Is POR Worth Upgrade

[tink65]

Hey there everyone, We go to Disney in Sept each year and already have our 2011 ressies booked. We always stay at Pop Century and truly love the resort. She goes to a school with a year round schedule & is out for a 3 week break during that time of year. Next year is her senior year before college and she won't have that break any longer so it will probably be her last Birthday visit to the world for a long time. As a suprise to her and DH I am thinking of secretly upgrading to POR! Since we've never stayed there I would love to have opinions about the resort....is the extra cost worth it? Thanks!

 

[the1nonlysinger]

My hubby and I stayed at POR for our honeymoon a couple years ago and absolutely loved it. The rooms were cozy and had plenty of room, the scenery around the resort was quaint and relaxing. It was a gorgeous place to stay!

That was my first time staying on property (we're going in December, staying at All-Star Movies). So I don't really have anything else to compare it to. But we did love it there. If you upgrade, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

 

[Master Yoda]

If all you are going to do at the resort is sleep and shower than stay at Pop. If you plan on spending some time at the resort then upgrade.

 

[Mukta]

I think it would be a great treat to upgrade for her birthday trip.

That time of year traditionally has free dining, so it would be nice to get the standard plan instead of just the quick service. Your family could enjoy some great sit down restaurants.

The only moderate I have stayed in is POFQ, but the moderates are nice. The room will be a little bigger. The waiting area for the buses will be covered. Downtown Disney is a boat ride away. A mini fridge is included.

The moderates also have some recreation at the hotel itself. That can be fun for theme park veterans. It is a chance to do something new at WDW.

 

[sshindel]

I've stayed at both POR and POFQ and have enjoyed them both greatly. The dining options are great, the resorts are linked together so you can easily choose to dine at either resort. Back in 2007 last time we were there, the beignets at POFQ were only a snack portion on the dining plan, and were the perfect breakfast for my DW and I. As mentioned, there tends to be extra things to do at the resort at the moderate level, in this case, great pools, with the POR having a great little 'swimmin hole' styled area (Ol' Man Island) being a standout. There is a boat that goes between the 2 PO resorts and DTD, which was plesant and a good option for getting to and from DTD.

My personal preference at POR would be to request a room in the Magnolia Bend portion, themed to reflect more southern style mansions, instead of the bayou themed Alligator Bayou part. That is personal preference though. I just prefer the themeing better there.

As said above, if your resort is basically a place to rest your head at night and nothing more, then there is probably little need to upgrade. If you'd like to spend some time at the resort, it would be worth looking into it. Weigh the options on how much extra it would be, and what else you might want to do with that money.

It was a very good point also made above that if you end up going during the Free Dining givaways, typically available during Sept, then you get the full dining plan and not just the quick service one. That might equal out the extra cost of the resort right there by cutting down any dining costs.

I know that in our case, we're staying at the All Star resorts for the first time this Dec because we can't afford to upgrade, but we've both really wished we could be staying at POFQ. We just really loved both resorts.

 

[bamillerpa]

I personally love Riverside. I think it's beautiful and has one of the best (if not the best) food court. It's a nice quiet resort with a real calming feel to it. It's my favorite resort among the value/moderates. To me it doesn't seem as hectic as the values which in turn gives me a place where I can relax when not in the parks. I would definitely say go for it.

 

[tink65]

I knew I could count on you all for help! We are going during the free dining promotion but it is just the quick service option. I will just have to come to a decision. I wonder if I would need to make the changes by Dec 20th since that is when the booking window closes for free dining? I mentioned to DH (without giving anything away) that since this may be it for a while, I want to hit the Parks running each day to get in as much as possible! So.......we may not utilize all the extras at a Mod! Oh well...decisions, decisions!

 

[jmvd20]

We have stayed at deluxes, mods, and values. My opinion is that Mods are all around the best value for the money - hands down. If all one cares about is saving some money, and sleeping and showering in a room then the values are perfect (nice, clean, we never had any problems at the values - good hotels IMO). If you want to spend time at the resort - upgrade to a mod if at all possible. Everything from food (table service at your hotel), to themeing, peacefulness, relaxation level, ammenities etc... is better at the mods we have stayed at (POR, PORFQ, and CB) as opposed to ASMu, and Sports and is well worth the cost of the upgrade. To me the difference between the 2 categories is very noticeable.

 

[kcs]

We LOVE Riverside. Magnolia Bend is beautiful! Your daughter would love the beautiful boat ride to DTD. The food court is the best and Bob the piano guy is a lot of fun.

 

[ErickainPA]

We stayed in the Alligator Bayou section of POR in Dec 2008 and loved it alot. We will be staying there again in 3 weeks. Since you will go during free dining, you will have a table service in there instead of just all quick services. Pop Century was nice when we stayed.

 

[sshindel]

I knew I could count on you all for help! We are going during the free dining promotion but it is just the quick service option. I will just have to come to a decision. I wonder if I would need to make the changes by Dec 20th since that is when the booking window closes for free dining? I mentioned to DH (without giving anything away) that since this may be it for a while, I want to hit the Parks running each day to get in as much as possible! So.......we may not utilize all the extras at a Mod! Oh well...decisions, decisions!

I'd double check on this if I were you. Typically, when you stay at the Value resorts, they include the Quick Service for free, and you can upgrade to the regular Dining Plan for something like $10 / person / day (which we just did for this trip). BUT when you stay at a Moderate resort they include the regular dining plan as your free option. That would give you a table service, quick service, and snack each day.

I'm sure at times they might change that, but we've taken advantage of the free dining plan multiple times in the past and this is how it worked.

Also, if you book your trip now, you can typically change the plan around in the future if a special comes up that is a better deal. Take note though that if you book a package like free dining or one package that involves tickets in the purchase, you can switch to another plan that includes tickets without canceling and rebooking, but not one that is just a room rate (say 40% off just a room). I think that the free dining is typically a great deal, but you could always book now and change your mind later typically without any issues.

 

[tink65]

Thanks so much for all the great advice. I think I am going to splurge and do the upgrade! Thankfully, I know all my family dining favorites and a couple of new ones we've talked about trying so I can even secretly made dining ressies! I can't wait to see the look on my family's face when I tell DH "no honey, not this exit We're staying at POR this year, Surprise!!" They are going to be thrilled!:sohappy: Mums the word!

 

[ob1thx1138]

We stayed at POR this summer over the 4th of July and loved it. This was My first trip to WDW in over 20 years and that time we stayed at one of the Garden Wings of the COntemporary. I was only 10 so all I remember about that is that it was a hotel room... LOL

Anyway POR was wonderful and we would gladly stay there again except for the fact that we are wanting to experience more of the resorts. We stayed in the Alligator Bayou section in Building 16. I would suggest requesting building 14 or 15 since they are closest to the bus stop. We were so tired after a long day at the park that we began driving to the bus stop in the morning just to keep from having a long walk back to the room especially since it seemed to be raining when we were going back to the room.

 

[NadieMasK2]

Yes, it is worth it! Your daughter is old enough to appreciate the advantages of POR - the beautiful grounds and resort-like feel. I took a mother-daughter trip with my oldest over Christmas right after her first semester of college and it was a GREAT trip. Be sure to plan an evening at the River Roost with Yeehaw Bob - she will love it. He isn't there every night though so plan ahead. Had you had little children they probably wouldn't appreciate the difference enough to make it worth while but she is the perfect age. Have fun!

 

[fredtom]

POR is a wonderfully themed resort and the grounds are beautiful and serene.
I think you'll be well pleased there.


"An Adventurer's life is best!" :lol:

 

[Jay & Sue]

We stayed in POR building 26 room 48 (room 2648 in the Bayou). Great room and a short pleasant walk from building 26 to everything. Visit www.portorleans.org as it is a great website.

 

[MagicMegan]

We LOVE Riverside. Magnolia Bend is beautiful! Your daughter would love the beautiful boat ride to DTD. The food court is the best and Bob the piano guy is a lot of fun.

The piano guy was awesome... I went and saw him by myself.

 

[tink65]

Well as you can see from the date I first posted my questions it's been awhile! Well....I finally did it...upgraded to POFQ today! DD & DH are going to be so surprised! What pushed me over the edge and finally helped me make the decision was DD & DH started talking about upgrading from quick service dining to the regular dining plan. The difference in the dining plan for 3 people was $297 and to upgrade resorts was $739. Figured since I was already going to be paying close to $300 then I might as well add the extra to it and upgrade! Decided on POFQ because of the recent renovations. Queen size beds will make such a huge difference! Can't wait to see the look on my their faces when they find out! Also, thinking of running the 2011 Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon. POFQ is a host resort again this year so transportation to & from the events are provided! Thanks again for all your help!:sohappy:

 

[redfive13]

I've stayed at Value, Moderate & Deluxe over the years and Port Orleans Riverside (not French Quarter) is one of my favorite resorts of all.

Spend the extra cash, it's a great resort that's worth the $$$.

Have fun!

 

[Harptattoo]

I knew I could count on you all for help! We are going during the free dining promotion but it is just the quick service option. I will just have to come to a decision. I wonder if I would need to make the changes by Dec 20th since that is when the booking window closes for free dining? I mentioned to DH (without giving anything away) that since this may be it for a while, I want to hit the Parks running each day to get in as much as possible! So.......we may not utilize all the extras at a Mod! Oh well...decisions, decisions!

The POR is great the themeing is great and the grounds are Beautiful. The boat ride to DTD is definitely worth the trip. You picked the right Moderate resort. My wife and I stayed at the Grand Fla for our Honeymoon and then stayed at the POR and found the ambiance to be the same the only difference was there were a few less people around to help you. Have a Blast!