*added pix** June 2010 Trip to POR

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LovingDisny
Posts: 6
Joined: May 23rd, 2011, 4:08 pm

*added pix** June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by LovingDisny »

We spent 9 days at POR last summer from 6/4/2010 - 6/12/2010. Our vacation party consisted of My husband, Myself, My 12 year old son & my 4 year old son. We had a wonderful time at POR. My older son is in school so anytime we go to Disney we try to leave very soon after school lets out. It seems to be the best time for us. The parks are crowded but not unbearbly so. (Our last trip was in 2004 and we stayed at Caribbean Beach). POR is now my favorite!

For our 2010 I was celebrating my 40th birthday so my Mom, Dad, Sister & Niece also flew out with us, although they only stayed 3 days and they stayed off property :cry: I was surprised and pleased that POR was the first stop for magical express, so as we arrived in Orlando at 10:35 am (yes we got up at 3:00am to make our flight from Dallas) we were at ME by 11:10, on a bus by 11:20 and at the POR on-line check desk a little before noon :D I had requested an AB room but upon check in discovered that we were in Acadian house room 8220. I understand that requests are just that so I wasn't too dissappointed, besides the room was ready at noon & the location turned out great! It is a little far from the foodcourt and main pool but the walk is a very pretty one. The room was at the back of the building on the second floor and VERY close to the north depot which was great.

As I mentioned earlier we had a very early flight so my boys wore their swim suites on the plane and as soon as we dropped our carry on's in our very clean room we headed to the Riverside Mill foodcourt for lunch and then a swim. We really liked the foodcourt here much better than at Caribbean. My boys (including hubby here) loved the hamburgers, pizza, fish & fries & desserts. I loved the build your own pasta station. That is a wonderful choice that I think every food court at Disney needs.

This was my 4 year old's first trip and I knew that we would not be able to go commando in the parks every day and that we would probably spend a lot of time at our resort. With that in mind I did a lot of research before choosing POR. I am so glad that I choose this resort. We loved the laid back feel of the resort. After being in the busy parks, which we love of course, it is nice to come back to a resort that is quiet, lush, and refreshing. We spent quite a few afternoon's or evenings in the main pool. I loved how the life guards came out to play games with the kids every day, the slide and the shade! This pool has lots of shade at certain times of the day and it was a wonderful respite from the heat & humidity.

We planned one whole day to stay at the resort and that was one of our best days. We took the boat to the POFQ side and let the boys swim in the pool there while I did some laundry. We also ate lunch at their foodcourt that day. It was nice to take a 5 - 10 min boat ride and get a completley different experience. We spent about 4 hours on that side and although we enjoyed it, we all agreed that we liked the POR side better. I really thought the kids would be facinated by the sea serpent water slide and they did enjoy it but they still perfrerred POR. Yes, the resort is big and spread out, but for me that is a good thing. The resort never seems full and I think that is why it feels so laid back.

The food court just like any other can get busy at peak meal times but it only took us a day to figure out a good plan. We let the 12 year old go to whichever station he wanted (made sure he knew what he could get on the dining plan) and then either hubby or I would take the 4 year old to his station, we all met up at the register. This worked pretty well. We also got the refillable mugs which my kids loved. I liked that we could use those for our meal and then grab another drink in a bottle on the dining plan to take to the parks with us.

Overall we had good experiences with the busses as well. I always try to remember how many people Disney is moving in so many different directions all day everyday and it amazes me that it works so well. I read a lot of trip reports where this is a sore spot, but we have had really good luck on both of our trips. We actually did get a cab once on this trip though. We were leaving Hollywood Studios right after Fantasmic - so we expected the bus line to be long - well, it was huge and that was the one day where we had been going from rope drop until 10:30 pm. Our 4 year old did great that day and had so much fun, but he was passed out in his stroller by the time we made it to the bus line. My husband took one look at the line and ran to get us a cab. $15.00 from HS to POR and we were there in 10 min almost right to our door. It was $15.00 very well spent and from now on I will be adding a few cabs into my vacation budget for those occasions. Like I said I really am a fan of the bus system and we normally wait only 10-15 min at the resorts but I wont mind spending $15 or $20.00 on a late night when I don't want to wait.

Things we really loved about POR:
The foodcourt
The main pool & quiet pools
The rooms are a good size ( glad to hear they are getting Queen sized beds though!)
Laid back atmosphere
The landscaping is wonderful
The location of the resort - Animal Kingdom is the farthest away and it was only about 15 min on the bus.
Boat to POFQ & DTD
The price

If your looking at moderate resorts I hope this report helps you make up your mind.
Attachments
The life guards playing games with the kids at Old Man Island
The life guards playing games with the kids at Old Man Island
DSCN5459.JPG (43.18 KiB) Viewed 17693 times
coming down the slide! My little one must have done this 200 times!
coming down the slide! My little one must have done this 200 times!
DSCN5455.JPG (46.49 KiB) Viewed 17693 times
DSCN5449.JPG
DSCN5449.JPG (45.41 KiB) Viewed 17693 times
My little man relaxing
My little man relaxing
DSCN5448.JPG (27.56 KiB) Viewed 17693 times
Old man island at POR - We loved this pool
Old man island at POR - We loved this pool
DSCN5452.JPG (44.63 KiB) Viewed 17693 times
Last edited by LovingDisny on July 5th, 2011, 11:46 am, edited 7 times in total.
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disneybabe1229
Posts: 15
Joined: March 5th, 2011, 8:20 am

Re: June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by disneybabe1229 »

LovingDisny,
I loved reading your review!!! My family has been to POR 2 times in the last 2 years and I feel like I could have written your review. We love POR for all the same reasons. My husband and I are going for our 15th anniversary this Sept. (just the two of us!<3) and after reading this I am so anxious to get there!! Thank you for helping to ramp up the excitement even more, didn't think that was possible. :lol:
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
LovingDisny
Posts: 6
Joined: May 23rd, 2011, 4:08 pm

Re: June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by LovingDisny »

Thank you. I am so glad you enjoyed my review. I always feel like I ramble a bit! I hope you and your husband have a wonderful trip :D How exciting going just the two of you! I am also planning a return trip but we are going to have to wait a while, 2013 to be exact. But hey, that means more time for planning, re-planning & planning again right?
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Admin
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Re: June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by Admin »

And after that, a bit more planning. :)

Loved your review by the way, very informative.

A.
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- The Unofficial Visitor's Guide to the Port Orleans Resorts in Orlando, Florida -
LovingDisny
Posts: 6
Joined: May 23rd, 2011, 4:08 pm

Re: June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by LovingDisny »

Right! You can never plan too much for Disney :D I'm glad you enjoyed my report and thank you so much for this wonderful website. It is a great resource and I love "revisiting" the resort this way.
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Re: *added pix** June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by Admin »

Thanks for the added photos, looks like you all had a great time at the pool - did you find any time for the theme parks too? :D

A.
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- The Unofficial Visitor's Guide to the Port Orleans Resorts in Orlando, Florida -
LovingDisny
Posts: 6
Joined: May 23rd, 2011, 4:08 pm

Re: *added pix** June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by LovingDisny »

:lol: Yes, I know it is difficult to tell but we did spend a lot of time at the parks also :D This was our longest trip yet and we really loved the extra time to enjoy our resort & relax on the days that we weren't going full blast through the theme parks or Typhoon Lagoon. I am already planning my strategy for our 2013 trip - including another full resort day at POR :D
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Buckeev
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Joined: July 10th, 2011, 6:24 pm

Re: *added pix** June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by Buckeev »

Thanks for the great review! We are gearing up for next trip this Dec....and even though we were thinking of trying something different...it most likely will be POR for the third time in 5 years....you hammered home some of our favorite "likes" about the resort. And perhaps the most attractive...With a family of 5, it has to be one of the best options. (the deluxe resorts that would handle the five of us are soooooo pricey!) :roll:
Thanks again neighbor. (Houston area. ;) ...")
LovingDisny
Posts: 6
Joined: May 23rd, 2011, 4:08 pm

Re: *added pix** June 2010 Trip to POR

Unread post by LovingDisny »

Hi, I'm glad my review was helpful to you. I so understand about the deluxe resorts. My husband and I both have our favorites (WL or Poly) that we would love to try some day, but the difference in price is soooo much :shock:
I hope you have a wonderful time in December. Of course you will have to survive this Texas summer first, my poor dogs don't even want to go outside right now. :lol:
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