Riverside Advice?

[wdwcarrie]

We are getting ready to book our August 2015 trip and are looking to stay at Riverside for the first time. Any recommendations about buildings to request? We will be doing a standard room, traveling with myself, DH, and DS (age 5).

Thanks! We've stayed at AS Movies, Pop, and Caribbean Beach, and have always had good experiences--excited to try a new resort!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I hope you love POR! We've stayed there twice, and really enjoyed it both times.

As you probably already know, POR is a large resort, and there are lots of "best" locations, depending on what you're most hoping for.

If you have the dining plan, and plan on eating at the food court, or using the refillable mugs, the Mansion (non-Royal buildings) are a good choice, as is building #16 or #17 in the Bayou section.

If you're not as worried about access to the main building, then you can choose anywhere. I know some people like building #24 or #34, since they are close to parking and the West bus depot, which can save steps, especially important for tired feet at the end of the day.

[Tygger7]

Just sent you a PM with some info...hope it helps!

[#1donaldfan]

You should love Riverside. We typically stay on the AB side, however this last trip we tried the Mansion Side, which was very nice. Riverside is so laid back and quiet. If you're a runner the river trail over to the FQ and around is incredible. The food court is great as well as Boatwrights. Nothing bad to say about my favorite place on earth.

[azcavalier]

Agreed with all. We love Riverside. It has the best food court, gift shop, pool, etc. I love that you can almost always park close to your room (so that exhausted kids can get to bed easier).

I have never stayed in the mansions, as there are five of us, so we have always stayed in Bayou rooms with the trundle/murphy beds. But the mansions look sweet!

And after staying at Saratoga Springs, I no longer think that Riverside is that big. Even from the "far" rooms in Riverside, it's only about a five minute walk to the main building.

[#1donaldfan]

Agreed with all. We love Riverside. It has the best food court, gift shop, pool, etc. I love that you can almost always park close to your room (so that exhausted kids can get to bed easier).

I have never stayed in the mansions, as there are five of us, so we have always stayed in Bayou rooms with the trundle/murphy beds. But the mansions look sweet!

And after staying at Saratoga Springs, I no longer think that Riverside is that big. Even from the "far" rooms in Riverside, it's only about a five minute walk to the main building.

It's designed so that most rooms are within a short walk to food and busses. There are 4 bus depots, 4 quiet pools and a main pool, so no matter where you are you will find yourself close to some entertainment !! enjoy !!

[Gator]

We stayed at the Alligator Bayou on our first trip to WDW, and our only trip to POR. That section turned us off to POR so much we never returned to that resort. Ask for a mansion. Any mansion! The AB just reminded me of an old apartment complex in south Birmingham.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

We stayed at the Alligator Bayou on our first trip to WDW, and our only trip to POR. That section turned us off to POR so much we never returned to that resort. Ask for a mansion. Any mansion! The AB just reminded me of an old apartment complex in south Birmingham.

Just the opposite for me. I see the open Mansion area and don't have the desire to be in that section. I love the meandering paths and foliage that surround the AB, makes you feel about as private as its possible to be at any Disney level resort.

We just informed the kids yesterday that we'll be staying there last week of January 2015!!

[andmomlau]

Love POR...especially the Mansions! We were put in AB once although we had requested the mansions and we really didn't care for it. They switched us the next day when a room became available. I know that many others love AB..just a personal preference. The food court is the best! We recently purchased DVC and the only drawback to that is that we will no longer stay at POR! Enjoy your trip!

[nicjohn3]

Have stayed at All Star Sports, POR, and CSR....as you can see from below..POR is our favorite. It is peaceful and quiet..Food Court does get busy at "rush hour" times. You get access to FQ also which gives options to food and pools. Nice walk between both of them. My favorite part is the boat to DTD. We like to eat at other resorts so access to them is made easy by access through DTD. We have stayed in both but prefer mansions. Like to look and walk along river.

[firefan43]

Love FQ, but POR is nice too. If you dont care about how far you are from the food and busses, you should ask for a room with a river view. Love that river at night. Its so peaceful.

[titleistboy]

We've stayed in the bayou and mansions, and I'd say we preferred the mansions, because of their proximity to the pool and main building/food court. After our last stay in October, the bus stop at the front desk is the best served (we were almost always full by the time we made it to the other stops) so that made life very convenient.

Although we haven't stayed or visited too many other resorts, the food court has really good options (great to use up credits if you're on the dining plan) and the pool is large and nice. We've been very happy there!