Reviews of Port Orleans Riverside Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by joycebai98 Review Date: 08/10/2013
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
We stayed July 23 to 30th in Alligator Bayou building 37. Lot of walking. Garden view wasn't as I expected. Do not plan to stay there again, didn't feel like Disney.
Pros:
quiteCons:
long walk to food court,the garden viewReviewed by dgagnon519 Review Date: 07/03/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was our first time staying at a moderate. We stayed from 06/13-06/15 in a royal room. The room was beautiful. The resort was clean. Our view was great from our room and we were near the bridge to go over to the main building. The food court was very good. The staff was friendly.
Pros:
food court, convenience to DTD, staffCons:
noneReviewed by Herdman Review Date: 06/27/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We had a 9 night stay from 6/14 - 6/22 in Royal Room 9280 in Oak Manor. The room was very nice and clean. We had a towel animal family in the window on arrival that grew some on 2 or 3 occasions. Housekeeping was excellent. The resort grounds are beautiful. We used the food court for lunch one day, and it was very good. We only used the quiet pool outside of our room, and it was very nice and clean. Bus transportation was efficient with no excessively long waits. We did have to wait for a little while on the two occasions we used the water taxi to Downtown Disney. It wasn't unbearable, but a little longer than we expected. Overall, we had a fabulous time and wouldn't hesitate to return here on our next visit.
Pros:
Royal Room, Resort Grounds, Quiet PoolCons:
Minor Water Transportation waitsReviewed by Ninja Mom Review Date: 06/24/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We enjoyed an early June stay at this resort. Our check in was quick and efficient and all of our requests were met cheerfully. We took a cab to the nearest Walmart for a grocery run ($20 one way)and Bell services helped us take our groceries to our room.
We enjoyed a performance of Yee Ha Bob Jackson in the River Roost lounge. We had appetizers and drinks during his performance and everything was wonderful, especially Bob, the food and the service.
Our room was comfortable and extremely clean. Our housekeeper was very attentive to all of our requests, which we left on a written note next to her daily tip. We also were able to request the time (early morning) at which we were to have her come to the room and service it. We accomplished this by calling the housekeeping number on the in room phone by 7:30 am. After that time the housekeepers are out and about at the resort and they may not get the message.
The grounds of the resort are beautiful and well maintained. Both the quiet pool and the main pool were very enjoyable but the main pool will be noisy during the time the recreation staff is playing games with the children that are at the pool. The one thing that definitely needed attention at the pool was the bathroom area. The showers located in this pool bathroom were awkwardly situated and one of the shower heads was non-functional. If you were planning on having the family shower and get changed in this bathroom on check out day it would probably take you a while because of the one working shower and lack of private dressing stalls.
The laundry rooms were in good working order and were not too crowded the 2 times we used them during our 6 day stay.
My one concern prior to staying at this resort was the bus service. I was wondering how such a large resort would handle sharing a bus with Port Orleans French Quarter. As it turned out the buses were NOT always shared and almost every time we were able to get seats on the bus to the parks. The problem with Disney Bus Transportation continues to be the afternoon buses back to the resort, as longer than expected wait times were always experienced. This however is true for just about any Disney resort and not limited to Port Orleans Riverside.
I have also stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter this year so I was happy to learn that my concerns about staying in this larger resort were unfounded and either resort is a great choice when staying at a Disney moderate hotel. I would not hesitate to stay here again.
Pros:
room cleanliness, bus serviceCons:
Food court chaotic at times, Pool bathrooms lacking functionality for showeringReviewed by JohnD29710 Review Date: 06/24/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
First let me begin by saying that I am extremely biased about this hotel. My family and I have been vacationing at this property since it first opened, and we just keep coming back. The resort is set along the waterway and truly helps you escape the outside world. There is something incredibly relaxing about strolling along the waterway as boats and ferries motor by. In all respects, the resort transports you to another time and place, and I have found this to be the most relaxing of the Moderate properties. Buildings are designed after bayou dwellings or Southern-style mansions. The food court is spacious and offers a varied menu (as food courts go). It may just be an illusion, but this feels like the largest and most comfortable food court on property (we always sit near the water wheel). The table service restaurant is a bit pricey, but offers a nice selection of Southern-style favorites. The marina offers various watercraft for rent and the pool is large and loads of fun, with a nice waterslide that even the adults can enjoy. Quiet pools are spinkled throughout the property as well. One of the main benefits of staying at this property is the water taxi service to Downtown Disney. It is wonderful not to have to fight parking to get down there, plus the leisurely 20-minute boat ride is an attraction unto itself. Finally, plan your stay arund the weekly Bob Jackson Show in the River Roost. Great family, sing-a-long fun at the best price possible: FREE. Bob Jackson is one of the great hidden treasures of WDW. Look him up on YouTube and you'll see why. I have never had a bad stay at this resort and would recommend it to anyone planning a WDW vacation.
Pros:
Quickly Transports Guests to another Time & PlaceCons:
—Reviewed by mimmy Review Date: 06/24/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
What a pleasant surprise!! We stayed in a royal themed room in Parterre Place for five nights in April. The Magnolia Bend section of the resort is very stately looking - formal gardens, fountains, meandering paths along a beautiful river. Although the rooms are motel style, the inside of the royal rooms have some very luxurious touches. (Queen beds, quality linens, nice window treatments,double marble sinks, small fridge for drinks.) Our room faced the back parking lot, but we were very close to a lovely and decent sized quiet pool located between Parterre and Oak Manor. The resort is spread out, but nothing too crazy. The grounds are so beautiful that a five minute walk isn't really a big deal. The hub of the resort is where you'll find a full service restaraunt (good), food court (excellent), lobby, resort store (fantastic), bike and boat rental, horse and carriage ride (fun). The main pool is cute with a fun water slide for the kids. There are plenty of lounge chairs and towels - lots of trees for shade and even a few hammocks. Even if you're not planning on going to Downtown Disney, the boat ride is a really nice diversion. We took the boat one evening to the French Quarter for beignets at their food court. (You can also use the pool at FQ.)The staff at the resort work hard to please their guests - as all cast members we've encountered over the years do.
Finally, the resort is in the moderate category. With that said, buses transport guests to all the parks. For the most part, the wait time for buses is minimal in this resort. They do have a lot of buses up and running during the crunch times. However, if you're part of the mass exodus leaving Epcot after Illuminations or MK after the parade, you're obviously going to wait a while. One night the kids were so tired after Illuminations and none of us had the energy to trek all the way back through future world to the buses, we ended up taking the boat to Boardwalk and catching a cab back to POR. It was the best $10 we ever spent.
Bottom Line: This is a beautiful resort and a really nice escape from the parks. It is by far the best of the moderate resorts in terms of food, atmosphere and amenities, and it will not break the bank either.
Pros:
renovated rooms, tranquil setting, resort activites, boat to downtownCons:
exterior rooms, no balconies, buses to all parksReviewed by mrodgers962 Review Date: 06/17/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
The grounds of this resort were beautiful! We stayed in a preferred room building #18, which was close to the food court, main pool, and South bus depot. We never waited more than 20 minutes for a bus, which was stated, at the South Depot. I heard people at other depots waited much longer, though. We enjoyed the food court, especially the create your own pasta bar. The only complaint I have is I wish the entire park had better dining options for kids. My child loves to eat good food, not chicken nuggets, pb&j, and hotdogs. Everything she wanted to eat, she couldn't because we were on the dining plan. The pool was a lot of fun and the life guards took their job seriously. They were never yelling at kids, but would talk to them about how to be safer. My child enjoyed the waterslide and made lots of friends. My husband and I enjoyed the music and pool games. We would definitely return to this resort. We stayed at a deluxe resort last time and cannot justify the cost of staying at a deluxe resort when we can stay at Riverside!
Pros:
Beautiful grounds, nice food court and pool, fun activitiesCons:
Better food options for kidsReviewed by germ539 Review Date: 06/12/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Booked a standard room, got a garden view corner room with a Mickey towel head to greet us (room 8778), my parents had an adjoining room (8779). We had our privacy please sign out the whole time so they just left a bag hanging on the door with the necessities for the next day (unless I happened to catch the mousekeeper, Marie was ours during the week, to get what we needed)
Main pool - visited it once, DS liked the quiet pool better, said the main pool was too busy and noisy. I kinda agree on that. The slide is okay, OKW's slide seems faster.
Food Court - we utilized this quite a few times. The chocolate cake at the bakery is WONDERFULL. Very moist and tasty. Got a cinnamon roll for breakfast, it looks good but is very hard on the outside and dry on the inside. DS and grandparents got the whole pepperoni pizza twice and it was very tasty and the best price we found for a whole pizza throughout Disney. I had the create your own pasta on our last day, it was okay, I think less noodles would taste better and it would seem like there would be enough sauce for all the noodles. DH got the Turkey dinner one night and I got the ham dinner one night, DH said his had good flavor, mine was okay. DH also had the mufalatta twice and said it was good. Wasn't too crowded the times we ate but I went there a couple of times to refill the mugs and it was packed.
Entertainment - caught Yee Haw Bob's show two different nights, he's a hoot, I can see why he is so popular.
Took the boat to DD one evening, had a little wait, but otherwise a nice ride on the river.
Room - Very comfortable, the only problem is that if you want the fridge to stay cold, you need to leave the door to the cabinet it is in open part way. I know that they put it in there for looks, but it doesn't make sense to have the keep the door open. My parents had to have theirs replaced, it was not keeping anything cold even with the door open. They said that it was working but when you shut the fridge door, you could tell that it wasn't running. Once they got a new one, everything was fine.
Pros:
location, food court, Yee Haw Bob in loungeCons:
fridge in cabinet, main pool activities to loud and longReviewed by lamystreaux Review Date: 06/07/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We loved Riverside. Just returned from a stay 6/1-6/6 and stayed at Magnolia Terrace. Yes, it is a large resort, but if you book the right view and do a room request, it will not feel as large. The pool is wonderful at this resort. We also enjoyed the food court. The lobby is gorgeous! Check in was a breeze (use the online check-in, people). Overall, we enjoyed it very much!
Pros:
beautiful grounds, well-themed, great pool, nice food courtCons:
noneReviewed by MissWendyBird Review Date: 06/02/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
My dad and I planned to spend the first week of May here, in one of the royal rooms. The instant we got there, it was like being back home. The security guard was incredibly funny and nice, welcoming us home.
We did the online check in and boy, did it make a difference! This was the first time we used online check in and we were definitely impressed with how fast it is. We were in and out within five minutes, where our usual check in takes 15-20 min. Our room was very easy to find in Parterre Place, which is remarkable, considering how big Dixie Landings is. When we got to the room, we were not prepared for the awesomeness of the royal room.
Themed to a tee, the royal room is Disney at it's finest. There is a letter from Princess Tiana welcoming you to the resort, along with pictures of the princesses taking silly pictures with each other. There are cameo pictures of the princes (A very nice touch, as they are always almost neglected), various touches from the movies, such as Sultan the dog and the magic lamp. For the wallpaper trim at the top, you can see Chip, Gus-Gus and Jacque, along with hidden mickeys. The bedspread features the different crowns of the princesses and the head of the bed is amazing. You push a button and you have your very own firework show!
The shower curtain was one of my favourite things about the room. It was Little Mermaid themed with snarfblats, dinglehoppers, sand dollars and starfish. The faucet was a magic lamp which I thought was a clever touch.
We had room 9736, which faced the Sassagoula. Everything was within a two minute walk, which was incredibly unexpected but very, very nice. I think it was a shorter walk to everything, than at the Contemporary where everything is laid out in full view. It was very nice walking down to Fulton’s or the food court and be back within fifteen-twenty minutes.
For the price we paid, which wasn’t that much compared to the Contemporary, we got an experience that was priceless. This trip ranks as one of my all time three favourite trips to Disney World, including two fantastic trips to the Contemporary. Dixie Landings lived up to my expectations and beyond.
