Port Orleans Riverside Q&A Thread 2013, Part Three (NOW CLOSED, see 2014 thread)

[cbrown1007]

I sent in my fax yesterday! I hope they received it! Only 5 days til we check in!!!!

 

[CanadianPaco]

I sent my fax today!! One more week!

 

[OhStuffandFluff]

Is there a bus stop that veteran POR visitors would recommend using? Thanks for any info you can provide!

 

[Venomhatch]

Is there a bus stop that veteran POR visitors would recommend using? Thanks for any info you can provide!

That will be a constantly argued point here, but IMO I suggest the South Depot. Most of the time you get on the bus first there then the bus fills up at other stops then goes on to the park. So if you want a good chance at a seat go there. Again, just my opinion.

 

[Koh1977]

What are the hours of the food court and pools?

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[andrewilley]

What are the hours of the food court and pools?

All listed in great detail on www.portorleans.org. Main pool is now limited to lifeguard hours only though (9am-11pm most of the time, 9am-9pm off-season).

Andre

 

[Koh1977]

All listed in great detail on www.portorleans.org. Main pool is now limited to lifeguard hours only though (9am-11pm most of the time, 9am-9pm off-season). Andre

Oops! Thanks! I will check it out later tonight then.

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[gdrj]

I thought they had separate receptacles for trash and for bottles, etc. Someone correct me if I'm wrong!

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They do recycle, with separate receptacles. A few years back we went on a behind the scenes tour and they said they also go through the other garbage as well and recycle from those containers as well.

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

We just got back from Orlando this past Friday. We flew down on the 14th. DH didn't join me & the kids for our past 2 trips so it was nice to have him along. This was his 1st time staying at POR & he loved it! In fact, he said that he liked it more than the Poly. None of us really liked CSR when we all stayed there together. We were in a corner room, 1737 in Alligator Bayou. We were upgraded from standard view to pool view and I was happy that Lodge 17 wasn't right near the pool so it was quiet. It was a very nice view and not too far from the main building.

Having stayed in Magnolia Terrace last year, we liked the change this time with staying in AB. It felt almost like we were staying in a different resort. My DH saw the mansions from the ferry (enjoyed the ride to Downtown Disney) and asked me, "what resort is that? Does it cost more to stay there?" I told him that it was the same resort and that the kids and I stayed in the mansions last year. My kids really enjoyed having their own beds this time. DS11 slept on the murphy bed and said it was comfortable.

The weather was absolutely perfect during our entire stay. Even some mornings when it was 50 degrees out, to us northerners, it felt warm with the exception of our 1st full day when we were at AK. We wore jackets that morning. It was cloudy in the morning but it got sunny and warmed up nicely as the day went on. That same day when we returned to our room, we found that our room had been cleaned but mousekeeping left the door stopper in the door so it was slightly ajar. Fortunately, nothing was missing. It did concern me though and I immediately went to the front desk to let the concierge know. She called the mousekeeping manager but overall I didn't find the concierge to be apologetic and she didn't act as if it was a big deal considering nothing was missing. Fortunately we returned relatively early from AK (about 3:30pm). While I was still at the main building, my DH got a call from the mousekeeping manager who did apologize and assured him that she would talk to her staff.

We had some excellent meals at WDW and service was great (much better than some of the service we've had in the past). Our favorite meal and best service was at BOG. The strip steak was delicious. We also had a nice experience at Garden Grill (our 1st time there), 'Ohana, 50's PTC, RFC at AK & WPE.

Our experience with the MB's was overall good. We only encountered a couple problems. Before we left, I changed the FP+ time for EE but the app was showing both the original time and the changed time. I couldn't remember which time I meant to change to & when we went for the 1st scheduled time, it was saying that we had the later time. I showed my phone to the CM & he let us in. The later time still showed on the app & we tried to ride again but weren't allowed (understandable but it was worth a try). Also at GG, I used my MB to pay with the DDP & it wouldn't work. Our server had to get help after trying a few times unsuccessfully but it wasn't a problem. We also used the MB at the entrance to the resort with no problem except my DH had to take it off in order to reach the machine to lift the gate. At FP+ machines, it was sometimes difficult to maneuver our bands to match up to the Mickey Head. I sure was glad to be staying onsite. Offsite guests had to wait in very long lines for the FP+ kiosks. We heard many people complaining as we waited in ride queues. We were grateful that we made it to the parks around rope drop each day. We were able to do a lot of rides and we used our FP+'s for a little later when the parks were more crowded.

We checked out on the 18th and drove to MK for our last park day. We arrived shortly after rope drop and stayed until about 7pm. Then, we headed over to the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal and stayed until the 21st. For our past 2 trips to Universal, we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and loved it there but we wanted to try something different this time. Since I'm a Loew's YouFirst member, we were upgrade to a deluxe room. Our view was beautiful, overlooking the bay. The room and the bathroom were huge! While we love Disney, we also love Universal! We had great stays at both. We did not enjoy coming back to the snowy cold weather.

 

[zabache]

Having stayed in Magnolia Terrace last year, we liked the change this time with staying in AB. It felt almost like we were staying in a different resort. My DH saw the mansions from the ferry (enjoyed the ride to Downtown Disney) and asked me, "what resort is that? Does it cost more to stay there?" I told him that it was the same resort and that the kids and I stayed in the mansions last year. My kids really enjoyed having their own beds this time. DS11 slept on the murphy bed and said it was comfortable.

I hope to feel the same way when we stay in the mansions. We stayed in room 1717 in August and we loved it. We never made it to the mansions side so it will feel like we are in a new hotel all over again.

Our experience with the MB's was overall good. We only encountered a couple problems. Before we left, I changed the FP+ time for EE but the app was showing both the original time and the changed time. I couldn't remember which time I meant to change to & when we went for the 1st scheduled time, it was saying that we had the later time. I showed my phone to the CM & he let us in. The later time still showed on the app & we tried to ride again but weren't allowed (understandable but it was worth a try). Also at GG, I used my MB to pay with the DDP & it wouldn't work. Our server had to get help after trying a few times unsuccessfully but it wasn't a problem. We also used the MB at the entrance to the resort with no problem except my DH had to take it off in order to reach the machine to lift the gate. At FP+ machines, it was sometimes difficult to maneuver our bands to match up to the Mickey Head. I sure was glad to be staying onsite. Offsite guests had to wait in very long lines for the FP+ kiosks. We heard many people complaining as we waited in ride queues. We were grateful that we made it to the parks around rope drop each day. We were able to do a lot of rides and we used our FP+'s for a little later when the parks were more crowded.

I'm glad your experience with the MB was a good one. I'm really looking forward to using them.
.

Thx for sharing

 

[Koh1977]

We just got back from Orlando this past Friday. We flew down on the 14th. DH didn't join me & the kids for our past 2 trips so it was nice to have him along. This was his 1st time staying at POR & he loved it! In fact, he said that he liked it more than the Poly. None of us really liked CSR when we all stayed there together. We were in a corner room, 1737 in Alligator Bayou. We were upgraded from standard view to pool view and I was happy that Lodge 17 wasn't right near the pool so it was quiet. It was a very nice view and not too far from the main building.

We love the Poly so I'm curious...what made your DH say he liked POR better than Poly?

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[UpstateMick]

We did not enjoy coming back to the snowy cold weather.

Join the club! We landed in Syracuse yesterday to snow and 18 degrees after 11 days at POR! Ugh.

Did you see Yee Ha Bob while you were there? He was amazing!

 

[UpstateMick]

That will be a constantly argued point here, but IMO I suggest the South Depot. Most of the time you get on the bus first there then the bus fills up at other stops then goes on to the park. So if you want a good chance at a seat go there. Again, just my opinion.

I agree. South Depot. Still wasn't great, but the best of the worst

 

[Venomhatch]

I agree. South Depot. Still wasn't great, but the best of the worst

You kinda have to be semi sneaky with where you stand to get on the bus. No Offense but a lot of guests kinda position themselves in the right area when they see a bus coming.

 

[UpstateMick]

You kinda have to be semi sneaky with where you stand to get on the bus. No Offense but a lot of guests kinda position themselves in the right area when they see a bus coming.

Yeah. Well, we did, but being a healthy adult male in his mid 40's, I gave my seat up for others because I should.

I don't mine standing at all, but these busses seemed to sardine people on them. It was strange, because the parks didn't seem as busy as past President week trips, but the POR busses were packed no matter what time you went on them...rope drop or not. It was surprising, because I had heard good things about the bus service. It was like roulette most of the time...you never knew where or when you were getting dopped off, and we had to wait very long times for busses all week long. It was really too bad, because POR is a beautiful resort, but the busses really left a bad taste in our mouths.

Oh well, I hope others have a better experience

 

[Venomhatch]

Yeah. Well, we did, but being a healthy adult male in his mid 40's, I gave my seat up for others because I should.

I agree. Older guests, Women with children, etc I definitely give for special circumstances, its the right thing to do.

 

[UpstateMick]

I agree. Older guests, Women with children, etc I definitely give for special circumstances, its the right thing to do.

Actually, so many kind guests at POR gave up seats. It was great to experience such compassion and kindness displayed by people. Made me smile

 

[castoral]

I agree. South Depot. Still wasn't great, but the best of the worst

So, with a family of five (+ an infant) would you suggest upgrading to a preferred room to stay closer to the south depot bus stop? Someone else (not on this board) suggested north depot so we'll be the last stop, but with a large stroller (double BOB) and 4 kids under 7, getting seats for at least 3 kids is pretty important. (We've only stayed at BC for comparison sake and rarely were the buses really crowded). We are going 2nd week of Sept (crowd level 1-2s) if that matters...

 

[maxiesmom]

So, with a family of five (+ an infant) would you suggest upgrading to a preferred room to stay closer to the south depot bus stop? Someone else (not on this board) suggested north depot so we'll be the last stop, but with a large stroller (double BOB) and 4 kids under 7, getting seats for at least 3 kids is pretty important. (We've only stayed at BC for comparison sake and rarely were the buses really crowded). We are going 2nd week of Sept (crowd level 1-2s) if that matters...

Either upgrade or ask to be near the West Depot. That is the one we used this past December, and we always had seats on the bus going to the parks.

Keep in mind none of that is foolproof. Sometimes the bus will pick up the South Depot last. Not often, but it does happen. So odds are good you will have seats if you get on at the South Depot, but as is normal at WDW, nothing is 100% guaranteed.

 

[andrewilley]

Someone else (not on this board) suggested north depot so we'll be the last stop,

You gotta love some of the advice around.

The North Depot is actually never the last stop (unless they are running an experimental Epcot routing, which as a trial exits via a different service gate on the northern edge of POR properly).


The following info is partly from observations (I now log the routes and timings of every WDW bus journey I take), partly from discussions with transportation cast members and managers, and partly a good dollop of voodoo black magic:

GENERALLY (and as I said, these are not rules, more like guidelines ) the MK buses tend to take the route: MK > West > North > East > South > MK. So the outer stops are great if you want to get a seat.

The other parks more commonly do the route: Park > (then POFQ if sharing a route) > South > West > North > East > Park. The South depot might be the best place to wait during busier times.

As I said earlier, they have recently been running an experimental service for some Epcot buses which has been going: Epcot > East > South > West > North > Epcot. (Might vary though, it's a trial).

Note: Downtown Disney buses also stop at Typhoon Lagoon (during its opening hours) and similarly AK buses go to Blizzard Beach.

Even when a bus gets full (other than first thing in the morning) the bus will usually do all of its other stops anyway, as people coming back from the parks may need to get off at the later stops. However if lots of people are left waiting at a stop, the driver is meant to radio in for another bus to be sent out to help.

Buses are based from 'hubs' (generally the theme parks, although POFQ happens to be a backup location) which is why you can sometimes (for example) see two AK buses departing with almost no one aboard while there is a massive crowd waiting for a MK bus. The AK bus can't just reroute to MK as it needs to return to its own hub.

The whole system is computer GPS tracked and routed, and modifications can be made remotely and sent to the driver at any time, it's not usually the driver's call to make changes.

Andre