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[Disneybound!]

Hey! Didn't get our first choice of CBR for my birthday trip so we ended up with Port Orleans-Riverside. Never been there, so....What I would like to know is; best buildings or areas, where are the bus stops, fav things like photo opps or eateries, and basiclly anything else would help! Everything I've heard before sounds great, but I've never even seen it, let alone stayed there! I've been checking maps and can't find the bus stops, and we didn't ask for any certain buildings. It'll be just me and my hubby ALONE! We'll be celebrating a milestone birthday for me, and this is our first trip without our dd's, except when we were having the next! Please, anything you can pass on would be great! Thanks, Ruth

[Ronald Duck]

Here's a quick reply...there will be many more I'm sure!

We've stayed there twice before, and just this week booked 6 nights at its sister resort, French Quarter. Personally I think there is no better-themed Moderate Resort (actually Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend are so different that it might as well be 2 resorts, even before you add in the French Quarter!). Wonderful food court, wonderful river for walks, bicycling, and boating...I have nothing but great things to say about it. Here's a link to a detailed map with the bus stops clearly shown... there are plenty of good pics on the Web too:

http://www.disneyzone.net/ResortMaps/Dixiemapnew.jpg

Enjoy!

[BritDisFan]

We've just returned from two weeks at POR and we absolutely loved it. We stayed in the Mansions section and found it really quiet and romantic. We saw bunnies on the grass every single day . The grounds are beautiful and we ate at the food court a few times which was fine. We didn't eat at the table service restaurant Boatwrights but didn't hear any complaints from fellow guests.

I am currently writing a TR about our visit and should be posting some pics of POR over the weekend so you could have a look at the pics. Honestly I think you will love it, we did .

Karen

[Pris]

Here is a link to some good photos. It is a beautiful resort. We love it.
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/porss.htm

[Luv4My4]

DH & I stayed here in January without the kids and we loved it. We stayed in Magnolia Bend (Mansions Section) and it was very romantic. We had a bus stop almost directly behind our building. We only ate at the food court once and the food was good, we both had the chicken fingers and fries meal. We ate at the parks the rest of the time. We didn't try Boatwright's either. They have a piano players from Thursday to Saturday in The River Roost Lounge that we really enjoyed (see my recent trip report for more details on this). We chose this resort for January because we had booked it for our November trip with the kids and we wanted to check it out first. We are definitely going back. We really enjoyed it!!!

[Kylie's Mom]

Hi there - we've stayed at this resort a few times now and cannot say enough wonderful things about it. From the time you arrive until the time you leave, relaxation and happiness will be with you.

I've seen that most people have stayed in the Mansion rooms. We really prefer the Alligator Bayou area. On our first trip we were booked into a mansion room as that was all that was available but switched over to the Alligator Bayou the next morning. The mansion rooms are in a much smaller area, but to us this in no way means that the Alligator Bayou area is any less cozy We stayed in building 27 the first time, facing the river, which is about as beautiful as you can get at this resort. I would definitely recommend this building. This building is also very handy to the food court, and right around the corner from a quiet pool. I have lot's of pictures of the resort, including the view from our room. Feel free to let me know if you'd like to see any of them. I can post a few here for you or I can e-mail them. I'll look back on here over the weekend to see if you've posted anything new

We really used our time at the resort to take in everything - it's such a great part of the vacation. The quiet pool was a great way to unwind for a few hours in the afternoon, and the main pool area is also nice, although normally a little more crowded. We ate at the food court several times and although it's not gourmet, there are always lot's of choices and the prices aren't bad. We also took in dinner a few times at Boatwright's and really enjoyed our meals there as well. It is a little more on the expensive side, but the portions are large and the food is great!

I could go on and on - this is a resort that we would return to time and again and it would definitely top our list for the moderates.

[clio]

We've stayed there twice. Both times in the mansion part. It is one of the best themed resorts we've stayed at. We were there during a particually cold January and spent a lot of time at this resort as it was really cold at all the parks. We only ate at the food court but we heard the piano player since we spend time just sitting around people watching. Be sure to take time to explore the resort. The buildings each have a different style and landscaping and the island around the pool is very nice. There's even a fishing hole if you want to go fishing.
Liz

[LisaJ]

I stayed at POR years ago, when it first opened and was named Dixie Landings. It is one of the best themed resorts in my opinion.

The food court was just fine, we ate at Boatwright's one night (it was good); there is a great boatride to DTD, very relaxing.

We stayed on the mansion side, one of the closest to the main action. The grounds are beautifully landscaped. There was a quiet pool near our room - and quiet it was. We went swimming there and felt totally at peace. Ahhh.....

I have no complaints of this resort. We had a great time.

[EeyoreNeedsLoveToo]

Another Vote for Alligator Bayou -- Our favorite room "style" of the moderates. I love the cozy, rural feel to this section, and the room decor is great!

[waycoolmom]

Glad to read these posts. We booked our trip today and decided on POR. We've stayed at POFQ before and loved it but are trying to stay at a different place each time. I have requested the mansion section and hope that we get it! I guess, though, that the bayou section won't be too bad, either!!

[Mouseketeer]

You will enjoy the POR - the grounds are beautiful, the rooms are comfortable and we like having the convenience of the food court. There are also small refrigerators in the rooms as well as a small coffeepot. These really came in handy for quick breakfasts in the mornings we wanted to sleep in a few minutes. We usually request the Magnolia Bend section (the mansion part of the resort) with a garden view. This trip we were in Magnolia Terrace, but I preferred the location of Oak Manor that we had last time as it was a little closer to the main building and food court. We haven't eaten at Boatwrights for dinner, but have had breakfast there which was very good (wonderful omelettes and stuffed banana french toast).

Lynda

[Caldercup]

I've stayed in the Mansions (Nov'04) and Alligator Bayou (May'05) and I like them equally but separately.

For the Mansions, I recommend asking for Magnolia Terrace -- it's equidistant from the main pool and the bus depot and has a quiet pool and laundry facility right by it. (This is the more romantic room style (IMHO) and has an elegance that you might enjoy!)

For AB, we had Building 14 and found it to be very centrally located to the main pool, the quiet pool, the food court and the buses. I was leery of the theming when I saw it on-line, but I ended up really liking it in person.

The boat to DTD is great
The fishin' hole is nice - but without kids, it is probably something you will skip
There are horse-drawn carriage rides available
There are romantic walking trails along the river
There's a butterfly garden near one of the mansions
Boatwrights is delicious, but small and PSs go quickly and you'll have long waits at times
The food court is nice and is well-managed
There's a nice gift shop
The staff at both PO resorts are top-notch and Chris, one of the front desk managers, is terrific!!

The rooms have two double beds (but you can request a king)
There's an armoire with a TV
There's a cabinet with a "cube" fridge inside
There's a coat rack mounted on the wall
There's a table and two chairs
There's an iron and ironing board
There's a wall-mounted hairdryer (that's also a nightlight)
There's a coffee maker and they supply enough to make two pots a day (you can buy creamer at the food court)
The maid will leave face soap, body soap and shampoo each day.

I hope you'll like PORiverside as much as I do...
Eileen

[3princesses & grumpy]

We love the mansions. I believe there are 4 different bus stops, but depending on what time of year you're going, you may want to leave out of the bus stop by the food court. We let them drop us off at the end of the day at the bus stop closest to our room.

You'll have a great time.

Kathy

[Grammy Grumpy]

Another vote for Alligator Bayou! We love the rustic, quiet theming of this section. We will be there in a week and I can't wait to get there. Have a wonderful trip. Hope you love POR as much as we do!

[Diz]

You've received so many excellent answers, but I have to chime in. POR-R is our favorite moderate. We have always stayed in Alligator Bayou except 2 times.

AB is laid back, rustic decor, lots and lots of trees, bushes, greenery - very cool.

Magnolia Bend, to me, is a great place for romance. DH and I stayed there without any kids and it was heaven! We had a beautiful view from the 3rd floor. The room decor was cherry wood - very snazzy! We stayed once in MB with our boys. They thought it was too quiet on this side of the river. They prefer AB.

Our favorite things to do: Ride the ferry to DTD, Riding a surrey bike around the resort, swimming (there are a lot of quiet pools and Ol' Man Island)

No matter what you choose, you should love it! It's a great resort!