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 WALT DISNEY WORLD BEDS AND SLEEPING SPACES

Larger families simply seeking the best Walt Disney World resort option for their family size should see

• Large Families Looking for Value Pricing at Walt Disney World
• Large Families Looking for Deluxe Accommodations at Walt Disney World or
• The Most Comfortable Place to Stay at Walt Disney World (for suites)

However, many families figuring out where to stay at Walt Disney World are concerned not only with the capacity of rooms but also bed sizes, and how beds are distributed among rooms.

This way, Aunt Eileen isn’t forced to sleep in a bunk bed, in the same room as her nephew…unless that’s the plan going in!

Click the graphic for details on beds and sleeping spaces in the various larger room options at the Walt Disney World Resort. The details include room type, price class, and descriptions of each sleeping area. (“DVC” means Disney Vacation Club Resort–see this for more on the DVC resorts.)

Note that more data about room types–such as baths, kitchens, and square footage–is available in the links for large families above, and reviews with even more can be found from the links on this page.

Example floor plans tied to the details in the graphic are below.

EXAMPLE WALT DISNEY WORLD FLOOR PLANS

Four person DVC Studio floor plan.

BoardWalk Villas example.

One sleeping area. A queen and a pull-out couch all in one space. Similar Studios are at the Beach Club and Saratoga Springs.   Bay Lake Tower Studios sleep 4 on similar beds in much less space. Four person Studios at Old Key West have two queens, no couch, more space.

Four person DVC One Bedroom Villa floor plan.

Beach Club Villas example.

Two sleeping areas. One king in a private bedroom, and a fold-out full couch in a second space, the shared living/dining/kitchen area. Similar spaces are at the BoardWalk Villas, the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, and Saratoga Springs.

Five Person DVC Studio floor plan.

Villas at the Wilderness Lodge example.

One sleeping area. Queens, pull-out couch, and fold-down bed, all in one space. Similar sleeping arrangements are in the Studios at the Villas at the Grand Floridian.

Five person DVC One Bedroom Villa floor plan.

Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani Village example.

Two sleeping areas. As in 4-person villa above, but also with a fold-out chair added to the shared space. Note also the second bath.

(Available in Bay Lake Tower, most Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, and in Old Key West villas. Grand Floridian Villas also sleep five, the fifth on a fold-down shorter bed)

Five person room, Port Orleans Riverside Alligator Bayou Section.

One sleeping area. Two queen beds and one 66″ x 31″ fold-down bed in one space.

Five person room, Caribbean Beach example.

One sleeping area. Two queen beds and one 64″ x 30″ fold-down bed in one space. Expected to be bookable for 5 soon.

Six person Family Suites at All-Star Music floor plan.

Two sleeping areas. One queen in a private room, one fold-out full couch, one fold out single chair, and one fold-out ottoman in another space. The ottoman bed is uncomfortable for taller or heavier kids.

Note the two baths.

Six Person Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort floor plan.

Two sleeping areas. One queen in a private room, one full fold-out couch, and one near full Murphy bed.

Note the two baths.

Six person Cabin at Fort Wilderness Resort floor plan.

Two sleeping areas. One full and two 70″ bunk beds in a private room. One pull-down full “Murphy bed” in shared living/ dining/ kitchen space.

The couch in the shared space is long enough for most kids, and still usable as a bed when the Murphy bed is down, presenting the option of having three people in each of the sleeping spaces.

A few cabins have a pull-out full couch instead of the Murphy bed, eliminating this option.

Eight person DVC Two Bedroom Villa floor plan.

Villas at the Wilderness Lodge example.

Three sleeping areas: One king in a private space; two queens, or a queen and a fold-out full couch, in a second private space, and a fold-out full couch in the shared living/dining/kitchen space.

Nine person DVC Two Bedroom Villa floor plan.

Bay Lake Tower example.

Three sleeping areas: as in Eight Person Two-Bedroom above, but with a fold-out chair added to the shared space. Note also the third bathroom.

(Nine person spaces are also available in Bay Lake Tower, most Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, and at Old Key West. Grand Floridian villas also sleep 9, but replace the chair bed with a shorter fold-down bed. Third bath only in BLT and AKL-Kidani Village )

Nine person DVC Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villa floor plan.

Four sleeping areas: One queen in a private space; another queen in a private space; two 70″ bunk beds in a private space; a fold-out full couch and a fold-out single chair in the shared living/dining/kitchen space.

Twelve person DVC Grand Villa floorplan.

Animal Kingdom Villas Jambo House example.

Four to five sleeping areas. One king in a private space; two queens in a private space; two queens in another private space; one or two fold-out full couches in shared living space. (At the Grand Floridian, the fold-out couch is in the media room, with its own door.)

Note that although you can sum to 14 sleeping spots in some Grand Villas, WDW will sell MagicBands, tickets, meal plans, and linens only for up to 12 people. Twelve person Grand Villas of various floor plans are at all the DVC resorts except Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club.

See also Erin Foster’s post on TouringPlans.com.

MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• For where to stay, see this
  • For your next best choices, in order, see this
  • For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
  • For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
  • For where not to stay, see this

• For what you get in each resort price category, see this
  • For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
  • For resort reviews, see this
  • For the value resorts, see this
  • For the moderate resorts, see this
  • For the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this

• For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this

• Large families should look at this, and also at
  • Large Families Looking for Value Pricing at Walt Disney World
  • Large Families Looking for Deluxe Accommodations at Disney World
  • Beds and Sleeping Spaces at the Walt Disney World Resorts
  • Renting Disney Vacation Club Points
  • Suites at Walt Disney World

• Military/DOD families should look at this

• Tightwads should look at this

• Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: OCTOBER 25 TO NOVEMBER 2, 2014

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic. For more on October 2014 at Walt Disney World, click here.

Note that typos happen, and schedules change! If something seems odd, or if you want to double check, use the calendar links near the bottom to get the latest official Disney World scoop.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/25-11/2/2014

The Magic Kingdom will be open 9a-12MN 10/25, 9a-7p 10/26, 9a-11p 10/27, 9a-7p 10/28, 9a-10p 10/29, 9a-7p 10/30 and 10/31, 9a-12Mn 11/1, and 9a-10p 11/2

Epcot will be open from 9a-10p 10/25, 9a-9p 10/26 through 10/30, 9a-10p 10/31 and 11/1, and 9a-9p 11/2

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-8.30p 10/25 and 10/26, 9a-7p 10/27 through 10/31, 9a-8.30p 11/1, and 9a-7.30p 11/2

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-8p 10/25 and 10/26, 9a-5p 10/27 though 10/31, 9a-6p 11/1, and 9a-8p 11/2

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/25-11/2/2014

Saturday 10/25 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 10/26 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios

Monday 10/27 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 10/28 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Wednesday 10/29 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Thursday 10/30 Morning: Magic Kingdom  Evening: none

Friday 10/31 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 11/2 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 11/2  Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/25-11/2/2014

The Magic Kingdom:

• Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day
• Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p 10/25 and 10/27; 9p 10/29; 9 and 11p 11/1; 8 and 10p 11/2

FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/25-11/2/2014

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 10/25, 10/27, 10/29 and 11/1; 9p 11/2

Illuminations at Epcot: 10p 10/25; 9p 10/26 through 10/30; 10p 10/31 and 11/1; 9p 11/2

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 7.30 and 9p 10/25 and 10/26; 7.30p 10/27 through 10/31; 7.30 and 9p 11/1; 6.30 and 8p 11/2

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/25-11/2/2014

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/25-11/2/2014

See this for forecasts.

DISCLAIMER

Everything is subject to change and typos! Check the Disney Calendars for updates and official schedules. These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:

• Magic Kingdom Calendar
• Hollywood Studios Calendar
• Animal Kingdom Calendar
• Epcot Calendar

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Disney’s Data and Analytics Conference—formerly known as the Analytics and Optimization Summit—is a (mostly) annual session at the Contemporary Resort focused on analytics of interest to the Walt Disney Company.

(It was canceled in 2013, perhaps because so many people who would have been involved in it were instead working to get FastPass+ back on track.)

While the conference is open to anyone willing to pay, the vast majority of attendees are Disney analytic folk and their software allies.

At the 2014 Conference in September, of the 800 or so attendees, more than 500 worked for one or another branch of Disney—particularly Parks and Resorts, but also units ranging from ESPN to the Disney Theatrical Group—the Broadway gang.

All are brought together to learn more about the use of data for business purposes, and the overwhelming attendance by Disney folk also means that you can try to infer what Disney is thinking about from the program offerings.

In 2014, the first day was Disney-only. Note some of the discussion topics (click to enlarge)–the keynote that began the day was “NGE: Leveraging MyMagic+ Data for a Better Guest Experience.” (“NGE”= “Next Generation Experience”–the overarching name of the program that includes “My Disney Experience,” FastPass+, MagicBands etc.) A later discussion was a panel on personalization.  My thoughts on personalization, such as they are, in response to the 2012 Analytics meeting are here.

After that, the public sessions began—the Disney folk stayed, and were joined by data and analytics professionals from all kinds of businesses, by a number professors of management science—and by one consultant/blogger/guidebook author.

Billy Beane did the keynote that began the public session, and was wonderful. Depending on the audience member, his topic was either the use of under-appreciated data to gain a competitive edge, or about Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and the filming of Moneyball, the book on the analytic efforts of the Oakland A’s. For either audience the talk was great–highly philosophical.

Then a number of breakouts and exhibit hall sessions were offered. New in the exhibit hall this year was booths staffed by Disney folk themselves—e.g. the team that builds the MagicBand near and far-field readers was there, as were some of Disney’s scientists from their Pittsburgh and other research operations.

The program from the first public day:

And from the second:

And some notes I took:

Ha!  Not really…

But here are some things I thought I understood, learned or discovered over the course of the Summit:

During the course of a presentation of the analytics team behind the My Disney Experience app, one of the presenters commented that “the web page is for planning, and the app is for near-visit and in-park use.” This makes perfect sense, given the limitations of each—but I have never heard the distinction so succinctly put before. Frankly, the website is almost always easier to use, and sometimes more up to date, than the app—so it should be the first place you go for changes unless you are in the parks themselves.

Disney continues on a pathway to transform itself and use the data it is creating. One senior presenter noted that “I have frequent conversations with Bob Iger about how to create a more data-driven culture at Disney.” A much more junior analyst noted that “analytics is traditionally separate from operations, but we are seeing analytics being built into operations more.”

An example: there’s two types of MagicBand readers (or, strictly, RFID readers, since plastic tickets have RFID now too.) We are all familiar with the first kind, the ones you tap your bands on—to get into a room, to enter a park, for FastPass+ return, to buy stuff. These have limited range.

A different reader can read your MagicBand at a distance—I saw them in the exhibit hall and talked to their builders.  It’s a black thingy that looks like a stereo speaker (like a small one if you are over 40, or like a large one if you are under 40). There’s more than 8oo of these distance readers at Disney World, and so far as I could tell from the conference, their promise is still largely untapped.

Take an example—Disney now can know exactly how many people are in Epcot at the beginning of IllumiNations, which of them are closer the bus stops and which are at the further end of World Showcase Lagoon, what hotels they are staying in, and which of them arrived at Epcot by bus. It can use this data to optimize the destinations of the waves of buses after IllumiNations to minimize total bus waits, but, so far, it seems in general not to be using data much this way.

(It’s using new data a bit. For example, the ability to tie a ride photo to a person comes from several of these far-field readers operating in tandem to geo-locate a MagicBand.)

Anyone who has consulted to or been a member of large organizations knows why. Operations are run by operators, not analysts, and new analytic approaches in the short run just create a burden on the operations team for their design, data gathering, testing, re-training and implementation. So almost everywhere “the way we’ve always done it around here” gets in the way of the optimal. A senior speaker noted “we create and store data on a bet that it will have value in the future,” and that future has not yet arrived.

So despite all the changes from FastPass+ in the last year, none of us has yet experienced a Disney World visit fully informed by data…this will come, but it will unfold in parts and pieces, over time.

By the way—the data Disney will use to work all this is not stored on your MagicBand.

Your MagicBand has two identifying systems, one for secure nearfield transactions using your pin, and the other for non-pin near and far-field transactions like entering the park.

MagicBands and their nearfield readers query each other to make sure they are communicating with authentic Disney devices, and then the only info grabbed by the system from your band is an alphanumeric code. The code is then pulled into Disney’s databases behind the scenes, and it’s those behind the scenes secure databases that have all your relevant data—for example, matching who you are to a valid park entry to a valid FastPass+ at that time, and then communicating back to the operating systems to make the FastPass+ reader turn green.

So while hacking of the behind the scenes databases is always possible, snatching your ID off your MagicBand is both hard (because of the validation handshakes) and also not even important, as all the bad guy will get is the alphanumeric identifier, not of much use without access to the secure behind the scenes databases.

But still, for this data to be useful Disney needs to know you are you.

Someone who has not been involved in creating a data warehouse would be astonished at the kinds of issues that emerge in them. The most profound of these is a single nomenclature—having a single and unique code that applies to a single and unique concept, and links all of the interactions of that concept within the system.

Take who you are. I have had many interactions with Disney over the years, using many variants of my name (“Dave Shute” to “David H. Shute” with other versions and typos in between), many credit cards, several different phone numbers, different email addresses, different physical addresses, etc. Plus, shockingly enough, there’s a lot of guys who have my exact same first and last name.

Now Disney has a better chance of improving my experience and lightening my wallet the more it knows about me—but it needs to know it is talking with me, despite whatever email, phone number, credit card, or intentional or unintentional name variant I am using!

The beauty (from a a data warehouse point of view…)  of My Disney Experience and MagicBands is the much richer, more accurate, and more specific association of my identity with my touch points with Disney World—both in the planning process and at the resort.

It’s this much tighter linkage of identity and experience data that powers the whole potentiality of the NextGen project—not FastPass+, which is simply the hook that makes us willing to allow Disney to capture this connection of identity and experience.

Identity raises fascinating issues in other contexts as well. Most profound among them is the misleadingly simple question of “what is the product?”

Take a simple example. Under traditional management approaches, “Frozen” is the overarching brand, which then has sub-brands of all the characters in it, some of which cross to other brands—e.g. Anna and Elsa work both separately and as a pair of sisters, and work both as Frozen characters and as part of universe of “Disney Princesses.”

But say you had dolls for all the major characters for single unit sales, and wanted to know how to optimally group them for package sales. You could guess based on rules of thumb, heuristics, and standard literary analysis.

Or you could use data. With enough sales, purchaser identity data, and analysis, you could identify which subgroups of characters are bought by the same family—e.g. just as a made-up example, you might discover that Elsa is often bought alone, but rarely Anna alone—that Anna is sold most often with Elsa, or with Kristoff, yet all three are rarely bought together.

This analysis begins to accurately define the higher order groupings of the components of the offering which otherwise would take mind-reading, some of which will be obvious but some of which are likely to be novel. That is, it helps identify and define the actual products as customers see them in their own minds…

Take this analogy to the parks. We think of there being parks, and within them lands, and within them attractions. We know that in general some attractions are more attractive to definable demographic groups than others—especially by age. But everything is much more subtle and various than that. With the data becoming increasingly available to Disney—plus some guest surveys—all of the different ways that the parks are experienced, and how pleasing they are, can be used to more sharply understand—and manage to– all the different “products” actually offered.

But first Disney needs to start using much more the data it’s already collecting from the far-field readers!!

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“I’ve long said that Dave has the absolute best Disney resort room information I have found!” –Didi Marie, DIStherapy

As of yesterday, with the review of our latest stay in a Royal Room published, I am at one of those rare moments where all of my hotel reviews are up to date, and I thought to step back a bit and reflect.

(I still have some updating to do in my general overviews of the hotels, but for the first time in a year and a half I have no backlog of stays to finish writing about.)

Over the course of my August and September 2014 visits to Walt Disney World, the total number of Disney World-owned different accommodations I have stayed in and published about crossed more than 100.

This matters because universally the weakest parts of most Disney World guidebooks and websites are their material on where to stay.

One person staying repeatedly in all the rooms and in all their major variants is the only way to develop a complete, consistent, up to date and accurate picture of the hotel options and their strong and weak points.

Reading and copying other people’s experiences just won’t cut it, and those whose approach depends on this—even some of the most famous out there—routinely publish howlers and generally get too many things wrong.

Even having your own team of reviewers doesn’t work well, as they can’t compare across their own direct experiences the way a single reviewer can, leading them to miss floor plan nuances or even major differences.

Consistently good and up to date material on the Disney hotel options is rare because it takes major, multi-year commitments of time, attention and money.

Luckily, I have been able to create the time, Adderall helps with the attention thing, and you—because of your support of the various sponsors and interest in the various ads on this site—create the money that in turn I spend trying to keep this hotel material great and up to date.

I’ve now stayed in 103 different Disney-owned accommodations at Disney World, plus even more non-Disney options.

This includes

• 22 value resort rooms and family suites, with my most highly recommended value resorts Art of Animation and Pop Century in the lead with 5 and 8 stays respectively
• 25 rooms at the moderates, led by 7 in Port Orleans Riverside and 6 at my top-ranked Caribbean Beach
• 24 stays at the deluxe resorts, led by 5 at the Contemporary and 4 at the top rated (but under major refurb) Polynesian
• 29 different DVC rooms, mostly Two Bedrooms Villas–the best to review, as they show features of One Bedroom Villas and Studios as well–but where they were not bookable, a One Bedroom and a Studio, led by top ranked Villas at the Wilderness Lodge with 6 stays
• Stays at 3 different campsites at Fort Wilderness (my 3 stays in the Cabins are counted among the moderates.)

Moreover, in a push that I can’t imagine doing again—it was too demanding and exhausting–I stayed in and reviewed 38 different Disney-owned rooms since August 2013, for a couple of different reasons

• I did multiple visits over the period–first to test various features of the new FastPass+ program and then later to see and review new stuff like the Festival of Fantasy afternoon parade,  Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet, the Frozen Sing-Along, and the reopening of Festival of the Lion King–so of course had to stay somewhere during those tests and visits
• There were openings and major refurbs that had to be attended to—for example, the Villas at the Grand Floridian and Four Seasons (not a Disney hotel) opened, and the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and the Grand Floridian completed and Caribbean Beach began major refurbs.
• It took me a while, but I finally realized how much the camera in my iPhone 4 has decayed, so I got a new camera and with it took the opportunity to stay in, re-shoot, and re-review a number of rooms. (Still on the list for re-visits for better photos are Pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach, exteriors at Coronado Springs, a Two Bedroom Villa at Old Key West and the Nemo suites at Art of Animation—I’m booked in these, plus both room types at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, during my November and December trips).

What’s next after November and December? Well, I hope 2015 will be a lot easier than the 17 months that will end in December 2014 with their 42 Disney rooms (and 4 non-Disney rooms) in 14 visits…

I haven’t entirely figured this out, but 2015 for sure will bring visits to the new Polynesian DVC offerings, and re-visits to the Beach Club and Coronado Springs after their expected refurbs!

Plus I also do requests…

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort, see this.

ROYAL ROOMS AT PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE

The Royal Rooms were introduced to Port Orleans Riverside in 2012.

As part of a refurb completed then, the rooms in two buildings in Magnolia Bend, Oak Manor and Parterre Place, were redesigned–and re-priced–as “Royal” Rooms.

I’ve stayed in them several times since, focused on three potential issues: are these rooms too girly, too inconvenient, and/or too expensive?

The short answers:

• These rooms are not girly, but distinctive more in a heavy, detailed, layered, Victorian “elderly aunt” sense than in a princessy way. They won’t be off-putting to little boys. Little–and mom-sized–princesses will likely love their sumptuous design, unless their design aesthetic tends towards the spare and the simple.
• These two buildings have always been inconvenient, particularly distant from bus stops, and they remain so–particularly Parterre Place.  Disney’s choosing of them for the Royal Rooms is a way to add value to this base of inconvenience similar to the choice to make the Pirate Rooms at Caribbean Beach out of the least convenient buildings there.
• They cost most nights of the year $50-100 more per night than standard Port Orleans Riverside rooms.  You have to value the decor, and princes and princesses, for them to be worth the extra cost and inconvenience they bring–or be a huge fan of The Princess & The Frog!

A PHOTO TOUR OF THE ROYAL ROOMS AT PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE

The floor plan of the Port Orleans Riverside Royal Rooms is pretty close to the standard for four person queen-bed moderate resort rooms.

What’s different compared to other moderate rooms is the richness of the furnishings, and all the wonderful prince and especially princessy detailing…and those headboards!

You’ll find two queen beds on one side.

The headboards are lovely even in standard light.

But darken the room, and find on the side of each a button, which launches a very fun “fireworks” show on the headboards…

…actually, as you’ll know if you’ve seen The Princess and the Frog, it’s a firefly show.

The richness of the patterning on the bed furnishings has been simplified since the 2012 opening of these spaces.

Here’s the busier 2012 version.

On the other side of the room, you’ll find a table and two chairs.

You’ll find on this side of the room silhouettes of Disney princes.

More princes.

Here’s a shot that shows this side of the room in total. Note the detailed and layered window curtains. Fewer than half of rooms have the two windows you see here–more common is just one, over the heater/cooler unit. Rooms without the second window will have the mirror and some of the art in different locations.

This is typical of one of the several ways–besides price!–these rooms are “royal.”  There are images of princes and princesses, sumptuous Victorian-styled furnishings and fittings in a regal color scheme of (royal!) blue and gold, and various objects that will remind fans of various princesses and their films.

Next on this side of the room is a combined dresser and mini-fridge with a TV on top.

With only three small drawers, this room is a little short on storage–though there is a large clothes rod in the bath, with a shelf above.

The mini-fridge is the standard Disney offering.  I have my usual objects in it to help you with its scale.  I probably should have bought classier objects for such a royal space!

Next to it is a charming footstool, meant to remind you of the pup in Beauty and the Beast!

The wall by the bath has a ton of princesses…

Between the bed area and the dresser/TV area you’ll find this ornate rug that may remind you of something…

The bath as is typical is divided into two areas.  One area has sinks that have a very graceful design, including sparklies that show up better in the photograph below.

The faucets here mimic the magic lamps from Aladdin.

There’s a closet area on the side.

Behind a door you’ll find the rest of the bath–including more gold-colored fixtures! The shower curtain reportedly is reminiscent of the Little Mermaid–not so obvious to me.

Something I do get is the allusion to Cinderella in this coat rack!

There’s lots of other wonderful details–see Tiana’s monogram above.

Tiana’s portrait also graces your room.

Royal Rooms make up a quarter of Port Orleans Riverside’s capacity, and are all found in two southeast buildings, Parterre Place and Oak Manor, circled in red on the map excerpt. Neither is particularly close to a bus stop (circled in black), the main pool (in blue) or the dining area (white).

Oak Manor is to be preferred because it is pretty much universally closer to where you might want to go than Parterre Place, and also has easier choices of bridges (yellow).

Disney’s online check in form for Royal Rooms won’t let you select buildings or even “near transportation,” so to request Oak Manor, call.

These rooms are expensive and inconvenient, but wonderful for those looking for a royal, princessy abode!

PHOTO TOUR OF AN ALLIGATOR BAYOU ROOM AT PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE RESORT

This review continues here.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE RESORT

• Port Orleans Riverside: Overview and summary
• Theming and accommodations at Port Orleans Riverside
• A photo tour of a four person standard room in Port Orleans Riverside’s Magnolia Bend section
• A photo tour of a four person Royal Room in Port Orleans Riverside’s Magnolia Bend section
• A photo tour of a five person Murphy bed room Port Orleans Riverside’s Alligator Bayou section
• Amenities at Port Orleans Riverside
• Dining at Port Orleans Riverside
• The pools at Port Orleans Riverside
• The history of Port Orleans Riverside

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: OCTOBER 18 TO OCTOBER 26, 2014

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic.

For more on October 2014 at Walt Disney World, click here.

[Read more →]