Down to New Orleans Disney World style
I like Disney World’s moderate level resorts. They fit my sensibilities well, and I find they are typically places where I would like to spend a break day hanging around the pool and enjoying myself. They feel like you’re splurging.
Don’t get me wrong, the deluxe resorts are special. But I have a hard time – even when I can afford it – spending deluxe level pricing for a hotel room that I’m not going to be spending that much time in.
All things considered, I’d rather save that money for character dining, Lightning Lanes, souvenirs, or fancier meals. Once in a while, we’ll splurge on the Polynesian, Contemporary, or Wilderness Lodge, but there’s always a twinge of pain when we book above moderate level.
I’ve said previously that the Caribbean Beach Resort is my favorite moderate level Disney hotel, though most of the internet vehemently disagrees with me.
But the truth is, I’m a fan of all the moderate level resorts. They have good pools, better dining, and immaculate vibes.
Which brings us to the Port Orleans Resort – Riverside which has vibes for days, excellent dining, and more. But is it worth your hard earned vacation dollars? Let’s find out.
IN THIS ARTICLE
What is Port Orleans – Riverside?
Officially, Port Orleans Resort – Riverside is half of a larger complex connected to Port Orleans – French Quarter.
But the massive Riverside holds its own, even if you never venture over to French Quarter – which you should do to score the terrific beignets. French Quarter opened in May of 1991 while Riverside open in February of 1992.
Today, Riverside features two halves, the Alligator Bayou and the Magnolia Bend. Together, they have roughly 2,500 rooms spread over 20 buildings.
Unlike some other Disney resorts, Riverside does not have “special” transportation to the parks via boat, Skyliner, or Monorail. It uses the Disney bus system to get around.
There are boats that take you to French Quarter and on to Disney Springs. If you’re heading to one of the theme parks, you’ll need to take the bus, which runs an internal resort loop and picks up guests at multiple stops.
The main lobby area is called the Sassagoula Steamboat Company—also known as the South Quarter Lobby—and features shopping, an arcade, a couple of restaurants, and a bar.
You can rent surrey bikes and cycles to get around.
There’s also the Muddy Rivers bar near the Ol’ Man Island Pool.
How is the dining at Port Orleans – Riverside?
I think it’s the best of the moderate resorts. Certainly, it’s better than my favorite moderate resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, and better than the Cabins at Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs.
You could make an argument for French Quarter, I suppose, but I think the combination of Boatright’s Dining Hall and the Riverside Mill Food Court, it puts Riverside over the top.
Boatwright’s is a southern Louisiana themed restaurant with medium tier pricing of $15 to $35 per adult, but depending on what you order you can take it higher than that. There is an all you care to enjoy platter for $38 but I avoid it.
The barbecue options are good—Disney generally does barbecue well—but I want something a little more Louisiana-specific. The jambalaya is good, and I say that as someone who is particular about jambalaya.
The Creole lentils and chorizo is a standout, and you cannot go wrong with the shrimp pappardelle. Keep in mind these are Cajun and Louisiana dishes produced for a wide audience, so the heat may not be what you want, but they are fairly well spiced.
I really like the breakfast options at the Riverside Mill Food Court, including the surprisingly delicious vegetable breakfast quesadilla. For lunch, the Bayou Hot Dog—Andouille sausage with peppers, onions, and rémoulade—is a winner.
The River Roost Lounge is a great place for drinks – as is the pool side bar.
And, if you can catch him, Yehaa Bob Jackson provides some of the most unique entertainment on Disney World Resort property. Yehaa Bob is approaching his 27th year at Disney, providing a high-energy, family friendly, piano show. For more on Yehaa Bob, check out his website here. You’ll have to check with Disney’s website or at the hotel for showtimes for his performances in the River Roost Lounge.
How is the Riverside Pool?
It’s fine. It’s not as well themed as some of the other moderate hotels. I would certainly rank it behind French Quarter, Coronado Springs, and Caribbean Beach.
But it has a slide and some light theming. It’s location on the Ol’ Man Island is cool. The resort also has five quiet pools located throughout and closer to the distant rooms who don’t want to make the trek to the main complex.
How are the Port Orleans – Riverside rooms?
They’re a pretty typical Disney resort room. We’ve stayed in the Princess and the Frog rooms. We found them more up to snuff than some of the older, not-updated rooms in other resorts.
The fifth-person fold down sleeper is fun, and it allows my family of five to stay in a regular room and not upgrade to a suite.
The value resorts don’t have this feature, which means we have to book a suite if we want to stay there, negating the savings of a value resort.
How’s the transportation?
The boat ride to Disney Springs is nice, and I marvel at the skill of the pilots. Plus, you get to see parts of Disney you wouldn’t normally see, so that’s a positive. But the internal bus loop and the ride to the parks aren’t great.
I’m generally fine with the Disney bus system, but the ride from the Magic Kingdom to Port Orleans feels more precarious than others due to the nature of the route from the resort to the park. It felt like the bus driver had to work a little too hard to keep us safe.
He earned his Disney dollars that day.
would love for Disney to find a way to expand the Skyliner to Port Orleans, which would make a lot of sense because guests at Saratoga Springs and Old Key West could boat over and catch the Skyliner. It’s really not far from EPCOT that it couldn’t be done. But I haven’t heard any Skyliner expansion rumors, so we may be stuck with the buses.
The Magnolia side
I start this section with a caveat that I’m not looking to get in the middle of a whole Splash Mountain-style internet debate. This is for information purposes only. If you don’t have an issue with plantation theming, you can skip right past this section and never think about it again.
But guests should be aware that the four buildings on the Magnolia side are themed with Southern-style Plantation architecture.
Disney, at the time, was big on Southern theming and guests weren’t as aware of – or maybe concerned about – the implications of building plantation-style manor homes. Splash Mountain opened in 1989 in the Magic Kingdom and these hotels followed shortly after. In fact, Port Orleans – Riverside debuted as Disney’s Dixie Landings.
Now, the buildings at French Quarter and on the Alligator Bayou side don’t have any connotations that I’m aware of. However, I understand that some guests may want to know about the antebellum theming of the Magnolia Bend rooms before booking.
Final Thoughts
Riverside is not my favorite moderate resort, but the distance between it and the other moderate resorts are not that great.
The dining, entertainment, and vibes are strong. I personally prefer the Alligator side, because we like the Tiana theming and the Magnolia side can’t accommodate a family of five.
The transportation is a real issue in comparison to CBR and, to some degree, Ft. Wilderness, which has the boat to Magic Kingdom.
Price point is really the ultimate decision maker here. Under $300, I’m willing to give it serious consideration. Over $300, I’m probably going to find a better value somewhere else or consider stepping up a tier.
If we’re assigning stars ,it’s 3.5 out of 5. If you want a letter grade, it’s a middle to low B.
