Wendy Prater at Magical Journeys Travel
SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Home
  • I Make The Plans
  • Current Promotions
    • Wendy's Deals
    • Cruise Credits
  • Why
  • Services
  • Get a Quote
  • Gallery
  • About
  • Wendy's Wisdom

Resort Review: Port Orleans-Riverside

8/3/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
As much as we may differ, I will always be my father's son, and no matter how far the apple falls from the tree, the apple itself DID come from the tree.  Even if I have no interest in fixing up a barn, feeding chickens, and living a half hour from civilization, at my core, I will never quite shake my country boy roots.  Yep, I inherited this quirk from my dad, who never in a million years would've enjoyed a crazy vacation like DisneyWorld.  (Though rumor has it, he indeed did visit WDW before I was born all those years ago.)  However, in 2011, I took in Port Orleans-Riverside for the first time and was immediately melted by its lush vegetation, gorgeous river views, and quiet Southern charm.

Your visit begins at the Sassagoula Steamboat Company, better known as the lobby.  The detailing in the architecture here is fantastic, with the building and grounds designed to replicate an old port along the Mississippi River.  Check-in is to the right side, while Fulton's General Store sits on the left side of the lobby, where you can, of course, pick up souvenirs, room necessities, and just about anything else.  Past the store is Boatwright's, the table service restaurant at Riverside.  We didn't eat here, but a look at the Cajun menu makes me wish we did.  (And Butterscotch Creme Brulee? You kiddin' me?)  And just beyond Boatwright's is Riverside Mill, the quick service dining hall decked out as an old cotton factory with its identifiable wooden crates.

Picture
Business picks up when you get outside onto the grounds.  The waterwheel outside of Riverside Mill is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the resort, and from there you can either stay on one side of the river to walk to Alligator Bayou or cross the bridge to go to Ol' Man Island.  The pool at Ol' Man Island was outstanding.  The kids loved the water slide.  (And so did I!)  A hot tub and the Muddy Waters pool bar is great for the adults, too.  Before you get to the next bridge to get back to Alligator Bayou, there is a "Fishin' Hole" where the kids can do some cane pole fishing in the river, too.

We stayed in the lodges in Alligator Bayou, nestled in among the walking paths beneath the trees that seclude this half of the resort from the outside world.  It was a little bit of a walk, even for the closer rooms, but I thought it added to the adventure.  The rustic interiors, with faux log beds even, were cozy and the ability to get connecting rooms helped us out with our five count party.  We were equally distanced from the North and West "Depots," two of the four bus stops around the resort.  We checked out one of the five "quiet pools" one evening, and it was a nice, relaxing cooldown after a long day at the park.

Picture
On one of our days, our trek to Hollywood Studios went awry early due to unforeseen crowds, so we decided to call an audible and retreat to the resort to explore some more.  It was a great call.  At the Riverside Levee, underneath the Port Orleans water towers, we rented one of the big Surrey Bicycles and rode around the entire resort, taking in all the views and intermittently riding in and out of the trees.  The mansions at Magnolia Bend were beautiful and the landscaping was immaculate.  We stopped atop one of the bridges and watched the boats go underneath us.  It was the perfect diversion after an unexpected hiccup in our trip.

And speaking of boats, you can rent boats, as well.  We didn't do that, but we did catch the "ferry" on a couple of occasions.  The river flows out of Riverside down to its sister resort, Port Orleans-French Quarter, so we took the opportunity to detour there and go swimming at the big "Dragon" pool, nicknamed as such by our kids because of the water slide.  The river doesn't stop at the French Quarter, though - it continues all the way to Downtown Disney!  So we took the ferry all the way down, past the golf course and the Treehouse Villas, enjoying the sights along the way.  On the way back from DTD, we actually unloaded at French Quarter and walked the trail back to Riverside, taking in the perfect sunset to cap the day.

Since we returned from this vacation, every conversation about planning our next Disney getaway has included a plea - of differing intensities - from me to return to Riverside.  I work in Dallas, I commute in awful traffic on a daily basis, and getting away from the hustle and bustle is a necessity for any vacation of mine.  I know what you're thinking: "getting away from the hustle and bustle" and Walt Disney World are mutually exclusive.  But this found the ideal compromise between crazy Disney pace and slowdown Southern culture, even if it's just an illusion.  We are an adventurous family and like to see new things, but for me, a Southern boy with his daddy's down home genes, Port Orleans-Riverside was absolutely perfect.  I'd stay there every time.

Mike

0 Comments

The Checklist

7/2/2013

0 Comments

 
My first visit to DisneyWorld came in May 2009.  This was also the first vacation Wendy and I ever took together.  She was driving out from Texas.  I was coming down from Montgomery, Alabama and meeting her in Panama City Beach, Florida.  From there, we would ride together (I left my truck at a friend's house) and make a big week out of it.  There was much fun to be had, especially considering 1) I’d never been before and 2) I was going with someone who professed to be a WDW expert.  This was going to be awesome.

Then she sent me the checklist.

It came via email, the packing list did.  But this was no ordinary packing list.  It was a multi-column, color-coded matrix.  To this day, it’s still the most ridiculous one page document I’ve ever seen.  Wendy had taken account of everything that was going to be needed on the trip, split it in half, and sent the list of what she wasn’t bringing to me.  But it wasn’t just a “get this, and bring this, and don’t forget this” sort of deal.  It was color coded by who the item was for.  Was it for me?  Was it for my daughter?  Was it for everybody?  That told me which suitcase to pack said item in.  Each color-coded item was also in a certain column.  For the road, for the beach, for Disney.  This told me in what order to pack everything.  It was – and still is – completely insane.

It also worked to perfection.

Everything got unloaded, in order, everybody’s stuff was altogether, and the community items were in one place, as well.  It simplified the organization of our suite upon arrival, leaving us more time to jet to the Magic Kingdom for a half day of exploration.  Needless to say, her attention to detail is impeccable.  We wandered around Fantasyland for a couple of hours, went to dinner, enjoyed dinner with Cinderella and her stepsisters, then called it a night.

It was the first of five very enjoyable days at WDW, even if the weather was uncooperative to the point of a monsoon basically washing away our day at the Animal Kingdom.  We used the downtime to explore our resort, something you should make time for anyway every time you visit.  While they are all fun and relaxing, they each have their own charms and personalities, so if you go enough times you’ll find the one that best suits you.  Or, you can let the expert tell you, “Mike, you’re gonna LOVE Port Orleans – Riverside,” and then bask in every minute you walk, bike, or sail on the grounds.  (Yes, that one’s my favorite.)

Mike
0 Comments

    The Blog

    Wendy shares her wisdom of WDW and other travel with her thoughts here.  Watch out for cameo appearances by her cast & crew!

    Archives

    February 2014
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All
    50's Prime Time Cafe
    Animal Kingdom
    Boma
    Cast Members
    Cinderella's Royal Table
    Dining
    Dinosaur
    Disney
    Driving
    Expedition Everest
    Garden Grill
    Gluten-free
    Hollywood Studios
    Kids
    Magic Kingdom
    Packing
    Port Orleans
    Princess
    Rapunzel
    Resorts
    Restaurants
    Riverside
    Roller Coaster
    Sci-fi Dine-in
    Secrets
    Space Mountain
    Splash Mountain
    That Guy
    Tips
    Tomorrowland
    Tower Of Terror
    Wdw

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.