Reviews of Disneys Port Orleans Riverside Hotel, Walt Disney World, Florida

First time for the family...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

Virgin

Submitted By:

Mr S Roberts

Comments:

First time for the family (except me) to Florida so all were excited! Two girls aged 8 and 10 - it’s hard to decide what age to take them to Disney, and while they were probably slightly over the limit for Magic Kingdom, the other parks and rides were spot on.



For the dad's out there, pay attention to your landing time as it's no fun being given an automatic car on the wrong side of the road in the dark - especially when you don’t exactly know where you’re going! Also bear in mind that you will need single dollar bills for the tolls as soon as you arrive. That said, the road system around Disney is a breeze and within a few days is easy to navigate with good signage.



I would say that if it's your first time to Disney it's worth paying that little bit more to stay on a Disney resort as you feel far more safe and secure. The other big advantage is that you can use your hotel key card to charge back at any of the parks or Disney outlets - brilliant!



Food is ok - after a few days you will crave a simple bowl of cereals as the vast array of waffles and all you can eat buffets get to be a bit too much. Plenty of choice for eating out just pick your favourite cuisine - Olive Garden definitely worth a shout.



Shopping is fab so make sure that you factor in plenty of time for retail therapy, as there are lots of various malls to choose from.



Disney parks? Magic kingdom ok for the younger kids (8 and under) but once seen not worth repeating. MGM studios - again a good full day out but not sure that would return. Epcot is stunning and will take you 2 days to fully appreciate. Animal Kingdom was good but bettered by Busch Gardens were the entertainment, rides and shows were just a little bit more polished. Typhoon Lagoon - awesome and easily worth a couple of trips.



But the star of the show and one not to miss was SeaWorld. If you don't go and see Shamu the killer whale you have really missed out big time! Will be on our list to go and see again.

Downtown Disney - great rank of shops and eating houses with plenty to do at nights - Universal have the same at the other end of town but geared towards older kids and families.



Try and take a dinner show in as they offer good value and entertainment - we saw Arabian Nights (with the horses) which the girls loved but there are loads of alternatives.

A quick point on buying attraction tickets - get them all in the UK BEFORE you go, as this is the cheapest option.



As for the hotel, Port Orleans was a good resort being clean and safe for the kids to walk around on their own without getting lost. Pool open until 11pm at night - the kids loved night swimming under spotlights! Bedrooms have 2 double beds in and enough space to unpack all your things without feeling too crammed. Onsite catering ok but expensive - worth driving out to the nearby restaurants and taking full advantage of all the offers. American tend to eat early, so between 5.00 and 7.00 everywhere is busy - go out after 8pm and you probably won’t see anyone.



Why October I hear you cry? This has to be the perfect time to go - kids are out for 1 week’s half term, the weather is still in the low to mid eighties and the theme parks are all about 25% full which means you don't queue for any rides - even the top ones.

I found Virgin to be a good operator (used them the first time when I went in '89) and the in flight catering and entertainment were very good.



Tipping - when budgeting at home, make sure that you factor in 15% on each meal you have - it is expected!



If you do book to go to Florida you will have a fantastic time - it's 24hr entertainment nonstop if you want it. We’ve booked again for this year in October again to do Universal end for a week, then 3 days in Clearwater and 4 days in Sanibel Island - look out for the review!

This hotel is amazing. Disney...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Tradewinds

Submitted By:

Miss K Carter

Comments:

This hotel is amazing. Disney know how to look after their guests.



The hotel is Disney branded but in a subtle way. The rooms have 2 double beds, table, TV, bathroom with bath, dressing area & wardrobe.



The rooms have coffee making facilities and an ice bucket with ice available from machines located regularly around the hotel. The rooms are very clean and are services daily. There are 1 restaurant and 1 food hall; both have lovely food with generous portion sizes.



The food hall has a new create your own pasta dish which is really popular! Disney provide transportation from the airport and back again through the Magic Express, you must book it in advance though, look on the Disney website.



Disney also provide transportation from the hotel to all the parks and downtown Disney. The Port Orleans hotel also has boats that will take you to downtown Disney and back again, they run regularly until 11pm. Bell services are really helpful so are the left luggage staff. A really amazing holiday.

We stayed here in 2001 and were...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Groovee

Comments:

We stayed here in 2001 and were in the mansions. We loved it so decided to return and had requested the mansions but when we arrived we were put in Alligator Bayou which was fantastic in Building 14 which was a close walk to the food court.



The room was ok for sleeping in and we had a trundle bed which pulled out from underneath the bed under the door but sadly didn't go in between the 2 beds which were queensized beds. They were rather high so I would consider putting a child on the floor rather than risk them falling out. Housekeeping were always knocking on the door at 9am if you didn't put up your privacy sign. There was a small fridge which was great for holding bottles of water/beer and even leftover food.



Our room was close to the quiet pool which was often busy at 11pm but was a lovely time of night to swim. We did try the main pool which was often busy but sunbeds were usually easy to get. Some were in nice shades while others were in direct sun.



The Laundry was often busy too at night but great to take a few clothes and keep washing.



The food court was revamped in early 2007. It could get quite busy and a lot of the breakfast was expensive and there was a lack of cereals which weren't pounding with sugar. It resulted in us hitting Wal-Mart for some decent cereal. Lunchtime was quiet but some nice stuff and the bakery was fantastic. They also offer a cup for $11.99 which has free refills of fizzy juice, hot drinks and ice. It was worth the value for a 2 week stay.



Bob Jackson plays in the bar but we found that annoying. We liked to go on quiet nights and chat with the bar staff. The shop staff were great too and there was a well stocked shop. Reception and concierge were great helps with any queries. The bus service was very good too. Our longest wait was 10 minutes but Epcot often was a long wait to get back.



A nice hotel for a moderate hotel in Disney.

We love this hotel; this was...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs B Davies

Comments:

We love this hotel; this was probably our fourth visit there.



We had the Disney Dining Plan thrown in when we booked and this saved us loads of money. You could get a breakfast platter and two drinks or counter service meals with a drink and a desert, a daily snack and a table service meal. The cheapest table service meal we had was $97 for 3 of us; the most expensive probably double that.



Riverside is classed as a moderate resort. However, we have stayed at two other moderate resorts - the Caribbean Beach and at the Coronado Springs and Riverside beats them hands down.



It has a great pool with a poolside bar, also quiet pools. A proper bar with entertainment, Bob, the pianist who really makes a party atmosphere, the children love him.



Visited several other Disney Hotels because of the Dining Plan, weren't impressed with the Contemporary or the Animal Kingdom Resort.

Great value hotel. Rooms were of...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Virgin

Submitted By:

Miss J Mcgucken

Comments:

Great value hotel. Rooms were of a reasonable size - 2 Queen beds plus roll away if required. Maid service was top class - toiletries left each day. They even made animals out of the facecloths!



Water taxi available to Downtown Disney and is included in price. Large food court in hotel with good variety and a big gift shop. Bicycles were available to rent, as was a ride on the horse and carriage.



Shuttle service every 15 minutes to all Disney theme parks, although a car would be recommended.



You could also use the facilities of the French Quarter which meant in all, the pools never got overly crowded.

A pleasant, clean room in a very...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr R J Schechter

Comments:

A pleasant, clean room in a very conveniently located hotel on the Disney property.



Not exceptional, but easy to get to and from the theme parks. The meals in the food court could be better, but are surprisingly reasonably priced.



Lovely swimming pool and nicely landscaped grounds. The staff are friendly enough and this is a good place to stay if you want to be on the grounds at Disneyworld.



Very good shuttle service around the area and free pick up/drop off to Orlando Airport with Magical Express as long as you book it in advance.