "not worry". Some of us (not saying the original poster is like me) just think about things without making a decision to think about it until it's "settled" in our minds, you know our mind says "I'm comfortable with this, this is right for my family" and then we are free to think about other stuff. If I'm a bit nervous about a decision we made, I just go over it until I "fix it". OP, if you're not like me, I agree forget about it, it's going to be beautiful and if you're not happy they will remedy what you don't like. If you can't feel comfortable with it I would choose another of the beautiful options. It's too spendy to spend months before feeling "unsure"

 

[BethC1952]

We've stayed at value, moderate and deluxe resorts, and PO R is still our favorite. We have never had a problem of any sort (except the weather, and I don't think they can control that yet!). Housekeeping was always early--in fact one morning they woke us up (the "Do Not Disturb" sign had blown off the door overnight). They were very prompt with our requests for extra pillows and extra towels.

I agree that the theming isn't for everyone, but we love it.

Here is a link to the pictures from my December stays -- one in Alligator Bayou and one in the Mansions (Oak Manor). We liked both, but I prefer ALligator Bayou.

Port Orleans Riverside, December 4 and December 12 and 13, 2002

Don't worry about it. If you're not pleased when you get there, let them know!

Beth

 

[DisneyFan09]

Wow! Thanks for all of the great responses!!! Simonmunro I am just like you!!! I can't sleep worrying about this. I did get on wdwig.com and looked at pictures of AB and I don't really like the look of the room. There is nothing on the walls and the quilts and stick beds remind me of the Beverly Hillbillies before they got to Beverly Hills.

I am going to try to do Poly at the end of my stay though, everybody has agreed on that!! It will just be me and dd's for half of the trip and my friend and her son for the second half but I think I'll see if my friend can do the first half with us and then we'll switch after they leave (She cannot afford Poly).

Now I'm wondering if I should go ahead and stay at POR or get 2 rooms at ASMU. I showed dd (7) pictures and she loved it!!

 

[mbaker1277]

I reviewed my horrible stay at the POR earlier, but I'll go over it again. I am a travel agent, and in the last 10 years we have stayed on site over 30 times, and we have never had a problem until last December.
We checked into our room late, just threw down the bags and went to supper. Upon returning to the room, 4 lights were out; the only one in the bathroom area, one over the vanity, one over the bed, and one lamp. The next morning we got up early to get ready for the parks, pulled back the shower curtain, and the tub was black and FILTHY! I immediately called housekeeping, who told us to go ahead and shower and they would do a deep cleaning while we were at the parks. I barely wanted to put my big toe in that tub! It was cleaned, but it was still stained black as if it had hardly been cleaned between visits. There was also mold all over the bathroom wallpaper, and the undersides of the comforters were disgustingly stained in all different shades.
I requested to be moved to a different room, but I believe since I was a travel agent receiving a special rate, they did not want to fool with me.
We have been pleased with all of our stays before, from value to deluxe. But I will have a hard time recommending this resort from reports I have heard from other on the cleanliness.