Today, I’m going to move away from the debate and the how to find lower airfare. This article is going to focus solely on the Port Orleans Resort, one of Disney’s most popular moderate resorts.
Port Orleans is two resorts in one. It is home to the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort and the Port Orleans Riverside resort. The two resorts are connected into one big resort by the Sassagoula River. There is also a boat launch at the French Quarter and Riverside which connects the resort to the Downtown Disney area.
As you can see from the map, it is a sprawling resort. I’m going to start over Port Orleans Riverside (at the top of the map) first and then go into Port Orleans French Quarter.
PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE
Upon entering the lobby, you are given the feel that you have gone back in time to the Old South along the Mississippi River.
There are two main areas for guest rooms: Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend. Both areas have the same number of guest rooms: 1,024. The buildings are smaller at Alligator Bayou with only 64 rooms per building while Magnolia Bend has 256 rooms.
Alligator Bayou has another advantage over Magnolia Bend. Some rooms in the Alligator Bayou section can sleep up to five guests while the Magnolia Bend can sleep only four guests. This is a big plus for larger groups of people.
Alligator Bayou Building and Room
The rooms in Alligator Bayou are able to sleep five because they have added a fold-down Murphy-style bed.
There are three groups of buildings in Alligator Bayou: Buildings 14-18, 24-28, and 34-39. Each group of buildings has its own swimming pool.
Magnolia Bend Buildings and Rooms
Magnolia Bend is broken up into four buildings.
Building 80: Acadian House
Building 85: Magnolia Terrace
Building 90: Oak Manor
Building 95: Parterre Place
These buildings are much larger than the buildings at Alligator Bayou.
The rooms at Magnolia Bend are standard guest rooms with two queen beds.
There are smaller pools between buildings 80 and 85 and between 90 and 95 for guest use.
The larger pool at Port Orleans Riverside is Ol’ Man Island which is in the center of the resort. The island is 3.5 acre big and has 158,000 gallon pool.
Okay, you’ve got a bed. Many places to cool off. Now, you’re hungry. What’s available at Port Orleans Riverside food wise? Guests have two options at Riverside: Boatwright’s Dining Hall (table service) and Riverside Mill (counter service). Boatwright’s is only open for dinner while Riverside Mill is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Now, we’ll head down the river to Port Orleans French Quarter.
Port Orleans French Quarter
Port Orleans French Quarter is the smaller of the two resorts – in terms of the number of rooms. The French Quarter is made up of seven buildings that each have 144 rooms which give the French Quarter 1, 008 rooms total.
The buildings are brightly colored and fit into the French Quarter theme.
All the rooms at French Quarter sleep four guests per room in a standard two queen bed set up.
The buildings are divided up into two areas: the South Quarter (buildings 1-3) and the North Quarter (buildings 4-7).
There is one disadvantage to staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. There are no “private pools” within the building areas. There is only one main pool. However, that one pool is one of the best on Disney property. Doubloon Lagoon Pool has a 225,000 gallons capacity. The area also has a hot tub and a children’s play area like the Riverside Ol’ Man Island Area.
You slept, you swam….now you’re hungry. What’s to eat at Port Orleans French Quarter? French Quarter does NOT have a table service restaurant like it’s sister resort Riverside. There is just the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory which is a very well themed restaurant area.
The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Review of Sassagoula Floatworks Breakfast
Transportation to and from Port Orleans
There are four bus spots at Port Orleans Riverside. The main depot at the front of the building along with stops at the West Depot (between buildings 24 & 34), North Depot (between buildings 37 & 80), and the East Depot (behind building 85). There is only one bus stop at Port Orleans French Quarter in the front of the resort.
During busy periods (park opening, closing, etc.), the two resorts will have separate bus services. Most of the time, the two resorts will share bus service to and from the resorts.
After the bus has made all of its resort stops, the drive to the resort is not long.
Transportation Times (approximate)
Animal Kingdom: 20 minutes
EPCOT: 12 minutes
Hollywood Studios: 12 minutes
Magic Kingdom: 15 minutes
I hope you enjoyed this in-depth look into the Port Orleans Resort. I have never stayed at this resort but almost booked a room here for a future trip. However, I would be spending most of my time at either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. Instead, I booked a room at Yacht Club. The ability to walk to and from Yacht Club to either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios outweighed the desire to stay at Port Orleans. Maybe on another trip.
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Thanks for reading!
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