Port Orleans Riverside Q&A Thread 2014 (Please read first post for FAQs!)

[DonaldnDaisy5]

Have POR booked standard room for July. 5 in our party. Traveling with friends also a family of 5 we booked literally 2 days apart, but they were unable to get standard view room, booked garden view.

The booking agent suggested they keep trying to change. We'd like to be close to each other, should we try moving to garden view or is it likely a standard view will become available?

 

[Sue M]

Good Day everyone, just reading up and checking messages today. Hope all are having a magical day!

Good to hear from you, your sounding better

 

[siskaren]

I'm wondering how many people can go for a horse and carriage ride.

We've never done it on any stays there, but this time we will be with other family members and may want to do it with them. There would either be 6 or 8 of us, so I'm wondering if we could all go in the same carriage. And what is the cost? Is it per person?

You can read about it here:

http://portorleans.org/recreation.php

 

[tchull]

We are also arriving on July 5th! This will be our third trip to Disney, but our first time to stay at POR. We will be traveling with several families from my daughter's clogging team as they will be performing at Downtown Disney.

 

[daynaw28]

congrats on your first trip! For planning there are several good web sites, the first page of this thread will give you loads of info about POR.

A great guide book is WDW The Unifficial Guide, along with their web site Touring Plans. Not only does it tell you all about the resorts and parks, it teaches you how to tour in an order that will have you waiting less and riding more.
I also love the Easy Disney web site. It also has a crowd calendar to tell you which is the least crowded park each day. So first I plan out which park I'll be in each day according to crowd calendar on either Easy WDW, or Touring Plans. Then I slot in dining accordingly.
If you haven't got ADRs that you wanted, keep checking, you never know if something will open up. Although the ones you wanted are pretty popular!

For park touring, if you want to go on some of the more thrill rides that a young child wouldn't want to go in, they have ride swap. You all go on line, then swap turns riding. And your 5 yr old may find some of the queues fun. They have such intricate theming.

As to airline regulations, best to check the TSA site as to what you can pack.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate all of that and will look into it all. I have been to some that you have listed, but you have listed some that I haven't which is very helpful!

You may be able to get a BOG (Be our Guest) reservation for lunch. It is more of a Fastpass but does not count against your ride Fastpasses.
At about 27 days before you arrive the dates open up for you to book lunch. You just login to the site using your disney account and 12 digit room reservation number.
Here is the web page...
https://beourguestlunch.disney.go.com/

Here is the DIS Be Our Guest thread...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3310867&highlight=bog+lunch

There will be tons of info there (more than what i might know).

Have a fun trip.

THANK YOU! I was struggling finding a thread, I have been let into the web page *some have said you can get in as early as 60 days on slower times* and there aren't any FP+, which is fine, I was just hoping to this trip. Just means I have to make another trip for BOG hehe!

For traveling by plane, I would go on the transportation board. I would do that similarly with the "general DW tips", choose a board that fits what you are looking for. Asking multiple questions on a board that is meant for just resorts may get overlooked because there is so much to answer and there is so much information available on other boards that are more appropriate for your needs.

So sorry, I am new to threads, and I had seen some others ask multi. questions. I will definitely post more directed questions in the correct places that way I can get responses and don't over crowd a thread with the wrong subject. Sorry again!

My one piece of advice would be to not try to see/do everything. It will just stress you out and make you need a vacation as soon as you get home.
Pick your must do things and just enjoy your DD reactions.

Thank you! I am trying not to. I am just trying to see everything that my daughter would most enjoy, which could be overboard. And having not been to DW is so hard to know. I do try to check myself, but this is our 2nd family vacation (1st being a weekend trip to a farther away zoo, so really this is a 1st family vacation haha) so I just want to go all out for her! I just know how much she will adore all things princess and will absolutely flip over our resort!

 

[Sue M]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate all of that and will look into it all. I have been to some that you have listed, but you have listed some that I haven't which is very helpful!



THANK YOU! I was struggling finding a thread, I have been let into the web page *some have said you can get in as early as 60 days on slower times* and there aren't any FP+, which is fine, I was just hoping to this trip. Just means I have to make another trip for BOG hehe!



So sorry, I am new to threads, and I had seen some others ask multi. questions. I will definitely post more directed questions in the correct places that way I can get responses and don't over crowd a thread with the wrong subject. Sorry again!



Thank you! I am trying not to. I am just trying to see everything that my daughter would most enjoy, which could be overboard. And having not been to DW is so hard to know. I do try to check myself, but this is our 2nd family vacation (1st being a weekend trip to a farther away zoo, so really this is a 1st family vacation haha) so I just want to go all out for her! I just know how much she will adore all things princess and will absolutely flip over our resort!

In the book WDW The Unofficial Guide (and on their web site Touringplans.com) they have touring plans specialized for families with young children.

Also to mention Andres wonderful web site on all things POR!! He prob has a link to it on page 1 as he also does this thread! Portorleans.org

 

[Dislaroger]

HELLO EVERYONE!!! This is not only my first time to DW, my fiances, but most importantly our DD. We are going March 4-10. We are arriving the day before our DD 5th birthday. I don't think I could be more excited!!! This is a complete surprise to her, and was a random decision. We are staying in a Royal Room at POR and she is going to squeeeeal in excitement, so sorry to anyone who else is around us. I randomly decided and booked 67 days out, and had no clue what went into a Disney trip. So I have been going nuts researching and booked our ARD's, but sadly did not get a Cinderella or Be Our Guest reservation. (bummer!) but there is Disney Magic everywhere so it will all be okay! I do believe I did the FP+ right, and choose ones that would be best for her and didn't have an issue with reserving them (besides staying up until midnight and having it tell me I couldn't reserve until our arrival date, ) It fixed it's self at 5am that morning, and I was back at it... Now that that is all done, I am just looking forward to the "less stress planning" and more researching. I am all ears for any advice when it comes to resort info, traveling by plane (my fiance and I have only been on a plane once as children 15+years ago) *security/packing issues?, general DW tips, and anything else you think I should know as a newbie, and late planner! Thanks in advance, and hope you all enjoy your trips.

We stayed in a Royal Guest Room in 2013 with our 5 and 2 year old daughters and they loved it. In fact they still talk about it. We will be back in April and will again stay in a Royal Guest Room so they are even more excited now that they are 7 and 4.

On our last stay we were unable to get into Cinderella's Royal Table so a CM suggested Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot. We were able to get in and the girls were amazed. You may want to try there if you can't get into CRT.

Have Fun!!!!

 

[disdream]

SUE I hope you a great vacation!

Riverside Transportation by KC MikeD, on Flickr

Your pictures are so beautiful. I think I read a page or two back that you used your IPhone 6. I just went and got mine hoping my pics turn out as well as yours. You're a great photographer. We arrive 2 weeks from today. Yippy.

 

[Promomx2]

We leave next week for a few days at pot and I'm now freaking out. We checkout on sat and our plane doesn't leave till 630 p.m. I don't want to sit in airport all day, can we get a late checkout?

 

[siskaren]

We leave next week for a few days at POR and I'm now freaking out. We checkout on sat and our plane doesn't leave till 630 p.m. I don't want to sit in airport all day, can we get a late checkout?

You don't have to sit in the airport all day or get late check out. Check out at the regular time, leave your carry-ons at Bell Services (assuming you can use RAC for your checked bags), and go to a park or DTD. I always get a late flight out so I can enjoy one last park day.

 

[andrewilley]

I'm wondering how many people can go for a horse and carriage ride.

4 adults/kids, or 2 adults and 3 children.

The booking agent suggested they keep trying to change. We'd like to be close to each other, should we try moving to garden view or is it likely a standard view will become available?

Don't worry, there are many Standard View rooms very near to Garden View rooms (e.g. on corners, etc). See my maps on http://www.portorleans.org/floorplans.php for an idea of where rooms are located.

We leave next week for a few days at pot and I'm now freaking out. We checkout on sat and our plane doesn't leave till 630 p.m. I don't want to sit in airport all day, can we get a late checkout?

You can ask for a late checkout up to 1pm (not guaranteed, but usually available unless the resort is very busy). Or as has been said, you can still use all the resort facilities, visit the parks, etc. on your checkout day.

Andre

 

[Napria]

Hello everyone! We'll be staying at POR for the first time this coming October. Just a short trip, but I'm going into major Disney withdrawal and my husband won't haul the 40' camper to the Fort for only 4 days, so we're going to try Port Orleans Riverside. We had come close to staying at POR once before but changed to the Poly at the last minute.

So my question is, if we want the extra bed, do we have to try for Aligator Bayou, or do the rooms in the other part of the resort have the extra bed now? We'll be traveling with our 18 year old son and 17 year old daughter, and unless we can put our daughter on the extra bed, my husband and I will have to split up at night and each sleep with one of the kids (and my daughter will be tossing and turning me right out of the bed!)

Also, we expect to get in between 11:00 PM and midnight. Will they be able to check us in that late?

Thanks!

 

[AmyKat]

The murphy beds are only in the AB section. They aren't full length beds so I'm not sure either of your kids would fit. You might do better to bring a blow up twin sized mattress.

Yes, they will let you check in that late.

 

[Napria]

The murphy beds are only in the AB section. They aren't full length beds so I'm not sure either of your kids would fit. You might do better to bring a blow up twin sized mattress.

Yes, they will let you check in that late.

My daughter is 5'4" and 100 lbs. She's a petite girl, so maybe she'll fit?

If we don't get a room with a Murphy bed, is there enough space for a twin size air bed mattress?

 

[KCmike]

Your pictures are so beautiful. I think I read a page or two back that you used your IPhone 6. I just went and got mine hoping my pics turn out as well as yours. You're a great photographer. We arrive 2 weeks from today. Yippy.

Thank you so very much for the kind words. I did indeed use my Iphone 6 for some shots but this one was from my Canon 60d. I was really shocked at how well the iphone did in many settings. In fact one day I didn't even take my slr with me and just enjoyed the day without lugging around a big camera. Again thank you for the kind words. Part of the fun is the love of composing the image. If you would like to see other shots that I took of WDW this time around you can follow my flickr account. Here is the link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/90024104@N08/

This resort is such a beautiful oasis.

 

[Nole95]

Quick question. Mother in law was only going to watch the kids early tomorrow morning while DW and I ran the half marathon. She has now decided she would like to stay with us a couple nights. Not a big deal as she is pretty cool and has never experienced Disney with our kids.

We have an AB preferred room so space is not an issue. Smallest kid will sleep on the extra bed and MIL would sleep with the other kid.

We check in today. Can I just add her to our room at checkin? Should I even mention it at checkin? If I do get her added, how much extra per night would the one adult be?

 

[Missytara]

My daughter is 5'4" and 100 lbs. She's a petite girl, so maybe she'll fit?

If we don't get a room with a Murphy bed, is there enough space for a twin size air bed mattress?

Definitely, we did two two sized air mattresses one year - my friend and I took each bed and each of her sons slept on an air mattress.

The one fits quite nicely between the first bed and the window. Place it against the wall during the day so the maid can get around the bed to make it.

 

[disdream]

Thank you so very much for the kind words. I did indeed use my Iphone 6 for some shots but this one was from my Canon 60d. I was really shocked at how well the iphone did in many settings. In fact one day I didn't even take my slr with me and just enjoyed the day without lugging around a big camera. Again thank you for the kind words. Part of the fun is the love of composing the image. If you would like to see other shots that I took of WDW this time around you can follow my flickr account. Here is the link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/90024104@N08/

This resort is such a beautiful oasis.

Thanks for the link. I will definitely check out your photos. I love seeing everyone's pictures. Have a magical day.

 

[andrewilley]

Quick question. Mother in law was only going to watch the kids early tomorrow morning while DW and I ran the half marathon. She has now decided she would like to stay with us a couple nights. Not a big deal as she is pretty cool and has never experienced Disney with our kids.

We have an AB preferred room so space is not an issue. Smallest kid will sleep on the extra bed and MIL would sleep with the other kid.

We check in today. Can I just add her to our room at checkin? Should I even mention it at checkin? If I do get her added, how much extra per night would the one adult be?

I'm sure I answer this a week or two back, must have been someone else.

An extra adult is $15/night if booked in advance. It's up to you whether you want to declare this if she is basically there just to act as a carer when you are away from the room (OK, a slight stretch maybe...) or just wing it. She will need a room key of course (could use one of the kids' magic bands perhaps?). If you've got any dining plan attached it may get complicated to add as those are generally require by all occupants for the duration of the stay.

It's up to you whether to do it officially or just play it by ear. Perhaps ask the hypothetical question at the front desk when you check in, saying that your MIL might be coming over to act as a sitter during the marathon, do you need to register her, etc? That way you can say you mentioned it and you're covered.

Let us know the end result anyway, it'd be nice to hear if there is any policy on this.

Andre

 

[EpcotBill]

I'm sure I answer this a week or two back, must have been someone else.

An extra adult is $15/night if booked in advance. It's up to you whether you want to declare this if she is basically there just to act as a carer when you are away from the room (OK, a slight stretch maybe...) or just wing it. She will need a room key of course (could use one of the kids' magic bands perhaps?). If you've got any dining plan attached it may get complicated to add as those are generally require by all occupants for the duration of the stay.

It's up to you whether to do it officially or just play it by ear. Perhaps ask the hypothetical question at the front desk when you check in, saying that your MIL might be coming over to act as a sitter during the marathon, do you need to register her, etc? That way you can say you mentioned it and you're covered.

Let us know the end result anyway, it'd be nice to hear if there is any policy on this.

Andre

You answered a very similar "quick question" from the same poster on 29 December. The MIL was only babysitting then, now she's staying.