Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is the world’s number one tourist destination, welcoming tens of millions of visitors every year. Many of those visitors wish to stay as close as possible to the heart of the magic and Disney provides more than twenty varied hotel complexes within the 47 square miles of its property. These range from economy venues such as the Value All Star Resorts right up to the deluxe (and expensive!) Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Between these, the middle ground is covered by the ‘Moderate’ resorts which offer more comfort and facilities than the Values but still at a reasonably affordable price point.

Widely regarded as the best of these Moderate resorts is the twin complex of Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside. Nestled along the banks of the Disney-created Sassagoula River, these two resorts are probably the best themed, and certainly the most picturesque, places you can stay within Walt Disney World without breaking the bank.

“Readers consistently rank Port Orleans Riverside as one of Disney’s best resorts in any category, and it’s not hard to see why.”

--- The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (Color Companion 2010)

After fifteen years of visiting Port Orleans, and continually finding myself answering the same sort of questions about this popular destination within the online Disney communities, I thought it was probably time for someone to create a one-stop dedicated information guide to help out potential visitors and returning fans alike... and so here it is — Welcome to PortOrleans.org!

So what can you expect to find here? Hopefully enough information to answer just about any questions you might have about these two resorts — the amenities, restaurants and bars, recreational facilities, transport, prices and even the theming & history — all in one convenient site. Please use the menus on the left to navigate around, but some of the more popular features are:

• Individual sections on both Riverside and French Quarter, including details of their accommodation buildings, shops, swimming pools, etc.
• Information and photos of the Guest Rooms — including the exciting new refurbished sections — along with current Pricing Information.
• Full menus of all the restaurants, food courts and bars that the two resorts have to offer, including Boatwright’s Dining Hall, the Riverside Mill and the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory.
• Full Recreation listings, from boat and bike rentals to fishing to romantic horse and carriage rides.
• Complete transportation information to help you find your way around by bus, ferry, car or on foot — including detailed Port Orleans and Walt Disney World Maps.
• Historical information and Trivia (including the resort’s intricately imagineered backstory) plus copies of the resort’s “Sassagoula Times” information sheets to help plan your stay.
• Still not found what you’re after? Then the Frequently Asked Questions, Hints & Tips section should be your next stop — or if your question isn’t answered there, why not ask in the Visitor’s Forum?
• And finally of course there’s our in-depth Photo Gallery with more than 2,000 high-quality images of the resorts and their surroundings, plus a range of Desktop Wallpapers for you to download to your own computer and even some Video Clips.

“Easily the most romantic and intimate of Disney’s moderate resorts, Port Orleans French Quarter is a perennial favorite of Unofficial Guide readers.”

--- The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (Color Companion 2010)

By its nature, this site will constantly remain a “work in progress” and there will always be more to add, or sections to adjust and update, but I hope you find it a useful resource and will bookmark this page and return regularly to see it evolve. Any questions, comments or suggestions are very welcome via the Visitor’s Forum — or if you’ve already written a trip report about a stay at Port Orleans in the past, why not help out other visitors and post a version here too? Many thanks!

Please enjoy your visit to PortOrleans.org and I look forward to hearing from you. Have a magical day!

 

 

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RECENT SITE UPDATES: 31-Dec-11: Added a separate Recreation Activities Schedule page, containing both the current monthly schedules and historical archives. 16-Dec-11: Added several new Guest Photo Galleries, including some of the Christmas decorations. 29-Sep-11: Added new refurbished room photos to the Magnolia Bend Rooms Photo Gallery. 19-Sep-11: Updated all the restaurant and pool-bar menus (Boatwright’s Dining Hall, Riverside Mill, Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, Muddy Rivers and Mardi Grogs). 04-Sep-11: Added a Scavenger Hunt Photo Quiz page which you can print out and take with you on your next trip. 19-Jun-10: Updated the Room Rates page to cover stays up to the end of 2012, including the new Royal Rooms. 10-Apr-11: Linked the News and Refurbishment Updates pages directly to the Visitor’s Forum to allow questions and comments. 28-Mar-11: Updated the Visitor’s Forum phpBB software and fully integrated the forums into the main site layout (at last!) 26-Mar-11: Made a number of changes to third-pary code to better support Internet Explorer 9. 08-Mar-11: Added several new 360° Panorama Photos. 05-Feb-11: Added more than 230 new Gallery photos plus a page of French Quarter Refurbished Room pictures. 25-Jan-11: Added Discounts and Special Offers page. 03-Jan-11: Added weather widget to the main menu area, with links to a full forecast for the Orlando area. 06-Dec-10: Updated the Mardi Grogs Pool Bar drinks menu. 21-Nov-10: Updated the Room Rates page to cover stays up to the end of 2011. 20-Nov-10: Updated the Muddy Rivers Pool Bar drinks menu. 19-Nov-10: Updated the Riverside Mill Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menus. 18-Nov-10: Updated the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory Breakfast menu, plus Boatwright’s Kids’ menu and kosher options. 14-Nov-10: Updated the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory Lunch and Dinner menu. 12-Nov-10: Updated the Boatwright’s Dining Hall Dinner menu. 01-Nov-10: Added a new Refurbishments Page to document the ongoing guest-room updates. [more...]