Disney Port Orleans

Let me start out here by saying there is going to be some partiality here which I will try to restrict but will happen anyway.

Port Orleans is a combination of two sister resorts known as Riverside and French Quarter. I will cover Riverside first because French Quarter is our favorite and you know they always say best for last. Riverside is a resort themed to the Mississippi-bayou area of the Old South. Appropriate to the magic of Disney, there are numerous themes that help recreate the feeling of actually being in the bayou. This resort is priced the same as all the other moderates between $149 and $219 a night for a standard room depending on the season. The amenities here are enormous and rival all but the deluxes. It has one of the largest arcades on property which is always a hit with the kids especially the older ones. The main building has food court, restaurant, and other services, and carries a riverboat dock theme. The food court called Riverside Mill has recently been renovated and carries about anything you can imagine from several vendor facilities. The sit-down restaurant is known as Baotwright's features Cajun specials fresh from the bayou and reservations are suggested.

The rooms at Riverside are similar in size to all the other moderates but has one nice option, a trundle bed. If you have small children that do sleep well together request a room with a trundle and bed time will be much better for everyone. Other than that the rooms have two double beds, two vanities, a traditional bathroom, mini-fridge, and a wall safe for small valuables. There are two different styles of rooms to choose from although the room designs are similar: Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou. Riverside is still a large resort 2,048 and very laid out so a room far away from the main building can be a fairly long walk. The main pool is called Ol' Man Island has a large pool, a spa (holds around 8-people), a kiddie pool (up to 36" deep), a wading pool and a short but fun water slide. The island also has a geyser at the main pool that shoots water through a pile of rocks and debris, adding to the theme. Aside from the main pool there are also five leisure pools scattered around the resort grounds and each has it's own restrooms/changing facilities. There are also four bus stops scattered around the resort and you can expect about a 20 minute wait between them.

Now for my favorite resort and many people call me crazy for this one! My family loves French Quarter! We love the atmosphere, quaintness, quiet, and the themeing. Our favorite part in the grand scheme of things is its relative smallness in a gigantic Disneyworld. We have small children 10 and 4 and we appreciate all the resorts for what they are but there is something special about French Quarter. The rooms are the typical 314 square feet with two double beds and a traditional bathroom. There are only 7 buildings housing 1,000 guest rooms which is very small by Disney standards. I feel very confident if we ever were somehow separated from our children they could easily find their way back to the main building safely. As a parent that is huge and one of the main reasons we continue to go back to French Quarter as frequently as possible. With only one bus stop there is rarely a problem with transportation and the main building is centrally located on the grounds so no room is very far away. Even the furthest buildings 1 and 7 are no more than a couple of minutes away from all the action. The other nice feature is the food court which has similar fare as the other moderates (except for Coronado) and is usually pretty quick and not very crowded (small resort). The food court has a bakery, grill, pizza/pasta, and a meal station for your dining needs.

For recreation the kids love the huge pool with the dragon water slide. The pool is perfect for children ages 4-12 and is pretty large considering the overall size of the resort. There is also a baby pool and a small playground along with restrooms/changing rooms nearby. The pool towels are provided and there is usually plenty of seating to go around. There is also a small arcade which is perfect for little ones and something to do on a rainy day.

The last two options are available for both Riverside and French Quarter guests. First there is a boat to downtown Disney on the river that runs every 30 minutes or so and is so relaxing. Instead of standing in line for a crowded bus you hop on the boat (holds about 20 people) and off you go down the river to the Downtown area. The other feature is the horse and carriage ride which loads at Riverside behind the main building and takes you on a 30 minute ride through the grounds of both resorts. My wife and I did this once when the grandparents were with us to watch the kids and it was super relaxing/romantic. Ok, I tried not to be too partial and after rereading it I failed. French Quarter is perfect for a family with small children. There is little walking, one bus stop, small general store, great pool, and it is very quiet and small.