Port Orleans Riverside Disney Resort
Port Orleans Riverside is a moderate resort at Walt Disney World. We stayed there for a few nights back in March of 2017. Coronado Springs has always been our favorite moderate resort, but we figured since we tried out Port Orleans French Quarter and had stayed at Coronado a few times we should try out another moderate resort to give good feedback to those who were contemplating staying at Disney. It wasn’t our favorite moderate, but check out why I think it’s still a great option for families!
Port Orleans Riverside is a moderate Disney Resort with a more relaxed feel.
Port Orleans Riverside is one of the four moderate resorts at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This resort was never on the top of my “must stay” list. I didn’t really care for the theme all that much compared to the other resorts. However, people REALLY seem to love this resort! So, we decided in order to be able to fully review the resort we had to stay there!
Magnolia Bend Mansion
The Magnolia Bend Mansion area is more “my jam” than the Alligator Bayou.
We stayed in one of the Magnolia Bend Mansion Buildings in a garden view room. It was a quiet area which I really liked about this resort. There wasn’t anything special about the room (and the bed was kind of uncomfortable), but you’re at Disney. Who cares! This is also the area where they have the special Royal Rooms that are really decked out to impress! We have never stayed in one of the rooms (or even toured one) so check out this review on the Disney Tourist Blog!
The other side of the resort features the Alligator Bayou rooms. These rooms are more rustic and are themed to look like you are in the bayou of Louisiana! The great thing about these rooms is that they can handle a family of 5! They feature a pull-down “Murphy” style bed. These beds are smaller, so in order to be comfortable, I would suggest a child use this bed!
It was tranquil and quiet, even though the resort was fairly busy!
The scenery at this resort is very tranquil. I think because of the way the resort is designed it felt like it was empty, even though the resort was fairly busy while we were there!
The gift shop at Riverside is much better than the one at French Quarter because there is a lot more to choose from! But, if you wanted to check out the amenities at the French Quarter all you have to do is board the water taxi! It will take you to French Quarter OR stay on and ride all the way to Disney Springs! The water taxi feature is our favorite part of the Port Orleans Resorts!
Riverside Mill
In my opinion, the food options at Riverside are better. Riverside Mill has a lot of options and the food was pretty good. We enjoyed the “create your own” pasta option! Riverside also has a sit-down restaurant called Boatwright’s Dining Hall that we never got to try. Boatwright’s is only open for dinner and they serve New Orleans styled comfort foods!
Go for a swim at Ol’ Man Island
Remember how I said it was really quiet at Port Orleans Riverside? Well, it was quiet everywhere except at the main pool! I don’t know if it was just when we were there, but the pool area at Port Orleans Riverside wasn’t very clean and it was VERY crowded. There wasn’t anywhere for us to sit, which was a real bummer. It wasn’t even that nice of a day! We probably could have gone to one of the quiet pools and had a better time.
You really can’t go wrong at a Disney Resort…
Overall, our experience at Port Orleans Riverside was just okay. It’s not our favorite moderate resort but it’s still a GREAT choice! You really can’t go wrong when you are staying at a Disney Resort!
So, what do you think? Am I being too harsh on Port Orleans Riverside? Is it your favorite? Comment below!