Port Orleans Riverside Pros - Cons??

[disneyfan328]

My DH and 3 kids (DD17, DD7, and DS5) are staying at POR 9/23-9/30 looking to find out if the fishing hole is really worth the time and effort? Has anyone ever caught anything? :fish: I hear that the boatride to Dwtn Disney is not to be missed, is there anything else that I should know about this resort? We want to take advantage of it, but would love some in put on the pros and cons of this resort and what we can do if anything to avoid problems there. We didn't have much choice about where to stay with a family of 5. The other places were just out of our price range. Any input, tips or advice would be GREATLY appreciated. We were only is Disney once before and it has been about 10 years so wish us luck!!
We are open to any and all suggestions for how to make the most of our time and make sure that the kids have a memorable vacation.

Thanks
:tink:

[d_m_n_n]

We've stayed at POR on two different trips. I will be honest on my cons list though!

Pros:
*Beautiful resort
*Nice food court
*Fun ammenities (Surry bikes, water mice, etc)
*Service is excellent
*Nice pool area (including the quiet pools)

Cons:
*It is sooooo s-p-r-e-a-d out. Nice for walk in the morning, miserable for walks back to your room at night. Request to be close to the bus/parking lot.
*Sometimes noisy from people walking by your room (be it late at night or early morning). I think some people forget that even though the hallways aren't enclosed (like at the deluxes) there are still people sleeping inside and the noise does travel. Maybe ask for a room on the corner or away from stairs.

Don't worry about your stay. POR is our Moderate of Choice. You won't regret staying there!

[mook3y]

Dont miss the piano player in the main building bar. Appropriate for all ages, very entertaining.

Your DD7 and DS5 would love the pool and seprent slide at POFQ, you can ride the boat or walk from POR.

Also, beignets at POFQ are really good.

They have carriage rides for a fee in the evenings at POR.

Our family really enjoyed renting a boat and exploring the canals.

We stayed in building 14 in Aligator Bayou, which has the trundle beds, it is close to the bus stop, main building and pool.

Your going to love this resort! Have a great trip!

[Marker]

Cons:
*It is sooooo s-p-r-e-a-d out. Nice for walk in the morning, miserable for walks back to your room at night. Request to be close to the bus/parking lot.
*Sometimes noisy from people walking by your room (be it late at night or early morning). I think some people forget that even though the hallways aren't enclosed (like at the deluxes) there are still people sleeping inside and the noise does travel. Maybe ask for a room on the corner or away from stairs.


1 - True, it is spread out. BUT, there are bus stops all the way around the property, so chances are the closest bus stop will not be too far away.

2 - Noisy people? That can be any where. Definitely not isolated to POR.

When we stayed there in March, it marked the first time we had repeated any resort (although it was Dixie Landings the first time). We really like this resort a lot

Another benefit that may not have been mentioned are the "quiet" neighborhood pools. Along with the big pool and water slide on Ol' Man Island, they also have quite neighborhood pools, spreadout over the property so nearly every building has one close or adjacent to it. Much less activity than the big pool. Great for just a little relax time, or to take a small child you want to swim with.

[d_m_n_n]

1 - True, it is spread out. BUT, there are bus stops all the way around the property, so chances are the closest bus stop will not be too far away.



On our stays our rooms were on the courtyard, fairly close to the river. It just seemed like the walk was 5 miles after a long day in the park. I know next time to specifically ask to be close, if not ON the parking lot.

[castlelady36]

I agree about the size as POFQ is much smaller. Yes there are many bus stops but POFQ is picked up first and dropped off first so many times the bus is quite full when waiting to get on and after a long day another long wait to get off. Otherwise the grounds are lovely and the food court is nice as well. Another bonus is being able to go to both resorts to experience the different pools and dining.

[Goofy Pluto]

We stayed here back in 2004 for only a couple of nights, but we REALLY liked the resort and can't wait to stay here again.

For me, we stayed at CBR for an extended trip back in 2001. It was nice, but just didn't have that 'FEEL' to it like I was in WDW. Something was lacking.

However, when we stayed at POR that magic was there. It FELT like a DIsney resort. Really pretty grounds and nice and relaxed. I hope we can stay here again some day.

[lilmattie13]

Hi everyone:mickey:

I was just reading the thread as I am staying at POR in Sept and something made me want more clarification please:confused:

If I stay at POR am I then able to use the pool at POFQ?

I know that while most resorts let you look around and walk etc, I didnt think you were allowed to use the pools on the other properties.

Any information would be great as this is the first time we are staying at this resort.

Thanks :)

[tinksmom02]

Most hotels will not allow you to use their pools if you're not staying there, however, POFQ and POR are "sister" resorts, and you're allowed to travel freely between them and use each other's pools.


The fishing hole at POR is cute, we didn't catch anything but it was a nice way to spend some time.

We like POR a lot, but it did seem very spread out. The quiet pools are nice, but it was too cold for us to use them. We're giving a try POFQ on our next trip (I think around the same time as yours)!

[mook3y]

yep as stated, POR and POFQ are sister resorts. Regardless of which one you are staying at, you can use the amenities at both.

[AliceinDisney]

Yup, You can use the pools at POFQ. I stayed there a couple years ago , and they said we could feel free to use the POFQ pools. Though honestly, who has time ? I barely even went to the pool at my resort, however its a gorgeous pool nonetheless, with a nice bar. Also, I don't recall the carriage rides being free, when I went it was 30 dollars to take a ride around the park. So maybe thats changed? I would look into that. The restaurant there , Boatwright's is okay. I'd go there for breakfast but not dinner. I didn't really like the pasta I had for dinner there, it was pretty flavourless. But it definitely had a great breakfast. The Food court : Riverside Mill has a nice assortment of different things, and great ice cream. Its great if you're in a hurry in the morning. The grounds are gorgeous. My mom and I stayed in Magnolia Bend overlooking the pond. We really enjoyed our stay, but my mom found the rooms mediochre. I have to say the beds were a bit stiff too. The bathroom lighting sucked to put makeup on in the morning(if thats a concern) The rooms were pretty standard, almost like motel rooms. Not very big and definitely not worth the close to 200 dollars a night we paid, but the resort itself was fantastic. So its up to you if you want to pay for the convienience, and the ambiance, I say go for it, otherwise save your pennies and go to one of the Values.

[AliceinDisney]

Hey Mooky, My mom went to Disneyworld when she was pregu with me too! I think that explains why I'm obsessed too :D

[illini]

It really is a lovely resort. You'll have to be in the Alligator Bayou section to get the trundle bed. Personally, I'd go for Buildings 14, 15 first, then 16, 17. The other bus stops frequently don't even get stopped at because the bus gets full at the main stop and heads to the park. We were initially in a room (on our second trip) waaaay at the back of AB and waited 50 minutes for a bus. We asked to be moved and were. It was too long of a walk for the little ones early/late, and I wasn't going to wait for a bus that long ever again.
Otherwise, it's great. Food court is good, pool is nice. We love renting the surrey bikes. The boat is great, too-- anything to avoid another bus. You can see the treehouses along the way, too.
We never found noise to be a problem, either. First trip, we were upstairs in a corner room in building 17 and we had ONE person walk by our room ONE time while we were in it. Not bad at all.

[TNdisneyfan]

My crew stayed there the week after Thanksgiving last year (great time to go, by the way..Mickey's Christmas Party was Awesome). We actually ended up preferring that we were in the mansions (as we called them) rather than the bayou section. A bit more of a walk but very quiet and the architecture was more appealing.

Boatwright food was excellent, if you love southern cooking.

Boat ride to Downtown Disney was a "can't miss". We enjoyed that immensely, very leisurely.

Nice pool, overall ambience. Someone mentioned the carriage rides. They do look enjoyable but I think it was $20 for a 15 minute ride or something.

One note of caution. There was something amok re: the buses when we were there picking up at MGM studios. We were told that was an ongoing issue. We waited in line forever at MGM to be picked up and we were in the farthest line from the entrance. It was raining...a mess. Advice is if you go to MGM for fantasmic or something at night, get out quick or take your sweet time, b/c there will be a long wait. That was our one and only complaint.

Loved Riverside...loved it. We walked around French Quarter, but preferred Riverside. You'll love it.

[garymacd]

The only drawback I can think of with either POR or POFQ is that the beds are only double beds. This wasn't so bad since we also had a trundle bed in our room and our youngest slept on it instead of sharing with her sister.

We have always loved these resorts and they are our resorts of choice, especially POFQ since I like the jazz atmosphere.

Oh, yeah! And the beignets! :cloud9:

[alicia524luvstw]

We rented a Boston Whaler @ POR . It was so much fun cruisin' down the river. We got to see the Tree Top Villas which I had never seen before. Also, it was nice to be away from the crowds of people for a bit. Very peaceful.

[Nicki'sMom]

We stayed at POR 9/28/06-10/03 and had a great trip. Beautiful grounds and good location in the World. We stayed in the first floor of Acadian house and we were right across the river from the pool. Didn't use the fishing hole. The water ride to downtown Disney was nice but sit as far in front of the boat as possible because the engine is really loud! It was a 2 minute walk to food and bus stops. Short ride to Magic Kingdom. Beware of the Love Bugs around this time of year. They are harmless but they are everywhere! Our rooms were comfortable but the air conditioners were terrible and they had to replace ours. But they were prompt in taking care of the issue. I would stay here again. Going back 9/4-911 staying at Wilderness Lodge. Have fun!