Resort Help Please!

[Oceanman813]

I recently booked a 5 night trip to WDW for the week of March 21st, for myself, my wife, my 6 year old son, and my 4 year old daughter. I ended up booking a Royal Guest Poolview room at Port Orleans Riverside, because it looked like the property, pool, rooms, restaurants, etc, would have a much more kid friendly and "Disney Magic" feel to them. The issue I am now having is that I discovered that the property is somewhat off the beaten path and does not have great access to any of the parks at all, especially to MK where I imagine the kids will want to be at the most. My wife and I keep going back and forth over switching to the Contemporary Resort instead, because of the location, monorail access, and that pathway to and from MK, but I am genuinely trying to determine if it is really worth the extra money or not, especially since I have not ever stayed at the Contemporary.

I love the location of the Contemporary Resort but it looks like a very generic place to stay compared to most others, especially the pool and offerings for the kids. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge several years ago and loved it there, but it was not available for the week we are going. and I prefer to try somewhere different.

Any suggestions, advice, or overall help from those that have experience with the resorts mentioned above would be SO greatly appreciated!!!

 

[NYwdwfan]

I recently booked a 5 night trip to WDW for the week of March 21st, for myself, my wife, my 6 year old son, and my 4 year old daughter. I ended up booking a Royal Guest Poolview room at Port Orleans Riverside, because it looked like the property, pool, rooms, restaurants, etc, would have a much more kid friendly and "Disney Magic" feel to them. The issue I am now having is that I discovered that the property is somewhat off the beaten path and does not have great access to any of the parks at all, especially to MK where I imagine the kids will want to be at the most. My wife and I keep going back and forth over switching to the Contemporary Resort instead, because of the location, monorail access, and that pathway to and from MK, but I am genuinely trying to determine if it is really worth the extra money or not, especially since I have not ever stayed at the Contemporary.

I love the location of the Contemporary Resort but it looks like a very generic place to stay compared to most others, especially the pool and offerings for the kids. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge several years ago and loved it there, but it was not available for the week we are going. and I prefer to try somewhere different.

Any suggestions, advice, or overall help from those that have experience with the resorts mentioned above would be SO greatly appreciated!!!

As far as direct park access, you really only get that at the Contemporary (to MK) and the Boardwalk/Beach Club/Yacht Club/Swan/Dolphin to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. All other resorts have some sort of travel required to and from all of the parks. While I can't guarantee what you and your family will enjoy, I will say that there's definitely a nice relaxing feeling with being able to remove yourself from the stimulation of the parks. Riverside is a beautiful resort and being able to take a walk, swim in the pool or use the playground to burn off steam might be a nice break for your kids.

 

[cdeev8690]

I imagine you won't be spending every day at Magic Kingdom, but you're right that monorail access is a very nice perk. If the Contemporary doesn't have the feel you're going for, maybe the Polynesian would be a better fit.

It sounds like experience is your top priority, as you loved the design of Wilderness Lodge, you'd also love Port Orleans despite the extra travel time that's required to get to the parks. Any of the Epcot/DHS area hotels are also very beautiful but maybe not the intense theming you're looking for. I'm a fan of Boardwalk and their amenities.

I'm going to throw in a wildcard here, despite the fact that your concern is transportation. I don't think it's that big of a deal as I've stayed at primarily Value resorts which have the longest transportation times. I think maybe you should consider Animal Kingdom Lodge. The kids would probably love a Savannah View room and being able to look out their balcony every morning or evening to giraffes and other wildlife. The amenities are wonderful, the food is the best on property (don't @ me, it really is the best), and it's a bargain. They only offer bus transportation but they run every 20 minutes and the ride is 15-18 mins to Magic Kingdom.

 

[wagamama]

I recently booked a 5 night trip to WDW for the week of March 21st, for myself, my wife, my 6 year old son, and my 4 year old daughter. I ended up booking a Royal Guest Poolview room at Port Orleans Riverside, because it looked like the property, pool, rooms, restaurants, etc, would have a much more kid friendly and "Disney Magic" feel to them. The issue I am now having is that I discovered that the property is somewhat off the beaten path and does not have great access to any of the parks at all, especially to MK where I imagine the kids will want to be at the most. My wife and I keep going back and forth over switching to the Contemporary Resort instead, because of the location, monorail access, and that pathway to and from MK, but I am genuinely trying to determine if it is really worth the extra money or not, especially since I have not ever stayed at the Contemporary.

I love the location of the Contemporary Resort but it looks like a very generic place to stay compared to most others, especially the pool and offerings for the kids. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge several years ago and loved it there, but it was not available for the week we are going. and I prefer to try somewhere different.

Any suggestions, advice, or overall help from those that have experience with the resorts mentioned above would be SO greatly appreciated!!!

For what it’s worth - POR isn’t any more off the beaten path than most other resorts! The WDW bus system is generally pretty efficient, and POR is a gorgeous resort with lovely theming and great amenities for your family to enjoy.

The best combination of theme and transportation (monorail) is Poly, imo - but you will pay dearly for that.

 

[Disstevefan1]

If Access to the MK is the most important, then my vote would have been Wilderness Lodge but since there are no rooms, I vote for Contemporary or Poly again if, access to MK is the most important.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Having stayed at CR over several trips, we can confirm that while the WDW theme-ing is minimal, where else does the monorail go THRU your resort, where else if the CHEF MICKEY's, where else is there mosaics on an elevator tower in an open vast atrium, and where else do the elevators have Disney Character voices announce floors as you arrive (okay, maybe there are other places for that one)? The walk to MK, the EWP, the Garden Grill, the Concourse observation end of the fireworks, the marina, and simplistic, but nonetheless refreshing, pools make CR among the best WDW resorts. Oops, stay somewhere else.

EDIT: It is definitely highly overpriced!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Having gone before you do know that NO resort is close to ALL of the parks and each resort has its pros and cons with location and transportation.

I loved POR in the RR. The room is decked out Disney but the rest of the resort is not.
There's a boat to Disney Springs.
The buses to the parks were decently efficient.
The food is great.

I absolutely love the Contemporary. It was always on my bucket list because since I was a small child I adored the unique structure.
I like that if you stay in the main building everything you need is in one place more like a regular hotel.
I also liked the quick walk to MK.
The buses to AK and HS were not efficient at all though and buses were always running behind schedule and then several buses would come at once and everyone would be trying to shuffle around to the correct bus.

It sounds like you want in your face Disney, fun for the kids, and efficient transportation.
If that's the case I actually would recommend saving a bundle and staying in a value resort.

 

[zurgandfriend]

My DS always loved the Contemporary because of the monorail, the walk to Magic Kingdom, Chef Mickey’s etc. that would be my first choice. If however proximity to MK is not the biggest factor another resort to consider is Animal Kingdom Lodge. Many think it is “way out there.” It has unique decor, a great view, a nice pool and some great restaurants.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Our family's first-stay-after-kids at WDW (the kids were 4 and 6) was at PORS. We traveled to/from the resort to parks at least twice daily, returning to the hotel every day after lunch for an extended nap break (we wanted to preserve the same nap schedule the kids had at home), and then heading out again around 4pm for 4 or 5 hours of evening touring.

We loved the resort (we stayed in Alligator Bayou, in a building close to the preferred section) and found the bus service to be very good - meaning, we rarely waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. In fact, we had shorter average waits for the PORS buses than we encountered waiting for transportation during a subsequent visit at Wilderness Lodge, despite Wilderness Lodge being a "deluxe" resort. We've also since stayed at the Polynesian, which is on the monorail line, and although the transportation to MK was obviously quicker when the monorails were running (there were a couple of times they weren't running yet in the morning, or broke down), the tradeoff was that we had a significantly longer commute to every other park besides MK, so the net transportation time pretty much balanced out with what we experienced at moderate resorts.

In short, if I were you, I wouldn't change course at this point. PORS is a great resort.

 

[Swissmiss]

We were just at POR last week ... so during a very busy period. We found the bus system excellent; we rarely had a long wait and almost always had a seat.

 

[larryz]

If this is the first trip the kids will remember, better to start out Moderate and move up to a Deluxe later in life than to start at a Deluxe and downgrade to Moderate later.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The contemporary is highly overpriced.

My favorite locations...and I’ve managed at several of these...based on all factors - including value are:

1. Beach club
2. Animal kingdom lodge
3. Wilderness lodge.

I don’t recommend those lightly...park access is a big factor.

I also don’t say this lightly:
Moderates are the most overpriced (and that’s when it was $150 a night)
...not that they’re not nice...you just get more out of POP! lb for lb

 

[Oceanman813]

As far as direct park access, you really only get that at the Contemporary (to MK) and the Boardwalk/Beach Club/Yacht Club/Swan/Dolphin to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. All other resorts have some sort of travel required to and from all of the parks. While I can't guarantee what you and your family will enjoy, I will say that there's definitely a nice relaxing feeling with being able to remove yourself from the stimulation of the parks. Riverside is a beautiful resort and being able to take a walk, swim in the pool or use the playground to burn off steam might be a nice break for your kids.

Thank you so much for your fantastic input!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

If this is the first trip the kids will remember, better to start out Moderate and move up to a Deluxe later in life than to start at a Deluxe and downgrade to Moderate later.

That’s assuming they’ll go back consistently

 

[Cubs Brian]

The cost difference between CR and POR is enough for me to be able to justify a longer bus ride to the parks. If you want to get to the parks faster, save 200.00 a night and get an Uber for 15.00 . May even get you there faster than the monorail.

 

[HoustonHorn]

I've gone twice with my daughter - POR Royal Room in 2016 (almost 2) and Contemporary Garden Wing in 2018 (almost 4). In April, we are going back and staying at Contemporary again.

I love POR - I have stayed there several times going back to when it was Dixie Landings. Beautiful resort, good dining options, carriage rides are nice and relaxing, and it has boat access to Disney Springs. However, after our 2016 trip, we swore it off due to the horrific transportation to the parks. My wife waited 90 minutes for a bus to MK one morning at about 9:30, and we would consistently see multiples buses arrive for other resorts before one of ours would show up when trying to leave the parks and Disney Springs. I saw a poster above had better luck with the buses recently, so maybe that's changed. But for us, wasting that much time on transportation just isn't worth it.

Contemporary has a special place in my heart - it was the place I stayed with my first two trips when I was a kid (back when it was much more reasonably priced). The walkway to the MK is amazingly convenient, and the ability to take the monorail to EPCOT is also good. Plus, I have always found the Electrical Water Pageant to be a wonderful end to a day. The buses to and from AK and MGM seemed to run very regularly. And the rooms were noticeably bigger.

If the cost doesn't matter, I'd switch to CR, especially if you're planning to spend most of your time at MK and EPCOT. But those are two great choices.

 

[Hcalvert]

We like having nearby access to MK, so we have booked Poly, CCV, and BLT for our next three trips (at very reduced rates to be honest). I stayed at POR in July and it was fine for what it was and I do like the food court. I forgot how sprawling the moderates are and they do have multiple bus stops. Sometimes POR will share buses with POFQ. I was in building #37, which was a long trek to the food court, but we were close to the bus stop. From what I understand about POR, the Royal guest rooms are in Oak Manor and Parterre Place buildings (buildings 90 and 95) of Magnolia Bend. I am unsure if you have a bus stop nearby or not (probably East Depot is the closest). The bus stop (North Depot) was the second stop at POR when I was there (third if the bus stopped at POFQ first).

 

[Oceanman813]

We like having nearby access to MK, so we have booked Poly, CCV, and BLT for our next three trips (at very reduced rates to be honest). I stayed at POR in July and it was fine for what it was and I do like the food court. I forgot how sprawling the moderates are and they do have multiple bus stops. Sometimes POR will share buses with POFQ. I was in building #37, which was a long trek to the food court, but we were close to the bus stop. From what I understand about POR, the Royal guest rooms are in Oak Manor and Parterre Place buildings (buildings 90 and 95) of Magnolia Bend. I am unsure if you have a bus stop nearby or not (probably East Depot is the closest). The bus stop (North Depot) was the second stop at POR when I was there (third if the bus stopped at POFQ first).
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Thank you so much for all of this, it is definitely extremely helpful!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We like having nearby access to MK, so we have booked Poly, CCV, and BLT for our next three trips (at very reduced rates to be honest). I stayed at POR in July and it was fine for what it was and I do like the food court. I forgot how sprawling the moderates are and they do have multiple bus stops. Sometimes POR will share buses with POFQ. I was in building #37, which was a long trek to the food court, but we were close to the bus stop. From what I understand about POR, the Royal guest rooms are in Oak Manor and Parterre Place buildings (buildings 90 and 95) of Magnolia Bend. I am unsure if you have a bus stop nearby or not (probably East Depot is the closest). The bus stop (North Depot) was the second stop at POR when I was there (third if the bus stopped at POFQ first).
View attachment 439846

I’m curious what “reduced rates” are at vacation club locations??

Other than that...you give some great advice about port.


As far as location goes...I think beach club and boardwalk offer the most...but the ones along the monorail are nice as well.

 

[Oceanman813]

I’m curious what “reduced rates” are at vacation club locations??

Other than that...you give some great advice about port.


As far as location goes...I think beach club and boardwalk offer the most...but the ones along the monorail are nice as well.

I’d love to stay at Beach Club & that was one of my first choices, however, it was completely sold out on the dates we are going.