Disney's PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE RESORT Information & Questions

[taythecray]

So excited to finally join this thread! Been wanting to stay at POR forever and we finally have the chance in March. Switched from a week at CSR to a split offsite/POR week. After staying at AKL in 2016 and not even having the chance to enjoy the resort amenities because we were constantly go-go-go at the parks, I'm focusing on resort downtime!
That being said, I'm in the process of reading back a bunch of pages, just a few questions coming to mind. We are a party of 2 in a standard room and will not be visiting the parks during this portion of our stay so busses are out of the equation. We are focusing on pools/resort fun and would enjoy visiting FQ as well. Am I right to think Magnolia Bend 85 would be a good location request for us?
Also any "must do" specialties at the resort we should make sure to hit? I've heard about Yehaa Bob, carriage rides and beignets so far

 

[RustManFan]

My son and I just returned from an amazing week at POR last night. I had requested a specific building when I made my reservations but did not bother to call back or fax or do any followup. We checked in at the desk rather than through My Disney Experience and I simply asked the cast member for the building and floor we wanted and our wish was granted!! It was the 30th anniversary of the 1st time I took my kids and you can see by my signature that most of the time POR was our selection of resort.... in fact we will stay no where else!!

I know it is early in the experiment but I didn't see any dogs at the resort....

 

[MDIME]

Here at POR now. Checked in yesterday which was kind of a cluster. Got a text once we landed at MCO at 2:30pm saying our room wasn’t ready yet (had requested building 85 3rd floor through Touring Plans, we have garden view reserved). Got on MDE and POR was the last resort after we dropped off at SSR, OKW, POFQ. About 2 hours travel time once we deplaned. 20 minutes in check in line. CM said our room was not ready at 4:45ish and we could wait or she could look for another room for us. We said we will take whatever but we prefer building 85. She was super helpful and we are on the first floor looking towards Oak Manor. We certainly did not have our heart set on our requested room, we are happy here! Early dinner at Riverside Mill — gluten free chicken tenders — can’t find those in many places
We are most surprised by how compact the resort seems to be, despite how much walking some guests mention. I was thinking the mansions would be set back a long ways from the river, it’s much closer than I (wrongly!) assumed. Haven’t been over to AB section yet though so my perception may change again.
Walking to POFQ for breakfast in a bit — beignets! And then spending the day at DS. Loving POR, thanks all!

 

[Ensusieasm]

Here at POR now. Checked in yesterday which was kind of a cluster. Got a text once we landed at MCO at 2:30pm saying our room wasn’t ready yet (had requested building 85 3rd floor through Touring Plans, we have garden view reserved). Got on MDE and POR was the last resort after we dropped off at SSR, OKW, POFQ. About 2 hours travel time once we deplaned. 20 minutes in check in line. CM said our room was not ready at 4:45ish and we could wait or she could look for another room for us. We said we will take whatever but we prefer building 85. She was super helpful and we are on the first floor looking towards Oak Manor. We certainly did not have our heart set on our requested room, we are happy here! Early dinner at Riverside Mill — gluten free chicken tenders — can’t find those in many places
We are most surprised by how compact the resort seems to be, despite how much walking some guests mention. I was thinking the mansions would be set back a long ways from the river, it’s much closer than I (wrongly!) assumed. Haven’t been over to AB section yet though so my perception may change again.
Walking to POFQ for breakfast in a bit — beignets! And then spending the day at DS. Loving POR, thanks all!

Thanks for sharing. Have a marvelous time!

 

[Ensusieasm]

So excited to finally join this thread! Been wanting to stay at POR forever and we finally have the chance in March. Switched from a week at CSR to a split offsite/POR week. After staying at AKL in 2016 and not even having the chance to enjoy the resort amenities because we were constantly go-go-go at the parks, I'm focusing on resort downtime!
That being said, I'm in the process of reading back a bunch of pages, just a few questions coming to mind. We are a party of 2 in a standard room and will not be visiting the parks during this portion of our stay so busses are out of the equation. We are focusing on pools/resort fun and would enjoy visiting FQ as well. Am I right to think Magnolia Bend 85 would be a good location request for us?
Also any "must do" specialties at the resort we should make sure to hit? I've heard about Yehaa Bob, carriage rides and beignets so far

Yes, Magnolia Bend 85 is an excellent choice. To add to your list of unique activities: fishing, boat ride to Disney Springs, s'mores campfire, and outdoor movies.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Whats the best request to make for garden Royal room? Close to main building, quiet. Is one building better than another?

Also are dogs allowed in the Royal rooms? We love pups but would like to avoid the dog rooms. TY

Oak 90 might be the best request for you right now, as there could be a slight possibility of a pet dog in building 95 as the new doggy policy gets underway. If someone had booked a royal room before the new dog policy, they could be placed there because a doggie relief area is near building 95.

 

[Rachel L]

We just got back last night. Stayed Sat to Fri in AB 15 2nd floor. We saw a dog once going to the parking lot while we were waiting for a bus and I heard one barking early one morning but only for a few seconds so not bad. I saw 2 in Epcot that didn’t act like service dogs.
This was our first time staying at POR and we had a great time. The kids loved the pool and the pull down bed worked well. Could have used a little more room for luggage but otherwise it was nice. We did get a little lost once when we accidentally got off at the wrong bus stop but found our way back.
Thanks to everyone for the info and recommendations, we had a great time!

 

[CJK]

Is it too soon to send a fax with our room request 7 days in advance? We won't have access to a fax machine after the 7 day mark and we don't belong to touring plans. Should we do it anyway?

 

[Hatwriter456]

We will be at POR in June and we are very bummed about the new dog policy. We have allergies and asthma and I don't really want to feel 'funky' our entire trip or deal with my grumpy kids that aren't feeling great either, so we need to be in a dog free room. We are a party of 5 so switching resorts isn't really option because we can't afford to pay double what we will be at POR. CBR doesn't appeal to me, plus I don't want to stay in a construction zone.

Because a dog free room can't be guaranteed --- How do I request a deep clean/allergy clean for our room? Do I call them and have it added to my reservation? Can I do it myself online? Do I request it with my room request 7 days in advance?

 

[Ceilidhscot]

We will be at POR in June and we are very bummed about the new dog policy. We have allergies and asthma and I don't really want to feel 'funky' our entire trip or deal with my grumpy kids that aren't feeling great either, so we need to be in a dog free room. We are a party of 5 so switching resorts isn't really option because we can't afford to pay double what we will be at POR. CBR doesn't appeal to me, plus I don't want to stay in a construction zone.

Because a dog free room can't be guaranteed --- How do I request a deep clean/allergy clean for our room? Do I call them and have it added to my reservation? Can I do it myself online? Do I request it with my room request 7 days in advance?

I’d give Disney a call and see if they have any pool view rooms (as they are dog free - though can’t guarentee there hasn’t been a service dog at some point, but that’s true for any resort). You might need to pay a small upgrade but would be cheaper than moving to a different resort. Explain that your party has severe allergies so need to be away from any dog rooms etc... and see what they say.

Good luck!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We will be at POR in June and we are very bummed about the new dog policy. We have allergies and asthma and I don't really want to feel 'funky' our entire trip or deal with my grumpy kids that aren't feeling great either, so we need to be in a dog free room. We are a party of 5 so switching resorts isn't really option because we can't afford to pay double what we will be at POR. CBR doesn't appeal to me, plus I don't want to stay in a construction zone.

Because a dog free room can't be guaranteed --- How do I request a deep clean/allergy clean for our room? Do I call them and have it added to my reservation? Can I do it myself online? Do I request it with my room request 7 days in advance?

We had requested a deep cleaning due to dog allergies for our trip last month by talking to a cast member. Just call and have it added to your reservation.

I wouldn't switch to a pool view room since those rooms could be in the same building as the designated "dog" building, just across the hall from the dog friendly rooms. Just request to be far away from the dog friendly areas and they will do their best to accommodate you. That is what we requested and that is what we received. The CMs at the check in desk are very sensitive to the guests concerns and will do their best to make sure your requests are honored. I was worried about the dog policy before we checked in but we never saw a dog the entire time.

 

[agavegirl1]

So far the reports of dogs are barely noticeable. I arrive four days after this supposed "test" and having written a concerned email to Disney execs, have been on the phone with a representative. I have no problem wit a dog being at the same resort, I just can't come into contact with their fur, dander or saliva. I am keeping my reservation because I researched resorts extensively, and DH and I prefer this location and it's amenities. I am booked in a preferred room so will request a NOT pet friendly building and allergy cleaning to be safe. I am pretty sure I am already "flagged" as a concerned, allergic guest since the phone CM knew everything about ny upcoming and past stays. I think I will be fine.

 

[hockeymom2boys]

We are planning hoping to stay on the AB side of POR, just going with a standard room, trying to figure out if we should make a room request has been a little overwhelming to me. We will have a group of 10 (ranging from middle teens to my MIL) and we are getting 3 rooms with 2 rooms connecting. Any advice on buildings to look into would be great and if this is something I should do or not do...... Thanks so much!

 

[SuzyQue]

We are planning hoping to stay on the AB side of POR, just going with a standard room, trying to figure out if we should make a room request has been a little overwhelming to me. We will have a group of 10 (ranging from middle teens to my MIL) and we are getting 3 rooms with 2 rooms connecting. Any advice on buildings to look into would be great and if this is something I should do or not do...... Thanks so much!

It depends on how full the resort is at the time of your visit and how many people you'll have to a room. We love POR and stay there every year, but for the last two visits we were put on the Mansion side (even though we requested AB) as there were only two of us and the resort was full which meant the AB side was reserved for larger families. This year we are going the week that runs into Presidents weekend/week and I've reserved "Preferred" rooms (at rack rate ) to guarantee we get the AB side. Still just 2 in our room, but hopefully my DD, DSIL, and grand sweetie will be in the adjoining/connecting room. Up until a few years ago we almost ALWAYS got our room request (going at a non-peak time) and if we didn't, when checking in they were usually able to change it for us.

 

[kittylady1972]

We leave in just over two weeks for our 2nd stay at POR, but we haven't been there since it was Dixie Landings in Sept of 1999 so it will seem pretty new to us. As DVC members, we usually book using DVC, but nothing available for our timeframe this time.

We have a Garden View room and have at least one room with 5 people so Alligator Bayou it will be (we were in the mansions back in 1999). Looking forward to enjoying as much as we can at this resort.

 

[CynBeth]

We will be there in a year!

 

[Euby]

Please take me off the list. I've changed my reservations over to the Boardwalk Inn, instead.

 

[andrewilley]

Please take me off the list. I've changed my reservations over to the Boardwalk Inn, instead.

What sort of list do you mean? Do you mean you want to stop following this DISboards Port Orleans thread? If so, just click on 'Unwatch Thread' at the top of the page.

Andre

 

[Euby]

Sorry, for some reason I thought there was a list of upcoming DIS visitors on this thread.

 

[Three cats]

Is it still okay to mail a package to POR? It's been awhile and I can't remember - is it your reservation # you include on the box?