There are some older post about the differences between POR Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend, but I am looking for a little more current info on the comparisons. We are going in June and are really looking forward to staying at POR. However, I am not sure what room to request. I am leaning towards Alligator Bayou because it looks like the theming is a little better and I like the look of the quiet pools. Some of these buildings are also closer to the main building.
What are others thoughts and what am I missing?
Thanks in advance to my liner friends.
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I loved my stay in Alligator Bayou. It felt cozier than Magnolia Bend. It was pretty close to the main building, and super quiet. I loved all the trees - it felt very lush. As I walked around Magnolia Bend it somehow felt too âexposedâ and lacking in foliage. Some buildings in Magnolia Bend are also a bit further from the main building
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Alligator Bayou buildings are two-story and do not have elevators. Magnolia Bend are three-story and have elevators. If you have strollers, ECVâs, or donât like stairs you may hope you get ground floor in AB or decide to go stay at Magnolia Bend.
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I know the Royal rooms are in MB, not sure if those have the extra bed.
But am I correct in thinking that all the other 5th sleeper rooms are in AB?
Also, probably more relevant to me, are the AB rooms still quite dark compared with MB? I remember that was a common comment before the refurb happened.
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POR is the resort that I stayed in during every trip when I started to go to Disney. I still return for a night or two on a regular basis. It will always be my Disney âhomeâ .
I as m a Magnolia Bend fan. Walking those grounds at night with the flowers and lights (or early morning) is magical for me. My sister is an Alligator Bayou fan. I prefer the pools in MB, they just feel larger to me.
I think everyone has a theme preference and if you prefer AB, you should book that.
I hope you love it as much as I do!
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I think you are correct. We only had 2 queens in the royal princess rooms.
I have stayed at both and I think they are both fabulous. I love the lushness of AB and I love the beauty of Magnolia. And I feel like the bridges connect the resort fairly well.
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It âs my bucket list resort, even though weâre DVC owners. I want to book 2-3 nights there for our next trip, to extend our stay a little.
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Our AB stay was 2023 while MB Royal Room was 2012.
I loved the Royal Room. Especially the headboard lighting up. It seemed considerably darker. We had two beds - queens, Iâm supposing. Room seemed crowded. We had a river view with fountain in the courtyard. Ground floor.
AB we were ground floor in bldg 15 parking lot view. King bed, so roomy. Across the parking lot and along a short path to bus stop.
I preferred the views at MB. Quiet pool and laundry were closer here as well. I did weary of the hike to the QS and store.
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Do you think the alligator Bayou rooms are bigger than the rooms in Magnolia? It would make sense given that they have a fifth sleeper.
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Yes, I am somebody that does laundry on vacation and the laundry room and pool were literally right across from our room. That was so convenient.
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Royal rooms only have 2 queens and are on a different renovation schedule. I donât believe they have been updated in a while. I also think all of MB rooms are two queens. Buses pick up at the AB stops first.
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We only had the king bed in the AB. The fifth sleeper at CBR is part of the tv cabinet. So it takes away from the walkway some when down.
I did read something about the connecting rooms having some change in connecting door framing situation - donât recall exactly - to give more floor space to the rooms.
Thatâs the laundry I used while my nephew and my cousinâs kid played in the pool. Only people there, too. It was nice.
The nearest laundry to us in AB was closed. No signage notices where pool directions signs were. AB walkways being what they are, we felt we walked further to find out the laundry was completely gutted than we needed to. At least we had our luggage in a rolling suitcase. The mother also trying to do laundry was lugging hers around. She had called bell services for a ride. He was quite helpful.
So we meandered to the next pool which did have an operating laundry. And from then on took the direct route along the parking lot.
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We always tried to get as close to first bus as possible so being the last stop when staying in the Royal Room didnât seem a problem.
We did usually get off at the first stop, walk past the main buildings to the bridge and up to our building. I donât suppose it was quicker but it was a pleasant walk after the brief rest in the bus.
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I havenât stayed in the MB rooms but I was AMAZED at how spacious the AB rooms were. Two queens, a pull-down twin, and loads of space for a pack & play without getting squishy.
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All rooms are supposed to be 314 square feet.
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Thanks everyone for this super valuable information. Now my dilemma is do I pay the extra $150 for a Woods 5th Sleeper room just to guarantee I will be in the AB side. I just have a standard 2 Queen room right now and there are very few of those on the AB side (10 total) vs. the MB side.
Does anyone know which bus stop is the last stop before the parks?
I believe this is still true Port Orleans - Walt Disney World Buses
South Depot ( outside main building) is the last stop before the parks.
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In December 2023, the last stop before heading to a park was the South Depot.
It was also the first stop when entering the resort from a park.
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Once upon a time. There was a website portorleans.org everything you may or may not know.
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Yea I found that site but some of the stuff is really out of date. One of those things being the bus info. Still a really cool site with a lot of other valuable info.