Reviews of Port Orleans Riverside Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 03/27/2026
Rating: (10) Recommended
I love this hotel!!
Pros:
Love their dessert and the hotel room and the streets make it feel like you are in New Orleans!! I loved waking up and taking a walk by the river and in the “ streets of New Orleans “Cons:
No cons on my partReviewed by ImWhyTheRumIsGone Review Date: 01/16/2026
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
For years, my husband and I looked back fondly on our stay at this resort, but when I returned w/ our son, I was shocked at how outdated and run down this place felt. First off? It's a gigantic property. It looks like an apartment complex and it SPRAWLS. For a random reason, we were given an accessible room (told we were getting "upgraded") and it REEKED of chemical perfume, like someone had drenched everything in Febreeze. Couldn't tell if they were trying to hide smoke smells or musty smells? The furniture was worn and dated. There were bugs in the bed. The television didn't work. We arrived in the evening, wanting to settle in AND no dice. They sent a repair guy who had no idea what he was doing. The food court was loud and FAR from our room. If you're staying moderate, go to French Quarter. The refurbed rooms are soooo nice (feels just shy of Grand Floridian level), the resort is small, you still have the boat transport, and you have beignets. Just know the bus transportation over there is a bit unreliable.
Pros:
noneCons:
old, worn, dated, way too much walking, feels cheap, busy, stinky, bed bugsReviewed by AEUser-9b08ae Review Date: 12/19/2025
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
I have stayed here several times and have enjoyed it but it ultimately doesn’t compare to the other resorts. Every time, I get a room that has a perfume-y scent, almost as if it’s covering up a smoke odor— making it very hard to sleep. I believe they’re refurbishing the rooms which is well-needed because the rooms are outdated. You can’t go wrong with their solid food court with good options for all ages, though! Their gift shop is also huge and has so many things you can’t find at other shops.
The main pool near the lobby has fun theming but we had to hunt down a seat and be mindful of how many chairs we were using. We didn’t get to really relax at the pool because of it.
Otherwise if you’re just looking for a place to sleep and won’t be at the resort much, this is a solid affordable option! It’s my least favorite resort and I don’t think I’ll be staying there again though.
Pros:
- Offers a boat to Disney Springs - Bus Transportation is mostly reliable but has quite a few stops once at the resort - Rooms become ready relatively quickly - Fun room theming for royal rooms - High quality food court and gift shop - Lots of pools and a large main poolCons:
- Such a far walk to everything (bus stops, pools, lobby) - Odd smell in some rooms - Buildings in Aligator Bayou (5th sleeper rooms) do NOT have an elevator - Furthest resort from Disney Springs on the boat route - Main pool has limited seating - In-room TVs are tinyReviewed by Maitlyn15 Review Date: 02/12/2025
Rating: (9) Recommended
Love love love this resort! It's breathtakingly beautiful. The royal rooms are awesome and gorgeous! The pool is nice and the food is good. Boat access to disney springs is great and relaxing. The vibes here are relaxing and calm, romantic but great resort for kids as well. I highly recommend riverside it's one of my favorites.
Pros:
Boat to disney springs, beautiful resort, horse drawn carriage rides, royal rooms.Cons:
NoneReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/06/2025
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
recently stayed in two royal rooms at this resort. one was the typical royal room we had stayed at last year. the other was a refreshed room. gone was the deluxe flooring, the light fixtures and even the fancy valances over the window. in there place were cheap, plain flooring and recessed lighting in the ceiling, along with most of the charm. moving from one room to the other rather disappointing. i felt that disney was again opting to go the cheap way rather than trying to preserve the guest experience.
Pros:
personnel were friendlyCons:
room decor in the new royal roomsReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 11/28/2023
Rating: (10) Recommended
I stayed for the first time in mid November. I usually stay at a deluxe property or Fort Wilderness. I absolutely loved this resort. I booked a preferred building and we were in building 14. It was close to everything and beautiful. The hotels were sold out for my three nights and it did not feel at all crowded there. I enjoyed it so much I rebooked on a bounce back offer. I can’t wait to go back.
Pros:
Beautiful grounds. Close to what we were doing.Cons:
You could have a long walk depending on what building you get.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 10/16/2023
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
Not a fan… its pretty and the pool is okay with a small slide but we stayed in the princess rooms, and they were small and very dark, like a dungeon, not a royal suite… it is very spread out and the food was not great. Plus we had a room that was close to the main lobby compared to other rooms and when we swam in the main pool and walked back to the room it was miserable especially with kids! We stayed there for one night and I was done! Never again! I was not the only one that thought when I was complaining a family behind me overheard me and agreed. This is a nightmare for people with children. we walked enough in the parks we don’t want to walk forever back to our room!
Pros:
PrettyCons:
Not recommended for families… so much walking and dark roomsReviewed by Reed2015 Review Date: 08/29/2023
Rating: (7) Recommended
Quite and nice theming. Our kid loved the pool. This would be a great moderate resort option for adults/couples.
Pros:
Very calm and peaceful atmosphere.Cons:
Restaurants do not stand out.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 06/15/2023
Rating: (9) Recommended
This resort is amazing. I've stayed here twice and it is a amazing resort that you can rly spend time at for less than a deluxe resort.
Pros:
The pool is my favorite I've swam in on property. I love the theme and slide. The themeing is lovley, it's charm and vibe is great. The boat transport to disney springs and Port Orleans French Quarter is useful and a nice perk.Cons:
The location in refrence to the parks isn't great. You rely on bus transport to all disney parks and waterparks. The resort is very large and the layout may be confusing.Reviewed by tink Review Date: 05/22/2023
Rating: (9) Recommended
I stayed may 3-5.The room was quiet. I really liked the theming in the royal rooms especially the fireworks on the headboard and the momentos given toPrincess Tiana by the other princeses.You also get a welcoming scroll from Princess Tiana The royal rooms are also in buildings close to the walkway to French Quarter and not too far from the lobby and food court.The bus stop near the lobby was closer to where my room was than the east bus stop.Going to the park at 7:25am and 10am on wed & thurs there were plenty of room on the bus when it got to the last bus stop.The longest wait was about 20min when I left mk at 11pm.I only ate at the food court once for breakfast at 7 am.It was not crowded.I liked laying on a hamock by the main pool (there was a quiet pool next to the building where I was staying)listening to movie trivia they were doing by the pool,going in the hot tub and roasting marshmallows.They also have a nice arcade with a large pac man game .I didn't go on a carriage ride but i saw them going around the resort and french quarter.
