Reviews of Port Orleans Riverside Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/13/2022
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Well where can I begin. Drove in from Texas all night to be told I won’t be able to get a room until the scheduled check in time of 3pm.
I was offered a room to stay in until the next day but apparently that was not my room.
I asked why I just couldn’t stay in that room for the 6 days and 5 nights. The cast member started rolling her eyes .
I asked her to find me another from for a less expensive payment again rolled her eyes. I guess I was bothering her busy night, which to say it was 12:20 am in the morning. I tried this hotel but I have decided to just stay at POP , where arriving early in the morning has never been a problem not even through COVID.
I’m not having a magical Mickey experience this trip. Disney so big now that me never returning wouldn’t even matter.
Pros:
Beautiful sceneryCons:
Poor customer serviceReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/10/2022
Rating: (9) Recommended
Very relaxing, beautiful and have wonderfully themed princess rooms. The Disney Springs boat rides and the easy walk to the beignets make this moderate resort one my favorites.
Pros:
Transportation to Disney Springs, scenery and water views, princess roomsCons:
Lots of walking, no current outdoor eating.Reviewed by DisneyNewbie41 Review Date: 02/06/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
Visited early February 2022. I was in one of the buildings that was about a 10 minute walk to the lobby. I highly recommend you walk around the front and back of your building before venturing out for the first time, as especially at night it can be hard to find your building, as there are many smaller buildings that look the same (on my arrival night I spent an hour finding my building after returning from Disney Springs!) I would definitely recommend requesting the closest building to the lobby as possible, as after a long park day the last thing you want to do is walk more (the 4 bus depots seemed to be decently close to the rooms, but if you are taking the boat back and forth to Disney Springs, the dropoff is at the lobby).
Overall. I had pretty good luck with the buses, I never waited longer than 10 minutes, except it was a 30 minute wait for the bus from Animal Kingdom back to the resort, I did leave the park a bit early so maybe that was why. For the most part it is a 15-20 minute bus ride to the parks, pending traffic and how many stops (there are four bus stops at Port Orleans and one at French Quarter). The boats to and from Disney Springs were a definite highlight, it's about 20 minutes each way (sometimes they stop at French Quarter). The boat drivers were definitely some of the friendliest and nicest cast members I encountered!
The landscaping and setting was so peaceful and well-done. It was about a 10 minute walk to French Quarter which is all along the river. I only ate at the food court once, there was about a 10 minute wait for the jambalaya, but the cast member apologized multiple times.
Room:
I was in Magnolia Bend. I am tall, big guy, and was thrilled that the queen bed was more than big enough for me! It was very comfortable. I did find the toilet and bathtub to be very cramped, not much space for giving a child a bath. I did find especially later in the day it took at least 1-2 minutes to get hot water. The double sink area was wide open though, and there was a curtain you could pull back to separate it from the bedroom. There was a decent sized fridge, and a Cuisinart coffee pod maker (with both caffeinated and decaf options, sugar, creamer, and also some tea packets). There wasn't any silverware so bring that if you think you'll need it. The dresser was massive with plenty of space on top to lay things out. There was a long clothes rod with several hangers, and also a shelf with hooks to hang jackets on. The room does not have any clock, so be prepared to either use your phone or bring a small portable clock. There were USB plugins both by the bed and by the dresser. The room was set at 68 and I found that to be perfect, never required adjustment and I was always comfortable.
I think unfortunately my lasting memory will be all the walking back and forth! I should have just asked to see if I could get moved to a closer building; other than that I had no complaints!
Pros:
Boats to Disney Springs, beautiful outdoor landscapingCons:
Up to 10 minute walks from lobby to roomReviewed by QuincyIsMySpiritAnimal Review Date: 02/01/2022
Rating: (10) Recommended
Been here twice! It was a suggested resort by a cast member for my 1st visit to WDW with my bestie. I loved it so much I came back here with my husband a few years later. And have chosen this same spot for our future trip in September. It's tranquil, beautiful and fairly quiet. Honestly it's the best of both worlds if you're trying not to break the bank yet feel like you're splurging a bit for such a beautiful spot.
The boat ride to Disney Springs was so relaxing. We loved it! For some only having bus transportation to the parks is a con however we never had any issues and enjoyed not having to worry about driving anywhere ourselves for over a week! BIG pro as far as we're concerned.
Love love love this resort!
Pros:
Fairly quiet. Beautiful views. Boat to Disney SpringsCons:
Hahaha! Oh your serious? None. Final answer. 🙂Reviewed by Camryn1993 Review Date: 01/03/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
Stayed here on my honeymoon in 2019. Absolutely beautiful and romantic resort without completely breaking the bank! The grounds are absolutely breathtaking. The bayou section of the resort where we stayed truly felt like Louisiana! My husband still goes on and on about how secluded and peaceful it felt amidst the Disney hustle and bustle. We even splurged and took a horse drawn carriage ride which was the perfect ending to our special trip together. I will say, having stayed at both French Quarter and Riverside, Riverside is absolutely massive in comparison and the walk to our room although peaceful was extremely long at the end of a theme park day.
Pros:
Beautiful grounds. Fun activities. Great food and fun little bar area near the lobby. Renovated rooms.Cons:
Extremely large grounds, can be a long walk to the lobby/food court. Plenty of bus stops and sometimes shares a bus with FQ which can make for a very long ride to the park.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/12/2021
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Horrible housekeeping
Pros:
Disney bus was kinda fastCons:
I wouldn’t recommend staying here or probably any resort hotel. Not once did they make our beds while we were here. They only took out trash every other day and put the towels on the bed. Room was filthy too and not vacuumed. They didn’t even bother to put the waste bag in the trash can.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 10/28/2021
Rating: (9) Recommended
Got to stay at the "sister" resort this time, prior visits were at POFQ. Same friendly attentive staff, just a bit bigger
Pros:
LotsCons:
noneReviewed by Mousega2k Review Date: 09/18/2021
Rating: (9) Recommended
My favorite resort. I prefer the more rustic bayou for theming and lovely quiet walkways and can be close to main building and buses. Love the access to boats to Disney Springs, quiet pools are nice too. Cafeteria has a good selection of meals. Nice to sit along the river while waiting for you family. Short walk, bike ride, to the sister hotel for a beignet.
Pros:
Atmosphere, pools, boats to Disney Springs,cafeteria.Cons:
Buses often crowded at end of night.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/13/2021
Rating: (10) Recommended
We have stayed at port orleans riverside several times and love it every time. This resort is perfect for anyone that doesn’t want a lot of Disney characters around, but also offers the princess rooms for those that do.
Pros:
Relaxing, the best cinnamon rolls, beautiful theming, relaxingCons:
NoneReviewed by ImWhyTheRumIsGone Review Date: 09/07/2021
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
Port Orleans Riverside is my favorite moderate Disney resort. The atmosphere is so relaxing, the pools are great, and having the boat to Disney Springs is a nice touch...oh and beignets live next door. (I won't stay at French Quarter because #1 I prefer the ambiance of POR, #2 their pool scares me.) Big downside is that there's only bus service and we experienced some long delays. I'd love to stay at this resort again, but I simply can't justify it considering I can rent DVC points and stay deluxe for around the same price (& be able to walk to 2 parks!). It had caused me tremendous stress when we booked here and I found out there was no elevator in many sections...especially since they can't guarantee first floor, etc. We ended up on the 2nd floor with a jogging stroller. It just added a lot of unnecessary stress in the morning and then after a long park day to schlep our kiddo and all our stuff up and down the stairs. (Magnolia buildings are the only ones with elevators, FYI)
