POR Walking Distances-Magnolia Bend vs Alligator Bayou

[Raineman]

DW, DD and I will be staying at POR in late October for the first time. We will be requesting a room in one of the Magnolia Bend buildings, but, when it comes to walking distances, if we do end up in an Alligator Bayou building, is the extra walking distance to get to the lobby/main buildings/lobby bus stop negligible, or does it add considerable time/stress on feet that may already be tired/sore? We will be using the bus system every day, but we will be utilizing the lobby bus stop, as every morning but one we will be having breakfast at the Riverside Mill before heading to the parks, so we will be making that walk every day from our room to the front of the resort instead of one of the bus stops that are closer to our room. Google Earth shows it is about a quarter mile from the farthest building to the lobby, which doesn't sound like a whole lot, but...

 

[CaptainAmerica]

As it sounds like you're aware, Disney doesn't guarantee room requests but Magnolia versus Alligator is a pretty safe one because it still allows the room assigner a ton of flexibility. That said, Disney sells a special category of Alligator Bayou room called "Preferred Location," which are closer to the main areas. So if you end up in Alligator Bayou with a different room category, you'll be on the far end. However, there are internal buses if you don't want to walk. Just go to the closest bus stop to your room and ride it up to the lobby.

 

[Raineman]

As it sounds like you're aware, Disney doesn't guarantee room requests but Magnolia versus Alligator is a pretty safe one because it still allows the room assigner a ton of flexibility. That said, Disney sells a special category of Alligator Bayou room called "Preferred Location," which are closer to the main areas. So if you end up in Alligator Bayou with a different room category, you'll be on the far end. However, there are internal buses if you don't want to walk. Just go to the closest bus stop to your room and ride it up to the lobby.

The only room category that we booked under was "Garden View"-but I think all that means is that our room won't be facing a parking lot. I guess the walk in the morning shouldn't be too bad, as long as the walk from the bus to our room at night is not too far, as, by that point, my feet are screaming at me to stop the madness lol.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The only room category that we booked under was "Garden View"-but I think all that means is that our room won't be facing a parking lot. I guess the walk in the morning shouldn't be too bad, as long as the walk from the bus to our room at night is not too far, as, by that point, my feet are screaming at me to stop the madness lol.

Well I assume you wouldn't be getting off at the lobby at night, right? You'd get off at your specific stop?

 

[Raineman]

Well I assume you wouldn't be getting off at the lobby at night, right? You'd get off at your specific stop?

Yup, although, as someone who has only every stayed at Value resorts, the idea of not having to walk through/around the lobby to get to your room after being dropped off is still kind of foreign to me. Gonna take a bit getting used to.

 

[dmatt87]

If you're in a preferred section, the walk will be comparable or quick in Alligator Bayou, however if in another section, the walk to the lobby will be longer but you could stil be close to a bus stop. It's important to remember that the lobby is the last stop on the run, so it can get pretty full at certain times.

 

[LeighM]

We stayed in a room in Alligator Bayou that was towards the back of the resort and the walk to the main lobby took about 10-15 minutes depending on how fast we were walking. It really wasn't that bad. And it was nice at the end of the day when we could leave the bus at the first stop of West Depot and walk quickly to our room instead of having to walk farther from the lobby. You can try calling Reservations and requesting a building in Magnolia Bend section. We loved building 85 in Magnolia Bend that was close to the main lobby by walking across Ole Man Island but also near the East Depot when we returned from the parks. It's not guaranteed but they do try to honor those requests if at all possible. But you have to call the Reservation line and they will add it as a notation on your reservation they use to assign rooms at the resort.

 

[Weather_Lady]

If possible (you'll have to fax/phone it in), request the precise building number you want. When we stayed at PORS in a garden view room, we requested Alligator Bayou building 16 (the one closest to the preferred section, without being preferred). We were assigned a room in neighboring building 17, which was close enough that we could walk to the food court in under 10 minutes -- and reach the main bus depot in 5 minutes, cutting across a parking lot. (We were relying on Disney bus transportation and at that point, the main depot was always the first stop for buses heading to a park, so we could be assured of a seat by using that depot.) It was terrific.

 

[Mark P.]

We loved building 85 in Magnolia Bend that was close to the main lobby by walking across Ole Man Island but also near the East Depot when we returned from the parks.

I had called in advance to notate a preference for building 85 (we had booked a Garden View room), but on our arrival day our initial room assignment was in Alligator Bayou. I called the resort on our way to the airport and they were able to move us to 85 when we arrived later that evening - easy peasy, and absolutely the right move in terms of accessibility to both the lobby and the bus depot.

 

[RedLeader]

POR Alligator Bayou is our favorite place to stay. Have stayed in many of the buildings and even the ones I thought I would hate because of the long walk, I didn't. First off, the walk just isn't that bad. Secondly, the gardens are so nice, you enjoy the stroll anyway.

What can happen is you get lost on one of the meandering paths and wind up walking a long way out of the way. I think that is what happens the most when folks complain about the distance.

Enjoy and let us know how you made out!

 

[Rob562]

POR Alligator Bayou is our favorite place to stay. Have stayed in many of the buildings and even the ones I thought I would hate because of the long walk, I didn't. First off, the walk just isn't that bad. Secondly, the gardens are so nice, you enjoy the stroll anyway.

What can happen is you get lost on one of the meandering paths and wind up walking a long way out of the way. I think that is what happens the most when folks complain about the distance.

Enjoy and let us know how you made out!

That's a very good point. Once you're at your room, take a good look at the map. Draw a line between you and the food court, and you and the bus stop. Try to find paths along that line. Quite often your quickest route is cutting through another Bayou building rather than following the signs and the meandering paths.

-Rob

 

[drwadadli]

We stayed in room 3553 a couple of years ago and loved. The room had a extra window and was not near the pool. The walk wasn't bad (about 10 minute walk) around the "Bayou" and across Ol' Man Island. It was a very nice quiet walk in the morning for breakfast and coffee with very few people out and about. In the evening, it again was a nice quiet walk with almost no one around. This trip was a complete-surprise birthday trip for my wife and she totally loved the room location and the nice walk.

We love to walk so after walking all day, it still wasn't a bad walk back to the room. Since you mentioned you at a "Garden View" and not a "Preferred Room", all the walks are about the same.

Enjoy your trip and tell us how you get on.

 

[s&k'smom]

If you have never been to PO go to you tube there are tons of video's that will literally have an entire walking tour of a resort.

 

[Rodb]

I had called in advance to notate a preference for building 85 (we had booked a Garden View room), but on our arrival day our initial room assignment was in Alligator Bayou. I called the resort on our way to the airport and they were able to move us to 85 when we arrived later that evening - easy peasy, and absolutely the right move in terms of accessibility to both the lobby and the bus depot.

building 85 garden view is the best bet for the shortest distance with also having a private pool between you and the arcadian bldg. you are closest to the bridge for ole' man island and the main lobby

 

[JillC LI]

The only room category that we booked under was "Garden View"-but I think all that means is that our room won't be facing a parking lot. I guess the walk in the morning shouldn't be too bad, as long as the walk from the bus to our room at night is not too far, as, by that point, my feet are screaming at me to stop the madness lol.

We had a garden view room in building 17 in January and it was just a few minutes walk to the food court in the morning and the bus stop as well as the main pool. I'd request it again in a heart beat. Take a walk along the river to POFQ for beignets one morning!