Will We Hate POR?

[Wish Upon A Star]

I'm seriously considering POR for our unscheduled November 30th trip. We've never stayed off the monorail line with the kids and I'm so used to seeing the MK view now . . .will we totally hate it?

We'll have to have two rooms at POR because there is no way I'm sleeping in a double size bed since I'm used to a King size bed at home . . .Thinking of reserving two rooms that connect one being the two double beds and ours would be a King Bed.

I'd been trying to get as much info as I can on POR but l need your input as well.

I'd probably be more interested in one of the Manor Rooms, but I don't know which one is better? I've seen a lot on Magnolia Terrace and Oak Manor . . .are these close to the food court?

Any help and/or advice would be appreciated . . .hmmmm maybe by tomorrow evening I'll have my countdown timer back up!

 

[jwwi]

I really like POR. I admit I have never stayed on the monorail but hope to someday. Having two rooms is great, extra bath, two tv's, and privacy is nice too. The grounds are so pretty. Because the resort is so large you don't see as many other guests except in Main Areas. (large pool, food court, shop) I like that, esp since you have guests everywhere at the parks. I usually like to have a car for all parks, except MK. Bus service is so direct to MK. The boatride to DD is nice. The walk to POFQ is very relaxing. I liked the mansion room on our last stay, but hope to go back to AB next week when we go for MNSSHP.

 

[Jon99]

While we have never stayed there, the last time we went my parents stayed there and we spent some time at the resort and simply loved it!!!! It was relaxing, had the best food court we have been to and was quite romantic... Of course we loved the WL because it WASN'T a Monorail hotel and was more isolated and quiet...

 

[goofy4tink]

We have stayed here twice; once in AB and once in Magnolia Terrace. We really like it there. Haven't stayed in a monorail resort yet tho. I would try to get a king room connecting to a reg. 2 double bed room. I think the king rooms may be on the corners. The pool area is good, the food court is good. We didn't even have any complaints as to the buses. We stayed in Magnolia Terr. bldg. 85, on the second floor. It was a quick walk across Ole Man Island to the food court; about 5 minutes. We also did this to use the main bus stop. It is certainly not a deluxe resort but we love it at POR.

 

[tkldisney]

I have stayed there a couple of times and it is my favorite moderate resort. If the weather is good for swimming they have great pools. The boat ride to DD is also a plus since parking can be tuff to find in the evenings. You won't be disappointed!

 

[Candlelady]

The only way you will know is if you try it! It's Disney, how bad can it be?

I fell in love with POR and am staying there for the two days before we check into DVC. We just got back from a last minute business trip to Disney. Check out this thread, there's quite a bit of info there.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=279476

There is one place we did not get a chance to visit while at POR, the butterfly garden. We didn't find out about it until we were leaving. I'm definitely going to check it out in January.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[disneyterri]

Butterfly Garden? What and where is that. I've never heard of it. We'll be at POR from Dec. 7-14 and I'd love to see it.

 

[dcedwards]

I don't think you will hate it ... afterall you will be at WDW.

But, keep in mind it is different than staying at a Monorail resort. POR does have a sit down restaurant along with boat rentals, bike rentals, and a big plus is the boat to DTD.

The room size at the moderate is a bit smaller than what you are used to at the deluxes on the monorail. But, in regards to that you will have two rooms so you will actually end up with more space. I'm not sure that they will guarantee you a king bed with a connecting double but I know that they sit that way. So, you might want to check on that. If they can't guarantee it then you might end up with two rooms with double beds. One suggestion, though, was to move the two double beds together and put the night stand on one side of them. Just an idea. And, the walkways are all outside. There are not any indoor corridors. We kinda like that but for some it is a negative.

The other thing that will be different is that you have to catch a bus to all the parks. If you don't drive and don't like bus rides then you won't want to stay at a moderate. We have always had good luck with the bus transportation (for the most part) so it isn't that big of a deal for us. Just depends on your preference.

The resort itself is very pretty. The food court is great. The gift shop is very nice. Plus, you can share all the amenities with the POFQ so you have access to yet another pool, hot tub, food court, pool bar, lounge, etc. The lounge and entertainment at the POR is great. The piano player, his name escapes me, is absolutely wonderful and quite a hoot. There is typically standing room only. And, it is well worth it. The kids absolutely love him and the adults are right there too.

As with anything, I think it is a mindset. If you think you will hate it you probably will. But, we have found that we prefer the POFQ over many of the deluxes. The biggest factor is the food court. But, again, that is just our preference.

 

[tampafan]

We have stayed in several resorts (all 3 All Stars, all 4 moderates, the Contemporary, the Swan, the Polynesian) and we find POR to be comparable to all of the above. The only resorts we rate higher are the Poly and CBR. The location of the Contemporary and the Swan are superior, but that aside, POR is great. We also LOVE the boat ride to DD.

 

[Candlelady]

disneyterri,
On the back of the map you receive at check-in it says,

'Come relax and enjoy nature at tis finest in our butterfly garden, located behind Acadia House. Comple with a butterfly house, specially designed so you can watch a butterfly hatch. Or just sit an relax, and enjoy the unique ambiance.'

We did not see it, but we weren't looking for it either. I didn't know about it until we were waiting at the airport to come home.

 

[tnkrbell]

I guess the only way to know is to try it out. But... I will tell you my toughts.. I would prefer to pay 10 or 20 dollars more and stay at Wilderness lodge if money is the issue!! We just came back from Por after staying at Yacht, and wilderness the past three trips and I was a little dissapointed! But.. I have to say being in Disney to me ios great and this hotel IS nice but if you are use to a deluxe you may be disappointed!! JMHO!!

 

[JulesMom]

We stayed at POR and really enjoyed it. We stayed in the Alligator Bayou section and liked it much better than Magnolia Bend(where we stayed in '96).

We didn't think we would like the AB section, but it was very relaxing.

 

[lulugirl]

I have stayed at POR several times w/ DH and we absolutely loved it! The grounds are lovely, very well maintained. We prefer Alligator bayou, it's more rustic and cozy. The mansion area is also very nice, it just depends on your taste. The food court was fine, but we usually dined at other resorts or the parks. I found the bus transportation adequate as far as gettting to the parks, but if you plan to "hotel hop", I would recommend renting a car.
I can't imagine being disappointed in this resort!
Enjoy your trip, and post back and let us know your thoughts on
POR!

 

[nats]

We stayed at POR when it was Dixie Landing. It is a beautiful resort. It is spread out and even when it is busy it is very quiet. Good food court. I liked Bonfamilles better than the restaurant in the then Dixie Landing. We took the downtown disney boat ride one or two times a day. It was hot when we were there and taking the boat was a cool a relaxing time.

 

[Disney845]

I just had my first onsite stay last month and we stayed at POR. I loved it. We were in Oak Manor in the Mansion section and had a corner room so we had two windows as opposed to the one window many rooms have. We were a short walk from the main POR buildings, including the lobby, restaurant, and marina. I thought the landscaping and decor was lovely. On the down side, we thought the bus service was very slow and wasted a lot of time, so we mainly used our car. Parking can also be quite a distance from your room. Some rooms face towards the parking lots, but some are on the opposite side of the buildings facing in on the H shape, or towards the river. We also thought that Boatwrights was terrible. We thought it to be one of the worst Disney restaurants we ever ate at (breakfast). In all I would choose to stay there again, if not for the desire to try out more of the different themed hotels offered at WDW.

 

[TnKrBeLlA012]

I dont see how you would be disappointed staying at the POR copared to a delux this is a very nice hotel. If your gonna be disappointed because of the monarail that stay at a delux But I have stayed here a lot and have never had a problem with this hotel

 

[smjj]

Do you already have a room booked there? If not, your probably already out of luck. This resort is booked solid for that time frame based on other comments posted here. With Shades of Green and CBR closed they are very short on rooms now and talk on this board and others seems to indicate it it full..smjj

 

[Ariella]

We'll be staying there the first week of November. I'll let you know how we liked it.

I've been reading this board for months (only registered last month though), and it seems like most comments are positive.