23-Feb-10: “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson, the popular musician who entertains the crowds four evenings a week at the River Roost Lounge at Port Orleans Riverside, is a guest on the Main Street Mugs Live podcast this week. The full show can be heard on their website or you can downloaded it as an MP3 file.

13-Feb-10: As part of the Eyes on Ears project, a live webcam was streamed directly from a river view room in Oak Manor at Port Orleans Riverside from 13th February until 21st February 2010. See the video page for more details, or visit www.eyesonears.com to see current live webcams streamed from other Walt Disney World locations.

27-Oct-2009: All Disney Advanced Dining Reservations (including for Boatwright’s at Port Orleans Riverside) can now be made up to 180 days in advance of your planned dining date, as opposed to the temporary 90 day system introduced at the end of last year. Disney Resort guests get an extra 10-day window from their arrival date, giving a maximum of 190 days from check-in day.

The switchover day, when 90 extra days of availability was created overnight rather than being phased in gradually, was fraught with somewhat predictable problems. The online booking system was completely swamped and crashed within a few seconds of the extra 90 days being released at 6am and it was down for the rest of the day (possibly in a deliberate attempt to keep the remaining telephone booking system operating?). The phone lines were instantly jammed at 7am with some guests experiencing waits of well over an hour (if you could even get into the queue; many people spent literally all day redialling and getting “lines are busy” messages). Some restaurants — such as Cinderella’s Royal Table — did not even show up on the system at all, and the agents’ computers were prone to crashing or simply locking out a whole batch of in-progress reservations all day.

19-Oct-2009: Port Orleans Riverside’s Ol’ Man Island pool water-slide will be closed for maintenance from 19th October until 6th November. When it reopens, the dragon slide at the Doubloon Lagoon pool at French Quarter is then scheduled to be closed from 9th November until 20th November. Both pools will otherwise remain open during the work and guests may use the remaining slide at the other resort pool in the meantime.

17-Oct-2009: Due to the 2nd annual Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival taking place on the lake at Downtown Disney on Saturday 17th October, watercraft transportation will not be available between Downtown Disney and the Sassagoula River resorts (Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs). Additional buses will be provided during the day and normal watercraft transportation will resume after 5:30pm. Internal watercraft transportation between the resorts will not be affected.

13-Jul-2009: Port Orleans is getting a new General Manager, a position which oversees both sections of the dual resort. Val Bunting, currently Vice President in charge of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, will take charge as soon as her Animal Kingdom successor is in place [now confirmed as Kevin Lansberry, who has been with Disney since 1986 and who was previously Vice President of Downtown Disney, Transportation, Sports and Golf operations].

Prior to taking the position of VP at Animal Kingdom in October 2007, Val Bunting was the General Manager of Park Operations at Magic Kingdom, and she has been employed at Walt Disney World since 1976. According to a Disney spokesperson, Val made the decision as a personal choice in order to move into the resort side of the business. For the news story, see this Orlando Sentinel article.

14-Jun-2009: The Sassagoula River ferry boat service which runs between Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter and Downtown Disney now operates from 10am until 11pm daily. The additional local service which used to ferry guests between the two resorts from 9am until 11am is no longer operating, presumably because there is less demand now that Boatwright’s Dining Hall no longer serves breakfast. Thanks to Allison Duddles for the update leaflet, which also states that the two games arcades are now open 24 hours per day (was 7am—midnight).

01-Jun-2009: The 25-minute horse drawn carriage rides which are available in the evenings from the Riverside marina area have recently been increased in price from $35 to $45. For more information on this service and how to book, please see the Recreation page.

17-May-2009: With the reopening of the central Pleasure Island ferry dock at Downtown Disney on 17 May, the Disney Vacation Club Resort ferry service (for Old Key West and Saratoga Springs) will be relocated to that new dock. The Port Orleans (French Quarter and Riverside) ferry boats will continue to depart as they always have from the Marketplace dock, next to the Rainforest Cafe.

On 21 May, the new dock for the rebuilt Treehouse Villas will open for public use. When this happens, the DVC resort boats departing from Downtown Disney will run two separate routes — one service from Pleasure Island to Old Key West (with green flags and signs) and the other from Pleasure Island to Saratoga Springs and the Treehouse Villas (with blue flags and signs). The continuing Port Orleans service from the Marketplace dock will be marked with yellow flags and signs.

The internal Downtown Disney water taxi service will continue to ferry guests between the three Downtown Disney docks — Marketplace, Pleasure Island and West Side — and will be marked with red flags and signs. The various services will run every 10-30 minutes from 10:30am until 11:30pm daily. See the Ferry Boats page for further details.

12-Apr-2009: This Easter Sunday (12 April) children can enjoy fun Candy Scrambles at several Walt Disney World resorts. Port Orleans Resort guests should meet at French Quarter Square at 9am to participate.

05-Apr-2009: The UK Walt Disney Travel Company has recently been informing guests that Port Orleans Riverside will soon be removing all of the trundle beds from its Alligator Bayou rooms, citing that as these beds are so small the company has been receiving too many complaints about them.

In an attempt to clarify the situation, on March 19th I called the resort directly and after a little persuasion managed to get an answer passed on from the Office Operations Manager at Riverside who said (and I quote) “there is no way that they are going to get rid of the trundle beds.”

As the rumour still seemed to be spreading, on April 5th I called the UK Walt Disney Travel Company and at first the agent repeated their original information — i.e. that Riverside can no longer accept bookings for more than four people. However, when I asked if she could check again on the source of that information, she eventually came back to me saying that it is not the actual resort that has the limitation, but that “our UK partners are not contracted to be able to book those rooms”. She said that five-person bookings can definitely still be made with the US booking office, just not via the UK booking line.

Hopefully that will put everyone’s mind at rest for the time being at least. If anyone working at the resort can provide any further information, please get in touch.

18-Mar-2009: Port Orleans Riverside’s fabulous piano-playing entertainer “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson returned to his regular gig at the River Roost Lounge on Wednesday 18 March after a month of recuperating from back surgery.

26-Feb-2009: Walt Disney World’s online checkin facility is now available, allowing resort guests to pre-register for their stay via Disney’s website up to ten days in advance of their arrival date. This new system allows you to provide such information as full guest names, arrival & departure times, on-site (e.g. cell phone) contact details, a credit card number for room-charges and also any special room requests (although, as always, these cannot be guaranteed). A welcome folder, which will include your room key cards, will then be waiting at a new quick-pickup location in the resort lobby.

For more details, or to use the service, log in to the My Disney Vacation page at www.disneyworld.com or go directly to www.mydisneyreservation.com.

Walt Disney World Resort launched a new Online Check-In Service today, designed to simplify and streamline guest arrivals. The new service is complimentary and available to guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels and Disney Vacation Club resorts open as of February 2009.

Within 10 days of their arrival dates, guests are able to provide check-in information, advise the resort of their arrival times and request room preferences (although those cannot be guaranteed). Guests can also register the names of all the people in their party and provide a credit card to cover charges at the resort hotel.

Upon arrival at their resorts, guests visit a special welcome location where their room keys and other registration material are waiting. Disney cast members are also available to provide additional information and answer questions.

Meeting professionals can also arrange private group check-in at a Disney resort convention center or other locations.

“Our new Online Check-In Service offers added convenience and time savings for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests,” said Kevin Myers, vice president of Resort Operations for Walt Disney World Resort. “It’s the latest benefit created as part of our continuous effort to provide a seamless and hassle-free arrival experience for our guests as they begin their Disney vacation.”

www.mydisneyreservation.com/guest

22-Feb-2009: Boatwright’s Dining Hall no longer serves Breakfast as of this morning, only Dinner. This means that the only on-site breakfast options for guests staying at either Riverside or French Quarter will be the counter service locations — and no more Sweet Potato Cakes or Banana-stuffed French toast! It is unclear at present whether this is merely a short term cost-cutting measure due to the current economic downturn or if this curtailment will continue through into the peak summer months. Disney’s official word on the subject is as follows:

As a part of our normal course of business, we regularly evaluate our offerings and make appropriate adjustments as needed. Boatwright’s Dining Hall at Disney’s Port Orleans - Riverside will no longer be open for breakfast effective Sunday, February 22, 2009. Dinner will continue to be offered daily.

Guests looking for dining options at Port Orleans - Riverside throughout the day are invited to visit the Riverside Mill for a wide variety of meals or the River Roost for lounge-style dining. If looking for a more formal dining experience, please visit one of our many other Resort restaurants for breakfast or lunch including Olivia’s at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort or The Wave at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

21-Feb-2009: The Ol’ Man Island feature swimming pool and hot tub reopened today after a three week rehab which started on 2nd February. Following this, one or more of the Alligator Bayou quiet pools may be closed from 23rd February to 6th March.

16-Feb-2009: Port Orleans Riverside’s fabulous piano-playing entertainer “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson is currently convalescing following back surgery on 16 February. He hopes to be able to return to work at the River Roost Lounge on 18 March. We wish you a speedy recovery Bob — everyone is missing you. Why not leave Bob a message on his Facebook page?

15-Feb-2009: The Eyes on Ears group streamed LIVE video from Alligator Bayou Lodge 39 at Port Orleans Riverside from 15 February 2009 until 21 February 2009. The webcaster (Mike©) also recorded some walkabout sequences around both Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter which should be available for downloading soon. For more information, please visit www.eyesonears.com.

05-Feb-2009: Disney’s Port Orleans Resort kicked off Mardi Gras in style with a fun parade and float-decorating contest, consisting of Cast Member-decorated golf carts touring the resort.

03-Feb-2009: Disney recently announced that an online checkin facility will soon be available. The start date has now been revised from early January 2009 to “late February”, and DVC members have just been emailed with a date of 24th February. When it does finally go live, guests will be able to pre-register at Disney’s website up to ten days in advance of their actual arrival date. The system will allow you to provide such information as full guest names, arrival & departure times, on-site (e.g. cell phone) contact details, a credit card number for room-charges and also any special room requests (although, as always, these cannot be guaranteed). A welcome folder, which will include your room key cards, will then be waiting at a new quick-pickup location in the resort lobby. [This service is now live as of 26-Feb-09, see www.mydisneyreservation.com]

30-Jan-2009: Guests visiting Port Orleans Riverside mentioned that some sections of the resort — for example, some of the Magnolia Bend mansion buildings — were not being currently occupied due to generally low attendance figures. Resort staff remained tight-lipped on the subject and no further confirmation was received. Subsequent visitors seem to think that the resort quickly returned to normal operation.

21-Jan-2009: Guests trying to make breakfast reservations for Boatwright’s Dining Hall at Port Orleans Riverside have been informed that as from Sunday 22nd February 2009 the restaurant will no longer be serving breakfast. Dinner reservations are apparently unaffected.

17-Jan-2009: Disney wrote to guests saying that the main Ol’ Man Island feature pool at Port Orleans Riverside would be closed for rehab from 2nd February 2009. No reopening date was given in the letters, just a general indication of “late February” [the pool actually reopened on 21st February]. The main wooden water-slide supports were replaced, alongside general maintenance work. The pool and hot tub were closed and fenced off for the duration of the work but the rest of the facilities on the island were unaffected. In the meantime, guests were offered use the five remaining quiet pools at Riverside or the Doubloon Lagoon feature pool at Port Orleans French Quarter, for which a water taxi service was available. Although Disney has not announced anything officially, it is also likely that one or more of the Alligator Bayou quiet pools will be closed from around 23rd February to 6th March once work on the main pool has been completed.

23-Dec-2008: All Disney Advanced Dining Reservations (including for Boatwright’s at Port Orleans Riverside) can now only be made up to 90 days in advance of your planned dining date, as opposed to the old 180 day system. Disney Resort guests will still get an extra 10-day window from their arrival date, giving a maximum of 100 days from check-in day.

At that point, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Chef Mickey’s and Victoria & Albert’s could all still be booked for dining dates up to 19th June 2009, however as from 21st March 2009 the 90-day window caught up for these restaurants too.

This change was eventually reverted back to the full 180 day window on 27th October 2009.

19-Dec-2008 — RUMOUR: There are currently a number of independent rumours circulating on the internet, some apparently based on off-the-record comments from cast members, that Disney may be planning to temporarily close one Value and one Moderate resort due to the current economic downturn. At present these rumours are completely unsubstantiated, but it would not be without precedent as Disney previously closed Port Orleans French Quarter (for “maintenance”) for a twelve month period during the sharp decline in attendance after 9/11. Currently room bookings are available for the next twelve months at all of the on-site resorts, but if Disney did take this course of action they could easily switch people to other locations as they did in 2003. No other information is available at present, and nothing has been announced officially — watch this space for updates.

Thursday 11-Dec-2008: As part of the 2008 Mousefest event, the Disney Podcast Network held a Bob Jackson Meet at Port Orleans Riverside’s River Roost Lounge at 8pm. It wasn’t a formal event, anyone was welcome to turn up and meet fellow Disney fans for a friendly nightcap. A few pictures from the meet are here on flickr.

Spring 2008: Minor room refurbishments were carried out throughout the Port Orleans French Quarter resort. Changes included swapping the old air conditioning units for newer more efficient GE Zoneline models (although still featuring rotary controls). Also the light bulbs have been replaced with energy efficient types. These changes were most likely required as part of Disney’s intention to make all of its resort hotels comply with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Lodging Program. Presumably the same series of updates will be undertaken at Riverside soon?

27-May-2008 (from MousePlanet’s WDW News Updates page): Interesting items from paperwork filed with Orange County during the last week:
Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside: Replace existing concrete sidewalks with new concrete.
Port Orleans Riverside Food Court Beverage Island: Modify existing soda dispenser support counter and install new drain pan/trough.

28-Jan-2008-15-Mar-2008: The Doubloon Lagoon pool at Port Orleans French Quarter was closed for rehab. It actually reopened slightly early to guests on Saturday 8th March.

---

For older information on the general background of these resorts, please see the Resort History page. For information about updates to this website, please see our Site Updates page.