Port orleans riverside

[JannyWDW]

Hey folks :
My herd is staying at Riverside very soon. We were wondering if we could learn the differences b/w the mansion area and the alligator bayou? My kids don't like the woods so do the mansions have more open space and less bushes? My sister in law mentioned snakes which already has my family buzzing. I dont remember which resort she was at but the last thing we want to do is worry about that.I'll never sleep! LOL:ROFLOL:

 

[NadieMasK2]

We've stayed at POR maybe 6-7 times, and each time I have requested the Mansions and we have always had a mansion room. I'd say you've got a pretty good chance of getting one.

We love the mansions, kinda makes me feel like Scarlet O'Hara. :ROFLOL:
We love POR but my only complaint was the last time our room was looking very tired. Faded bedpreads and curtains, worn carpet, banged up furniture, but I believe it is scheduled for a refurb.

 

[JannyWDW]

Can I ask why you want to stay at PORS? I know I'm in the minority here, but we stayed there a couple of years ago and did not enjoy it at all. We usually stay at deluxes and felt that PORS was trying to be like a deluxe without any of the things that make a deluxe a deluxe -- location, bed size, and amenities. The bus service was horrific, we waited longer at that resort for buses then any other resorts I've stayed at, and at one point after not being able to get on MK bus for over an hour we took a taxi to the MK (first time doing that ever). I didn't care for how everything was spread out. It's a very pretty resort but definately not for us. We're not resort snobs, we've also sayed at Pop twice and loved it and would much prefer to stay there over PORS -- great bus service, great food court, and if you get a room in the 50s it's not spread out at all.

To each his own, but I'd evaluate why you want to stay there, we were excited going in but disappointed coming out.

I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your stay. I hear mixed things about this resort but it looks really nice to me. My sister in law has stayed at All Star Sports, Carribbean Beach, Pop Century and the Polynesion. She said she would go back to any of them in a heart beat. I'm sure some are much nicer than others. We stayed at Coronado a few years ago. It was nice but very busy. We picked Port Orleans because it the theme was really clever. I'm a little worried about the bus situation. I have heard mixed things about that too. What time of year did you stay at POR?

 

[durangojim]

I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your stay. I hear mixed things about this resort but it looks really nice to me. My sister in law has stayed at All Star Sports, Carribbean Beach, Pop Century and the Polynesion. She said she would go back to any of them in a heart beat. I'm sure some are much nicer than others. We stayed at Coronado a few years ago. It was nice but very busy. We picked Port Orleans because it the theme was really clever. I'm a little worried about the bus situation. I have heard mixed things about that too. What time of year did you stay at POR?

We were there in September which was not a busy time in the parks, making the bus situation all the more frustrating.

It's very possible that our experience was just an isolated incident for the entire trip, but it's not a chance I'd like to take again. Lots of people love the resort though, so they must be doing something right.

 

[JannyWDW]

We were there in September which was not a busy time in the parks, making the bus situation all the more frustrating.

It's very possible that our experience was just an isolated incident for the entire trip, but it's not a chance I'd like to take again. Lots of people love the resort though, so they must be doing something right.

Funny part is that I rather desperately investigated the bus situation at POR. I must have misinterpreted something because FQ is apparently the better choice for buses. I'd try to switch but that would be a hassle. Plus the Riverside pool looks nicer. I'm sure it's quite possible to have a bad experience at a Disney resort.... but I think it's impossible to have a bad experience at Disney in general. Being from the big apple, I like just being in a different climate with different surroundings! I had so much fun last time! I would sleep in a paper box!!:lol:

 

[Master Yoda]

Funny part is that I rather desperately investigated the bus situation at POR. I must have misinterpreted something because FQ is apparently the better choice for buses. I'd try to switch but that would be a hassle. Plus the Riverside pool looks nicer. I'm sure it's quite possible to have a bad experience at a Disney resort.... but I think it's impossible to have a bad experience at Disney in general. Being from the big apple, I like just being in a different climate with different surroundings! I had so much fun last time! I would sleep in a paper box!!:lol:

The buses can be a mixed bag regardless of which resort you are staying at. FQ can be a bit better than RS during peak times but during the majority of the day the FQ bus will makes stops at RS. If you liked the buses at Coronado you should be fine at RS.

 

[liloohana]

We just stayed at POR at the end of March. I thought the landscaping, pool, and lobby were all very nice. We had our car, so we didn't have to worry about the buses. We saw some cute geckos running around, but never any snakes!!
On the other hand, out of all the Disney resorts we have stayed at, POR did not have the greatest rooms. We were in the Bayou and I did not like the woodsy decor at all. It was completely my fault for not investigating the resort more-I was only familiar with the mansions (we had stayed at POFQ before and walked over and seen only the beautiful white mansions). It felt like some awful cabin in the woods (not a camper!!), and the room was in need of some serious cleaning.
I also get frustrated with the lack of moderate and value choices for families of 5. This is the only moderate resort available to a family of 5 (unless you get a suite), and what they consider a "trundle" bed is ridiculous. It is a 2" thick piece of foam you roll out from under the bed, that's barely 5' long!!
No one wanted to sleep on it, because essentially you are sleeping on the floor.
POFQ is absolutely beautiful. We stayed right after they refurbished the rooms (I believe it was 2007), but it was only my husband and I for our anniversary.
You'll have a magical time wherever you stay, and I hope the bus situation works out! We have had good and bad bus days at every resort and park, so I hope you luck out and get all the good days !!
If you stay in the mansions, please post and let us know how it goes!! Maybe we'll request them next time!!

 

[vjgraham]

Thank you for the replies. I like the rooms at alligator bayou better based on pictures but the trails leading to the buildings look a little scary. Are there ways of getting to the alligator bayou rooms without going through those paths? I'm braver than my kids and even I don't like the looks of some of those trails. One of them was narrow with too many shrubs and a swampy area. I'd worry about walking through there especially at night. I really like alligator bayou other than that piece of it.

We will be staying at alligator bayou at the end of the month. We have stayed there before,:animwink: and like others have mentioned, there is nothing to worry about concerning the paths...

 

[ThinkTink721]

Hey folks :
My herd is staying at Riverside very soon. We were wondering if we could learn the differences b/w the mansion area and the alligator bayou? My kids don't like the woods so do the mansions have more open space and less bushes? My sister in law mentioned snakes which already has my family buzzing. I dont remember which resort she was at but the last thing we want to do is worry about that.I'll never sleep! LOL:ROFLOL:

We have stayed in the Alligator Bayou section at POR several times & it is very scenic & quiet.
We have never seen any snakes there - only animals such as birds & rabbits. I am sure that snakes are in the area, but they are rarely seen where people congregate. Just remember that if you do see one, just walk away from it slowly. It is scared of you too! I don't think you have anything to worry about though.
Have fun!!! :wave:

 

[eroyee]

We love POR. Its our fave moderate. we have never seen a snake. when you check in, Just say you prefer mansion side. we have done that many times and got a mansion room. have a magical vacation....

 

[Bulldog1653]

We stayed at Riverside back in September of 2008 in Building #14. The main reason we were that far back was because there were 5 of us so we had no choice.
There are a few great points here, especially about the transportation. For some reason, the bus service is inconsistent and bordering on pathetic. Those of you who have read my postings know how I feel about it and why I am a HUGE advocate of the monorail being expanded.
The rooms are very nice but I do think that they should have queen beds instead of doubles (way too small).
As far as snakes and other critters, don't worry about it. You see a lot of lizards (very small ones) and ducks more than anything. We stayed there for 10 days and didn't see any snakes, gators (except in the Animal Kingdom pen), or anything else dangerous in the water or on the grounds.
I will tell you that as much as I like the POR resort, I probably won't stay there again unless it's my wife and myself because of the beds and transportation problem.

 

[ob1thx1138]

Like I said before we stayed there 8 nights at the end of June and checked out on July 5th. We stayed in building 16 so we used the main bus terminal. We never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus in the morning, but we always got us early to make it to rope drop (most of the time).

One thing about staying in the mansions is that they are the last ones picked up, so the bus situation may be a little more of a problem. The entire time we were there and every bus we rode, regardless of where is was coming from, first stopped at FQ then the main bus stop at Riverside and then made the loop around riverside. So by the time it got to the last couple stops (where a majority of the guests staying at the mansion got on) the bus was nearly full or completely full and some times it would bypass those last stops entirely. I don't know if they ever dispatch buses to just hit the back side of Riverside but I could see the frustration in the peoples faces as we just drove by.

My suggestion if you want to stay in the mansion area is to request one close to the lobby and then use the main bus stop. Also you can drive to the main bus stop and then just drive back to your room if you are going to have your car there.


All in all we loved Riverside and would gladly stay there again (although we won't because we want to do something new next time. lol) Our only complaint was how spread out the resort was, however that was also one of the things we enjoyed so much was the openness of the resort and all the natural beauty.

 

[Bulldog1653]

As a follow up to my previous posting, I really did enjoy our time at the POR. The only thing I didn't like about it was the bus system. The frustration was contagious when we were at the stops. Getting back to the resort wasn't the problem, it was waiting to catch the one going to your park of choice.
We always had problems with consistency. We would be waiting for a bus going to the Magic Kingdom and would see 4 or 5 buses stop for DHS.
After about the third day of this, I finally talked to a manager at the hotel and told him what was going on. It balanced itself out to where we would see buses come by in order (EPCOT, MK, AK, DHS, etc) for about 2 days, then it went south again.
Now that I'm finished ranting about the bus system, overall the POR was a very nice, comfortable place to stay. The food wasn't too bad (especially the ice cream shop) and the pools were GREAT. The rooms themselves were ok for a family with smaller kids.
In my honest opinion, POR is worth the stay if you don't have a problem with waiting for the buses. For us, we look at Disney resorts pretty simply: how much time do you really plan to stay at the hotel? If all you're doing is using the room/resort for sleep and spending every possible second at the parks, then consider a value. You save money and the room doesn't really matter.
If you plan on maybe spending a few extra hours at your resort, look into a moderate or a deluxe. The biggest thing is that you get what you pay for. All in all, every resort has it's ups and downs. Think about what you want to get out of your stay and decide from there.