Please tell me about POR...

[angel2931]

We always stay at the value resorts, but I just heard from Wonderful Wendy @ Magical Journeys and because my DS will be 3 for our August trip (he actually turns 3 the day we get there, and thats the day the promos start 8/14!), that gives us 3 kids over the age of 3, and that would mean the 5 of us would have to get 2 rooms at a Value or a Music Suite, and she recommended a room at POR would be cheaper for us. So I dont think I have ever even seen POR... tell me what you love and don't love about it!! It seems like its a fave for a lot of people! TIA!! :mickey:

[forever a child]

Just sent you a private message with a great site that has tons of photos and info on POR.

[kcrc]

We've stayed there 3 times with my daughter's cheer team. To us, the "Pros" are: beautiful grounds, good food court, nice main pool. The "Cons" are it is LARGE, so depending upon where your room is, you could be a 10 minute walk from the main building. It can also be hard to navigate. There are all sorts of paths that wind through the buildings. It usually takes us a day or two to find out our path to the main building and to the bus stop. Then we're good to go!
You can fit 5 in the rooms, but it will be tight. We often find it a little tight with 4, by the time all the suitcases are in there.
However, given the option of POR vs having to do 2 rooms or a suite, I would do the POR!

[mom2morgan]

We LOVE it, except *ahem* when the cheer teams are there - sorry krcr! On other trips it was BEAUTIFUL - relaxing and very peaceful. The cheer teams turn the place into total chaos with out of control teenagers monopolizing the pools, doing "cheers" in the food court, etc ;-) It has a really good food court, the theming is lovely, there is a boat to DTD, and there is a nice themed pool in addition to several "quiet pools". I think you'll like it!

[Cinderelley]

I'm a Pop Century fan myself but stayed at POR my last trip. I loved it - not enough to bump Pop Century off the top but enough to return there at any time. I didn't find the grounds confusing, but I do have a very good sense of direction. The grounds were beautiful and peaceful. It reminded me of my trips to Alabama when I was young and, at night, it reminded me of the bayou section of Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. I loved watching the squirrels running around.
The build your own pasta station in the food court was fun. We liked watching the fire coming out of the pan while they cooked your food. There never seemed to be too long of a wait to get our food.
The boat to Downtown Disney was a bit confusing, but nice once we figured it out.
Dislikes - I am not a big fan of multiple bus stops in the resort, but it wasn't a big issue here. I detest spiders, and they were all over the place at night here. I am sure it was due to all the greenery.

[angel2931]

Thanks everyone!! After looking up more info, I'm excited!! It looks great! :thumbsup::mickey:

[crltkcagle]

I know exactly what your going through. When our youngest turned 3 we had to start staying at POR too. I prefer the value resorts only because it feels more disney like to us however POR is very nice. Plus the bus line isn't as bad as the value resorts at park closing.

[kaylamag]

We are also thinking about staying at POR when we go in December. It is difficult finding a reasonable room when you are a party of five.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

At POR and if you are a party of five, you are limited to only the Alligator Bayou section of the resort. We were there this past December with 5 of us (3 children between ages 3-8).

The rooms I believe come standard with 2 double beds, with one bed having a pull out trundle, which worked more than well for our 3 year old. The bathroom/shower is a separate small room, two sinks are located just outside the bathroom door. There is a curtain you can pull shut to give a little privacy between the sinks and the sleeping area.

The rooms also come with a small wall safe (kind of outdated - should be bigger) and a small dorm size refrigerator. If I recall you also get a small coffee maker, wall hairdryer and then ironing board.

The only concern with December is the Pop Warner week. POR can fill up during that week. We got lucky and ended our stay just as they were arriving. I know rooms can be hard to come by that week in December.

I enjoy the sprawl of POR. Even though POFQ was my first Disney Resort and it holds a special place for me, I think I prefer POR more. People complain about the confusing paths or the 10 minute walks, but I found it really relaxing and enjoyable walking the grounds, more so than any of the other moderates we've stayed at.

POR has a very good food court. It can be very hectic and busy during the morning rush, so that's a bit of a con I guess, but they get you thru fairly quick.

POR has both a very nice main pool (with small hottub close by) and quiet pools as well, something POFQ doesn't have.

We've stayed now at POR twice, once with and once without kids. I have no problems giving it a big thumbs up. For us, who would love to stay in a Deluxe but can't quite swing the finances for a monorail hotel, the Disney moderates are a nice compromise and we love them all (although CSR is the only one we haven't stayed at).

I think if you choose it, there will be no regrets.

[Mickey's 4Walls]

We love it there!! Request building 15! Best location for FC and Bus stop !:fish::mickey::thumbsup:

[nkereina]

Love the rooms - good size and double vanity, the decor, and the dining options. The boat to DTD is great too. I also love the "quiet" pools which are never very busy and suit my boyfriend and I just find. I'll be staying there for a second time in September. We couldn't decide if we wanted to stay there or try something new, but decided to go with what we know we like. Some people complain about the massive size of the resort and the crowded buses, but I never had a problem with that and we were there in April last time. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[mook3y]

Our first trip we took our niece and stayed at POR. It worked out fine for us.

We stayed in building 15 and we too would recommend requesting that building.

The pool has a small water slide and there is a kids wading pool.

POFQ is a sister resort and you are allowed to go use their pool with the dragon waterslide (our kids loved it when we stayed at POFQ).

The food court offers plenty of options.

The busses were never bad for us.

We loved taking the boat to DTD.

There is cane pole fishing at POR.

We loved the piano player that plays in the lounge. He is a LOT of fun.

You can rent a boat and go get lost trying to find your own way to DTD :blush:

those are the things we loved about it. If I was staying at a moderate, we would not hesitate to stay at POR (were a family of 5 too youngest turns 2 this year).