Goodbye Portofino, hello Port Orleans

Well, after a fantastic week in the Portofino Bay hotel I am off to Port Orleans Riverside. I had a bit of trepidation as the Portofino Bay was such a fantastic hotel but thought it would be good to see how Disney does things.

I had a leisurely breakfast in the bay then packed up the car and made my way. I got to the Port Orleans Riverside resort and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a beautiful resort with lots of walkways and rooms divided into separate buildings.

I parked up and went to reception. I had such a warm welcome from the Cast Member who checked us in. I got my personalised magic band which I created on the My Disney Experience app but I was told I could also use the magic bands I bought previously and these would work automatically. I was also amazed to be told my room was ready (it was only 1pm) and that I could go straight to my room. This was a really nice touch as it meant I could drop off my luggage and have a wander around the resort. I also asked the cast member if I was booked on the “tragical express” She laughed and said she hadn’t heard it called that before but said she may use that for guests who are going home.

I got to my room and, whilst not as big or modern as the Portofino, it was really nice and well themed. I like the fact that the sinks are separate to the bathroom so you can all get ready at once. I also like the audio visual connectivity to the TV.

I dumped my bags and took the opportunity to have a look around the resort. There were a couple of nice pools, a table service restaurant that is open in the evenings (Boatwright’s Dining Hall) and a food court. The food court was a typically Disney affair with paper plates and plastic cutlery.

I decided to have a bit of a shop in Lake Buena Vista Factory Outlet. Guess had a fantastic range.

This evening, I went to Disney Springs for something to eat. A boat takes you in about 15 minutes. The annoying thing about Disney Springs is that there are massive queues for restaurants everywhere which means you really have to plan. Even the Irish bar had a massive queue.

I settled on TREX which had a waiting time of 70 minutes. However, when I mentioned I had a Landrys card I was seated within 5 minutes. The meal was really nice and the theming is very similar to Rainforest Cafe but with dinosaurs.

After a long day I went back to my comfortable room for a well needed sleep.