Staying at POR

[DWGIRL]

We upgraded to POR because of the AP discount for our upcoming trip. What are some thoughts on this resort? Any insights or opinions will be appreciated. It is just my DH and I for a weekend without kids. This is the first time in 9 years. We are very excited. Any tips or help would be great.
Thanks.

 

[Nemo14]

POR is by far my favorite resort. Don't miss breakfaast at Boatwright's, the boat ride to DTD, the quiet pools,or the carriage ride! Have a magical time!

 

[cj2me]

I agree Boatwrights is a must for breakfast! Riverside is me favorite Moderate Resort. The atomsphere is great!

 

[littlered]

POR is by far my favorite resort. Don't miss breakfaast at Boatwright's, the boat ride to DTD, the quiet pools,or the carriage ride! Have a magical time!

I agree with Nemo14, DH and I love POR, we stay there whenever we can splurge a little.
Breakfast at Boatwright's is the best.(love the french toast)
We usually stay in the bayou rooms because we like to be close the the main building, but my in-laws stayed in the magnolia building and they are really nice too. We also like to go bike riding at the resort you can go between POR and POFQ.

 

[AndreainNY]

We stayed at POR in October for the first time and liked it very much. We never had a problem with long waits for buses (which we found at Pop) and the boat to Downtown is such a nice change from buses! It makes Downtown feel like a part of your resort. We have stayed at POFQ twice, CBR 3x and Pop once and POR is absolutely one of our favorites (with POFQ). The food court is wonderful and the lines were not very long (again, we found this at Pop) - my Mickey pancake was always fresh and hot!!! The hot tub was not open when we went (bummer), it looked like it was being completely ripped out and redone, hopefully it will be open when you are there.

 

[Dixiegrl]

I definetly agree with everyone on this one. Port Orleans Riverside is by far a great moderate resort. Being from the south myself, i felt like I was home with the southern theming. The property is beautiful and a great place to take a quiet stroll. The gift shop is fabulous, you can find anything and everything you want. I have never personally ate at the sit down restaurant, but I love the food court. Also, the river taxi to downtown is a real plus for my family and I. I could go on and on about how much I love POR, but I'll leave it at that. It's a GREAT choice, enjoy!

 

[SallyShine]

Loved POR, but be sure to take comfy shoes as you will be walking, ALOT!

 

[Foolish Mortal]

Excellent choice. Can't go wrong with POR. Have stayed there 11 times. Can't think of anything i'd change about it. Boatwrights is a great dining option, if you have dinner there be sure to try the Jack Daniels chocolate cake :slurp: The boat ride to DTD is a MUST do. And if you care for an evening beverage be sure to check out Bob in the lounge ! But beware...if you sit close you just might be recruited to be part of the show.

 

[wdwdave09]

Por

Stayed at POR June 05.

The good:
1) Resort theming and upkeep. Its a beautiful resort. Plants everywhere, lake and rivers all around.
2) The dining options are top-notch. Food at Boatwrights is very good. The quick service options are plentiful and suprisingly good.
3) Close proximity to POFQ - this is a plus if you like fresh beignets. And if you want a slightly better themed pool.
2) Boat ride to DTD
3) Rooms - two sinks and fridge.

The not so good:
1) Rooms open to outside (like some of the cheaper hotel chains).
1a) Its easy to get lost finding your room because the "houses" are similar looking and the walkways meandor to/from the bus stops, dining area and rooms.
2) Pool - theming is nice but isn't big enough for the amount of people this resort holds. The slide is pitifully slow.
3) Bus service - when we were there in June 05, POR had the longest lines returning from EVERY park (which may be a testament to resort popularity but also means Disney didn't run enough buses). And buses stop at POFQ prior to picking up/dropping off at POR. And it usually took us about 45 mins to an hour to get to the various parks from POR. If you pick up the bus at main station (front of POR), it makes stops at the other 3 POR bus stops before departing the resort.
4) Close proximity to POFQ - see #3

Overall, I really like the resort's theming, dining options and varitey of extracurricular activities. I just didn't like the bus service and the pool. Mind you, I'm probably biased from having stayed at WL the previous two WDW stays, and nothing (so far) has lived up to the standard of WL.

I think you'll be very pleased with your choice. Have fun and give us a trip report!

 

[Nicole]

The not so good:
1) Rooms open to outside (like some of the cheaper hotel chains).

Hmmm. That is interesting that you list that as a con. I have found that my room tends to be quieter at the moderates because there is no hallway for noise to echo in. So for me this would be in the "pro" section!

 

[wdwdave09]

Interesting point. I have to agree but... I hardly ever hear that much noise at WL (perhaps being at the farthest reaches has its [lack of] noise benefit). And personally, I'd rather hear the minimal (at WL) noise than see folks walking past my windows.

But I was just referring to an image issue - I always associate doors that open directly to the outside with Days Inn, Knights Inn, etc. I'll admit its my own personal bias.

But you did remind me of something that I do miss at POR (vs. WL) - a balcony. Sure, POR has covered walk areas around each "cabin" but they are public, not private.

 

[abe_bb]

We had the choice of staying at a deluxe resort this year, and sat down and seriously considered everything from AKL to Contemp, even looking at the Grand Floridian.

But when it came down to it, we just couldn't see ourselves staying anywhere except POR. The room was great (it helped to have a corner room ), the walk wasn't bad at all, and we had good luck with the bus service.

You have to be willing to accept a few concessions while there (Possible longer, but not unbearable walks, confusing layout, some longer wait at bus, mainly due to FQ gets picked up first).

But for us, it came down to the fact that it was romantic, it was peaceful, and it was well maintained. The atmosphere created by some of the employees (especially the food court CM's) was incredible.

And, of course, Bob. He's just awesome.