I just recently returned from a solo trip to Disney where I stayed six nights at the Port Orleans Riverside resort. Though this trip wasn't necessarily relaxing (as I spent six full days hopping among the parks), it was a much needed getaway. As I was by myself, I took notes on my phone throughout the week of things I wanted to remember to comment on in this trip report. So, in no particular order, here goes nothing...
First, let's start with the positives:
1) The rooms at POR were quiet. I mention this specifically because this was not the case at the last moderate Disney World resort I stayed at (Caribbean Beach). Yes, there was occasional noise from someone walking outside the door or a toilet flushing in a nearby room. However, the noise levels were significantly lower at POR.
2) The rooms at POR were clean.
3) On a related note to number two, the rooms had no carpeting. No complaints from me on this one, as hardwood floors are much easier to keep clean than carpet.
4) The beds were extremely comfortable, and the pillows weren't bad either. Had no problems falling asleep at night.
5) No alarm clock/radios were on the nightstands. I count this as a positive solely because I always found them to be too bright at night.
6) Housekeeping was excellent. I used housekeeping every day I was there. I kept the room occupied sign on the door whenever I was in the room and took it down when I headed to the parks. I was always out each morning by around eleven and never once did housekeeping knock on the door while I was in the room. The room was always serviced by the time I returned. A couple times I returned around three in the afternoon and they were done by then. Everything was stocked and housekeeping even arranged towels on the bed into a flower shape. (Make sure you tip housekeeping everyday you get your room serviced.)
7) Disney's Magical Express: This free service for resort guests once again worked flawlessly both heading to Disney and heading back to the airport. The only advice I have is to make sure you sign up for it when you make your hotel reservation so that they have time to mail your luggage tags in advance. This way, they pick up your luggage at the airport and later deliver it directly to your room. Since I signed up for DME at the last minute, I had to pick up my own luggage, take it to the bus where they loaded it, then picked it up at the resort where they unloaded it. I dropped it off at Bell Services when I headed to the parks until my room was ready, then called and had my luggage brought up (again, don't forget to tip).
Now onto the parks...
8) Magicbands are one of Disney's best inventions ever. Not only do they serve a variety of purposes (room key, credit card, park ticket, fastpass, photos, etc.), but they eliminate the need to worry about carrying a wallet and room key to the pool and waterparks. (You'll still need cash or a credit card to rent a locker at a water park though.)
9) Security lines and lines to scan your tickets or Magicbands at the theme parks all seemed to move fairly quickly.
10) Space Mountain: I know there was a lot of disappointment last year when the ride's former exit pathway was remodeled and the moving walkway was removed. However, the new exit path isn't all that bad. If one knew nothing about the former design, they wouldn't think anything of it. The only complaint I have about the exit is that the walkways are only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side and if you get stuck behind people walking slowly, it makes a long exit even longer.
11) Park restrooms were almost always clean.
12) Happily Ever After: This is my favorite nighttime show by far. Unfortunately with the Halloween party, MK only had HEA two nights during my trip. (Yes, I made sure to attend both.) On a related note, if you are going to sit and watch the show at the base of the steps at the Railroad station near the entrance to the park, don't complain every time someone walks up and stands at the back of the crowd gathered in front of the station. Stand up and move yourself. Some lady was sitting there during one of the shows and kept complaining to her husband every time someone stood in front of her.
13) Rivers of Light: I wasn't sure what to expect heading into this nighttime show for the first time. I had read a negative review online ahead of time. I found this show to be way above my expectations. Yes, some parts involving lights/projections are a bit difficult to see. Overall though, it is a great show with an excellent soundtrack.
14) Flight of Passage: I went on this ride for the first time during my 2018 trip. I went on it again two more times this year. This to me is Disney's best ride of all four theme parks. It makes Soarin' feel tame in terms of the ride experience. This should be your top Fastpass target.
15) Dinosaur: Of all the major rides at WDW, I feel as though this is one of the most underrated. Not only is the entire ride and queue indoors and air-conditioned, but the ride itself is thrilling. Wait times for this ride were never over thirty minutes when I was in AK, and usually were under ten minutes.
16) Jungle Cruise: For whatever reason, I myself ignored this ride for the past eighteen years. I rode it with my family the first time they took my brother and I to MK in 2001. Over my ten-plus trips to MK over the years since then, I had not ridden it again. That changed this trip and I will make sure not to forget it again. The jokes are corny and every ride is a bit different. Be sure to pay attention to the messages over the loudspeaker while waiting in the queue for additional laughs.
17) Hall of Presidents: Make sure you visit this show at least once during your visit, regardless of your age. Educational, inspirational, and air-conditioned.
18) Typhoon Lagoon: Last year, water park visitors had to take a bus from their resort to Disney Springs, where they then had to wait for a separate bus to the water park. This year, the process was simplified. Now each resort has at least one bus stop headed directly to the water parks. (Note that Port Orleans Riverside has four bus stops, but only one goes to water parks.) This is still a much more convenient system, undoubtedly intended by Disney to boost water park attendance. The temperature at the end of October reached 90 degrees nearly every day I was there, so the water parks are an excellent place to spend some time, whether it's two hours or a whole day.
19) Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival: If you've never seen this attraction at Epcot, I recommend it. Plenty of seating, so not much of a wait.
20) Wait times in general at all four parks and Typhoon Lagoon were very reasonable this trip at the end of October. The only attraction that consistently had a wait time above 75-90 minutes was Flight of Passage at AK. Almost everything else ranged from 15 minutes to an hour, with some attractions being able to be walked on immediately.
21) Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Not (yet) a Star Wars fan, but this new land is impressive. Intricate attention to detail.
22) Toy Story Mania: Far superior to its older cousin, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in MK. If the line wasn't as long, would go on it again and again.
Now for some more critical comments about my trip, some more trivial than others...
1) Paper straws: These work fine for one-time use while at a food court or whatever. However, using them for any extended period of time will result in a soggy straw. If you get a Frappuccino from Starbucks with chocolate chips in it, make sure you ask for an extra straw or two. The chocolate chips will end up getting stuck in the straw and it is almost impossible to get them out without the straw falling apart.
2) Not sure if all resorts are doing this or what, but the trash cans at POR in the room did not use trash bags. The inside of one of these cans appeared to have some kind of sauce (I hope) splattered and dried to the bottom of the inside of it throughout my stay. It was never cleaned. Perhaps this is another measure Disney is taking to protect the environment, or perhaps they are just being cheap.
3) By far the biggest complaint I have about POR is the walking distance. The resort is huge and the walk between my room and either the nearest bus stop or the lobby building which also contained the food court (Riverside Mill) is ridiculous (almost a half mile to the latter). Last year I stayed at All-Star Music and was in one of the furthest buildings from the lobby/food court. POR was worse. Luckily it did not rain during any of these trips to/from the food court or bus stop or I would have gotten drenched. If you stay at POR, be sure to bring an umbrella. Also, reserve a preferred room if one is available. Personally I would not stay at POR again unless booking a preferred room.
4) Signage between buildings and bus stops and the lobby could be improved at POR. It is easy to get lost, especially at night.
5) Refillable Mugs: Every Disney World resort has a food court that sells refillable mugs. These can be refilled at any resort during the course of your stay (but not at the theme parks). With the distance between many of the rooms and Riverside Mill at POR, they aren't as convenient as at other resorts. In my opinion, Disney should put at least one refill station among each group of buildings by bus stop. (On a side note, Disney did something similar in 2017 when Caribbean Beach's food court was remodeled. They had Coke Freestyle machines in vending areas throughout the resort. This would work well in other large resorts like POR.) Also, Disney should consider increasing the price of the mugs and add refill stations in the parks.
6) Riverside Mill closed every night at 11. This is despite the fact that the Halloween party at MK lasted until midnight and some parks didn't close until 10 or 11 at night. Kind of ridiculous that they shut everything down while the buses are still running. They should at least leave one food station open, as well as the grab-and-go items, until the time the buses stop running. Even if it requires keeping four people on the clock (two at the hot station, one cashier, and one cleaning person in the dining room), it would only be an extra $60 in payroll IF each employee made $15/hour. With the prices Disney charges for food, two families alone would easily cover that cost and then some.
7) The last time I visited Riverside Mill was during a trip to Disney in 2013. At that time, two of the stations were a build-your-own pasta bowl and a build-your-own salad station. (You told the employee which ingredients you wanted and they assembled your order in front of you.) Neither of these are still there.
8) Ice machines at Riverside Mill need an upgrade. Were frequently out of ice or dispensed ice very slowly.
9) Shower pressure at POR: Awful. The shower heads only had one setting and not much pressure. The shower heads in the showers at Typhoon Lagoon were better than that.
10) No Disney pen or notepad in room: Not sure if housekeeping simply forgot to leave these in the room or if they have been discontinued, but there was never one left on the nightstand like Disney usually does.
11) Frozen ride at Epcot: What's up with the blank wall on the left side during the middle of the ride. Seems odd that Disney intentionally left one side completely blank.
12) The American Adventure & Gran Fiesta Tour: One show and one ride at Epcot that I experienced for the first time this trip. Would personally not recommend either, unless you are simply looking to get out of the sun and into the air conditioning.
13) Epcot Forever: I was not overly impressed by this new nighttime show at Epcot. Luckily it's only here for a limited time until the permanent replacement arrives.
14) Forky?!?: Where is Forky in Toy Story Land? I looked everywhere (including on the trash cans) and didn't see any sign of him except in the retail locations. You would think Disney could have added him in a few locations after the success of "Toy Story 4" this past summer.
15) Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: Maybe because it's because I'm not (yet) a Star Wars fan, but I was not impressed by this new ride. Perhaps it's because unless you are the pilot, you have to press buttons to either the left or right side of your seat and pay attention to that panel throughout the ride (largely detracting from the experience). I will stick to Star Tours for now instead and hope Rise of the Resistance meets my expectations.
16) In Disney groups I am a member of on Facebook, one of the more common questions asked is a variation of "I am only visiting three parks, which one should I skip?" Currently, the best answer to that question would be Epcot. There is a massive amount of construction going on now for the foreseeable future. Aside from Test Track (which will be down for most of January and February 2020) and Spaceship Earth (which is also due for updates), Soarin', Frozen, and Mission Space are the only notable rides remaining. That is, if you can stomach Mission Space. Also, Soarin' can be skipped in my opinion once you've ridden Flight of Passage. Right now, Epcot is a visual mess.
17) Not sure if it's because I'm getting older or Space Mountain is getting rougher, but I became less of a fan of that ride this trip. I had no issues with Expedition Everest or Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, but Space Mountain felt different to me this year than it had in years past. Every drop, turn, etc. could be felt more than ever. I don't know why, but it simply was much rougher than I remember it.
18) End of the night bus transportation: Disney really needs to find a way to improve this aspect of their transportation system. Bus transportation was generally fine throughout the day, when I only had to wait over fifteen minutes for a bus once. Once the theme parks close, getting on a bus is a joke. You have to wait in an extremely long line and/or get crammed into a standing-room-only bus. As one of the ride operators at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster kept saying "if you can see the floor, there's room for more". That is clearly the motto for the buses as well.
As for the things I wanted to do this trip, but didn't have time for, the main two were riding the new Skyliner and seeing Hollywood Studios' nighttime show, "Fantasmic!". Also, I would have liked to spend more time exploring the countries in Epcot's World Showcase and exploring Main Street in MK. There's always next time of course. "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow."
First, let's start with the positives:
1) The rooms at POR were quiet. I mention this specifically because this was not the case at the last moderate Disney World resort I stayed at (Caribbean Beach). Yes, there was occasional noise from someone walking outside the door or a toilet flushing in a nearby room. However, the noise levels were significantly lower at POR.
2) The rooms at POR were clean.
3) On a related note to number two, the rooms had no carpeting. No complaints from me on this one, as hardwood floors are much easier to keep clean than carpet.
4) The beds were extremely comfortable, and the pillows weren't bad either. Had no problems falling asleep at night.
5) No alarm clock/radios were on the nightstands. I count this as a positive solely because I always found them to be too bright at night.
6) Housekeeping was excellent. I used housekeeping every day I was there. I kept the room occupied sign on the door whenever I was in the room and took it down when I headed to the parks. I was always out each morning by around eleven and never once did housekeeping knock on the door while I was in the room. The room was always serviced by the time I returned. A couple times I returned around three in the afternoon and they were done by then. Everything was stocked and housekeeping even arranged towels on the bed into a flower shape. (Make sure you tip housekeeping everyday you get your room serviced.)
7) Disney's Magical Express: This free service for resort guests once again worked flawlessly both heading to Disney and heading back to the airport. The only advice I have is to make sure you sign up for it when you make your hotel reservation so that they have time to mail your luggage tags in advance. This way, they pick up your luggage at the airport and later deliver it directly to your room. Since I signed up for DME at the last minute, I had to pick up my own luggage, take it to the bus where they loaded it, then picked it up at the resort where they unloaded it. I dropped it off at Bell Services when I headed to the parks until my room was ready, then called and had my luggage brought up (again, don't forget to tip).
Now onto the parks...
8) Magicbands are one of Disney's best inventions ever. Not only do they serve a variety of purposes (room key, credit card, park ticket, fastpass, photos, etc.), but they eliminate the need to worry about carrying a wallet and room key to the pool and waterparks. (You'll still need cash or a credit card to rent a locker at a water park though.)
9) Security lines and lines to scan your tickets or Magicbands at the theme parks all seemed to move fairly quickly.
10) Space Mountain: I know there was a lot of disappointment last year when the ride's former exit pathway was remodeled and the moving walkway was removed. However, the new exit path isn't all that bad. If one knew nothing about the former design, they wouldn't think anything of it. The only complaint I have about the exit is that the walkways are only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side and if you get stuck behind people walking slowly, it makes a long exit even longer.
11) Park restrooms were almost always clean.
12) Happily Ever After: This is my favorite nighttime show by far. Unfortunately with the Halloween party, MK only had HEA two nights during my trip. (Yes, I made sure to attend both.) On a related note, if you are going to sit and watch the show at the base of the steps at the Railroad station near the entrance to the park, don't complain every time someone walks up and stands at the back of the crowd gathered in front of the station. Stand up and move yourself. Some lady was sitting there during one of the shows and kept complaining to her husband every time someone stood in front of her.
13) Rivers of Light: I wasn't sure what to expect heading into this nighttime show for the first time. I had read a negative review online ahead of time. I found this show to be way above my expectations. Yes, some parts involving lights/projections are a bit difficult to see. Overall though, it is a great show with an excellent soundtrack.
14) Flight of Passage: I went on this ride for the first time during my 2018 trip. I went on it again two more times this year. This to me is Disney's best ride of all four theme parks. It makes Soarin' feel tame in terms of the ride experience. This should be your top Fastpass target.
15) Dinosaur: Of all the major rides at WDW, I feel as though this is one of the most underrated. Not only is the entire ride and queue indoors and air-conditioned, but the ride itself is thrilling. Wait times for this ride were never over thirty minutes when I was in AK, and usually were under ten minutes.
16) Jungle Cruise: For whatever reason, I myself ignored this ride for the past eighteen years. I rode it with my family the first time they took my brother and I to MK in 2001. Over my ten-plus trips to MK over the years since then, I had not ridden it again. That changed this trip and I will make sure not to forget it again. The jokes are corny and every ride is a bit different. Be sure to pay attention to the messages over the loudspeaker while waiting in the queue for additional laughs.
17) Hall of Presidents: Make sure you visit this show at least once during your visit, regardless of your age. Educational, inspirational, and air-conditioned.
18) Typhoon Lagoon: Last year, water park visitors had to take a bus from their resort to Disney Springs, where they then had to wait for a separate bus to the water park. This year, the process was simplified. Now each resort has at least one bus stop headed directly to the water parks. (Note that Port Orleans Riverside has four bus stops, but only one goes to water parks.) This is still a much more convenient system, undoubtedly intended by Disney to boost water park attendance. The temperature at the end of October reached 90 degrees nearly every day I was there, so the water parks are an excellent place to spend some time, whether it's two hours or a whole day.
19) Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival: If you've never seen this attraction at Epcot, I recommend it. Plenty of seating, so not much of a wait.
20) Wait times in general at all four parks and Typhoon Lagoon were very reasonable this trip at the end of October. The only attraction that consistently had a wait time above 75-90 minutes was Flight of Passage at AK. Almost everything else ranged from 15 minutes to an hour, with some attractions being able to be walked on immediately.
21) Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Not (yet) a Star Wars fan, but this new land is impressive. Intricate attention to detail.
22) Toy Story Mania: Far superior to its older cousin, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in MK. If the line wasn't as long, would go on it again and again.
Now for some more critical comments about my trip, some more trivial than others...
1) Paper straws: These work fine for one-time use while at a food court or whatever. However, using them for any extended period of time will result in a soggy straw. If you get a Frappuccino from Starbucks with chocolate chips in it, make sure you ask for an extra straw or two. The chocolate chips will end up getting stuck in the straw and it is almost impossible to get them out without the straw falling apart.
2) Not sure if all resorts are doing this or what, but the trash cans at POR in the room did not use trash bags. The inside of one of these cans appeared to have some kind of sauce (I hope) splattered and dried to the bottom of the inside of it throughout my stay. It was never cleaned. Perhaps this is another measure Disney is taking to protect the environment, or perhaps they are just being cheap.
3) By far the biggest complaint I have about POR is the walking distance. The resort is huge and the walk between my room and either the nearest bus stop or the lobby building which also contained the food court (Riverside Mill) is ridiculous (almost a half mile to the latter). Last year I stayed at All-Star Music and was in one of the furthest buildings from the lobby/food court. POR was worse. Luckily it did not rain during any of these trips to/from the food court or bus stop or I would have gotten drenched. If you stay at POR, be sure to bring an umbrella. Also, reserve a preferred room if one is available. Personally I would not stay at POR again unless booking a preferred room.
4) Signage between buildings and bus stops and the lobby could be improved at POR. It is easy to get lost, especially at night.
5) Refillable Mugs: Every Disney World resort has a food court that sells refillable mugs. These can be refilled at any resort during the course of your stay (but not at the theme parks). With the distance between many of the rooms and Riverside Mill at POR, they aren't as convenient as at other resorts. In my opinion, Disney should put at least one refill station among each group of buildings by bus stop. (On a side note, Disney did something similar in 2017 when Caribbean Beach's food court was remodeled. They had Coke Freestyle machines in vending areas throughout the resort. This would work well in other large resorts like POR.) Also, Disney should consider increasing the price of the mugs and add refill stations in the parks.
6) Riverside Mill closed every night at 11. This is despite the fact that the Halloween party at MK lasted until midnight and some parks didn't close until 10 or 11 at night. Kind of ridiculous that they shut everything down while the buses are still running. They should at least leave one food station open, as well as the grab-and-go items, until the time the buses stop running. Even if it requires keeping four people on the clock (two at the hot station, one cashier, and one cleaning person in the dining room), it would only be an extra $60 in payroll IF each employee made $15/hour. With the prices Disney charges for food, two families alone would easily cover that cost and then some.
7) The last time I visited Riverside Mill was during a trip to Disney in 2013. At that time, two of the stations were a build-your-own pasta bowl and a build-your-own salad station. (You told the employee which ingredients you wanted and they assembled your order in front of you.) Neither of these are still there.
8) Ice machines at Riverside Mill need an upgrade. Were frequently out of ice or dispensed ice very slowly.
9) Shower pressure at POR: Awful. The shower heads only had one setting and not much pressure. The shower heads in the showers at Typhoon Lagoon were better than that.
10) No Disney pen or notepad in room: Not sure if housekeeping simply forgot to leave these in the room or if they have been discontinued, but there was never one left on the nightstand like Disney usually does.
11) Frozen ride at Epcot: What's up with the blank wall on the left side during the middle of the ride. Seems odd that Disney intentionally left one side completely blank.
12) The American Adventure & Gran Fiesta Tour: One show and one ride at Epcot that I experienced for the first time this trip. Would personally not recommend either, unless you are simply looking to get out of the sun and into the air conditioning.
13) Epcot Forever: I was not overly impressed by this new nighttime show at Epcot. Luckily it's only here for a limited time until the permanent replacement arrives.
14) Forky?!?: Where is Forky in Toy Story Land? I looked everywhere (including on the trash cans) and didn't see any sign of him except in the retail locations. You would think Disney could have added him in a few locations after the success of "Toy Story 4" this past summer.
15) Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: Maybe because it's because I'm not (yet) a Star Wars fan, but I was not impressed by this new ride. Perhaps it's because unless you are the pilot, you have to press buttons to either the left or right side of your seat and pay attention to that panel throughout the ride (largely detracting from the experience). I will stick to Star Tours for now instead and hope Rise of the Resistance meets my expectations.
16) In Disney groups I am a member of on Facebook, one of the more common questions asked is a variation of "I am only visiting three parks, which one should I skip?" Currently, the best answer to that question would be Epcot. There is a massive amount of construction going on now for the foreseeable future. Aside from Test Track (which will be down for most of January and February 2020) and Spaceship Earth (which is also due for updates), Soarin', Frozen, and Mission Space are the only notable rides remaining. That is, if you can stomach Mission Space. Also, Soarin' can be skipped in my opinion once you've ridden Flight of Passage. Right now, Epcot is a visual mess.
17) Not sure if it's because I'm getting older or Space Mountain is getting rougher, but I became less of a fan of that ride this trip. I had no issues with Expedition Everest or Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, but Space Mountain felt different to me this year than it had in years past. Every drop, turn, etc. could be felt more than ever. I don't know why, but it simply was much rougher than I remember it.
18) End of the night bus transportation: Disney really needs to find a way to improve this aspect of their transportation system. Bus transportation was generally fine throughout the day, when I only had to wait over fifteen minutes for a bus once. Once the theme parks close, getting on a bus is a joke. You have to wait in an extremely long line and/or get crammed into a standing-room-only bus. As one of the ride operators at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster kept saying "if you can see the floor, there's room for more". That is clearly the motto for the buses as well.
As for the things I wanted to do this trip, but didn't have time for, the main two were riding the new Skyliner and seeing Hollywood Studios' nighttime show, "Fantasmic!". Also, I would have liked to spend more time exploring the countries in Epcot's World Showcase and exploring Main Street in MK. There's always next time of course. "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow."
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