Port Orleans Riverside FAQ thread --- 2012, Part Three --- NOW FULL / CLOSED

[ethansmommy]

Hello my family and I are considering staying here on our upcoming trip in Nov. We have been spoiled up to this point by staying in deluxe hotels but we really want to save money this trip and the only moderate that appeals to me is the Riverside. So I am trying to do as much research as possible on this thread and the Port Orleans website but I stll have a couple of questions that I am unsure of:

1. If I book a Royal Room pool view is it possible to request a corner room to get the 2 windows or not? Also how many floors are there in the buildings with the Royal rooms? We would like to be on the top floor so I dont have to worry about hearing people above us.
2. What bus stop is the first one? I have read that it is the South Depot but then I have seen people mention that it is the West Depot. Does it depend on time of day??

I really want to learn as much as I can about this resort. I am a bit of a commitment phobe and want to go into booking this with a clear mind and no doubts. Not sure if that will happen but I have to remember that I will be in Disney so it wont really matter that much!!

Any other tips that you can share with me would be great.

~Jen

 

[visitingapril09]

There are non-RRs in Magnolia Terrace and Acadian House. Check out the handy map here: http://www.portorleans.org/maps-and-directions.php

Thanks for your help!

 

[andrewilley]

1. If I book a Royal Room pool view is it possible to request a corner room to get the 2 windows or not? Also how many floors are there in the buildings with the Royal rooms? We would like to be on the top floor so I dont have to worry about hearing people above us.
2. What bus stop is the first one? I have read that it is the South Depot but then I have seen people mention that it is the West Depot. Does it depend on time of day??

1) Yes, being basically a series of square structures there are plenty of corner rooms, and yes all the 'outside' corner rooms do feature two windows. All of the mansion buildings have three floors within the central block area (where the elevators are) and two floors in the more spread-out wing sections. See the room and building floorplans which are linked to from the FAQ posts at the start of this thread (e.g. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=46285479#post46285479)

2) The bus pickup/dropoff route varies, mostly depending on where you are coming from. Some buses do South>West>North>East, while others do West>North>East>South. Some buses also stop at POFQ first on their way back from the parks - but not usually the MK buses, they are almost always separate services. Also you are more likely to have separate POR/POFQ buses during busier times of day.

Andre

 

[ColonelHathi]

WooHoo! : just "re-booked" our stay at POR next October as a room/tickets package through AAA (room discount). We had a RO discount applied for a POR-WV/PV, but after Andre's recent room layouts decided to just go with a GV for better odds at getting a room in Magnolia Terrace, upper floor I REALLY want to stay in the mansions (Magnolia Terrace over Acadian, but would be OK with either) more than I care about the view (save another $150 too!). AB just doesn't look like it has as much easily accessible storage, and I know my kids would fight over the trundle. Hope we get our request. I love the small P&F touches too, whereas I think a RR would be overkill for me and DH for 9 nights. Now we just need to sit and wait (until summer ) to see if any better package deals are released...

This thread has been SO helpful in our planning! Thank you all!!!

 

[MickeyEars]

We also changed to Garden View in hopes of getting Magnolia Terrace. We tried Alligator Bayou a couple of years ago and my husband and sons weren't thrilled because we were so far from everything.
Last June my oldest son and I went and stayed in a Royal Room so I don't feel the need to stay in those again. This trip it's husband, youngest son and I. I'm thinking they will like the mansions better.

Here's hoping our requests are granted!!!

Carla

 

[DisneyEhCA]

Hello everyone, first time POR here, and have some quick questions. My fiance and I are celebrating our engagement for a few days, and we are real pumped to go to POR!! If someone would be so kind to help, it'd be greatly appreciated!!

1. We reserved a king bed room. Any specific requests I should ask for (building location, etc)

2. We booked through Orbitz and I can't seem to find a way to check-in online. If I call POR, will they be able to assist?

3. We plan on hitting up the Wishes fireworks the first night and then head to DTD. How late do the boats run from DTD back to POR??

4. Any special ideas that I can either request from the hotel or Disney in general to get something with the engaged aspect part of the trip? It'd be a nice little surprise for the future bride.

Thanks so much!!

Not sure I can answer your questions, but thought I'd give you a *bump* just in case someone else can.

 

[Wismgari]

Thanks so much for the advice about water delivery to the room I will look into that closer to the time (I am getting a little bit ahead of myself really but I am so excited that I am finally going to Disney for the first time in my life!)

62 days to go!!!!

 

[Shaden]

Whew !!! Just had a super close call ... but all is working out

We were thinking of changing our stay and adding 2 nights since we are off til the following monday and were planned to come back Weds ... so We figured Friday would be a better day for the return.

We weren't sure which to do first, check if we could get the room, OR, check to switch the flights ...

Figured it hinged on the flights, so went ahead and did a bunch of stuff to switch the flights, got that done, and happily called Disney to add the days ... dun dun dun ... was told there were no more available !!!!

Thankfully got put over to guest services and they worked it out, ended up getting the 2 days added with the spring promo still ...

For about 15 mins there, I was freaking out !!!

 

[cad300]

Not sure I can answer your questions, but thought I'd give you a *bump* just in case someone else can.

Got #2 answered earlier, but the other 3 are still out there, haha. Thanks for the help though. Would anyone else be willing to take a look at it?

 

[Shaden]

Got #2 answered earlier, but the other 3 are still out there, haha. Thanks for the help though. Would anyone else be willing to take a look at it?

Hey there, we went to CSR for our honeymoon and were given a bottle of "Wishes" Champagne and Groom and Bride Mickey Ears. Now, this was certainly above and beyond, but be sure to let the guest services/front desk know ... When we checked in for some reason the fact that it was our honey moon didn't get passed on to them ???

Anyway, if they don't do anything like that.... you might want to pick them up yourself

 

[Chuckers]

Whew !!! Just had a super close call ... but all is working out

We were thinking of changing our stay and adding 2 nights since we are off til the following monday and were planned to come back Weds ... so We figured Friday would be a better day for the return.

We weren't sure which to do first, check if we could get the room, OR, check to switch the flights ...

Figured it hinged on the flights, so went ahead and did a bunch of stuff to switch the flights, got that done, and happily called Disney to add the days ... dun dun dun ... was told there were no more available !!!!

Thankfully got put over to guest services and they worked it out, ended up getting the 2 days added with the spring promo still ...

For about 15 mins there, I was freaking out !!!

I just extended my stay by one day as well. The CM told me it was better to do the extension now while they definitely have the room available because you can always cancel it later if you need to, but you can't add it if it's not available.

 

[Supermom3]

With the Spring Promotion, preferred category for my dates is not available. Garden View and River View both are, however. We are a family of 5, so we will be in AB. Am I correct that we could be in buildings 38, 27, or 14 if I book River View? I would like buildings 27 or 14, but 38 not as much. Can I assume that since I am not booked in a Preferred Room, that I would most likely be in building 38? Is there a chance I could be in bulidings 14 or 27 if I were to fax in a request?

Our last stay we were in building 18, and LOVED the location. Thank you for all of the wonderful information on this thread!!

 

[Martyboy08]

My parents-in-law will be joining us in POR from Mar 01 to Mar 03 (Magic your Way with DLX plan). They are not using ME.

They did not get their Mickey Mail yet. Does Disney send Mickey Mail for a 2 nights, 3 days stay?

 

[andrewilley]

We are a family of 5, so we will be in AB. Am I correct that we could be in buildings 38, 27, or 14 if I book River View?

Correct, you could be in any of those three buildings. 'Preferred Location' bookings do not extend to the river view rooms in 14 and 27, so all of those River View rooms are available for River View bookings. Just put in a request for 14 first, then 27, and see how you do. Even building 38 is really not that long a walk.

1. We reserved a king bed room. Any specific requests I should ask for (building location, etc)

2. We booked through Orbitz and I can't seem to find a way to check-in online. If I call POR, will they be able to assist?

3. We plan on hitting up the Wishes fireworks the first night and then head to DTD. How late do the boats run from DTD back to POR??

4. Any special ideas that I can either request from the hotel or Disney in general to get something with the engaged aspect part of the trip? It'd be a nice little surprise for the future bride.

1) Depends entirely on what you want, King Bed rooms are located all around the resort (see the floorplans that I created for the exact locations). What sort of area or features are you looking for? It's a bit like going to an automobile forum and just asking "what car should I buy"?

2) Orbitz would need to provide you with your Disney booking reference so you can enter it on the Disney website (normally a 12-digit number). I don't know the company though to say whether they can/would do that.

3) Boats from DTD to POR run until 11pm, but after that there are buses for another couple of hours.

4) You could call the hotel and see if they've got any suggestions (ask to speak to someone at the resort, rather than the call-center people who will first answer your call). Are you looking for a romantic location around the resort to propose? If so it might be an idea to book an evening carriage ride?

If that doesn't appeal, there's a lovely little river-side gazebo near Magnolia Terrace which would be a nice private place to propose - the CMs could maybe even help add some romantic ideas, flowers or ribbons/bows? You can also get flowers, chocolate or wine delivered to the room (Disney Florist can help you there).

And there's always the option of getting Ye Haa Bob to announce your intentions to the world during his evening show at the River Roost Lounge... if you're both outgoing, lively type of people that might be a fun way to do it. I'm sure Bob would really play along with you if you wanted to do that, maybe getting one or both of you up the front with him on stage first, on the pretence of some bit of fun in the show (which he does a lot anyway, so it wouldn't be a giveaway). But you would need to carefully judge whether she would like that kind of attention as opposed to a more intimate setting.

I assume you've already checked out the 'official' thoughts at www.DisneyEngagements.com? The Mom's Panel also posted a recent Blog post on the subject.


Andre

 

[andrewilley]

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

If you're staying at Port Orleans at the moment, don't forget to try to catch the little Mardi Gras mini-parade that the cast members put on every year. It'll be going around the resort at around 1:30pm today. Anyone going to get us some pics?

Andre

 

[cad300]

Thanks so much for responding, Andre, I really appreciate it. I reached out to Orbitz yesterday, and they reached out to POR for the ressie number. We are checked-in now, thanks!

The carriage ride might be a very real possibility. I think she will like something more intimate and that would appear to be a fit!

In regards to the room, we are plenty happy to walk, just looking for the best king room in the complex. Requesting a corner room should be a priority then, correct?

Thanks again for your help. This thread is pure gold, honestly.

 

[Supermom3]

Correct, you could be in any of those three buildings. 'Preferred Location' bookings do not extend to the river view rooms in 14 and 27, so all of those River View rooms are available for River View bookings. Just put in a request for 14 first, then 27, and see how you do. Even building 38 is really not that long a walk.

Thanks!

 

[jenflamingo1]

Good morning ! Longtime follower of this fabulous thread . Lots of thanks to Andre and Venomhatch especially...
I am currently booked for April 2 thru 8 in AB with my sister , my two daughters and nephew . Having a blast planning and I am contemplating booking a bounceback while there !

 

[Dreamer04]

Hi all!

My Dsis, her DGD 4, my DD 15 and myself are arriving for a night-only ressie for 3/31 and then staying 4/1-4/5 in a Royal Guest room, which befits our princesses!!

I am beyond excited! I am going to Disney with my favorite people in the world!'



This resort looks beautiful, and I am looking forward to hanging out in the pool.

We are driving down from Virginia and taking our time.

A true vacation! Wish me and mine well!

 

[andrewilley]

In regards to the room, we are plenty happy to walk, just looking for the best king room in the complex. Requesting a corner room should be a priority then, correct?

There are plenty of King Beds in corner rooms, but they are not all in Corners. Check out the floorplans I linked to before, they show you the location of every King room in the resort. An upper floor in one of the mansions, with a river view would be really pretty if you can get it; King rooms encompass all view types, so you can request whatever you like (not guaranteed of course, but if you fax the room allocators a few days before you arrive explaining your plans, then I'm sure they'll do their best).

Andre