[Sheryl]

Hi Guys!
I wanted to post a report as a way of saying thanks for all the help with my Disney trip. We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside..

Tips:
You might have to let the water run a while until it turns hot. It feels weird watching a lot of water go down the drain, but hey.. I'm on vacation, I'm taking a hot bath! So..let it run if you have to, it will get hot. Might take 2 minutes..but well worth the wait, as mine got really hot after the wait.

If you pay in full, you don't have to check-out. Who knew? You just keep your key(s) as a souvenir.

I got two adult keys and two child keys. I didn't look and used the child key first and after that only the child keys worked. Make sure you check which keys work and which keys don't before you take off. Don't assume the "adult" key is going to work. Maybe the child key will work instead.

If you really want a "Mansion" room instead of a "Bayou" (or vice versa)..call before you get there. I read on one website 5 days out, on another 3 days out, but I didn't remember to call until 2 nights before we got there. I requested mansion rooms and that we all be together - I got 3 rooms. I called the resort directly and asked the person that answered what I could do to up my chances of getting my requests. She transferred me to the Front Desk. It turned out they had already decided to put us in the bayou. I said "Is there any way to get out of the bayou?" I said, "It's ok if we can't be together, but I'd rather have the mansion rooms because it's my parents first time".
So the guy I talked to, who was very nice, said that they would for sure get us in Mansion rooms, but maybe not together. However, they =did= put us all together and it was really nice!

I forgot my dog's vaccination papers, which was a flaw in my plans because if I would have had them I could have gotten them to take him on walks at Epcot for $2.50 a walk..as many as I would have wanted. So he was marked as "unverified" and since it was a nice day still I put him in an outside cage with his crate. I got him later that night (you just call security after hours to let you in) and took him over to MGM's studio's kennel, because they have no outside cages (so they have to put him inside) and they put him in a little cage, but I had a pillow for him, his favorite doll, and other stuff. He did ok. I could have put him inside at Epcot too, which would have been a better plan afterall. But the reason I moved him was I was hoping for a larger inside cage that I could put his crate in also, but that didn't happen...so.. ultimately, I think if I had wanted that I should have taken him to Universal's kennel. They always give me a big enough inside cage for his crate, but that would have been a lot more trouble to visit him, etc. At any rate, next time I will remember his papers for sure and get him lots of walks and not worry about him. I just had to plan to visit him and walk him myself. If you are taking your dog and want the "walks", I'd call and make sure he has the vaccinations they officially need to be "ok'd". Otherwise, I don't know that it really matters.

We used the Quick and Casual vouchers ($10.00 a piece) we got via Connections at Beaches and Creams. YES, every voucher can get you a Kitchen Sink dessert (worth about $22). It is true! Only one person in our group got one though and with three people working on it, they still couldn't finish it. Maybe on an empty stomach someone could? I got adult meals for the kids. Heavenly Hamburgers - double patties instead of single for both my kids - with fries - why not, it was included I thought. Neither one could completely finish theirs. (That's a first). That meal was truly enjoyable, as everyone in our group was totally full at the end. The deluxe desserts were great! We joked about ice cream for the rest of the day.

The water at the pool was heated to a nice warm temperature..warm enough for the kids to go swimming the first night. After that the weather got really chilly and I don't think it mattered to our group how warm the water was...:) - although I did always see a few people in the water.

We were freezing after the sun went down on our Disney day and we turned in early. The hot chocolate ($2.00 a cup) is the only thing I would recommend at cafe type dining place at the Port Orleans Riverside. We ate breakfast there the day we left and I didn't think it was that great. My crew had pancakes. Turned out, my kids wouldn't even eat theirs. Which is a sign of disappointment if the kids, who generally don't care about quality - won't eat theirs. They didn't care that the two pancakes with bacon was $3.59 a pop either. What is wrong with them? ;) I realize a lot of people on this board don't say anything bad about Disney. I, however, am not one of those people.. heh. :) I'm sure there is a glowing opinion of breakfast at the Riverside out there - I'm not worried. I just don't have one.

As for the day, we ran across nice "cast members" and some not nice ones. I would say - just don't go thinking they will all be nice. Most of them will be nice.

Oh, and I gave my parents some calendars as part of their Christmas present and I forgot about them and somehow they made it on the stroller. (We take a stroller to carry water underneath, if for nothing else) So eventually my parents ended up holding the wrapped calendars. Security to Magic Kingdom made them unwrap it. Ha! So, point being, don't bring any wrapped anything.

I think that's about it! The rooms were beautiful I thought. I really thought everything was pretty. Very clean. Very nice. I was very glad we stayed on Disney property and so very glad I picked that resort. It seemed uncrowded and relaxing..

Til next time...

[mickey]

Sheryl, glad you had a great trip! Welcome home and happy planning for your next trip. Thanks for the great trip report.

[dab]

Thanks for the great report! We leave Jan. 30th and I am really excited. I've never stayed at POR and am looking forward to trying something new. We requested Magnolia Terrace building. Which bldg were you in?

[Sheryl]

Thanks Mickey. Hi dab..

I requested the Magnolia also! I was, of course, happy to be put in the Acadian House. I was happy, quite honestly, to be put in a Mansion room at all. They put us all together in rooms 8223-8225 on the second floor on the back side of the Acadian House. A long walk from the main building but right near the North bus stop - so that was GREAT! My parents and my room connected so that was fun as well.

http://www.wdwplanner.com/pormap.htm

I'd say, if you really want the Magnolia, be sure and call a couple of days before you get there and ask to talk to the person that assigns rooms or someone that can change your room to where you want, in case they have already assigned you somewhere else. The man I talked to was so nice - I think they are happy to accommodate you if they can. Also, you might be able to already know your room number before you get there!

I would say if you can't get the Magnolia, go for the Acadian. Having the bus stop near us was terrific!

This was my first time staying at a Disney resort, so I can't compare the resort to any other, but it was very pretty and I was really impressed with how very quiet it was. Just put your walking shoes on. <smile>

[trishb]

Sheryl..sounds like you had a great time! Was there one unforgettable experience that you would like to share?

[Sheryl]

Hi Trishb!

I can't think of anything unforgettable except that my husband said he was waiting in line to get a soda and was listening to the people's conversation in front of him. They were talking about their hair and braiding... so he said to them, "I would think that would hurt".. or something like that. They looked at him funny and he realized they weren't in line at all, but just standing there right next to the stand. I probably won't forget that story. hahaha. how horrible.

Also, at Beaches and Cream, he told me he wasn't going to order the Kitchen sink because everyone would look at him and I said, "Ah, no they won't" and then the waitress announced to EVERYONE as she brought it to the table, "You've seen it on the menu, and here it is, the kitchen sink, and this little piggy is going to eat the whole thing!" or something like that and everyone clapped. :)

I won't forget that either...

Oh, and the boat ride back from Downtown Disney at night. It seemed kind of spooky to me in a neat way. I enjoyed it.

[dab]

Thanks for the info Sheryl... the map was very helpful. I have a few more questions for you (or anyone else familiar with POR). I think Magnolia Terrace is the building I want but was wondering about a few things. I didn't see a legend for the map and wondered if A B and C are the food court / dining areas. I read that the mansion buildings are 2 or 3 story. Do you know if Magnolia Terrace is 2 or 3 stories. I want to be on the top floor but not of a 3 story... too many stairs at night for a sleepy 4 year old!! I thougt I'd give them a call and see if I can get a floor choice. I also would like to be more toward the front of the building - closer to the parking lot since we will be renting a car and don't want to have to walk too far. I assume that is what we will be getting anyway since we didn't request a water view.

[Sheryl]

Hi dab,
Here is a better map with legend...
http://www.magictrips.com/images/maps/po-rsfq-map.gif
There is a parking area behind every building - it's the light gray area, so - for instance, we only parked in the main parking area to check-in, and then drove to our parking lot. There is a road that circles the resort that you take to get to the entrance of your buildings parking area and there are signs to help. The front desk can help direct you when you check in as well.
I think each building is two stories. I might be wrong, but I don't recall seeing any 3 stories and when I glanced at the bayou buildings they seems to be the same - 2 stories. The flight of stairs isn't bad at all, except if you have heavy luggage. I guess I might be wrong if you read there were 3 stories there - that's just all I can recall. We were on the second floor where we stayed and there was no third floor. I still would agree that the Magnolia building is the best one in terms of location. I know there are lots of people on this board that have stayed at the resort a bunch of times. Maybe they can help! If I were you, I'd post the question out there by itself on the "resort" board! As you know, that one gets more activity! :)

[trishb]

If I remember correctly...the buildings are two-story and had an elevator in the middle. We stayed there last September and rarely used the stairs b/c of the stroller.