Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Stay Review

I recently asked on my Twitter what is most important to you when staying at a Disney Resort Hotel. I received a lot of great answers! Some answers I received include: having access to more than one form of transportation, large spacious rooms, having quick service and table service options for dining, and having an immersive theme that draws guests in. Most of these answers fit Port Orleans Riverside perfectly and in this post, I will give a review of our most recent stay.

Port Orleans Riverside opened in 1992 under a different name, Dixie Landings, and was renamed in 2001 to Port Orleans Riverside. (Fun fact: Dixie Landings was the first resort I stayed at in 1994!). There is a smaller sister resort right next door, Port Orleans French Quarter. The theming of both resorts highlight the southern charm and beauty of the Louisiana Bayou. There are two major sections of Riverside that feature different room types. Alligator Bayou features rooms that have two queen-sized beds or a king sized bed. Each of these rooms also have a fifth pull-out bench seat single bed. Magnolia Bend offers a greater variety of room types: a room with a king sized bed, a room with two-queen sized beds, and the Royal Guest Rooms themed to the Princess and the Frog. Magnolia Bend consists of 4 themed mansions which include Oak Manor, Parterre Place, Magnolia Terrace, and Acadian Place. Oak Manor and Parterre Place are the only two mansions that feature the Royal Guest rooms. For reference, we stayed at Magnolia Terrace and we had two queen-sized beds in our room. There is a quick service dining option which is the Riverside Mill that features your American favorites such as chicken fingers, pizza, and hamburgers, but also features Cajun cuisine such as gumbo and jambalaya. There is also a table service dining option at Riverside, Boatwright's Dining Hall, that is home to more southern comfort favorites! There is also the River Roost Lounge to enjoy your favorite cocktail and enjoy the musical stylings and entertainment by Ye Haa Bob. The main swimming pool is Ol' Man Island themed to an old saw mill. There is a large waterslide built into the mill and waterfalls splashing down from the mill. There is a jacuzzi and a poolside bar, Muddy Rivers Bar, right next to the pool! Five additional pools (two in Magnolia Bend and three in Alligator Bayou) with respective laundry service stations are spread throughout the resort area. Off the main lobby of the resort is Fulton's General Store where you can find your favorite souvenir, snacks, and other goodies!

This was where we stayed, Magnolia Terrace.

Alligator Bayou rooms.

Port Orleans Riverside offers a variety of recreational activities that you can enjoy. There is a playground for young ones to enjoy near Ol' Man Island. On specific nights, you can enjoy movies under the stars and also make s'mores near a campfire (for an additional cost). There is an arcade on property near the lobby of the resort. You can rent bicycles and Surrey bikes to ride throughout the property. Near Ol' Man Island, you can go cane pole fishing for bluegill, bass, and catfish for a small fee. The coolest thing that I wish we did was taking a horse drawn carriage ride throughout the property--you can make reservations by calling 1-407-WDW-PLAY or you may be able to walk up if there is no reservation scheduled for that time slot. Port Orleans Riverside guests are also able to access all the amenities of Port Orleans French Quarter and is a short 10-minute walk away!

Ol' Man Island Swimming Pool.

Guests can take Disney Transportation buses to all the theme parks, Disney Springs, and water parks. You can also take a boat to Disney Springs. The boat stops at French Quarter before arriving to the dock by the Marketplace at Disney Springs. The boat took approximately 20 minutes to get to Disney Springs, so keep this in mind if you have dining reservations planned!

Boat at the dock that guests take to Disney Springs.

Room Review

Our room was classified as a Garden View Room and featured two queen-sized beds with a tub-shower combination. These rooms feature all the usual amenities of a Disney room (security safe, dresser for store, a large mini-fridge, coffee maker, closet space, table with two chairs, hair dryer, and iron with iron board). The room was very spacious and clean. There was subtle decor from the Princess and the Frog and the headboard of the beds had beautiful paintings of mansions from the south. I was slightly disappointed that there was a curtain separating the bathroom space from the living space because other rooms of similar or lower cost have the newer barn style doors that allow for more privacy if needed. The curtains were lovely though! We had no issues with the room accommodations and loved the view from our building!

Dining Review

I can honestly say that this is one of the best quick service dining options at the resorts. There was a lot of space to grab a seat without feeling crowded. The cast members did a great job at making sure guests were getting through the line quickly to enjoy their food. The food was hot and really good (versus other quick service options at value resorts where I felt like food was sitting out for a bit or dry). I would highly recommend the jambalaya (be mindful it does have a bit of a kick!) and walking to French Quarter for the famous Mickey Beignets! We unfortunately did not have the opportunity to eat at Boatwright's Dining Hall, but this is on our list to try since we loved the food so much in the food court. They also offer MINNIE WAFFLES for breakfast and I was so excited for that!!

Riverside Mill quick service dining option at Port Orleans Riverside

Boatwright's Dining Hall is a table service dining option at Port Orleans Riverside.

Mickey Beignets from Port Orleans French Quarter

Resort Review

With regards to transportation, I felt that we never waited long for buses, which was great! The transportation boards were updated frequently at the bus stops and on the app, so you knew when the next one was arriving. Similar to other moderate resorts, there are additional bus stops that may be closer to your building and buses frequently pick up guests from these depots. One thing to consider is that it is highly recommended that you take the boat to Disney Springs instead of the bus. Buses do still go to Disney Springs, but are less frequent in comparison to buses taking guests to other theme parks and water parks.

Overall, to say that we loved this resort is an understatement. This resort checks off a lot of boxes on "must haves" in a resort without breaking the bank. I would recommend taking the time to walk from French Quarter to Riverside to see what each resort has to offer and also it is such a beautiful and peaceful walk. I would highly highly recommend Port Orleans Riverside for your next vacation, especially if you are looking to stay in a moderate resort for the first time!

Have you stayed at Port Orleans before? What do you think of the resort or is it on your list to stay at? Let me know what you think below!

View from our building at Magnolia Terrace