Considering Port Orleans Resorts

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lolastardust's picture
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Considering Port Orleans Resorts

Oookay, so I posted a while ago asking about Pop Century for my 30th, but a change in circumstances (I got a new job!) has left us better off than we expected, so we decided to move our January trip up to November. We haven't booked yet as we're waiting for payday, but I am seriously tempted to treat us to a moderate - and I really really want to stay in either POR or POFQ (probably POR because I really like the styling in the photographs I've seen).

I've basically never been in a position to splash out like this before and I really fancy a proper treat for my 30th birthday. I'd love to hear from people who love either of the Port Orleans resorts, and would like any tips you have for making the most out of our stay. I'm really into the Princess and the Frog right now so I thought it might be nice to theme our holiday round it. OH WOW WE'RE GOING TO BE BACK IN THE WORLD IN SEVEN MONTHS. yay clapping

Miss Mikki's picture
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We love POR & POFQ. One of our favourite things is to get the boat to DTD.
The resorts are next to each other so in a way it doesn't really matter which one you stay in as you can easily walk along the paths from one to the other.
We loved Riverside so much that we stayed there for our Disney wedding and Honeymoon.
They are both very beautifully themed and tranquil.
I would absolutely go for booking one of these resorts if you can.

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Will be there in 23 days.

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lolastardust's picture
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Miss Mikki wrote:
We love POR & POFQ. One of our favourite things is to get the boat to DTD.
The resorts are next to each other so in a way it doesn't really matter which one you stay in as you can easily walk along the paths from one to the other.
We loved Riverside so much that we stayed there for our Disney wedding and Honeymoon.
They are both very beautifully themed and tranquil.
I would absolutely go for booking one of these resorts if you can.

Sounds perfect. So excited about boat to DTD. And I really want to try the vegetarian jambalaya at Boatwrights. I figure if we can afford it we should just do it, as we've never had a chance before. Smile x

amy1989's picture
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we LOVE POR!!!! our first stay onsite was there and we just absolutley love everything about it if you decide to go you should request a mansion building they are just so magical!!!

also check out www.portorleans.org we found a lot of helpful info about both sides on there!!!!

The Watchmaker's picture
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Having stayed at both resorts ( once at POFQ three times at PORS ) Love the relaxed theme about it..Grounds are beautiful ..The boat down the Sassagoula river is so relaxing..The food court at PORS is awesome ( create your own pasta is a must ) And the Beignets from French Quarter should be on your must try list..However don't forget to stand on the bridge at the big wheel at PORS and close your eyes and toss a dime into the Sassagoula and make a wish....Its magical ... clapping

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My 1st on site stay was at POFQ and I loved it, would happily go back. As others have said, it is a short beautiful walk between the neighbouring resorts, so you can easily make use of both food courts/lounges/gift shops. There are carriage rides, surrey bikes for hire, movies under the stars and 'ye haa Bob' performs nightly at POR River roost lounge. IMO it's worth splurging if you can afford it, especially for a big birthday celebration yay

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POR was our first onsite stay and it was wonderful. It was the resort that turned me from a casual Disney fan who enjoyed visiting WDW once in a while to an all-in, mouse obsessed, dedicated Disney vacationer. That was the only time that we've actually stayed at POR because we tried Coronado the next trip to mix it up, ASMu the next trip because my traveling companions were on a tight budget, and then we bought DVC. POR is still among my favorite resorts and even though we don't really have an opportunity to stay there anymore, we still like to visit. I think it has the best resort quick service and best shop on property. Also, it's a beautiful resort and it's just fun to walk around the grounds. The boat to DTD is a wonderful ride!

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JanJ's picture
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POR is our favourite moderate resort and we also loved the food court. I enjoyed the diverse choices for all meals and the fresh bakery in the morning. We also loved Boatrights for dinner - the corn bread is amazing and Ken enjoyed the jambalaya. We prefer to stay in Alligator Bayou as it's very private in amongst the trees. If you stay there, you will love it.

Spook's picture
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We stayed at POR for our honeymoon in 2012. Loved it! We stayed in Alligator Bayou and it was so peaceful. If we weren't DVC now, I'd absolutely stay there again.

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We love love love the POFQ. It's our go-to most trips and where we will be 14 days from today! clapping

The grounds are gorgeous, the atmosphere is pretty relaxing for us. We usually upgrade to a river view room, which overlooks the Sassagoula River. And walking the path between the POFQ and the POR at night is really romantic. I keep intending to try the other side (POR) but every time I end up back at POFQ becasue we've had so many great times there. Some pics from our 2011 trip below. We were in Building 1 with a river view. We've also been in Bldgs 6 and 7 with river views. Spectacular! And the food court is fun Smile

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Kris1971's picture
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I'm with Jeff on this one...POFQ!! I've stayed at both, and they each have their own special feel, but I keep going back to the French Quarter. I find it to be more quaint/romantic. The beignets are to die for, and there is only one bus stop!

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I was just over at the allears.net site and saw they just posted some new photos of he PRO rooms:

http://allears.net/acc/g_port-orleans-riverside-15-acadian-rooms.htm

I believe POR and POFQ have both recently been refurbished (within the last few years or so, if I recall).

There's also an unofficial blog site for the Port Orleans resorts that has tons of info:

http://www.portorleans.org/

Allie's picture
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Never stayed there personally, but I've never heard anything but awesome things about PO! I say if you can afford it, treat yo self! yay

93boomer's picture
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Both are awesome! Always try to stay at either one. Will be there in 4 weeks!
The resort has a laid-back feeling that some of the resorts don't have. The grounds are gorgeous. The rooms are clean and very nice. The food court at PORS is the best. We just love staying here.

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Both are great. Make sure you take a walk along the Sassagoula to "the other side" you aren't staying at.

Since you mentioned Princess and the Frog- at POR, the Royal Rooms are hosted by Princess Tiana. Alligator Bayou rooms have Louis on a throw pillow (wish I could get one of these for my house.)

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lolastardust's picture
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Okay, had much discussion and still haven't quite made our mind up. I want to go for one of the PO resorts, but Bob is more practically minded and fixated on saving money! As the only rooms we would get at Pop Century are Preferred Pool View, I am tempted to upgrade to a moderate, and if I'm paying for a moderate, I'd rather go for PO than any other!

Had a look at various packages. Right now, the three most suitable ones are as follows:

Pop Century Preferred Pool View: PS2476 including indirect flights from Glasgow, for nine nights, with Disney Ultimate Ticket.
Coronado Springs Standard Room: PS2795 including indirect flights from Glasgow, for nine nights, with Disney Ultimate Ticket.
Port Orleans Riverside Garden View: PS2890 including indirect flights from Glasgow, for nine nights, with Disney Ultimate Ticket.

I keep coming back to POR and wondering if I can justify spending extra to myself. Alternatively we could compromise on CS.

JanJ's picture
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We haven't stayed at either Pop or CS, but we have visited both. We have stayed twice at POR and absolutely loved it. It's a very central location and close to DTD for dining. I would go with POR. biggrin

lolastardust's picture
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I think I've convinced my husband that POR is a good idea. It's my 30th birthday after all and I want to treat myself. Besides I'm willing to pay the extra so it shouldn't affect him too much. clapping

The Watchmaker's picture
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Have you priced from a Manchester flight departure...Last year we booked our resort thro Disney, and flights separate with Virgin from Manchester ..Saved a fortune..Wasn't too keen driving from Scotland to Manchester ( Took me just over 4 hours ) But next year we are flying again from Manchester with Thomas Cook flights..Again..Saved a fortune.