Port Orleans Riverside Vs Wilderness Lodge.. (Poll)

[21stamps]

Haha I saw the thing about the Ketchup, haha I am not going to tell my fiance about it though .. Again thanks everybody for all the help y'all answered all of my questions and more.

Just make sure you let us know which resort you chose and we want a trip report with pictures, please.

Have a great trip!

I second this! Please let us know what you decide!
Either way- You're going to Disney World!
So really no wrong choice

 

[LAKid53]

That is awesome LAkid53.. We are definatley going, I just need to decide whether we will be staying with our friends, which would save us a lot of money, or get a couple of nights

I'll probably stay on property, since that's more convenient, especially if one has to rise early for a 5:30 am start time.

 

[JohnD]

We are going to Disney August 31st.. We had originally planned to stay at Port Orleans Riverside.. Now, I want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge, but my soon to be wife wants to stay at Port Orleans Riverside.. I know that Fort Wilderness Lodge is more expensive, but I was curious as to which one others would choose...

Given the ability to pay, I would rather say at WL. But if your budget is limited you can't go wrong with POR.

 

[Jim Buck]

Sounds like mind made up. I love the WL too but have to admit never stayed at POR. We had the chance to stay at WL 9 years ago and got hooked, will be back in less than a month now!! The construction will not bother you at all and in fact the conversion has the resort with less people in there so it is even more relaxed for now.

I am so crazed for WL that I have my bedroom and office set up with all the furniture from WL rooms. I had to drive to KY from TX to get it but it was worth it all. In KY there is a guy who has the current deal with Disney to secure all of their rooms when they renovate, he has new stuff from Yacht Club and Coronado now too. If you want to see his stuff search for WREC Liquidators on Facebook.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[BASS]

I've stayed at both. Unless money is an issue, WL hands-down. As someone mentioned, it's unfair to compare a moderate to a deluxe.

Plus, there's something so unique about being transported to the Pacific Northwest . . . in a tropical climate.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We've stayed at both, several times each, and would recommend POR. Yes, the Wilderness Lodge lobby is impressive, visit it if possible. But stay at POR-it saves lots of money and I find the CMs just as nice. We're DVC members now, but we're stayed at POR a couple times, just because we missed it. Stayed at VWL once and done.

 

[Jim Buck]

I like too that you can take the boat over to the Contemporary and catch the monorail as well.

 

[Chaset24]

Unfortunately, even with the discounts we can get, my soon to be wife still wants us to stay at Port Orleans Riverside haha .. so we are moving our trip date up by three weeks and we are definitely staying at POR.. It is still a very nice resort and if it makes her happy haha it makes me happy, but our next trip we get to stay where I want to stay lol I hope!

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

Unfortunately, even with the discounts we can get, my soon to be wife still wants us to stay at Port Orleans Riverside haha .. so we are moving our trip date up by three weeks and we are definitely staying at POR.. It is still a very nice resort and if it makes her happy haha it makes me happy, but our next trip we get to stay where I want to stay lol I hope!

I think you guys will really enjoy Port Orleans Riverside. It's worth really taking the time to walk around and explore the beautiful grounds. That's what differentiates it from a lot of the other resorts, in my opinion.

I hope you find the time to walk through the beautifully landscaped Magnolia Bend and lush Alligator Bayou areas, walk along the river and through Ol Man Island, etc. - in the morning sunshine and also at night.

Most importantly, I think you'll really enjoy taking the Sassagoula River Cruise from POR to Disney Springs (you can even take it roundtrip if you don't want to visit Disney Springs). The ride is relaxing and beautiful - perhaps one of my favorite WDW experiences.

Check out this tour by Justin Scarred:

(his videos are super frenetic, but this nevertheless provides a really good overview of the grounds; note that he's staying in one of the Alligator Bayou rooms, and spends only a little time in a part of Magnolia Bend at the end).

Also check out this excellent, incredibly detailed Port Orleans fan site: http://www.PortOrleans.org

As an additional note: personally, I'd recommend booking a "river view room" and calling the front desk 3 days in advance to request placement in the Magnolia Bend area (that's the mansions, as opposed to the lodges of Alligator Bayou). Stepping outside and overlooking that beautiful river in the morning is really special. (Some people disagree about booking specific views being worthwhile, since the moderates only have windows to the balcony walkway, but I personally found stepping out and seeing the river to be really special; I'd suggest at least a garden view if you don't want to spend the river view price. Some people also disagree about Magnolia Bend being superior to Alligator Bayou, but I've found that MB is the "safe" choice because pretty much everyone likes it, while people seem to have split opinions on AB.)

I hope you guys have a great visit! Let us all know how you enjoyed the resort!

 

[Chaset24]

Thanks Marc and I will.. Also, we love Justin Scarred's adventures in Randomland.. We watch every video he uploads.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

Well you're two choices are two of my favorite resorts. I think the only question I would ask is will the ongoing construction at WL be enough to make you wish you hadn't spent the extra money to stay there? We've stayed at both your choices lots of times so the construction isn't an issue for us so when we got a great room only deal to stay at WL during our spring break in March we took it.

 

[Chaset24]

The construction would not bother me at all .. Construction is just progress towards a better tomorrow. Like I said earlier though, my soon to be wife wants to stay at POR.. So ill let her decide this trip lol..

 

[captainkidd]

We just switched to WL since we got a discount. POR is great, but WL is on a whole other level.

 

[Chaset24]

We just switched to WL since we got a discount. POR is great, but WL is on a whole other level.

Was it the Bounceback offer?

 

[ninjaprincesst]

We pretty much always stay at the Wilderness Lodge since we first stayed there we have strayed twice and regretted it both times. The first time we stayed at the Contemporary, and then at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. While both were nice they just did not have the same level of friendliness and service the Wilderness Lodge does.

 

[captainkidd]

I think you guys will really enjoy Port Orleans Riverside. It's worth really taking the time to walk around and explore the beautiful grounds. That's what differentiates it from a lot of the other resorts, in my opinion.

I hope you find the time to walk through the beautifully landscaped Magnolia Bend and lush Alligator Bayou areas, walk along the river and through Ol Man Island, etc. - in the morning sunshine and also at night.

Most importantly, I think you'll really enjoy taking the Sassagoula River Cruise from POR to Disney Springs (you can even take it roundtrip if you don't want to visit Disney Springs). The ride is relaxing and beautiful - perhaps one of my favorite WDW experiences.

Check out this tour by Justin Scarred:

(his videos are super frenetic, but this nevertheless provides a really good overview of the grounds; note that he's staying in one of the Alligator Bayou rooms, and spends only a little time in a part of Magnolia Bend at the end).

Also check out this excellent, incredibly detailed Port Orleans fan site: http://www.PortOrleans.org

As an additional note: personally, I'd recommend booking a "river view room" and calling the front desk 3 days in advance to request placement in the Magnolia Bend area (that's the mansions, as opposed to the lodges of Alligator Bayou). Stepping outside and overlooking that beautiful river in the morning is really special. (Some people disagree about booking specific views being worthwhile, since the moderates only have windows to the balcony walkway, but I personally found stepping out and seeing the river to be really special; I'd suggest at least a garden view if you don't want to spend the river view price. Some people also disagree about Magnolia Bend being superior to Alligator Bayou, but I've found that MB is the "safe" choice because pretty much everyone likes it, while people seem to have split opinions on AB.)

I hope you guys have a great visit! Let us all know how you enjoyed the resort!

I didn't care for MB but loved AB. Room decor was much more my taste.