On my recent trip to Disney World to do the runDisney Dopey Challenge, I stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter resort. This is one of the resorts I had never stayed in until this visit. We’ve stayed at Port Orleans Riverside as a family and all thought it was a once and done, but I imagine I’ll be returning to French Quarter! Read on to see what is so great about this resort…
The theming is amazing as it is in other Disney resorts. It’s a beautiful resort based on a New Orleans theme. Lots of jazz references and Mardi Gras colors!! But what sets this one apart from Port Orleans Riverside is the size.
There are 4 resorts in Disney World that are considered to be in the “Moderate” category - Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs. French Quarter is the smallest resort by far.
Number of rooms per resort:
French Quarter - 1008
Caribbean Beach - 1536
Riverside - 2048
Coronado - 2384
There are several benefits of a smaller resort…. Less people at the food court, the gift shop, the pool and the buses. But the biggest benefit for me was a smaller footprint. No matter which room you are in, you have at most a 5 minute walk to the main building and transportation. This was HUGE during Marathon weekend. I know the point of my trip was to run 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days, but something about the walks to/from the bus and my room seemed extra difficult. I literally was within a 30 second walk of the bus stop and I don’t know if I could have taken a step further.
We’ve been at amazing resorts like Animal Kingdom Lodge and had about a half mile walk (not really exaggerating here) from the bus to our room. That is a bit overwhelming when you’re exhausted, pushing a stroller, dragging luggage or heading to/from the pool.
I’ve also never done the Resort Refillable Mug (free drinks over the course of your trip!) since it’s always such a hike to the food court. Even with my tired feet and legs, I feel like I cost Disney some money in Diet Coke over the course of my stay. It was so quick, I sometimes headed back over just to fill up my cup again.
The only downside to French Quarter is that to get to the parks, your only transportation is by bus. I do love the Skyliner from Caribbean Beach. But honestly, the buses come so often and are so close to the rooms that I feel like I didn’t miss the Skyliner that much. (I did have to hop between Epcot and Hollywood Studios a couple of times just to ride the Skyliner as it’s a lot of fun, though)! If you’re a big Disney Springs fan, there is a boat there that is a fun and relaxing ride down the Sassagoula river!
Love the boats to Disney Springs along the Sassagoula!
The other moderates all have multiple internal bus stops and French Quarter just has one. I love that I know if a bus comes, it won’t already be full and my next stop is the park. At the other resorts, you sometimes have to stop at 3 other stops prior to getting to yours and I’m just too impatient for that!
The pool is amazing!! It has a fun slide and even has a great splash pad area for smaller kids. Another benefit of Port Orleans resorts is that you can pool hop between French Quarter and Riverside. Most other resorts require you to be a guest at that resort to use the pool. But if you’re staying at either of these, you are free to use both pools!
The food is great although if you know me, I tend to eat kids’ meals and am not too adventurous so I’m not the best food critic. But all that I had was really good.
The best food there, by far, is at Scat Cat Cafe - beignets!!! These things are huge and made fresh when you order them. I have a feeling they are used to seeing it there, so they didn’t call the DEA on me, but it did look a bit suspicious since I had powdered sugar all over my room!
Mickey Beignets!!! An order of 3 comes with a dipping sauce. SO GOOD!!
The rooms were refurbished in 2018 so have the new style of wood floors and flat-panel TVs mounted on the wall which gives a bit more counter space in the room. They also have the beds that are open underneath so that you can store suitcases there instead of wasting floor space elsewhere.
Overall, I can’t say enough great things about this resort. If you’re thinking about heading to Disney World, give me a call. I’d love to talk about your needs for a resort and see if this is as great a fit for you as it was for me!! And remember, it doesn’t cost you a penny more to book through me than it does to book directly through Disney - and you’ll get my expertise and love of Disney to help guide you!!