Cyndal BenulloWe recently spent a weekend at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort to experience all this charming hotel has to offer. But, is this really one of the best Disney World resorts? Follow along for our full review!
About Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside
Located in the Disney Springs Resort Area, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort —Riverside transports guests to the Louisiana Bayou. This large resort offers a chance to find calm and peace in what can be an overwhelming vacation at the theme parks.
Overview
- Hotel Category: Moderate
- Price: $300-$400 per night
- Resort Area: Disney Springs
Atmosphere & Theming
Head down to the Louisiana Bayou inside Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. If you want tranquil walks with your morning coffee, this is your resort thanks to its spread out and quiet nature. However, if you want a resort where you’ll always be close to the action, this may be one you want to skip.
The resort is divided into two sections: Magnolia Bend (which features three-story white Southern mansions with guest rooms), and Alligator Bayou (which features two-story cottage buildings deep in the woods).
Cotton mills, old shipyards, and the woodsy swamps of the South immerse guests in old-time New Orleans.
Dining Options
Various dining options are available to Port Orleans – Riverside guests, including quick service, table service, and bars/lounges.
Dining options include:
- Riverside Mill Food Court
- Muddy Rivers Pool Bar
- River Roost Lounge
- Boatwright’s Dining Hall
Amenities & Recreation
Port Orleans – Riverside offers many recreation options for resort guests, even more than some deluxe resorts!
Some of the recreation and amenities include:
- Ol’ Man Island Pool
- Five Leisure Pools
- Campfire on the Bayou
- Fishing Hole
- Surrey Bike Rentals
- Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides
- Playground
- Medicine Show Arcade
- Fulton’s General Store
- Complimentary parking
- Laundry services
Transportation Options
Two complimentary transportation options are available from Port Orleans – Riverside including:
- Disney Boat Transportation to Disney Springs
- Disney Bus Transportation to all theme parks and water parks
Additionally, guests can always hire rideshares such as Ubers or Minnie Vans for transportation around Walt Disney World.
Our Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside Review
We spent a weekend in June at Port Orleans Riverside and are sharing our thoughts on all aspects of the resort!
The Room
We stayed in a 5th Sleeper category room in the Alligator Bayou section on the first floor of Building 35. Our room was just outside the area’s leisure pool, but you would have never known it. The building was quiet and tucked away into the resort’s woods.
Our building was one of the farthest buildings from the main building, which houses all food, shopping, and entertainment. We are walkers and tend to enjoy the walk every morning to get our coffee, but it could be an issue for those who need help walking long distances or those who like the convenience of being close. A bus stop just outside the building across the parking lot will take guests around the resort, but this would be a timely process.
The room had two queen beds, a pull-down child-size bed perfect for our toddler, a table, and two chairs. Though the fifth sleeper bed was convenient, the trade-off for having it was less storage space. Three small drawers were located under the bed, but that was it. No full-size dresser existed. This was fine for us as it was just a two-day stay, but this could be an issue for a family staying for a week-long vacation.
Wood floors and brown and blue tones set the theme of the room. Without being overly “Disney,” there are touches to Disney’s Princess and the Frog movie in the woodwork and all the curtains. Plus, when you pull down the fifth sleeper bed, you’ll find Louis, the alligator from the movie, sleeping in a mural — a fun touch for the kids.
Two sinks are separate from the toilet and shower, as in all Disney resort rooms, making it easy for families to get ready in the morning. We found this very helpful.
Overall, the room was spacious, the beds were comfortable, and we were satisfied with it. However, the storage space is an issue for the fifth sleeper rooms, as we have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside before in standard rooms with plenty of drawers.
Food and Drinks
We ate lunch at the Riverside Mills Food Court, sharing a large cheese pizza, basic chicken tenders, and fries. How adventurous, right?
The large pizza is a great option when you’re on a budget. It’s not the best pizza you’ll ever eat, but for $22, it will feed a family of 4, which is a STEAL at Disney.
We had dinner reservations at Boatwright’s Dining Hall and we really enjoyed it. Boatwright’s is an excellent option for a last-minute dining reservation, and I wouldn’t skip it if you plan a lazy resort day while staying at Port Orleans. Picky eaters may not find something here, as there are no burgers or chicken tenders on the menu, but anyone who enjoys Southern-style cuisine should consider this restaurant.
While walking around the resort, we also made a few stops at Muddy Rivers Pool Bar. Though we mostly drank beer, not specialty cocktails. Port Orleans Resort is one of the few places that offers beers from Abita Brewery on tap, a brewery based in New Orleans. The Abita Amber is one of our household favorites, so we really like that the resort offers it.
Amenities & Recreation
Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side during this trip. We were planning to enjoy the Ol’ Man Island pool for a short time, but it ended up raining all day. The Ol’ Man Island pool has a large splash pool for the kids, which we love. There is a lack of chairs at the pool so you may have trouble finding a seat if you arrive later in the day. The water slide is a fun length, perfect for families to enjoy together.
Since the weather wasn’t great for a pool day, we ended up buying a pack of UNO cards and drinks from Fultons General Store and hanging out at the empty tables of River Roost Lounge. Not an ideal way to spend your Disney vacation, but we enjoyed the family time.
Additionally, the Medicine Show Arcade is one of the largest arcades at Disney World and was great for a rainy day. At one point, cast members disabled the credit system on all the games, making them free to play! We think this was due to the rain and the lack of other options for entertainment. Regardless, this goes to show the Disney magic the resorts provide.
Transportation
Our main reason for staying here was its proximity to Disney Springs, as we had plans to visit there at the end of our stay. We did not use Disney bus transportation on this trip but took the Sassagoula River Cruise to Disney Springs.
This river cruise is one of my favorite boat rides in Disney World. It takes you from the Port Orleans – Riverside marina to the Marketplace Boat Dock at Disney Springs, stopping at Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter along the way. You’ll pass some of Disney’s pristine golf courses and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas during your boat ride.
The boat ride from dock to dock takes about 15 minutes, depending on how long the French Quarter stop takes, and every minute is peaceful.
Overall Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside Review
Overall, we really enjoyed Disney’s Port Orleans—Riverside Resort. This is an excellent resort for all types of trips, whether it’s an adults-only staycation with close access to Disney Springs or a family-friendly theme park adventure-filled week.
The storage in the fifth sleeper room may be an issue for long trips, but for large families, the lack of storage could outweigh the cost of getting an extra room for that fifth family member.
I would recommend Port Orleans Riverside to anyone looking for an affordable option at Walt Disney World. I can’t wait to return, hopefully with better weather.
Stay at Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside if…
- You don’t mind walking long distances to your room
- You plan to spend a lot of time at Disney Springs
- You want an affordable resort but more amenities compared to value resort offerings
- You want to stay at a hotel with nighttime entertainment
- You need a room to fit 5
Skip Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside if…
- You have issues with long walks to the room buildings
- You want multi-bedroom suites
- You want access to more convenient transportation options like the Skyliner or Disney’s Monorail
- You want to stay somewhere that feels more like you’re in the middle of Disney
Comments
Have you stayed at Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside resort? Let us know your review in the comments!
