Alligator Bayou

Distractions, Travel, You Magnificent Bastard 5 Replies

We’ve just come off the cruise ship and we’re punchy happy as we enter into the off-white lobby of Port Orleans – Riverside Resort. It’s around 10am and the check out/early check in people are filling up the lines to speak to the Cast Members behind the counter. SharkBoy leaves me in line to visit the loo and I notice that I’m standing behind a woman of about 70 years.

She keeps looking back at her husband, resting comfortably on a couch in the lobby.

“Sheldon! Sheldon!!” she calls out, to no avail. Sheldon doesn’t look over.

“I think he’s talking to that beautiful young woman,” I joke.

“She can have him! After 55 years I need a break.”

We chat and she’s like us, but in reverse: Disney World first then off on a looong cruise. She was lovely and beamed brightly when SharkBoy joined us. “You young kids…” she said as she eyed us both.

The line grew and true to Disney customer service, 3 new Cast Members come out from the back to take on the surge of people. Our turn next. We wind up with a shift supervisor Cast Member named Ally.

“Hi Ally!” SharkBoy starts, “We’re hoping that our reservation request is intact. We’d like Alligator Bayou, water view…” He’s excited. Bursting.

“Oh no. Not Alligator Bayou for just two people…”

Back in December, Disney did something to their reservation system that wound up losing a lot of room “requests” information. We didn’t call in after hearing this, deciding that we were arriving early enough in the morning to put in our request, and wait the day with our luggage in the car, if need be.
SharkBoy really wanted to be in the block of rooms called Alligator Bayou.

Riverside is basically shaped like a big “O”. The outside of the “O” is where all the room buildings are with the main lobby situated at the south end of the “O”. The actual “O” itself is a river that surrounds an island. The island holds a large pool area and beautiful landscaping – it’s all very beautiful.

Alligator Bayou is sort of at 10:00 on the “O”, close to the north bus depot and near a bridge over to the pool. The building itself is sprawling and has lots of waterview rooms, which we wanted.

Back to the Cast Member…

SharkBoy doesn’t bat an eyelash. He starts to chant in a rumba beat and does a white-guy, running man kind of dance: “Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU! Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU!”

Both Ally and I are in shock. Ally’s eyes go down to her monitor.

“Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU! Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU!”

Her fingers fly.

“If it’s helpful…” I start.

“Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU! Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU!”

“…we can hold our luggage in our car…”

“Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU! Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU!”

“…and come back much later.” I offer.

“Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU! Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU!”

“I think I have something…” Ally says, punching keys and smirking.

“Alli-gay-tor Bay-YOU! Alli-gayt—YAY!!”

When we got to the room, much later in the day, it was perfect.

I have to remember this next time I’m asking for a seat on a plane.

5 thoughts on “Alligator Bayou

  1. cathyk

    That’d be a good way to get TSA’d and cavity probed and probably tackled by a federal marshal and be put on the no fly list…:)P
    Let me know if it works though…cause I’d be willing to try it…lol

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