Riverside, the Good, Bad, and Ugly Needed

[Daddymouse]

I am sure this type of thread is repetitive, but DW and I just changed or room reservation from French Quarter to Riverside. What I really want to know is; what do you find good, bad, and ugly. Which rooms are the best? We would like to stay relatively close to the food court. We also do not want to be too far away from the main pool. The hot tubs seem to help us relax even more in the evening. Our reservation is for a standard room.

 

[real mad hatter]

Congratulations.

You won't be disappointed with your choice.Having stayed first at FQ and really enjoyed it,we fell in love with RS. Why! The grounds are beautiful,the food court excellent,the sassagoula river,the boats you can hire to sail down it.The rooms have been renovated and PP and OM are now royal rooms,but Magnolia and Acadian are awesome. Alligator Bayou blds 14 to 18 are nearest food court and main pool.Oh and don't forget to toss a dime off the magic bridge into the river and make a wish.Don't cheat,eyes closed and holding hands.:wave:

 

[Tinkerbella16]

You really can't go wrong with both POFQ or POR. They are my two favorite resorts I've stayed in so far. I do love FQ a little more, because its just perfect for someone like me with no kids. The only "ugly" I would say for Riverside, and its not even an ugly thing actually is its size. I don't mind walking in wdw. But we were put in a very far room in the Alligator Bayou section and the walk to anything seemed like forever. Other than that the resort is beautiful. The theme is dead on and you really feel that disney feeling the whole time you are there. The one thing about the resort that I love is the boat to DTD... so relaxing and convenient. The foodcourt at POR is better than FQ. The pool at Riverside is also a favorite to many and more kid friendly... there is a main pool and quite a few quiet pools around the resort, while FQ only has the one main pool. You won't be disappointed.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

The good:
Lots of activities
Beautifully themed
Sit down restaurant right there

The bad:
The pool at FQ is better, IMO. But of course it's just a short walk away & you can use both.
The size - I prefer the smaller size at FQ

The ugly:
The food court at Riverside doesn't have beignets! Food court at FQ does, and I must have them!

Seriously - you really can't go wrong at either resort, both are amazing. I don't know the room layouts well enough to give room advice, but I think staying at either resort is a great choice!

 

[Annielkd]

I think Riverside is my favorite resort out of all the resorts and that includes the deluxe. I perfered to stay at Magnolia terrace or Acadia House.... I feel those are the best rooms to have for easy conveninece.(if that's where you stay, try to get a room towards the back...the backs are where the center of everything is) Both are right near the path to the main pool and the food court. One of the best things about the food court is their breakfasts. Try their omlet bar in the morning... it's awesome! I loved the grounds are beautiful. I can't tell you anything bad about the park other than the location and the bus transportation.

 

[Pooh Lover]

It is a large resort and will require more walking than POFQ but you know that going in and, since you have probably requested a building close to the food court, it shouldn't be too bad. The walking never bothered us because the resort is so beautiful and peaceful. We always requested either Oak Manor or Magnolia Terrace and used the quiet pools but you will probably want one of the Bayou buildings closer to the food court and the main pool. The food court is amazing with a good selection and plenty of seating. It does get hectic in the mornings but what doesn't? Our main problem with PORS is the bus transportation. You will get people who will argue this but for us, it was a deal breaker. Mornings would have long lines of people (often frustrated people), waiting for a bus that would show up with standing room only space. Or 3 EPCOT buses would come but not 1 MK bus. Most evenings would be long lines waiting for a bus back to the resort. Your results may vary but it was enough for us to choose a different resort for our next trips. All in all, PORS will always be our favorite moderate resort.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

I like Riverside better because I find POFQ is geared more towards families with small children - however that may be what you are looking for. The POFQ is definitely the "family" pool with big bright characters, dragon waterslide, sprinklers etc. Where I can always find a spot at the POR pool that is quiet with no kids splashing around.

I find POR is a much nicer resort to walk around and I enjoy the dining options there. I also enjoy the boat ride to DTD.

If I would have anything bad to say...depending on which building you get it can be a long walk to the bus stop. This is no issue for me but it is for some people. Also you may have a few bus stops to do before and after each park which can make the trip seem long - especially at the end of a long day at the parks.

POR is my favourite Moderate resort. I would actually stay here before some of the deluxe resorts as well.

 

[disneygirl1024]

Riverside is my favorite. Really don't have anything to complain about. Really nice resort. Will be back there in 12 days

 

[crispy]

We stayed at POR last October and absolutely loved it. I second the recommendation for Magnolia Terrace. We found that was really close to the main pool and hot tub, the food court, the playground, and it was also really close to the first bus stop. We were really please with that location and liked it better than the preferred section.

Another great thing is the boat to Downtown Disney. It was very nice and relaxing.

We loved the new upgraded decor and queen size beds. It looked much better in person than in the pictures. All in all, there was nothing that we didn't like about POR.

 

[awesomeinabox]

So much good has been said that I feel bad giving POR the ugly treatment.

The good:

Don't get me wrong, I love the resort, it is beautiful and calm. Great for people with children who are older or couples. The piano man (I feel awful that I can't remember his name) is one of the best and nicest I've ever seen, and a great free show. The staff are nice as well.

The ugly, and I mean ugly:

I reserved a waterview room in the mansions MONTHS in advance, paid extra for it, and called the day before and was assured that I did have that room. When we got there we were in the much uglier bayou rooms, which was fine. The location was close to the main house.

The room, however, had fresh makeup stains on the sheets. There was also grease stains all over the beds, as well as blood on the floor. When we asked if this could be cleaned (we gave them a full day to do it) the mousekeeping dumped our trash into our suitcases.

We told the people up front and they were nice enough to move us to the room we originally requested and give us a $300 resort credit.

When we were moved we had a delightful time, until we had a three day delay due to weather. We were told that we had the room we were in and could keep it for up to three days. So two days came and went. No big deal right?

On the third day we were told we needed to move to another room immediately and walked out to find high school students gathered around sitting in chairs on the lawn. We moved, to a room at the other end of the resort, being the morning we went to the parks. We got back at night and went to freshen up before bed and noticed a cockroach on the floor of the bathroom. We then noticed several more by the tub, and behind the toilet. Being travelers we thought to look near the fridge as things tend to hide there. We found no less than 50 roaches climbing around the fridge region. We called the front desk, where we sat on hold for 40 minutes, only to have to wait another 30 minutes to be transported to the middle of nowhere via a golf cart with a driver who told us many of the rooms had the roaches and we shouldn't worry.

So moral of the story... look out for roaches, get everything in writing regarding rooms you want, and check your room for dirty linens.

 

[disneygirl1024]

I am one of those people that check sheets, mattresses, floors, and the bathroom before settling for the room assigned to us. I do call the front desk if anything is dirty and needs attention. I have never had an issue with roaches in my room ever while staying at POR. Just because one room has them does not mean all others will. Sorry you had a bad experience.

 

[John]

So much good has been said that I feel bad giving POR the ugly treatment.

The good:

Don't get me wrong, I love the resort, it is beautiful and calm. Great for people with children who are older or couples. The piano man (I feel awful that I can't remember his name) is one of the best and nicest I've ever seen, and a great free show. The staff are nice as well.

The ugly, and I mean ugly:

I reserved a waterview room in the mansions MONTHS in advance, paid extra for it, and called the day before and was assured that I did have that room. When we got there we were in the much uglier bayou rooms, which was fine. The location was close to the main house.

The room, however, had fresh makeup stains on the sheets. There was also grease stains all over the beds, as well as blood on the floor. When we asked if this could be cleaned (we gave them a full day to do it) the mousekeeping dumped our trash into our suitcases.

We told the people up front and they were nice enough to move us to the room we originally requested and give us a $300 resort credit.

When we were moved we had a delightful time, until we had a three day delay due to weather. We were told that we had the room we were in and could keep it for up to three days. So two days came and went. No big deal right?

On the third day we were told we needed to move to another room immediately and walked out to find high school students gathered around sitting in chairs on the lawn. We moved, to a room at the other end of the resort, being the morning we went to the parks. We got back at night and went to freshen up before bed and noticed a cockroach on the floor of the bathroom. We then noticed several more by the tub, and behind the toilet. Being travelers we thought to look near the fridge as things tend to hide there. We found no less than 50 roaches climbing around the fridge region. We called the front desk, where we sat on hold for 40 minutes, only to have to wait another 30 minutes to be transported to the middle of nowhere via a golf cart with a driver who told us many of the rooms had the roaches and we shouldn't worry.

So moral of the story... look out for roaches, get everything in writing regarding rooms you want, and check your room for dirty linens.

I call TROLL BS on this post.....only 2 post? hmmmmmm. I have seen mosquitos....various kinds of bugs.... ( your in Fla) in all my visits and staying on property.... not once have I ever seen a roach. I am not buying one single word of this. Am I drunk with the Disney kool aid? maybe...but I am certianally not blinded by this BS.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

I call TROLL BS on this post.....only 2 post? hmmmmmm. I have seen mosquitos....various kinds of bugs.... ( your in Fla) in all my visits and staying on property.... not once have I ever seen a roach. I am not buying one single word of this. Am I drunk with the Disney kool aid? maybe...but I am certianally not blinded by this BS.

You're not alone...the "I found no less than 50 roaches around the fridge" amused me. Yes, the people that stayed there before you didn't notice a roach (or they would not have put anyone in that room) yet 50 moved in in a few hours? Didn't happen. I lived in Florida and I had a roach problem in my apartment which required the "roach killers" to come in and between my roommates and we saw maybe 6 roaches over a matter of weeks.

There's no way there were 50 or 60 roaches in the room.

I also don't believe that when they asked to have their room cleaned that mousekeeping dumped the garbage into their suitcases and that a CM told them there were roaches in all of the rooms.

The whole story right from the room covered in grease and blood to the vengeful mousekeepers to the worlds worst roach infestation is just too over-dramatic to be true. There's no way this happened the way it was described

 

[NMBC1993]

You can't go wrong with Riverside (Dixie Landings). When we stay there we always request a room in Magnolia Bend, it's really nice over there and they have a ton of fountains. The food court has something for everyone including a build your own pasta section. Plus the boats to DTD are always a nice perk.

 

[real mad hatter]

The Shining.

So much good has been said that I feel bad giving POR the ugly treatment.

The good:

Don't get me wrong, I love the resort, it is beautiful and calm. Great for people with children who are older or couples. The piano man (I feel awful that I can't remember his name) is one of the best and nicest I've ever seen, and a great free show. The staff are nice as well.

The ugly, and I mean ugly:

I reserved a waterview room in the mansions MONTHS in advance, paid extra for it, and called the day before and was assured that I did have that room. When we got there we were in the much uglier bayou rooms, which was fine. The location was close to the main house.

The room, however, had fresh makeup stains on the sheets. There was also grease stains all over the beds, as well as blood on the floor. When we asked if this could be cleaned (we gave them a full day to do it) the mousekeeping dumped our trash into our suitcases.

We told the people up front and they were nice enough to move us to the room we originally requested and give us a $300 resort credit.

When we were moved we had a delightful time, until we had a three day delay due to weather. We were told that we had the room we were in and could keep it for up to three days. So two days came and went. No big deal right?

On the third day we were told we needed to move to another room immediately and walked out to find high school students gathered around sitting in chairs on the lawn. We moved, to a room at the other end of the resort, being the morning we went to the parks. We got back at night and went to freshen up before bed and noticed a cockroach on the floor of the bathroom. We then noticed several more by the tub, and behind the toilet. Being travelers we thought to look near the fridge as things tend to hide there. We found no less than 50 roaches climbing around the fridge region. We called the front desk, where we sat on hold for 40 minutes, only to have to wait another 30 minutes to be transported to the middle of nowhere via a golf cart with a driver who told us many of the rooms had the roaches and we shouldn't worry.

So moral of the story... look out for roaches, get everything in writing regarding rooms you want, and check your room for dirty linens.

Wow,That's one heck of a story,if I was you I would write to Disney or better still,Mr King for his next horror film.That script has a spoof horror line all over it.:wave:

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Wow,That's one heck of a story,if I was you I would write to Disney or better still,Mr King for his next horror film.That script has a spoof horror line all over it.:wave:

They forgot to mention the part where Jack Nicholson hacked their door open with an axe and screamed, "HEEEERE'S JOHNNY!!!"

 

[real mad hatter]

Spooky!

They forgot to mention the part where Jack Nicholson hacked their door open with an axe and screamed, "HEEEERE'S JOHNNY!!!"

That's it,when I stay there in July,if I here a typewriter in the next room,Iam outa there.:ROFLOL:

 

[Annielkd]

I've stayed there many times and really think it's the best resort. When the poster wrote roaches, I totally freaked. Of course, I believed it because I couldn't think why someone on here would lie. I've never seen any kind of bug in any of the places I've seen. I've never seen anything like some of the reviews on the travel sites either. The worst I've ever had was with customer service at Beach Club. (I know other people swear by their service, but for me it was deplorable) When reading I said "what could have possibly caused it to deteriorate that quickly since I've been there".... so yeah... after reading the other people who don't beleive it I can see that that must have been made up. I can't believe that someone would be that mean to scare someone. The original poster was probably sick reading about that.
I've been to Riverside many times... it's beautiful. I met many of the cleaning people... they were very kind. The food was fantastic... even their LAUNDRY was better than at other places! (I've never stayed at French Quarters... so it could be better... but, you are not going to regret the change!)

 

[Daddymouse]

Thank you for the suggestions. We both found them educational and yes even entertaining. I liked the look on DW's face at the mention of roaches.:ROFLOL: We are as stoked as ever.

 

[awesomeinabox]

Am I drunk with the Disney kool aid? maybe...but I am certianally not blinded by this BS.

There's no way this happened the way it was described

Aren't you two lovely and nice people, it's so nice to get a warm reception on a board I have been reading for years and finally decided to post again when someone asked about the bad things at POR. Thanks for being so kind. Way to encourage people to share their experiences, even if they aren't as fantastic as yours.

I've stayed there many times and really think it's the best resort. When the poster wrote roaches, I totally freaked. Of course, I believed it because I couldn't think why someone on here would lie.

I did not lie, I also think it is a fantastic resort! Thanks for believing me! The Cast Member was a delightful guy too... he was just eccentric and liked talking about bugs in the POR area, he may have over exaggerated and said there were more rooms afflicted, that's not my place to judge his truthfulness.


So here is the issue with why there may be bugs in some of the POR rooms.

The rooms in the Alligator Bayou section are surrounded by lush swamp like areas (they're pretty and have frogs that really excited my boyfriend the one night we got to stay in one) these areas at some times of year are breeding grounds for different types of bugs (try as it might the mouse cannot kill all the bugs on grounds) when the Mousekeepers clean sometimes they prop the door open and during breeding season some bugs can get into the rooms. These bugs find the closest thing to their natural homes (dark, damp, wet... fridge!) and lay their eggs these hatch, and during the slow season these rooms may go unchecked if the room has low turnover.

As for the blood, grease, and garbage... the guy at the front desk simply apologized, gave us a credit (not that we asked for one) and said that some Mousekeepers might be having a bad day. I left it at that and enjoyed my vacation until the invasion of the bugs, and when that was fixed I was in a pretty good mood.

I go to the House of Mouse every year, sometimes twice a year. I have stayed at almost every hotel on property. I just booked a trip and am staying at the Poly. I've stayed at POR a few times, I liked it... just there are some parts of it that are ugly. Enjoy your trip!!!! If you two want a nice night and have some extra money I would recommend taking the horse drawn carriages around both properties at the start of the trip, it's a great way to gauge the distance between the properties.


Oh, I wrote to Disney when we got back and they apologized and *gasp* told me that this does happen often as Disney was built on wetland like property.