AUGUST 22-31 POR, BUILDING 27

How was your stay at Riverside? Leave your comments or full trip reports here. Photos welcome.
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KCKAS
Posts: 2
Joined: September 6th, 2010, 1:05 pm

AUGUST 22-31 POR, BUILDING 27

Unread post by KCKAS »

WE ARE A FAMILY OF 5 AND THIS WAS OUR FIRST STAY HERE. OVERALL, WE WERE VERY HAPPY. OUR ROOM WAS READY AT 11 AM. DID NOT MAKE ANY ROOM REQUESTS AND RECEIVED BUILDING 27: GREAT LOCATION. THE ROOM WAS PLENTY BIG FOR US. OUR YOUNGEST (5) HAPPILY SLEPT ON THE TRUNDLE. ROOM HAS NICE DECOR BUT WAS NOT THRILLED WITH MOUSEKEEPING. NOTHING MAJOR WITH MOUSEKEEPING BUT EVERYDAY THERE WAS SOMETHING: DIRTY GLOVE LEFT; BOTTLE OF CLEANER LEFT; GLASSES LEFT DIRTY AND NOT REPLACED ON MANY DAYS; NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH TOWELS; WHEN WE ARRIVED THE DUST ON THE NIGHT STAND AND PHONE WAS RIDICULOUS. I DUSTED THEM MYSELF. BUT ON THE PLUS SIDE OF MOUSEKEEPING, THEY WERE FINISHED BY EARLY AFTERNOON.

THE POOL AREA, I THOUGHT, WAS A LITTLE BORING. IT WAS ALSO VERY CROWDED, ALTHOUGH THE RESORT DIDN'T FEEL CROWDED. WE ONLY NEEDED 1 CHAISE FOR OUR FAMILY OF 5 TO PLOP OUR TOWELS AND EXTRAS ON WHILE WE WERE IN THE POOL. PRACTICALLY, EVERY CHAISE WAS TAKEN EVERY TIME WE WENT. WE WENT TO POFQ ONCE TO USE THEIR POOL AND WE LIKED IT MUCH BETTER. NOT NEARLY AS CROWDED, CARTOON ALLIGATORS, WHIMSICAL WATERSLIDE. AND WE FOUND MANY OPEN CHAISES. I WISH THEY TOOK FAMILIES OF 5 AT THEIR RESORT.

THE FOODCOURT AT POR WAS REALLY GREAT. EVERYONE WAS HELPFUL AND FRIENDLY. THE RESTAURANT WAS ALWAYS CLEAN AND WE ALWAYS FOUND A CLEAN TABLE. WE HAD THE FREE DINING PLAN AND WERE ABLE TO USE IT TO OUR BEST ADVANTAGE, WHICH WAS SOME MEALS NOT EVERYONE WAS HUNGRY SO WE WOULD SPLIT 2 OR 3 MEALS INSTEAD. WE DID THIS MANY TIMES AND IT WORKED OUT WELL FOR OUR FAMILY. FOR DINNER, MY HUSBAND AND I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED THE CREATE YOUR OWN PASTA DINNER. ALL OF THE FOOD WE ATE WAS GREAT. THERE WAS SOMETHING FOR EACH OF MY PICKY CHILDREN AT EVERY MEAL. WE EVEN BROUGHT BREAKFAST BACK TO OUR ROOM A COUPLE OF TIMES TO LET THE KIDS SLEEP IN JUST A TAD MORE. THIS WAS THE BEST DISNEY FOODCOURT WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED.

THE THING I WAS MOST UNHAPPY WITH WAS THE BUSES. WE WERE THERE 9 NIGHTS AND ONLY TRAVELED TO THE PARKS BY BUS. I AM TYPE-A AND HAVE A SCHEDULE FOR EACH PARK. I FELT THAT A LOT OF TIME WAS WASTED WAITING FOR BUSES MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY. I WOULD EXHAUSTINGLY GET MY FAMILY TO THE BUS STOP AND MANY MORNINGS WE WOULD HAVE A KNACK FOR JUST MISSING THE BUS. BUS AFTER BUS (FOR OTHER PARKS) WOULD PASS. OR THE BUS WOULD COME AND WE COULDN'T FIT ON IT BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY HALF-FILLED WHEN IT ARRIVED. THERE WERE TIMES WE WAITED 5 MINUTES FOR A BUS, AND TIMES WE WOULD WAIT 20+. THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON FOR IT. I DID FEEL LIKE A SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN TO THE FRENCH QUARTER WHERE BUSES WERE CONCERNED. BUSES WOULD COME FROM THERE TO OUR BUS STOPS, HALF-FILLED. THEY ALL GOT ON AT THEIR BUS STOP, BUT ONLY SOME OF US GOT ON AT OURS. ALSO, ON THE WAY HOME WE ALWAYS HAD TO STOP THERE FIRST. I KNOW THEY ARE SO CLOSE TOGETHER THAT IT SEEMS NATURAL TO DO, BUT OUR RESORT IS MUCH BIGGER THAN THEIRS WITH MORE GUESTS, WE SHOULD HAVE OUR OWN.

THE LAST THING OUR FAMILY ENJOYED A LOT WAS THE WILDLIFE AT POR. WE SAW MANY WATER BIRDS, VARIOUS LIZARDS, 1 SNAKE, RABBITS, FROGS, AND A FAMILY OF RIVER OTTERS. THE RIVER OTTERS WERE THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR WILDLIFE VIEWING.

WE HAD A FEW NEGATIVES ON THIS TRIP, BUT OVERALL WE WERE HAPPY AND WOULD COME BACK HERE AGAIN.
Quacker
Posts: 10
Joined: July 9th, 2010, 3:16 pm

Re: AUGUST 22-31 POR, BUILDING 27

Unread post by Quacker »

Good report!

I'm glad we chose French Quarter over Riverside for the transport and pool areas. It seems that Riverside has the better dining options so I may try a look around there. To be honest though we will be eating off site most of the time. We are early risers so 6am Breakfast at POFQ will suit us fine so we can be changed and ready for the first bus of the day to get us to the parks for rope drop!

I'm sure if the buses picked up first at POR the people of POFQ would also be unhappy - just the luck of the draw.

I#ve never stayed on site before so looking forward to it.

Steve
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