Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Hotel - Page 2

This was our first trip to the world and we stayed at Riverside. Because we are a family of five and could not afford the deluxe hotel options, we pretty much only had this as our choice to stay (the suites at All Star Music were actually more money!). We did a bit of research and knew what the hotel was going to be like--that we may be in a room that could be bit of a walk to the lobby. When we got there, what we did not know ahead of time was how beautiful the grounds were and that while we did have a bit of a walk to the lobby (maybe six minutes with our slow 3-year-old walking) it was like an adventure to our three kids. They loved to stop and look at all the critters and creatures along the way. We were also about a 5-6 minute walk to both of the bus stops.

We were there for seven days and ate lunch at the hotel almost everyday. The kids loved their options and since the portions were pretty large, we usually only got two kids meals and the three of them split the meals.

Any staff that we encountered were very pleasant. We had to go to the check-in counter after the second day because my 5-year-old decided to rub his key card up against one of our cell phones and render it useless. They replaced it with no issues at all. Then the next day, we had to come back to the hotel shortly after we got to one of the parks because my husband lost his keycard alltogether (which had our credit card info linked to it). The hotel staff was quick to cancel the missing card and issued a new card with no issues. We were extremely happy that they were able to take care of it quickly and did not make us feel like we were complete fools...

Our room was clean when we arrived and was cleaned every day. The size did not seem different than any other hotel we have ever stayed in, so that was not an issue. Even though we did come back every afternoon for the little one to take a nap, we were hardly there.

The only thing that was a bit annoying was that the bus rides to anywhere seemed to take a long time and were usually pretty crowded. Bus service was also shared with the French Quarter so coming back to the hotel at the end of the night--especially at the end of Magic Hours--we would sometimes have to wait for 1 to 3 bus loads before we could actually get on a bus and most of the times all the seats were full and people were standing.

Overall we had a fantastic time and will definitely stay again!

We visited the Port Orleans resort Thanksgiving week of '07 and we wouldn't go back again. The grounds are beautiful, the lobby is also. The rooms are quite small and so are the bathrooms. The biggest problem was the walk to the lobby. Many of the buildings are so far away, it was quite a walk just to go to eat. They have a cafeteria sort of eating area, which has horrible lines, and the food is just ok. The restaurant in the lobby was just ok, the menu was pretty limited. For a family of 5, it was a cramped 7 days in the room. The next time we visit, we would stay at the deluxe resorts, mainly because of the convenience of taking the monorail or boat to the parks. The bus rides are horrible. They pack as many people on there as possible, some standing for a 10 minute ride to the park. I would pay the extra, it would be worth it.

The hotel itself was OK. The biggest problem I had was how far away it was from the parks. I was also put off by how far away our room was from the bus stop and front desk. It was about a ten minute walk just to catch the bus. I had three children with me and all the walking just to get to our room once we got off the bus from the parks was a bit much. I was disappointed considering how much Disney charged us to stay there.

The restaurant at Riverside was pretty bad too.

Port Orleans Riverside is a luxury report on a moderate budget. Lush grounds and landscaping, excellent recreational opporunties, and an away-from-it-all ambience. Although large, there is none of the hustle and bustle of the parks.

Dining was excellent, and as a person with Celiac, the chefs were always attentive and every castmember was aware of the disease. Most of the time, the Chef herself would come out and speak to me about altering the menu items and the food court had gluten-free brownies to die for.

Never waited long for a bus, never shared a bus with Riverside's sister resort, French Quarter. The boat to Downtown Disney was refreshing and relaxing.

The rooms were very clean and housekeeping granted our every request ... including the infamous towel animals and window displays.

Couldn't have asked for a better vacation, and have already booked Riverside for this coming year.

We just got back from a week at the Port Orleans, Riverside. The cleanliness of the room was very poor. There was mold on the shower curtain, and on the ledge between the wall and headboard, there were dead bugs and dust. The rug had several spots and looked like it hadn't been shampooed in a long time.

The friendliness of the staff was lacking. After my husband had paid for a breakfast meal, a teenager running across the room slammed into him and had his breakfast spilled across the floor. My husband asked the security guard to do something about it, and was told that he needed to "calm down", and then walked away. We do not appreciate that sort of attitude.

It was nice that the pool was open 24/7, but there were no security guards in the area. We took our daughter to the pool after we came back from the park to cool off, around 10pm a few nights, and there were unsupervised teenagers around; diving, swearing, and making quite a ruckus. We knew there were no life guards, but were not aware there would not be anyone patrolling the area.

I would not reccomend this hotel.

The room was nice and the kids also liked the animals made with the towels.food choices were limited and on the expensive side. with 3 children spending a lot of time in the pool I was very impressed with the life guards always watching the pool and the children in it this is by far the best pool life guards that I have seen in my travels.

The Port Orleans Riverside resort has a wonderful rustic atmosphere that simulates the bayou swamp country of Louisiana. The landscaping and the room decor all contribute to the feel of being in a cypress swamp. The staff at the resort is friendly and helpful, often going beyond expectations in providing service to their guests. I have stayed here many times and I have never been disappointed. I would recommend this resort to anyone who is looking for a reasonably priced room at Walt Disney World.

This hotel made me feel relaxed: The rustic surroundings felt like we were miles away from the concerns of the outside world. The beds were very comfortable.

I thought that the location was good and the comfort of this resort was good. It is definitely better to pay a little extra to stay at this resort over the others. It is always better to stay at Disney, the transportation to the parks is the best.

This hotel made me feel content: The staff at the Walt Disney Resorts make extra effort to try and keep you happy. They even left a washcloth animal on our bed for the kids.

The resort was really nice and it seemed like an escape away from the hustle and bustle of the parks. The food in the cafe was good and we never had a problem finding what we needed. All the staff was very friendly and the whole baggage situation with the Magical Express service was incredible. I would highly recommend using it.

This hotel made me feel respected: The cast members were courteous and they listened when we asked questions. They gave useful answers and often added a little something extra that was helpful. They understood that we were on vacation and wanted to relax and they made things easy for us to have fun.

We checked in to Port Orleans Riverside, room 2416 on Feb 22. It was very late. My husband discovered a baby blanket on the bathroom floor from a previous guest or from the person who "cleaned" the room.

I called the front desk. They said "Oh my" and passed me on to two others who basically said the same thing. I asked for another room and got put on hold for quite awhile. I was told no more rooms available. They said someone would pick up the blanket the next day. I told them we were too exhausted to find another hotel and too exhausted to argue anymore that evening. The bed looked clean, so we decided to stay the night.

The next morning I decided to try to get some ice. The ice bucket was stuck down to the table. Once again, I called the front desk. "Yuck" was their reply. I told them I thought it was coffee and sugar. I also reminded them about the baby blanket on the floor. We don't drink coffee and we did not use the table, but still.

I called and went to the front desk 3 or 4 times about this within the next 2 days. Was told we would have a VIP cleaning with inspection the next day. When we got back, the room appeared clean. Guess what happened after this "inspected VIP cleaning" when I lifted the ice bucket? Yep, it was stuck to the table. This time, I wrote a note and stuck it to the bottom of the ice bucket. It's probably still there. Disney, if you're reading this, check room 2416 to see if the ice bucket is still stuck down to the table.

The TV remote also died. I called about that too. They finally brought 1 extra pillow and left a pack of AAA batteries and a different ice bucket. They left a different ice bucket but did not pick the other one up! Go figure. Sticky ice bucket remained and is probably still there. Maybe they weren't strong enough to lift the ice bucket off of the table....

I would advise anyone going to this hotel to take your own cleaning supplies and your own pillows. You might also want to take your own remote batteries.

Don't know for sure if this is a management problem or "got your money and just don't care" problem or what. Maybe they just don't understand English.

The room was clean other than this ice bucket problem. And what was the deal with a baby blanket being on the floor when we got there? That was so strange. Oh, I almost forgot, there was cleaner or something all over the toilet when we got there. I told my husband there was no way I was going to sit on that. My husband used one of their bath towels and cleaned the toilet himself. Poor man. He drove all day then had to clean a toilet. We have never had this bad of an experience with a hotel room. Honestly, we are not picky people. We expected more from Disney.

Advice to any future guests of this hotel:

1. Take your own cleaning supplies

2. Take your own pillows

3. Bring extra garbage bag for leftover clothes from the last guests, maybe you can have a garage sale.

4. Bring your own TV remote batteries, type AAA

5. Take a chill pill and just have fun at the parks

Seriously, if you need to ask for anything, go up to the front desk and ask in person. Don't leave until you have what you need. Something gets lost in translation if you ask for it over the phone. Remember, you may ask for it this vacation, but you might not receive it until the next vacation, if there is a next vacation.

For Disney's million wishes, I would wish for better hotel management or cleaning for Port Orleans Riverside.

We stayed at All Star Sports resort one time. It was a much less expensive room and it was clean. Then again, that was 3 years ago or so. The drawback to All Star Sports is that it was noisy.

Our room at Port Orleans Riverside may have not been well kept or clean, but it was fairly quiet. I'm fairly confident that we will not go back to this hotel.