7 Reasons to Stay at Port Orleans Riverside

Southern Charm

Port Orleans Riverside is covered with beautiful southern charm. This large resort reminds me of the lesser known areas of New Orleans. When people think of NOLA they tend to think of French Quarter, but not the quieter areas.

There is a serene calm throughout the resort. The Magnolia Bend section has plantation-style manions homes, this is where the Royal Guest rooms are located. The themeing here is more elegant with beautiful landscaping that you would expect at an old plantation mansion location.

The other area is called Alligator Bayou and have rustic lodges. These are two-story buildings that have more of a cottage feel with wooden furniture. A noteable difference is that this section lacks elevators, which is something to consider if you cannot do stairs.

The southern charm is built in throughout the pools, restaurants, lobby, and more. You’d be hard pressed to find a spot in the resort that doesn’t make you feel like you were transported to the calmer section of New Orleans.

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Boat Transportation to Disney Springs

One of the most common mistakes is not planning time for Disney Springs. It was one of the mistakes I made on our first trip back to Disney World. There is so much to do between restaurants, shopping, and activities, you can spend a lot of time wandering around Disney Springs.

You can access Disney Springs easily from Port Orleans-Riverside. There is boat transportation that picks up at both Riverside and French Quarter and will take you do the Marketplace section of Disney Springs.

Besides the fact that Disney Springs is awesome and you should definitely visit, having this added bonus makes it so much easier to enjoy a night out or late dinner after a long park day.

I’m also a big fan of any transportation that isn’t just a bus. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you’ll have to wait for either the boat or the bus. I don’t think either of them are typically faster than the other.

However, I personally the boat is more relaxing. In my experience, the boat arrived more frequently than the bus during the day, but that is sometimes just the luck of the draw.

Walking Distance to Port Orleans French Quarter

I am a big fan of any resort where you get “two resorts for the price of one.” You get easy access to more restaurants, activities, and nightlife.

Port Orleans-French Quarter is a smaller sister resort that is accessible via a walking path. You could also take the Disney Springs boat there as well, but it’s not necessarily quicker or needed.

The French Quarter offers beautiful architecture and themeing that will resonate with anyone who has visited the actual French Quarter in New Orleans.

I also think the pool at French Quarter is better because of the dragon. I have fond memories of my childhood trips playing at this pool and it still has a special place in my heart. Besides my bias, who wouldn’t want to ride down a 51-foot slide that’s designed as the tongue of a giant sea serpent?

I would also argue that Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory is with the small detour. The Cajun and creole is delicious, but the real standouts are the beignets. They offer traditional beignets or alcoholic beignets. Also, during the holidays they have special themed ones!

Royal Guest Rooms and 5th Person Sleeper Room

Royal Guest rooms, or princess rooms as they are sometimes called, are located in Oak Manor and Parterre Place. They are magical rooms that are decorated to showcase Disney royalty. The magic covers the room and even includes a special fireworks display in the headboards!

As far as Disney’s special themed rooms I think the Royal Guest ones are my favorite. The decors feels more elegant and not cheesy. It isn’t over the top “princess” that if you have young boys with you they would hate it.

We also stayed there without kids and I thought it added a little bit more of a romantic feel than your typical moderate room. There were extra touches that made it not feel that adults couldn’t easily enjoy this without kids.

It’s also fun to see how many princess touches you can spot in the room!

Port Orleans Riverside is one of the Disney resorts that has some rooms that can sleep a fifth person. This is obviously a great option for larger families or bigger groups who don’t want to split up into two rooms.

Entertainment

Just like most Disney resorts, there is plenty of entertainment throughout this resort. There are multiple pools in different sections of the resort. The main pool is Ol’ Man Island and is located between both sections of the resort. There you will find a large pool, a spa, a kiddie pool, a wading pool, and of course, a water slide.

All pools have a restroom and changing room for your convenience as well. There are only towels provided at the main pool, however, so you will need to bring some from your room is you are going to a smaller one.

The River Roost Lounge is a decently sized bar that also serves some appetizers. Five nights of the week you will find live entertainment too! Ye-Haw Bob is a fan favorite so try to catch him one night, you won’t be sorry.

You will also find horse-drawn carriage rides that will take you around Sassagoula River. Much like all Disney resorts, they also host movies under the stars every night (weather permitting), as well as a campfire and s’mores.

There is an arcade, a playground, a nice jogging trail, surrey bike and bike rentals. One other unique thing is you can fish! There is a Fishin’ Hole on Ol’ Man Island. Just remember, all fishing at Disney world is catch a release only.

Value

There is always an argument of staying on Disney property or not. I am a big believer that if you are only visiting Disney World every few years, staying on Disney property is a great way to never leave the Disney magic bubble.

Port Orleans Riverside is a moderate resort which means it offers extra amenities, such as having both a quick service location and a table service location. Another thing moderate resorts have are water slides! Each moderate has a water slide, which is one of my favorite things from Disney vacations as a child.

The extra space in the rooms, the indoor bar, and Disney Springs boat, are some of my favorite reasons to stay here and why I believe this is a great value for your money. I found all of these things extremely beneficial during our stay and allowed me to relax even more on vacation.

One thing to consider is that if there are current offers going on, both Port Orleans locations usually offer less of a percentage off in comparison to other moderates.

Size of Resort

Port Orleans Riverside is extremely large. Not even including French Quarter, which as we talked about is a quick walk away, there are 2,048 room at Riverside between the two sections.

Some view the size as a negative because of the multiple bus stops or how long it could take you to walk from one area to another, but personally I think its a good thing. Your room is never that far from a stop, but it is nice and spread out so you are not on top of one another.

The layout allows for some fun exploring (if you didn’t think you’d get enough exercise in the parks).