Reviews of Port Orleans Riverside Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by nicoledcampbell26 Review Date: 05/23/2013
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We stayed at POR from 10/12 - 10/19 this was my daughter's (7 yrs old) first trip to Disney to celebrate her birthday. The travel agent we used recommended the POR with a princess themed room called a "royal room." The magical express (neither magical nor express) arrived at our resort and we proceeded to check in at the lobby which is beautiful I might add. The welcome to Disney was so/so and not very enthusiastic. Our room was located in a building that was a long walk from the main building; it was on the third floor with an elevator that you had to walk another 2 minutes to the back of the building and another 2 minutes back to the front to reach your door. This made for a very exhausting walk after long days at the theme parks. To get to the bus stops it took about 15 minutes of walking, 20 -30 minutes for a bus to come and another 20 minutes to actually get to the parks. I went to the lobby and asked to speak with a cast member to change our room location closer to the main building and they would not oblige. The room itself was beautiful. From the furniture down to the princess themed shower it was really a beautiful and comfortable room. This type of room is something you would expect at a deluxe resort although it wasn't very big but was fine size for 3 people.
The quick serve restaurants are absolutely gross. They are overcrowded and the food was nasty. It would be cold by the time you got to sit down; if you got to sit down. If I had to describe POR in one word, the best fitting would be "overcrowded." This place is oversized and flooded with people. The outside entry to rooms makes its very motel 6 feeling. The pools are ok. I would NOT stay here again. We booked a trip for fall 2013 and we are staying at the Polynesian. I am hoping for a better experience transportation, food, room, location wise. We will see what happens.
My tips for POR
If you are like me and like to stay at the parks for long periods of time, I recommend a hotel closer to the parks that aren't so crowded this way you won't be waiting in long bus lines and you won't have to deal with long walks back to your room.
Pros:
The royal rooms are princess perfect 😉Cons:
transportation to the parks is awfulReviewed by saredaza Review Date: 05/16/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed at por from 4/1/13 to 4/19/13 and had a wonderful time. This was our second time at this resort and it has become our favorite. We requested a 2nd floor room, outside corner in bldg. 18 and that is exactly what we were given. Everything about this resort was great. It is a very large resort and getting one of the preferred bldg's was very helpful. We will be headed back next year!!
Pros:
beautiful landscape, clean, quiet, very friendly staffCons:
noneReviewed by sperez Review Date: 05/14/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We love this resort. Just stayed here 5/9 to 5/13. The pool is great. Our room was roomy with plenty of space for a family of 5. My 13 year old son who is a big bot slept on the murphy bed and loved it. It had plenty of room for him.
I requested building #14 and got that building, which was great it was close to everything.
The only complaint I found with this resort is I found the staff in the quick service food court rather rude. I have never come across this before at Disney. Not everyone was rude but the majority of the staff was.
I love this resort and will stay here again.
Pros:
—Cons:
—Reviewed by LuvsDsnyTrips Review Date: 04/26/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We loved our room, the grounds and the staff. Room was clean....pool was nice and the lobby was nice and efficient. We did use the store and the restaurant...they were great also.
Pros:
everythingCons:
noneReviewed by cjwsrt6 Review Date: 04/14/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
My fiance and I chose Port Orleans for our vacation in 2013. All the reviews and pictures I looked at had me very excited and ready to go.
Upon arrival from pulling up to the gate and checking in, everyone was there to help. The gentleman running the front gate every time we pulled in were ready to at the very least say hi. The employees working the check in desk were ready to help with anything from checking in to getting engagement buttons for my fiance, each time greeting with a smile and ready to help.
The resort was much bigger then I expected. I requested a corner suite on the second floor and got just that when I arrived, right next to a pool and the bridge to the restaurants and arcade.
The room was excellent, bed being very comfy, bathroom was very nice. Don't have much to say on the room, being in Disney, we were out and having fun not staying in the room.
We did not try the restaurant but did try the quick service breakfast and lunch which again was very good, lots to chose from. The only bad I have is the arcade, which was fun, always seemed to have a game or 2 down every night.
Pros:
Great resort.Cons:
arcade wasnt kept upReviewed by minniemagicalmoments Review Date: 04/14/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Enjoyed a 6 night stay at Riverside in April 2013. I had requested a connecting room with another family in Building 16 of Alligator Bayou and it was granted. Room was ready by 2pm. It was a standard room, ground floor facing the parking lot (which is what standard is) and it was great. The room lined the parkway but was very quiet. The exterior and interior doors were very sound proof. We had 5 kids between the 2 rooms. Really love the pull-down wall bed for my 7 year old. The room's temperature was easy to control with the new wall thermostat. Water pressure was great and refrigerator was cold. I like requesting a room about half way between 2 bus stops that way you can get off at the first stop (West or South) and walk. Food court was super busy every time we visited but there is lots of seating. The 2 reasons we would have to return is the bed for the 5th person (child) and the relaxing atmosphere versus a value resort. There is a marked difference between this resort and a value.
Pros:
clean, quiet,Cons:
large resort, 4 bus stopsReviewed by Tracy2kids Review Date: 04/08/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed 4/2to 4/7. Had a great time! Stayed in Royal Room in Parterre mansion, 2nd floor, corner room. Very nice location. Quiet pool next door, quick walk over bridge to main pool, dining hall, bus and boat service. Used online check in and were able to get in our room by 1. Loved all the activities, including pool fun, movies in the courtyard, s'more bonfires, etc. Kids enjoyed the little boat rentals and daughter did the pirate cruise and enjoyed it! Love the added bonus of the downtown Disney boat-so enjoyable! Took so many pics, bcuz it is so pretty! If I were to nitpick, the only negative I can think of is, it is difficult to get seating at the main pool. We would definitely stay here again!! I was torn between here and Caribbean beach. I took a drive over there one morning and just for comparison, CBR is wayyyyyy bigger and spread out. We also saw the cabins at Wilderness and found it too busy and too large as well. Would pick POR or FOFQ over either of those in the future. Kids were so sad to leave and want to plan our next visit already!!
Pros:
beautiful, lots of activities, sizeCons:
—Reviewed by mscaseyray Review Date: 03/30/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My husband and I stayed at POR for our very first trip to WDW in 2010. I loved the grounds--it's absolutely breathtaking! We loved the quick service food court as well as our accomodations in the "mansions" section of the resort. We were very lucky to have a room close to the front desk and food court. The only negative would be that the bus rides are sometimes lengthy once you get into the resort. In the morning it didn't bother us at all but at night when we were so tired it seemed to take forever for the bus to make its way around the resort. There were also several times busses were full to capacity and we had to wait for another to come. Otherwise, this resort is absolutely amazing and I would definitely recommend it.
Pros:
Beautiful landscape and themeCons:
Large Resort with several bus stopsReviewed by caleal Review Date: 03/26/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
I loved staying at Port Orleans Riverside! I was here in December for a weekend with my husband. We loved the themeing of the whole resort. The attention to detail is really amazing. We were in one of the rooms in Alligator Bayou- everything about it was adorable, including the "wood" floor. With the recent refurbishment, everything still feels very new and clean.
The bus system is great, I know there are a lot of people talking about the sheer size of the resort being a downfall, but I disagree. I never had to wait too long for a bus, and didn't mind driving around the resort to pick up the other guests - it just meant I got to see more of it! It's important to keep in mind that this isn't a traditional hotel, and was never meant to be - it's a large resort with many things to explore and do. The landscaping is wonderful and it's nice just to walk around the winding trails.
It was also fun to be able to take the boat to downtown Disney. We actually saw otters at one point!
Mousekeeping was very considerate, we had left a DND on the door when we left but they still left a bag chock full of towels on the door handle, since the smaller pools don't have towels at them.
One of the best parts was Ye-Haw Bob in the River Roost Lounge - If you get a chance to go to his show, do! He's super funny and talented. However be sure to be early - the space is small and filled up fast. I ended up standing in the hallway just outside of the lounge to catch the show.
One downside was during a stay a lot of the games in the arcade section were not working correctly. I didn't go to Disney for the arcade, so it wasn't a huge deal, but if you plan on spending some time there, it's pretty worn out - maybe hit up Disney Quest instead.
I would stay at Port Orleans Riverside again in a heartbeat!
Pros:
new-feeling, mousekeeping, transportationCons:
worn-out arcadeReviewed by the7dwarfsandme Review Date: 03/21/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Port Orleans Riverside has been our home away from home for quite some time now, but the rooms had been looking a little rundown from the countless guests that have been through them. However, on our most recent trip, we got to see the redone rooms. First, we had no idea how to enter the room...luckily there was a maid cleaning a room two doors down, who showed us that we had to hold our room key against the lock to open it. (I really love this new technology. We found you didn't even need to remove the card from your wallet. The door could read the card through the leather. So cool!) We always stay in the mansions, and I love the new decor there. It feels very classic with hidden Mickeys sprinkled in. My favorite new feature is the thermostat. In past trips, we either froze or had heatstroke in our room. With this new thermostat, it is easy to program the room to your perfect temperature! Strolling aaround this resort and taking in its beauty never gets old. I can't wait to go back next year!
