Switch from Boardwalk Villa to Port Orleans Riverside

[Disney Mom 7272]

Should I switch from a boardwalk studio villa to a royal room at riverside? I have Never stayed at a moderate resort before. I have Only stayed in the the deluxe resorts. It would save me $1579 to switch for a 10 day stay! I need some help with the pros and cons of switching! I really enjoy staying at the deluxe resorts but that is a lot of savings!! Thanks

 

[auntfrannie]

I switch back and forth between moderate and deluxe. I wouldn't switch for a royal room simply because I travel alone and wouldn't want that theme. I would switch to a preferred room, though, if I wanted to same some money. What I like about POR is the boat to Disney Springs, the food court and how beautiful it is just walking around the grounds. My trip this year is at BWI because I like the proximity to Epcot and the better dining options.

The real benefit to BWI is the convenience of walking to two parks and having all rooms located under one roof. I find that to be a benefit if you're caught in a rain storm at the resort.

 

[loves to dive]

I agree with auntfrannie as far as the benefit of BW is the location, to be able to walk to two parks is great. We always stay in the Epcot resorts for just that reason, recently we have been doing split stays with the first night or two in a value or moderate (I'm o.k. with the first night in a value since we really just sleep there that night, if more than one night, we go moderate) then moving over to an Epcot resort. Lately, most of our Epcot stays have been in Swan/Dolphin, even with the $20 a night parking fee it's much less than the three Disney resorts.

As far as the royal room goes, I wouldn't pay for it nor would I pay for a preferred room. It's possible to get a regular room in Magnolia Mansion and be almost as close to the main building as you are with a preferred room. The savings is nice but I guess it would depend on your ability to pay and if you would be o.k. with riding a bus to all parks, outside corridors, no hot tub in the quiet pools.

 

[wdwthanksgiving]

Once you stay at the deluxe it is hard to go to a moderate...that said, we usually stay at WL with our family but my husband and I will stay at POP when it is just the two of us and we have a great stay! We know it won't be the same but we are in the parks a lot and eat at WL, Grand Floridian and Poly - hang out in the lobby after dinner and then mosey back to POP. $1500.00 is a lot - we stayed many times at Port Orleans Riverside and always had a great stay - beautiful grounds, nice pool, good food and the watercraft to Disney Springs make it so nice. The previous poster mentioned the outside corridors and the bus instead of walking...all true ...just depends on how important that savings is to you!

If you are at the park a lot and not using the resort facilities so much, it might be worth giving POR a try for this trip and then you will know what you want for accomodations for future trips

 

[fla4fun]

I have stayed at both, depending on the reason for the trip. If you are going to spend a lot of time at Epcot, BW is a great location. But if your time is going to be pretty much evenly split, taking the savings at POR is a good choice.

The main question I would ask though is how much did you plan on using the kitchenette in the studio? That microwave in the room is sooooo convenient. Usually if I've booked a DVC villa, I'm planning on utilizing the kitchenette pretty heavily during the trip (for example, staying in one during hurricane season, or for a marathon weekend).

Another consideration - how many people in your traveling party? A studio has one queen bed and a sofa bed, where a POR room would have two queen beds. If you have more than two people in your party, having two actual beds makes for a much more restful sleep.

There isn't a lot of difference really in the bathroom facilities in either resort, considering they both have a toilet/tub room and a sink separate. I do like the privacy curtain at the moderates as opposed to the open vanity of the studio.

Only you can decide if the savings is worth it to you, but having stayed at both for trips of similar length, you can have a great vacation at either one.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

If I can afford it I will always pick a deluxe.

With that said we've had awesome trips at a moderate. Then we stayed deluxe and I don't want to go back to a moderate if I can afford a deluxe. Next trip we are doing two nights at POFQ before moving to BWV for 7 nights. I am really looking forward to trying POFQ.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I have stayed at both, depending on the reason for the trip. If you are going to spend a lot of time at Epcot, BW is a great location. But if your time is going to be pretty much evenly split, taking the savings at POR is a good choice.

The main question I would ask though is how much did you plan on using the kitchenette in the studio? That microwave in the room is sooooo convenient. Usually if I've booked a DVC villa, I'm planning on utilizing the kitchenette pretty heavily during the trip (for example, staying in one during hurricane season, or for a marathon weekend).

Another consideration - how many people in your traveling party? A studio has one queen bed and a sofa bed, where a POR room would have two queen beds. If you have more than two people in your party, having two actual beds makes for a much more restful sleep.

There isn't a lot of difference really in the bathroom facilities in either resort, considering they both have a toilet/tub room and a sink separate. I do like the privacy curtain at the moderates as opposed to the open vanity of the studio.

Only you can decide if the savings is worth it to you, but having stayed at both for trips of similar length, you can have a great vacation at either one.

What do you use your kitchenette for the most? What do you make for meals/snacks? I know we will use it for leftovers.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Should I switch from a boardwalk studio villa to a royal room at riverside? I have Never stayed at a moderate resort before. I have Only stayed in the the deluxe resorts. It would save me $1579 to switch for a 10 day stay! I need some help with the pros and cons of switching! I really enjoy staying at the deluxe resorts but that is a lot of savings!! Thanks

We usually only stay at deluxe resorts but the one moderate resort that we have stayed at is POR. We really like it there. We love the grounds, the main pool, the boat to Disney Springs, and the food court. But if I was going to make the switch to POR from a deluxe resort then I would go with a regular garden or standard view room. You are really paying a lot for a royal room. We stayed in Magnolia Terrace and it was convenient to the main pool and lobby. And the room was very nice.

We did a split stay the first time we tried a moderate resort, just in case we hated it. We found out that we really liked POR enouugh to return occasionally. We still prefer a deluxe resort but POR is nice for a change.

 

[fla4fun]

What do you use your kitchenette for the most? What do you make for meals/snacks? I know we will use it for leftovers.

I drive, so I can bring things like the Uncle Ben's microwave rice that don't have to be frozen and can be cooked in the microwave. I have also used it for leftovers, such as we would get a whole pie at the Boardwalk Pizza window and heat leftover pizza in the microwave. I also have a microwave pasta cooker and have made pasta with sauce or pasta salad to have with sandwiches. The few times I have been at Disney during a hurricane, it was nice to be able to prepare basic meals in the room.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I really like POR, but it doesn't have balconies, as the deluxes do. And last time I stayed at POR, which I'd loved before staying at a deluxe, I found that I really missed the balcony. Other than the balcony, however, I really like POR.

 

[chucksusanandgrace]

Don't forget POR now allows dogs on their property. They told me any standard or garden view rooms have dogs. That's just plain gross to me so for that reason I would never stay there again.

If you are okay with it, I find POR to be such a gorgeous property. Their upgraded rooms ROYAL have a very magical feel to it.

I'd say go for it!!! To me it felt like a deluxe resort. We loved it there. They have entertainment at night in the bar which is kid friendly too. Some piano dude singing classic songs with a sing a long. That was so memorable. The pool is like a deluxe too in my opinion. Food is really great too!

 

[Disney Mom 7272]

Don't forget POR now allows dogs on their property. They told me any standard or garden view rooms have dogs. That's just plain gross to me so for that reason I would never stay there again.

If you are okay with it, I find POR to be such a gorgeous property. Their upgraded rooms ROYAL have a very magical feel to it.

I'd say go for it!!! To me it felt like a deluxe resort. We loved it there. They have entertainment at night in the bar which is kid friendly too. Some piano dude singing classic songs with a sing a long. That was so memorable. The pool is like a deluxe too in my opinion. Food is really great too!

I just Realized that dogs were allowed there . I ended up not going with POR for that reason. I have a severely asthmatic child and I don’t want to chance her being around a lot of different dogs. I would have loved to save some money but I have No interest in staying at a resort that allows dogs! I love Dogs but just not in my hotel room. Thank you to everyone for your advice. I really Appreciate it!!