Disney's PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE RESORT Information & Questions

[Ensusieasm]

Not at all, no. As far as I'm aware so far (and do remember it's still very early days; no one is sure of anything yet, least of all Disney Guest Relations) any guest can opt to bring a dog with them, regardless of their room booking category.

Andre

So true! Since this is a trial, they are making it up as they go along. Cast members can't possibly keep up with the plan when they really don't have it all sorted out yet.

 

[Dis703]

Can anyone confirm that only Standard and Garden View rooms at Riverside will permit dogs? I'm still not okay with it either way (I am against allowing non-service dogs at any Disney hotel), but I'd like to know all the details. Appreciate anyone who may be able to confirm on whether dogs will not be allowed in Preferred or River View rooms at POR.

I know you shared the info I got earlier in the day, but I reached out to the CM I spoke with to inquire about the dog relief stations being close to the buildings they said were dog free. She called me back again and said she contacted POR to get more information. She again assured me that Royal Rooms, Preferred Rooms and River View will not have dogs (aside from Service Dogs). She said the relief area in front by Building 15 was used just because it was a large open grassy area and that the one by 95 is a small area they don't expect to be utilized as it's not convenient to the dog-friendly rooms. She was pretty adamant that dogs were not to be roaming the resort or be seen in places like the walkways along the river and that they should be reported if they are.

She definitely looked into it and wasn't reading a script as some have mentioned so I think this is the intention at this point. How it plays out during the trial we have to wait and see.

 

[KKip102016]

Do you all think a preferred room is worth the extra money?

 

[Ensusieasm]

Do you all think a preferred room is worth the extra money?

More so now that a preferred room is not a pet room.

 

[agavegirl1]

Do you all think a preferred room is worth the extra money?

For me, yes. I have to minimize walking, especially in the evening after a day in the parks. I have arthritis in my ankle. We frequently use our refillable mugs in the evening. I don't always reserve preferred. It depends on the resort layout. For POR, I chose to do so. I don't think it is much more money for the convenience in the evening. Close to bus in the morning as well as food (DH needs his breakfast) and close to mug refills in the evening. Only you can decide.

 

[andrewilley]

So we are now a few days into the trial of the new Dog Friendly Rooms policy at four Walt Disney World resort hotels, including our own Port Orleans Riverside, and the public outcry on social media and via communications directly to Disney has taken everyone by surprise - heck, it even took me aback, and I know how vocal Disney fans can be. I think it's safe to say that Disney completely underestimated the passion that many people would have on this subject, and the initial plans are being modified and policies rewritten on the fly at the moment. This process will probably remain fluid over the next few weeks, and Disney is closely monitoring and listening to the feedback and will continue to adjust procedures to try to make this trial work for everyone.

Initially, as will have been seen from the printed Dog Relief Area maps, it was intended that all these happy fluffy pets (which everyone would surely like) would be permitted in any type of guest booking at Riverside, and the early announcements did state that the whole resort - barring certain areas such as food & beverage and swimming pools - would be canine accessible as long as the animals were kept under control and on a leash. However over the last 48 hours that intent has been severely trimmed back and they are now aiming to try to restrict dogs to only Standard and Garden View rooms, and the current intention from the room inventory department at Riverside is to use building 24 as much as possible for any guests who book to stay with their pets. This building is well away from the common areas, is located right next to the parking lot to make getting pets to and from rooms easier, and has a nice grassy area nearby to allow dogs to be exercised.

However, although the telephone Reservations Center is now advising guests who wish to bring dogs with them that this will only be possible for Standard and Garden View rooms, the initial announcements - and even the currently posted wording on the Disney website - do not require guests to book that way, nor to preregister their dogs. Thus it is entirely possible that people who have booked for other room categories using the Disney website, via travel agents, through Expedia, etc. will simply show up at the front desk accompanied by their pet(s) and ask to pay the daily fee. This could mean that, in the short term at least, dogs will still need to be accommodated in other areas of the resort in order to comply with existing bookings. This will of course be closely monitored and subsequent deep-cleans arranged for any affected rooms, but at this stage it cannot be guaranteed that other areas of the resort will remain completely dog-free.

I have reached out to my contacts at the resort who have said that so far (i.e. in the first three days of the program) they have not yet had a single dog staying at the resort. Over the next seven days there are currently just four one-night reservations with associated comments indicating that the guest plans to bring a dog with them, against more than 100 comments over the same seven-day period asking to be assigned to a room away from the dog friendly areas. Those four one-night reservations are apparently all from local Florida residents, and personally I would not be at all surprised to find that some or all of them turn out to be from social media aware guests, or even bloggers or website owners, testing out the new policies for themselves. If there have been any booking cancellations because of this new policy then they have already been replaced with new reservations, as Riverside is either sold out or very close to it for the rest of the month.

Please remember however that we are still only three days into a year-long trial period and there is plenty of time for any of the above information to change in line with practical needs and guest comments and experiences.

I have updated my FAQ page with all the latest information and will continue to note changes there, http://www.portorleans.org/faqs.php#Dogs

[I've posted this here as well as the (very!) long dogs thread, as important information is just getting lost in there]

Andre

 

[Scrapdolly]

Andre that is brilliant - clear and good news
Thank you so much ... I think all most people wanted was assurances they could stay dog free in rooms ... like everything there will be teething problems but it was the lack of clarity that was frustrating.

 

[Euby]

Have you checked the room maps on the www.portorleans.org website? It will show you where the king rooms are located. They don't show the ramps, though.

I'll be there in 8 days and can check them out for you if you like.

That would be fantastic! I knew the DIS boards had great people. I would just need to know the closest room numbers to the ramp. I'll figure out the room configs from the map on portorleans.org from there.

Thanks Wood Nymph!!!

 

[Disneymaddness]

Thanks Andre! We're going in Dec. so I really appreciate all the up to date facts!

 

[Ensusieasm]

So we are now a few days into the trial of the new Dog Friendly Rooms policy at four Walt Disney World resort hotels, including our own Port Orleans Riverside, and the public outcry on social media and via communications directly to Disney has taken everyone by surprise - heck, it even took me aback, and I know how vocal Disney fans can be. I think it's safe to say that Disney completely underestimated the passion that many people would have on this subject, and the initial plans are being modified and policies rewritten on the fly at the moment. This process will probably remain fluid over the next few weeks, and Disney is closely monitoring and listening to the feedback and will continue to adjust procedures to try to make this trial work for everyone.

Initially, as will have been seen from the printed Dog Relief Area maps, it was intended that all these happy fluffy pets (which everyone would surely like) would be permitted in any type of guest booking at Riverside, and the early announcements did state that the whole resort - barring certain areas such as food & beverage and swimming pools - would be canine accessible as long as the animals were kept under control and on a leash. However over the last 48 hours that intent has been severely trimmed back and they are now aiming to try to restrict dogs to only Standard and Garden View rooms, and the current intention from the room inventory department at Riverside is to use building 24 as much as possible for any guests who book to stay with their pets. This building is well away from the common areas, is located right next to the parking lot to make getting pets to and from rooms easier, and has a nice grassy area nearby to allow dogs to be exercised.

However, although the telephone Reservations Center is now advising guests who wish to bring dogs with them that this will only be possible for Standard and Garden View rooms, the initial announcements - and even the currently posted wording on the Disney website - do not require guests to book that way, nor to preregister their dogs. Thus it is entirely possible that people who have booked for other room categories using the Disney website, via travel agents, through Expedia, etc. will simply show up at the front desk accompanied by their pet(s) and ask to pay the daily fee. This could mean that, in the short term at least, dogs will still need to be accommodated in other areas of the resort in order to comply with existing bookings. This will of course be closely monitored and subsequent deep-cleans arranged for any affected rooms, but at this stage it cannot be guaranteed that other areas of the resort will remain completely dog-free.

I have reached out to my contacts at the resort who have said that so far (i.e. in the first three days of the program) they have not yet had a single dog staying at the resort. Over the next seven days there are currently just four one-night reservations with associated comments indicating that the guest plans to bring a dog with them, against more than 100 comments over the same seven-day period asking to be assigned to a room away from the dog friendly areas. Those four one-night reservations are apparently all from local Florida residents, and personally I would not be at all surprised to find that some or all of them turn out to be from social media aware guests, or even bloggers or website owners, testing out the new policies for themselves. If there have been any booking cancellations because of this new policy then they have already been replaced with new reservations, as Riverside is either sold out or very close to it for the rest of the month.

Please remember however that we are still only three days into a year-long trial period and there is plenty of time for any of the above information to change in line with practical needs and guest comments and experiences.

I have updated my FAQ page with all the latest information and will continue to note changes there, http://www.portorleans.org/faqs.php#Dogs

[I've posted this here as well as the (very!) long dogs thread, as important information is just getting lost in there]

Andre

Thank you, Andre, for the helpful up to date information.

 

[WDW1979]

So we are now a few days into the trial of the new Dog Friendly Rooms policy at four Walt Disney World resort hotels, including our own Port Orleans Riverside, and the public outcry on social media and via communications directly to Disney has taken everyone by surprise - heck, it even took me aback, and I know how vocal Disney fans can be. I think it's safe to say that Disney completely underestimated the passion that many people would have on this subject, and the initial plans are being modified and policies rewritten on the fly at the moment. This process will probably remain fluid over the next few weeks, and Disney is closely monitoring and listening to the feedback and will continue to adjust procedures to try to make this trial work for everyone.

Initially, as will have been seen from the printed Dog Relief Area maps, it was intended that all these happy fluffy pets (which everyone would surely like) would be permitted in any type of guest booking at Riverside, and the early announcements did state that the whole resort - barring certain areas such as food & beverage and swimming pools - would be canine accessible as long as the animals were kept under control and on a leash. However over the last 48 hours that intent has been severely trimmed back and they are now aiming to try to restrict dogs to only Standard and Garden View rooms, and the current intention from the room inventory department at Riverside is to use building 24 as much as possible for any guests who book to stay with their pets. This building is well away from the common areas, is located right next to the parking lot to make getting pets to and from rooms easier, and has a nice grassy area nearby to allow dogs to be exercised.

However, although the telephone Reservations Center is now advising guests who wish to bring dogs with them that this will only be possible for Standard and Garden View rooms, the initial announcements - and even the currently posted wording on the Disney website - do not require guests to book that way, nor to preregister their dogs. Thus it is entirely possible that people who have booked for other room categories using the Disney website, via travel agents, through Expedia, etc. will simply show up at the front desk accompanied by their pet(s) and ask to pay the daily fee. This could mean that, in the short term at least, dogs will still need to be accommodated in other areas of the resort in order to comply with existing bookings. This will of course be closely monitored and subsequent deep-cleans arranged for any affected rooms, but at this stage it cannot be guaranteed that other areas of the resort will remain completely dog-free.

I have reached out to my contacts at the resort who have said that so far (i.e. in the first three days of the program) they have not yet had a single dog staying at the resort. Over the next seven days there are currently just four one-night reservations with associated comments indicating that the guest plans to bring a dog with them, against more than 100 comments over the same seven-day period asking to be assigned to a room away from the dog friendly areas. Those four one-night reservations are apparently all from local Florida residents, and personally I would not be at all surprised to find that some or all of them turn out to be from social media aware guests, or even bloggers or website owners, testing out the new policies for themselves. If there have been any booking cancellations because of this new policy then they have already been replaced with new reservations, as Riverside is either sold out or very close to it for the rest of the month.

Please remember however that we are still only three days into a year-long trial period and there is plenty of time for any of the above information to change in line with practical needs and guest comments and experiences.

I have updated my FAQ page with all the latest information and will continue to note changes there, http://www.portorleans.org/faqs.php#Dogs

[I've posted this here as well as the (very!) long dogs thread, as important information is just getting lost in there]

Andre

Thanks Andre for the information. Much appreciated.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Over the next seven days there are currently just four one-night reservations with associated comments indicating that the guest plans to bring a dog with them, against more than 100 comments over the same seven-day period asking to be assigned to a room away from the dog friendly areas.

We are one of those 100 comments requesting a dog free area since we are arriving one week from today. I am so happy to hear that they are listening to the guests. I plan to report back what I find out about the dogs at the resort when we stay there next week. Your information has set my mind to rest considerably. Thank you.

However over the last 48 hours that intent has been severely trimmed back and they are now aiming to try to restrict dogs to only Standard and Garden View rooms, and the current intention from the room inventory department at Riverside is to use building 24 as much as possible for any guests who book to stay with their pets. This building is well away from the common areas, is located right next to the parking lot to make getting pets to and from rooms easier, and has a nice grassy area nearby to allow dogs to be exercised.

We have stayed in building 25, right next door, and building 24 is convenient to the West Depot. It seems like a good building to use for this purpose.

Andre that is brilliant - clear and good news
Thank you so much ... I think all most people wanted was assurances they could stay dog free in rooms ... like everything there will be teething problems but it was the lack of clarity that was frustrating.

That is all that I wanted - a guarantee that I would not be in a room or building that had dogs in it.

That would be fantastic! I knew the DIS boards had great people. I would just need to know the closest room numbers to the ramp. I'll figure out the room configs from the map on portorleans.org from there.

Thanks Wood Nymph!!!

While I'm doing my "dog research" I'll walk around the preferred buildings and get those room numbers for you. My husband and I plan to spend a lot of time at the resort on this trip, so I'll have time to do this, especially if our room isn't ready when we arrive and we have time to kill.

 

[andrewilley]

That is all that I wanted - a guarantee that I would not be in a room or building that had dogs in it.

Please re-read what I wrote, it's not 100% guaranteed yet but the chances are pretty good.

Andre

 

[WDW1979]

Based on information Andre has relayed to us, I have changed my January reservation at POR from Garden view to Preferred. It costs more, but I have to pay it to increase the chances of a dog-free building. And while I hope that dogs will not be in Preferred buildings, I know nothing is set in stone with Disney's spinning top that is its new dog policy. I am hoping that with a Preferred room, with January being relatively close so not many dogs will be at POR yet as many people plan Disney trips more than 2.5 months out, and (hopefully) revised dog policies that restrict more public areas from dogs at POR instead of just pools and restaurants, that the impact of the new policy will have only a minimal impact on my trip to POR (again, I hope - we'll see).

 

[Wood Nymph]

Please re-read what I wrote, it's not 100% guaranteed yet but the chances are pretty good.

Andre

Unfortunately, I know it isn't guaranteed even though I wanted it to be. But I do feel confident that my request will be honored.

 

[andrewilley]

Based on information Andre has relayed to us, I have changed my January reservation at POR from Garden view to Preferred. It costs more, but I have to pay it to increase the chances of a dog-free building.

Really? There are a total of 768 regular Garden View rooms at Riverside (i.e. non-Royal) and just 8 of those - or 1% - are in building 24, which is where any dogs that actually do turn up are likely to be housed. Oh well, it's your money I guess - and Preferred Location will save you some walking anyway.

Andre

 

[WDW1979]

Really? There are a total of 768 regular Garden View rooms at Riverside (i.e. non-Royal) and just 8 of those - or 1% - are in building 24, which is where any dogs that actually do turn up are likely to be housed. Oh well, it's your money I guess - and Preferred Location will save you some walking anyway.

Andre

Yes, Andre, really.

 

[Scrapdolly]

I think the issue still remains that their booking system is unclear and I guess if a guest who booked a Royal room twelve months ago wanted to bring their dogs and they ring and ask they are likely to be told yes. Let's hope they say no to future bookings like that but It would still appear anyone could book and the. After booking, nearer the time, phone to register they are bringing their dogs. It seems a slightly flawed system

 

[Ceilidhscot]

I really hope they limit the dogs to one building only away from everyone else. Having stayed this summer in a hotel which allowed dogs (Croatia) and listened to one bark solidly for 4 hours, I would not want to stay next to one. Despite complaining to reception, the owners had left the resort so couldn't be contacted until they came back (at 2am in the morning). The hotel staff refused to enter the room and remove the dog just in case it attacked so we sat listening to it howl till they finally appeared. They left the following morning (not sure if they were kicked out or just booked for one night) but the entire room contents had to be removed as the dog had defecated everywhere so the bed was ruined and towels etc shredded.

I'll be contacting our travel agent if they continue with this policy to see if we can move if they can't guarantee a dog free building for our pool view.

 

[CynBeth]

We are booked from 11/16/18-11/25/18!