Reviews of Port Orleans Riverside Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by Heidtd Review Date: 04/06/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
Our flights were delayed due to weather, so we checked in around 9 pm vs. our scheduled 4 pm check-in time. They only had a standard room left, which was not what I had reserved. When we went in the room, the previous occupants had left a large amount of their things in the room. I called the front desk and was told operations would call us. 30 minutes later no one had called. I called again and was put on hold for almost 30 more minutes. Finally the previous people showed up to collect their belongings. No one could believe it had happened, but no one offered any assistance in getting it resolved. The phone message light also could not be shut off, so we had to put a towel over it every night to not seeing the endless blinking red light. Mousekeeping was very in-consistent, some days they would move things around. They never left clean towels during our entire stay of 5 nights.
Pros:
Grounds are beautiful, love the boat serviceCons:
Room was already occupied when we checked in, issue was never resolved by hotel staff, didn't get room requestedReviewed by roneeh Review Date: 03/25/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Our family of 4 stayed in a royal room which the 14 year old daughter and 10 year old son loved. The decorating was very nice and really felt "royal", they were fascinated with the lights on the headboard. The queen beds were a huge plus to kids who are used to having their own beds and now had to share. My son enjoyed swimming in the main pool but we could never seem to get in the hot tub as it was always really crowded, the quiet pool was very nice but water was cooler. The main downside we encountered was the bus stops to and from the parks always seemed to be very crowded for port Orleans and a lot of times Riverside and French Quarter shared the stop. The other problem we had was the refridgerator in the room had a broken knob and ended up freezing all the food we had delivered from garden grocer. The boat to downtown Disney was a nice change to the busses but also had a wait depending on the time of day. All in all we liked Riverside resort and especially the royal rooms and would stay again
Pros:
beautiful layoutCons:
food court and bus stops busyReviewed by elsaandannasmom Review Date: 03/24/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed here for 6 nights in January 2014, The room was nothing fancy but quite adequate. The resort is beautiful. We never had to wait long for bus service. Housekeeping could have been a tad better , a little dust here and there and there was a hole in the bathroom wall behind the door , which was quickly repaired upon a phone call. however we did ask them not to paint the area so we did not have to smell the paint. Food court was clean and there were many choices. Will stay here again.
Pros:
A wonderful choiceCons:
noneReviewed by melvin1970 Review Date: 03/19/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
We stayed at POR Royal Room Feb26-Mar4th. Our group had 10 people in it, so we had 3 rooms. We were in Oak with a river view. The location was wonderful. It was a 5 min walk to the food court and main bus stop. We had a quiet pool on the side of the building which the kids enjoyed more than the main pool. The food court had a good variety just very busy. Our main complaint was the transportation. Took forever to get anywhere. We waited for buses a lot. POR needs more buses for the amount of people staying there. This was our first moderate resort. We usually stay deluxe but we felt for the value the resort was worth it. We will probably try to continue to stay deluxe but if we had to go moderate we would stay here again.
Pros:
Beautiful ResortCons:
TransporationReviewed by ibwalrash Review Date: 02/10/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was our second time staying at a moderate resort, the first being Coronado Springs. PO Riverside is the best landscaped of all the moderate resorts. The grounds are gorgeous and the boats running down the river which runs through the middle of the resorts is really neat.
We stayed in a royal room which can be summed up in one word, wow! The little attention to details and lushness of the decorations are overwhelming, in a good way. When checking in, we spent most of the night just checking out the room. We had heard so much about the pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach, but not much about the royal rooms. The room was relatively close to the main lobby (which the pirate rooms are not at Caribbean Beach)
We had heard good things about the food court at PO Riverside, but honestly preferred the food court at Coronado Springs. We didn't use it that often because we were on the deluxe dining plan and didn't want to waste our credits on counter service. The table service restaurant, Boatrights, was really good. Probably one of the better restaurants we ate at during our 8 day stay.
The only negatives we felt was the size of the resort and the lack of a table service breakfast. The ability to take a boat to Downtown Disney is nice, but really no faster than taking a bus.
We really didn't spend as much time as we would have liked utilizing all the amenities of the resort, but there were tons to take in. The main pool looked fun, but unfortunately on our recent trip, it was too cold to use. The game room was huge compared to other resorts. There were carriage rides, boat and bicycle rentals, and even cane pole fishing available. Many things to do, if you are looking to take some time away from the parks.
For the price, PO Riverside is a great value among the Disney resorts. Plenty to do and look at.
Pros:
Beautiful grounds and roomsCons:
Can be pretty spread out depending where you are stayingReviewed by Nurseaudreyk Review Date: 02/08/2014
Rating: (6) Recommended
There were some really great aspects of this resort, but some not-so-great. I am a bit spoiled due to only having stayed at Deluxe resorts previously.
Check-in - smooth and seamless. We checked in online so it was pretty easy. We arrived at 1pm, and was surprised there was no line. We walked around the grounds and played in the arcade while we waited for the text that our room was ready. That was pretty awesome--the room number was texted to me and we entered with our magic bands. We also took advantage of the Pontoon boats that were available for rent. It was SO relaxing after a day of travel. We went all the way around to Downtown Disney and really enjoyed the boat. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking.
Room - the entrance to the room opens to the outside (different from the deluxe resorts I have stayed --Animal Kingdom and Polynesian open inside a building). It wasn't bad, just different. The room was nice but small. We paid a bit extra for the Royal Room which was a great addition. It just reminded me of a nicely decorated Holiday Inn room from the 80s. That is where I am spoiled. If I hadn't experienced Deluxe rooms this would have been wonderful. We could hear our neighbors and toilets beside and above us flushing but it wasn't so terrible that it fully awakened me every time. It was just noticeable. Beds are terribly uncomfortable, but this was also an issue when I stayed at the Deluxe resorts.
Busses - There are 4 bus stops at Port Orleans Riverside: West, North, East and South. We were in the Royal Rooms at Parterre Place so we were dropped off at the South Depot. Oh my. Every time we left the resort or returning, we stopped what seemed like 100 times. Not a biggie unless one gets motion-sick. I get motion-sick. Bleh. Boats to Downtown Disney were ok but didn't save any time. Not fabulous for the motion-sick traveler, either.
Dining - There are very few options for dining. The food court (B, L, D) is adequate with options but is absolutely crazy. There is a lot of pushing and shoving, and it would be easy to lose a limb, much less a child in the process of getting a meal -kidding- but you get my point. We had to break up the family and meet up after the meal so as to not lose each other. Boatwright's is the only table-service option and is only open for dinner (5pm). Food was good but nothing fabulous.
I would have to say that I missed the option of a buffet that the Deluxe resorts offer. Also, there is nothing nearby to enrich the dining options.
So, all-in-all, it was a good trip, but since I do enjoy the luxuries of the Deluxe resorts, I will likely stay at a Deluxe resort on the monorail system.
Pros:
Beautiful grounds, great theming, Pontoon boatsCons:
Distance from parks, lack of dining optionsReviewed by mickeymom5 Review Date: 01/20/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was our second stay at this resort. We really enjoy this resort. We are a family of five so we have to stay in the Alligator Bayou buildings. I would like the option to stay in the other buildings as they really look nice. My daughter really liked the pull-down bed. She liked the Louis mural and the fireflies. We rented a surrey bike one day. It was a lot of fun. The food court is yummy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We thought Boatwright's was okay, but not great. We like the boat ride to POFQ and DtD.
Pros:
boat ride to DtD, great food court, great themingCons:
noneReviewed by oliviaxoxo9 Review Date: 01/12/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
The quick service food was good and the resort was close to all the parks and the rooms were nice since we had connecting rooms with people we went with. The shower had bad water pressure. It took me 20 minutes to get the shampoo out of my hair in the morning because the water came out slow. Other than that the resort was really good and I would recommend this resort to other families.
Pros:
Good food,good locationCons:
the showerReviewed by memakwed Review Date: 12/22/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
This was our 3rd stay at POR. We stayed Dec4-14 with the 3rd being at POP. We will never do POP again and there was such a difference in checkin, and children. POP checkin and out was one issue after another but at POR they were prepared, efficient and even fixed the fact the pop didn't check us out even thought we went to the desk and checked out in person based on what POP suggested.
We had a royal quest room facing the quiet pool in Oak Manor. The room was so awesome compared POP. The fireworks head board the genie lamp faucet all the little details were great. We had a handicap room while my parent's had a regular room. The bathroom in our room had one sink while theirs had two. They had a a drape separating the bathroom from the beds while we had a wall and pocket door. The beds were queen and comfy. Mousekeeping was good my son wrote a thank you note for towel animals and a towel cake and they left him another. We ate at the food court more than ever before and we had no complaints. The food was always fresh and ample especially the make your own pasta.
Occasionally the buses seemed long and we had to stand often which is hard at times with two senior parent's and a child with health issues. A lot of times we would get our son seated and my husband would stand in front of him and we would separate and stand in the back. The pool was quiet and we enjoyed swimming every morning and breakfast by the pool. This is my parent's favorite resort. I'm glad we stayed here for the trip and POP only 1 night. Oh and the boat to DTD is always peaceful and never a long wait and you always get a seat. While next trip we'll probably try something different it is just because we want to go to AKL not because we don't like it here and I'm sure we'll be back.
Pros:
room, grounds, food court, quiet poolsCons:
walkingReviewed by ruthann Review Date: 11/29/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed at Riverside from 11/12/13 to 11/20/13, our 3rd time to return to our "home away from home". The grounds were lush, exotic, quiet and peaceful. The newly furnished rooms were great. The only thing we noticed was the small fridge would not stay cold unless the cabinet door was left open, which was not a problem for us. Everything about the room from the new coffee pot to the beds, etc was excellent. Our mousekeeper was fabulous leaving an intricate bunny one time! That made our day:) The food court was great, wonderful selection and food. The bus service was not a problem. The longest we waited was 15 minutes. The buses are much maligned in the reviews, but we have been here 3 times and most waits were 5 minutes or so. We only had to stand once, which was our fault for cutting the time too close to a reservation; otherwise, we would have waited for the next one. Overall, our experience was great. We went to DTD twice via the boat and both rides were calming, beautiful scenery, no problems. This has been our best visit yet. Our room request was honored, as was our time to have the room cleaned. We won't change our home base at WDW anymore,and look forward to returning next year:)
