WL or POR?

[christy08]

Hi. We just tenatively reserved 7 nts at the WL (woods view) for $1400 (with the 40% cc), but a std room at the port orleans-riverside would cost only $800. We are pretty tight on $$ right now and are trying to figure out if the WL is worth the extra money to stay there? It does look gorgeous though! Never been to POR, so I have no idea. Is the water boat and trans to MK much better at the WL? Do you think we might not need a car if we did WL? Sorry -- just trying to figure out if we should change to the POR to save the money -- or just splurge??

THanks in advance.
Christy

 

[3guysandagal]

Have you ever stayed at WL before, or is this a first WDW trip?

PS How many going, kids?

 

[3guysandagal]

My next question would be when?

 

[deezeealum]

We actually were booked at WL but decided right before final payment was due (we leave in 2 weeks) to save the money and stay at POFQ. WE have never stayed at WL but love POFQ. We thought with our 2 yr old we could use the money we saved on resorts for spending $ once there.

 

[Goofyz3girls]

Hey Christy you have to understand that your not comparing apples with apples.WL is a deluxe and POR is a moderate so you have to decide what you really want out of the resort.If you just want to put your head down at night save the money.If you want more...say the ambiance,convenience and location you have to go for it. Its always a hard decision when money tight.We have stayed at the Coronado Springs many times when $$$ is tight and enjoyed it much better (great pool) than POR.(our opinion of course) If you stay moderate also get the car. I still don't see how people go to WDW and not rent a car(never did Disney without a rental)Just thinking of waiting for a crowded bus or pay to take a cab blows my mind.Outside of riding the monorail for the fun of it I want to leave a park get into the car and go where I have to go......now. I don't know if I helped but let me throw one more wrench in .....sometimes everyone needs to splurge in life.Have fun in whatever you decide.

 

[christy08]

Hi again -- thanks for the great replies. WE are planning to go Oct 22, 2008. We have two kids who will be 6 years and almost 4 years when we go. With kids, it's our 2nd trip. Two yrs ago we stayed at CB and really enjoyed it. I saw that the main pool there will closed until 9/15, and since nothing gets done "on time", I'd hate to book there just in case the pool is still closed...

I agree we'd need a car if we went moderate. I guess that's one more reason I keep leaning towards the WL. I've never been there, but I do love a nice hotel...but my wallet doesn't have the same thoughts. I know we'll have fun regardless -- it's Disney!!

Still have some thinking to do. Or we could try another Mod? Hmmm...
Thanks for any suggestions.
Christy

 

[mickeymedic]

POR has plenty of ambience. It has become DH and my favorite resort!!! If you think you would enjoy walking along the river, lush landscaping and a very relaxed atmosphere, then POR is the place for you. Also, you have your choice of swimming at the excellently themed main pool or at one of the many quiet pools.

As far as renting a car - I guess you have to go with your personal preference. However, I do not enjoy trying to navigate around "The World" - especially after dark and when I'm exhausted. Add in the traffic at closing time...and I would MUCH rather wait in line for a few minutes for a bus and let someone else do the driving.

I'm sure you willl have a wonderful vacation regardless of where you stay. Happy planning!

 

[Bev J]

Last trip we splurged and stayed at WL rather than staying at our usual POFQ. Yes we enjoyed staying at WL but I think we would be just as happy staying at POFQ (or POR). We had just as long a wait for buses (or boat) at WL and we had really long walks to our room at WL, even though we were upgraded from standard to Pool view.
We thought the food court was better at Mods with a better selection.

POFQ/POR is more centrally located so it did not seem to take long to get to any park by bus. Since free transportation is offered with ME we no longer rent a car, 4 trips now and we are really enjoying not haveing to drive around ourselves, MY DH does enough driving for work so it is more like vacation not to have to mess with it, we find the bus service fine for anywhere we wanted to go. We love the boat to DTD also.

Yes at WL you really feel like you have been transported to a resort in the mountians deep in the forest and the hottub was a godsend at the end of the day for our tired feet. But POFQ/POR has a hottub also and great pools, your kids will love the dragon pool at POFQ

I would save the $$ at stay at POR and use the bus service, skip the rental car unless you are visiting other parks or get a fab rate.

Bev

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Hey Christy you have to understand that your not comparing apples with apples.WL is a deluxe and POR is a moderate so you have to decide what you really want out of the resort.

I agree with this statement because it's hard when you compare two Resorts that are different categories, Deluxe vs Moderate in this situation.

 

[kato0627]

First off, you are going to have a wonderful time at either resort. Oct is a great time to visit WDW. We have stayed at VWL 2xs and POFQ one night.
Now to be fair, we were slammed at POFQ with the Pop Warner crowd which you will not have to deal with. With that being said, I would pick WL any day over PO. We did not have anytime to tour the resort at POFQ so I can not comment on the grounds. My family LOVES, LOVES WL. If I could afford more points on our DVC VWL would be by far my first choice. The resort is beautiful. The grounds and views are amazing. The staff was wonderful. The lobby is breathtaking as is the view from the beach. If you can swing it, I would definitely recommend WL at least once. It is really something to see. I am by no means saying PO is not nice, it is just apples and oranges.
Please do not take offense to my pushing WL, it is just amazing. Either way, you are in Disney!!! As for the rental, we have been to WDW quiet a few times and have never rented a car. We have 3 kids 10-7-6 and have done the disney transportation with the double stroller (years ago), in the summer heat, and at Christmas time and really have no complaints. A rental is not really needed unless you want to travel off property. Have a wonderful time and good luck with your decision.

 

[GoofyaboutMickey]

I love WL never stayed at POR

 

[MickeyNicki]

We haved stayed at POR 3 times and like it very much. They have great lobby, gift shop with a ton of items, great CS food choices and a fantastic bar where my friend Gray is the bartender. The grounds are gorgeous and the rooms are very cute and comfortable.

We have stayed at the WL once, for our 10 year anniversary, the first week of Dec 06. It was fantastic and the best for decor during the holidays. If we go for Xmas again we would like to stay at the WL but any other time of the year I would not make it my first pick.

 

[christy08]

Wow, you guys are the best - and so fast. I truly appreciate the responses, although I have to say I'm still not sure what to do! However, I don't think there's a "bad decision" to made here, after all we'll be in Disney!

I did have one question though -- for people who have stayed in the farther out MODs and then of course the WL -- do the buses take a lot longer from the MODs, like the POR or POFQ, to get from the hotel to the MK, and back again? Do they, for example, go straight from the hotel to the park, or do they stop at other hotels too?

I thought I read that WL doesn't offer bus service to the MK, just boat service only. Is that true? If it's not, is the bus service any faster from there than from a MOD?

I hope my question isn't too confusing. Do you sit and wait a long time for buses to arrive at the MODS? My sister is very pro-rental-car, and if possible, I'd rather not have one, but I just want to be sure we'll be ok with small kids. Thanks again.

Christy

 

[Disneyfanactic-AKL]

Hi ive stayed at the WL and its amazing! boat trans. to the MK is fantastic. And the service is nothing short of perfection!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I have stayed at POQ. It is very nice for a moderate resort, but it is not a deluxe like VWL. You are going during the off season, so you might consider renting points from a DVC member. You could possibly save money at VWL by looking on the rent/trade board here at dis. Sunday thru Thursday nights can save you $$$, then do cash on the weekends. I would bet you can get a studio, which is even better than a regular room, for about the same amount of money you would spend at a moderate. Just some food for thought.