kids room decor on a budget image
Stinky Fee
I will be staying at one of the All Stars ( I won't find out which one until later) I'm told probably the Music or Sports. Then I will be staying at the Port Orleans Riverside.
I will be traveling with a very large group while staying at the All Stars including my husband and 3 and 5 year old. Then just my family at Port Orleans. Just wondering what requests I can make regarding my hotels. And what other suggestions you have for me regarding these specific hotels. Thanks!
I have no choice about staying at the All Stars ( I will be with a group)
I can not change categories for my stay at the Port Orleans. I have to stay within the moderate. (Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, and Caribbean Beach)
Do only some of the rooms at Port Orleans Riverside have elevators?
Answer
I think you chose very wisely when picking your hotels. All of the All-Stars are good choices, especially for larger groups. Everyone will have their own room, although they will be smaller than the other hotels they are nice. The value resorts only real drawback is the fact that they do not offer a sit down restaurant, so it's the food court only. Other than that the value resorts are good choices for those on a less expensive budget.
The P.O. Riverside is a very good moderate resort. Port Orleans is huge and split into two sections, Riverside and French Quarter (formerly Dixie Landings). I have stayed at the French Quarter and really enjoyed it. The rooms are a little bit larger, the pools are very nice, the decor is outstanding, and the food court and the sit down restaurant (Boatwright's dining) are also very good. You can't go wrong with any of the moderate resorts. There are a few more bus stops in Riverside, but don't let that fool you, there is usually not a huge problem with the bus service.
As for requests, it depends on what you want. In the All-Stars I don't think there is anything special to ask for unless you want to be closer to the main building for some reason. Disney is usually pretty flexible in this regard, but you have to call them in advance, about a day or so. I have a father-in-law who is diabetic, so when we were at All-Star Movies we asked to be closer to the main building so we could be closer to the food court, because he has to be able to eat at specific times, and he has a hard time walking. This is the only request I would make for P.O. Riverside. The resort is large, so any extra time spent walking could be rough, especially with little ones. See how close you can get to the main building and pool area. Other than that, there really isn't a bad place to be in the resort.
If you want some more info on these resorts or some other tips and suggestions I would recommend a couple of spots. First try the disboards. The disboards is a message board website where you can ask questions, get trip reports, dining reviews, resort reviews, tips, tricks and all kinds of info, including suggestions for the rest of Orlando, including Sea World and Universal. The people who are on the disboards are people who go often and love to go to Disney, and know what they are talking about. Also, there is the website allears.net. Tons of info there. Finally, go to the bookstore and pick up the Birnbaum's guide to WDW. There are a ton of guide books out there, but that is the one that has always worked best for us.
Don't let anyone tell you that you are wasting your time and money taking your children to Disney at their age. Sure, they can't ride the Rock'N'Roller Coaster or the Tower of Terror, but there is a ton of stuff they can do and will love. I took my kids for the first time when my daughter was 4, then when my daughter was 5 and my son 1, we had a great time. As they have gotten older they have been able to ride more and more, and seeing their faces the first time they saw Main Street USA was worth every penny that I have ever spent at Disney. It is sooo worth it.
Have a great trip! Hope this helps.
I think you chose very wisely when picking your hotels. All of the All-Stars are good choices, especially for larger groups. Everyone will have their own room, although they will be smaller than the other hotels they are nice. The value resorts only real drawback is the fact that they do not offer a sit down restaurant, so it's the food court only. Other than that the value resorts are good choices for those on a less expensive budget.
The P.O. Riverside is a very good moderate resort. Port Orleans is huge and split into two sections, Riverside and French Quarter (formerly Dixie Landings). I have stayed at the French Quarter and really enjoyed it. The rooms are a little bit larger, the pools are very nice, the decor is outstanding, and the food court and the sit down restaurant (Boatwright's dining) are also very good. You can't go wrong with any of the moderate resorts. There are a few more bus stops in Riverside, but don't let that fool you, there is usually not a huge problem with the bus service.
As for requests, it depends on what you want. In the All-Stars I don't think there is anything special to ask for unless you want to be closer to the main building for some reason. Disney is usually pretty flexible in this regard, but you have to call them in advance, about a day or so. I have a father-in-law who is diabetic, so when we were at All-Star Movies we asked to be closer to the main building so we could be closer to the food court, because he has to be able to eat at specific times, and he has a hard time walking. This is the only request I would make for P.O. Riverside. The resort is large, so any extra time spent walking could be rough, especially with little ones. See how close you can get to the main building and pool area. Other than that, there really isn't a bad place to be in the resort.
If you want some more info on these resorts or some other tips and suggestions I would recommend a couple of spots. First try the disboards. The disboards is a message board website where you can ask questions, get trip reports, dining reviews, resort reviews, tips, tricks and all kinds of info, including suggestions for the rest of Orlando, including Sea World and Universal. The people who are on the disboards are people who go often and love to go to Disney, and know what they are talking about. Also, there is the website allears.net. Tons of info there. Finally, go to the bookstore and pick up the Birnbaum's guide to WDW. There are a ton of guide books out there, but that is the one that has always worked best for us.
Don't let anyone tell you that you are wasting your time and money taking your children to Disney at their age. Sure, they can't ride the Rock'N'Roller Coaster or the Tower of Terror, but there is a ton of stuff they can do and will love. I took my kids for the first time when my daughter was 4, then when my daughter was 5 and my son 1, we had a great time. As they have gotten older they have been able to ride more and more, and seeing their faces the first time they saw Main Street USA was worth every penny that I have ever spent at Disney. It is sooo worth it.
Have a great trip! Hope this helps.
Have you traveled on the Carnival Fascination, Sensation?
TuDiabetes
We are planning a cruise to the Bahamas for November. We have found mixed comments about the Carnival Fascination and Sensation cruises, so we're wondering if anyone has traveled on either one of them, even more so if you have done so with children. We have a four-year old.
Also, if you know much about any of the the Royal Caribbean International cruises, I would appreciate any comments.
THX!
Answer
Wife and I went on our first cruise for our honeymoon on the Sensation I believe. It was okay for the money, but from what I hear the Royal Caribbean line is far better. My experience was that while the decor was very dated and in bad need of some revamping, the staff was excellent, especially those down in the cabin areas. The on board entertainment was awful and not at all what is pictured in the commercials. Basically there was dumb stuff like fake game shows, bingo and the world's worst magician. The food was great in the dining room but the cafeteria areas were a little lacking and only some section were always open for snacking, and god help you if you wanted a calzone. You would literally have to stand there and wait while they thawed one and heated it. If you walked away to come back after they said it would take 15 minutes they would just stop making it for you.
As far as kids, they did seem to have a good setup for that. There were dedicated camp counselors types who had activities every day for the little ones and they had their own section of the ship where only they could go. A lot of the parents I talked with said the kids were never bored and they gave parents pagers so they could be reached at any time if the kids needed them.
So, I think if it's in the budget to go Royal Caribbean, from what I've been told it's worth it, but Carnival is okay too, just lower your expectations a bit.
Wife and I went on our first cruise for our honeymoon on the Sensation I believe. It was okay for the money, but from what I hear the Royal Caribbean line is far better. My experience was that while the decor was very dated and in bad need of some revamping, the staff was excellent, especially those down in the cabin areas. The on board entertainment was awful and not at all what is pictured in the commercials. Basically there was dumb stuff like fake game shows, bingo and the world's worst magician. The food was great in the dining room but the cafeteria areas were a little lacking and only some section were always open for snacking, and god help you if you wanted a calzone. You would literally have to stand there and wait while they thawed one and heated it. If you walked away to come back after they said it would take 15 minutes they would just stop making it for you.
As far as kids, they did seem to have a good setup for that. There were dedicated camp counselors types who had activities every day for the little ones and they had their own section of the ship where only they could go. A lot of the parents I talked with said the kids were never bored and they gave parents pagers so they could be reached at any time if the kids needed them.
So, I think if it's in the budget to go Royal Caribbean, from what I've been told it's worth it, but Carnival is okay too, just lower your expectations a bit.
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