Port Orleans News and Rumours
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02-Feb-12 : Port Orleans Riverside 20 years old today - Happy Birthday!
20 years ago today, the first section of the brand new Dixie Landings resort (the 1,024 rooms of the rustic Alligator Bayou lodges) opened to the public. This was to be the first of two distinct areas, which would later include the Magnolia Bend mansion buildings.
Following a name change and merger with its sister hotel in April 2001, that resort is of course now better known to us as Port Orleans Riverside. For more details of the resort's background, please see our History page, and also a new blog posting today on the DisneyParks Blog.
So if you're there today, don't forget to pop along to the lobby nice and early and pick your free birthday cake while it lasts.
Although I can't be there in person today, I'd like to pass on my own grateful thanks to General Manager Val Bunting and her whole team for the hard work they put in to keeping the resort running smoothly and looking as picture-perfect as it did on opening day twenty years ago - perhaps even better now that all the foliage and vegetation has had a chance to mature.
As Walt Disney was always keen to point out, it's the cast members who ensure that the magic happens - and apparently nearly 150 of them have been at this resort since opening day. It's their dedication which ensures that visiting guests experience a truly magical stay laced with Southern Charm, and they are directly responsible for so many visitors returning to Port Orleans year after year - including me! Thank you everyone, and here's to the next twenty years.
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01-Feb-12 : Port Orleans Guest Service Manager on DisneyParks blog
Kyle Raser, the current manager of Guest Service Operations at Port Orleans, was featured in a lovely posting on the DisneyParks Blog yesterday - just a few days ahead of Port Orleans Riverside's 20th Anniversary. Kyle talked nostalgically about his very first trip to Dixie Landings (as it was then known) as a 14-year-old back in 1993, which started him on his future career path.
For the full posting, see http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2 ... st-member/
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28-Jan-12 : French Quarter Courtyard Refurbishment, 9 Jan - 2 March 2012
The French Quarter Courtyard (behind the main lobby building) will be undergoing refurbishment work starting on Monday 9th January for approximately 8 weeks. The central area, from the lobby doors out towards the sidewalk, will be boarded up during this period but walkways will be available on either side of the courtyard.
Daily construction work should not start before 9am and the estimated completion date is 2nd March 2012. (Thanks to John Miller for the photos)
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27-Jan-12 : Dixie Landings opened 20 years ago on 2 February 1992
The initial section of the resort originally known as Dixie Landings first opened to the public on Sunday 2 February 1992, two decades ago, joining its sister resort of Port Orleans which had débuted nine months earlier. The initial 1,024 rooms in the rustic Alligator Bayou section would later be joined by another 1,024 Magnolia Bend mansion building rooms.
The resort subsequently had a name change to Port Orleans Riverside in April 2001, at which time its sister hotel was also rebranded to Port Orleans French Quarter. Today, the combined Port Orleans resort offers a total of 3,056 guest rooms and employs around 1,200 cast members, including approximately 142 who have worked there since opening day.
The latest issue of the Walt Disney World Cast Member magazine “Eyes & Ears” features an article on the resort, including details of the upcoming Royal Room refurbishments and some words from one of the opening day cast members. It does not mention whether there are any guest-accessible events planned for the anniversary on Thursday.
Update: There will be balloons and decorations up in the lobby on 2nd February, and free birthday cake for the guests - while it lasts of course, so get there early!
According to General Manager Val Bunting, herself a native Southerner, the resort's highlights are almost too numerous to list. “It’s kind of that place [from] a hundred years ago, where things are much simpler and much quieter,” she said. “I tell [Cast Members], ‘You don’t have to be from the South, you just have to know what great hospitality is and provide great charm while you’re here.’”
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14-Jan-12 : Alligator Bayou quiet pool maintenance dates in Jan/Feb
The three Alligator Bayou quiet pools are due to be closed for short routine maintenance periods during January and February 2012. Pool #2 is due to be closed from Monday 23 January until Friday 27 January, pool #3 from Monday 30 January to Friday 3 February, and pool #1 from Monday 27 February to Thursday 1 March. These dates do not coincide with the existing work on the main feature pool on Ol' Man Island which is scheduled to be carried out from 6-8 February.
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07-Jan-12 : Garden View category opens. Queen Beds not guaranteed at POR
The new 'Garden View' room category came into effect on 1 January 2012 at Port Orleans, with views now available as follows:
- Standard: Parking lot views
- Garden: Lawns, courtyards (including fountains, water features, etc), bayou landscaping/pools/streams - but NOT parking lots
- Water: Swimming pool view
- River: View of the Sassagoula River
- Also bookable are Preferred Locations (buildings 14, 15, 18 and 27 at Riverside only) and King Bed rooms.
While many guests will have booked Garden View rooms simply to ensure that they do not overlook a parking lot, a significant number of bookings have apparently been made solely on the basis that this was the only room type at Port Orleans Riverside which advertised Queen Beds in the amenities list (see below examples). Sadly, at present the chances of getting queen beds by booking Garden View are not any better than they would have been with any of the other room categories.
As of today (7 January) the WDW booking website is still quoting Queen Beds as a benefit of this room category, but the management team at the resort are working to get this corrected as soon as possible. I do know that resort staff will try their best to keep guests happy at check-in, and they will attempt to accommodate anyone who specifically asks for - or had made a Garden View booking because of - queen beds. However with only a limited number of queen bed rooms available, there are obviously no guarantees.
If queen beds are particularly important to you I would suggest that you call the reservations center now and ensure that your existing booking has a note added to it requesting queen beds. Don't believe them if they tell you that you are guaranteed to be given queen beds anyway, as until around August that will not be true. A few days before you arrive you may wish to contact the resort on 1-407-934-6000 and ask to speak to the on-site room allocation department (not just the central switchboard who will initially answer your call) and reiterate your request and explain the reason. They will do their best to help you if they can.
Note: this issue does not affect Port Orleans French Quarter, where all of the rooms have already been refurbished and feature queen beds. However in a bizarre twist, the WDW booking website no longer includes any descriptive text for Garden View rooms at French Quarter... has someone perhaps inadvertantly removed the accurate description?
Update on 15 January:
Over the last couple of days Disney have finally corrected their official booking website, and Garden View rooms are now listed as having 2 double beds, rather than 2 queen-size beds. Oh well, better late than never.
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01-Jan-12 : January 2012 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The January 2012 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available.
The outdoor movies will start at 7pm this month, and there will again be a slightly reduced set of pool activities in this cooler weather. The daily campfires commence at 5:30pm.
(click on the above images for printable versions)
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28-Dec-11 : Feature Pools Maintenance Closures Jan/Feb 2012
The Doubloon Lagoon feature swimming pool at Port Orleans French Quarter will be closed for maintenance work on Tuesday 17 January and Wednesday 18 January, reopening on Thursday 19 January 2012. The spa/hot tub should remain open during this time. There is also construction work going on in the courtyard behind the entrance lobby, access will be along the sides of this area.
The Ol' Man Island feature swimming pool at Port Orleans Riverside will be closed for maintenance work from Monday 6 February to Wednesday 8 February, reopening on Thursday 9 February 2012.
All of the other pools at the resort will remain open for guests during these closures.
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25-Dec-11 : Christmas 2011 Recreation Activities Schedules
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
The Christmas 2011 Recreation Activities for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available:
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15-Dec-11 : Free Wi-Fi launches at Port Orleans 15 December
We've just been told that a new free Wi-Fi internet service at Port Orleans is now ready for action, and will commence service today (Thursday 15 December 2011).
Update on 16 December:
In addition to the lobby, entranceway, bus stop and pool area, guest rooms have now been confirmed to be covered too, although there are some early reports of patchy reception in a few places. Speeds are generally faster in the common areas than in the guest rooms.
The SSID (access point name) that you should look for is "disneyguest" (unsecured).
For more information, please see our Internet Access page.
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03-Dec-11 : December Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules
The December Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available.
The outdoor movies will start at 7pm this month, and there will again be a slightly reduced set of pool activities in the cooler weather. The daily campfires commence at 5:30pm.
There will be a separate schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day which will be available via the resort's Holiday Activities Guide later in the month.
(click on the above images for printable versions)
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03-Nov-11 : Quiet pool between Oak Manor and Parterre Place closure
The quiet pool between Oak Manor and Parterre Place at Port Orleans Riverside was scheduled for maintenance work to the restroom area between 10 October and 11 November. It was reported by a guest that the pool was closed around 19 October, so should presumably be reopening soon.
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01-Nov-11 : WDW Today podcast Port Orleans discussion
Episode 949 of the excellent WDW Today podcast is devoted to a discussion of the Port Orleans resorts. The hosts have always regarded the Port Orleans resorts as their favourite moderate resorts at WDW, and while there are a few minor factual errors** the overall show is a nice balanced overview of the pros and cons of staying at Port Orleans.
Click here to listen to or download the show.
** Update: Episode 952 the following week offers some further thoughts on Port Orleans, including corrections to the little issues I mentioned above. Thanks for listening guys.
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31-Oct-11 : November Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules
The November Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available, please see our Recreation page for full details and to download printable PDF copies.
Of particular note is that, with the earlier winter nights starting to draw in, movies will start at 7pm this month.
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28-Oct-11 : Halloween Recreation Activities Schedules 2011
I've just received the recreation activities schedules for the two Port Orleans resorts. Sounds like lots of spooky fun for all the kids - and kids at heart - staying at Port Orleans during Monday 31st October this year.
Port Orleans Riverside Halloween 2011 (click to download PDF file)
Port Orleans French Quarter Halloween 2011 (click to download PDF file)
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01-Oct-11 : October Recreation Activities Schedule
The October 2011 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available, please see our Recreation page for full details and to download printable PDF copies. A separate Halloween Activities schedule will be posted closer to the date.
Also, Happy Birthday to the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World! 40 amazing years to the day of making magic for millions and millions of happy guests, children and adults alike. Thank you to Walt for the imagination and inspiration, and to Roy for the drive and determination to bring his ideas to life.
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01-Sep-11 : September Recreation Schedule posted
The September 2011 Recreation Activities Schedule is now available, please see our Recreation page.
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26-Aug-11 : General Port Orleans News Updates
To put the ongoing debate to bed once and for all (to use a very suitable metaphor) I had a great meeting today with someone who can give us an absolutely definitive answer on the extra bed in Alligator Bayou question. (Thank you for your generosity with your time if you are reading this)
So YES, the fifth person bed option IS staying, but not as a trundle bed (as they won't fit with the new queen beds). The new option will be a fold-down bed which is actually slightly bigger than the current trundle beds, and it will allow smaller adults to use it rather than just kids. It will be located on the wall, beneath the new flat-screen television (which will also be wall-mounted) and will fold down on top of a lower, wider drawer unit. Princess and the Frog fans will spot some fun themed details on the inside of the new fold-down unit and also on the comforter pillows on the main queen beds. Oh, and AB fans will love to hear that the existing floor tiling in the bathroom and vanity areas will be staying, as it was only installed fairly recently. The general rustic concept will be staying too, but "on steroids" as one resort manager commented.
On the downside, one other thing that I learned it that the option to have an extra roll-away bed brought into the other areas (Magnolia Bend and French Quarter) will no longer be available with the queen beds, meaning that Alligator Bayou will be the ONLY option for families of five. There will also definitely be no King Bed rooms available in the new Royal Room areas (which we already knew from the booking site).
On the recreation front, the new poolside game activities, movie screenings and campfires at both resorts will be staying year-round rather than being seasonal, which will please a lot of people.
I hope to be able to get some detailed photos from Magnolia Terrace (which comes back into availability in a few days) before I leave and will post them when I do.
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06-Aug-11 : Movie Nights extended: now daily, plus includes Riverside
Starting in Summer 2011, Port Orleans French Quarter began hosting three outdoor “Movie Under the Stars” screenings each week. As from August 2011, this has been extended to showing movies every night at 9pm — plus there is also now a similar offering over at Riverside at the same time. The French Quarter movies are shown in Beignet Square — the turfed area between buildings 4, 5 and 6 — while Riverside guests need to head over to the courtyard in front of Oak Manor (building 90).
Details are subject to change, and screenings can be cancelled due to poor weather, but the current resort activities schedule (which also includes daytime poolside activities and games) should be available from the Front Desk or Concierge Desk. For August 2011, the published information is as follows:
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01-Aug-11 : Magnolia Bend quiet pool refurbishment, 5 Sept - 7 Oct 2011
The quiet pool located between Acadian House and Magnolia Terrace at Port Orleans Riverside is scheduled to be closed for routine maintenance and refurbishment work between 5th September and 7th October 2011. The main Ol' Man Island pool and the other quiet pools will remain open as normal.
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13-Jun-11 : 2012 Room Rates Released
Walt Disney World has just released their 2012 room rates through their online booking site. At the time of writing, rooms were only bookable up to 25 October 2012 as there is a maximum 499 day rolling booking window.
The upcoming ‘Royal Room’ category at Port Orleans Riverside is now bookable for stays commencing Friday 17th February (which is when the refurbishment of Oak Manor should be completed) and Disney has also introduced yet another booking category – Garden View – into the already complicated and increasingly pricey mix. This presumably means that anyone paying for a basic room will now most likely end up with a parking lot view.
I will try to put together a full price breakdown as soon as I can [19-Jun: now completed, please see the Room Rates Page for all 2012 prices] but base rates appear to start at $159 weekday / $174 weekend for Value season, going up to $190 weekday / $205 weekend in peak Summer season. Special vacation dates will be even higher, for example $234 for the entire two weeks around Easter and $244 for the Christmas Holidays.
The various special categories add on as follows (well, according to the WDW website, anyway - but when you click on each option, the sums don't always seem to add up quite as shown...)
Normal Rooms
Standard View: ---
Garden View: +$11
Preferred Location: +$28 [Riverside only]
King Bed: +$28
Water View: +$28
River View: +$34
Royal Rooms
Standard View: +$34
Garden View: +$45
Water View: +$62
River View: +$68
There was initially a typo on the WDW website which quoted the final Royal Room price as ‘Garden View’ again, but that has now been changed to the correct ‘River View’ listing. Also, there appear to be no King Bed options in the Royal Room categories, so we must assume that the only choice there is for two queen beds – which does seem logical enough bearing in mind that these rooms are aimed directly at families.
So, finally Disney has made it possible to book a single Port Orleans Riverside (moderate) room for over $300 per night plus tax! Recession, what recession?
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01-Jun-11 : June Movie Night Schedule at POFQ
Disney movies are currently being shown three nights a week at Port Orleans French Quarter - Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm - on a giant inflatable screen erected on the grassy courtyard between buildings 4, 5 and 6 (Beignet Square).
The June 2011 schedule is as follows (subject to change):
- Wednesday, June 1: Monsters, Inc.
Friday, June 3: Gnomeo and Juliet
Saturday, June 4: Tangled
Wednesday, June 8: A Bug's Life
Friday, June 10: James and the Giant Peach
Saturday, June 11: The Rescuers
Wednesday, June 15: Atlantis
Friday, June 17: Enchanted
Saturday, June 18: Toy Story
Wednesday, June 22: The Emperor's New Groove
Friday, June 24: The Princess and the Frog
Saturday, June 25: The Sword and the Stone
Wednesday, June 29: Lilo and Stitch
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22-May-11 : Movie Nights at Port Orleans French Quarter
The grassy courtyard between buildings 4, 5 and 6 (Beignet Square) has often been used for entertainment during special events such as Easter and Halloween, but it seems that the resort is now trialling the idea of having movie nights three nights a week (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) on a giant inflatable screen. Presumably this will happen during the summer months when it's always warm enough to sit out in the evenings.
The May 2011 schedule is as follows (subject to change):
- Wed 4 May: A Bug's Life
Fri 6 May: The Sword in the Stone
Sat 7 May: Monsters, Inc.
Wed 11 May: Toy Story
Fri 13 May: G-Force
Sat 14 May: Wall-E
Wed 18 May: The Princess Diaries
Fri 20 May: Beauty and the Beast
Sat 21 May: The Princess and the Frog
Wed 25 May: Bolt
Fri 27 May: Mulan
Sat 28 May: Meet the Robinsons
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17-May-11 : 20th Birthday Activities at Port Orleans French Quarter
If you're going to be at the resort today, don't miss out on the birthday cake being served in the lobby area of French Quarter, and enjoy some great jazz entertainment from the resort's talented resident musician, Elliot Dyson, who will be performing all day today at the Scat Cats lounge right next to the lobby.
Have a great day - I just wish I could be there to join in the fun!
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08-May-11 : Port Orleans turns 20 years old on Tuesday 17 May 2011
The first three buildings of the original Port Orleans Resort - the section that is now known as French Quarter - originally opened their doors to the public on 17 May 1991, two decades ago. Riverside - or Dixie Landings as it was then known - opened a year later on 2 February 1992. Now the combined resort offers a total of 3,056 guest rooms and employs around 1,200 cast members.
The latest issue of the WDW Cast Member magazine “Eyes & Ears” features an article on the resort, saying that the cast member celebrations this month will focus on the French Quarter and will include a cookout, birthday cake, commemorative keepsakes and recognition of about 15 cast members who have worked there since opening day. It does not mention whether there are also any guest-accessible events planned.
“We say it’s the place where Disney magic flows with Southern charm,” commented Valerie Bunting, general manager of the resort, in the article. Born in Virginia, Valerie loves the New Orleans area and said she feels quite at home at the resort which she has managed for nearly two years. “I’m in heaven here. It transports you back to a quieter time. You’d never know that you were in the middle of the Walt Disney World Resort.”
“When I’m just walking by the river, I see people sitting on benches just at peace with themselves,” said Valerie, who has been a cast member for 35 years. “It’s a haven.”
I'd just like to add grateful thanks to Valerie and her whole team for the work they put in to keep this resort looking as picture-perfect as it did on opening day twenty years ago - perhaps even better now that the foliage and vegetation have had a chance to mature - and ensuring that the visiting guests experience a fabulous and truly magical stay. Here's to the next twenty years.
Happy Birthday Port Orleans!
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20-Apr-11 : Easter Sunday 2011 Events Timetable at Port Orleans
The following fun events have been scheduled at Port Orleans for Easter Sunday 24 April 2011:
- 9am - Candy Scramble
Meet at French Quarter Field between buildings 4 and 5. - 9am–2pm - Jellybean Counting Contest
Try your luck at the Riverside Marina! The winner will be announced at 4:30pm at the Riverside Pool Party. - 9am–10:30am - Autographs with Characters
Meet your favourite Disney Characters at the French Quarter and Riverside lobbies. - 10am–11am - Easter Games on the Green
Meet at French Quarter Field between buildings 4 and 5 for some Easter fun! - 12pm–1pm - Cake Walk at the French Quarter Pool
Want to win a free cake? All you have to do is meet on the French Quarter Pool deck for some cake walk fun, but get there early before the cakes hop away! (While supplies last) - 1pm–2pm - French Quarter Pool Party
Meet on the main pool deck for a splashing good time. All ages welcome, families encouraged. - 2pm–3pm - Cupcake Decorating
Hop on by Riverside Marina to decorate a cupcake! (While supplies last) - 3pm–4pm - Cake Walk at the Riverside Pool
Want to win a free cake? All you have to do is meet on the Riverside Pool deck for some cake walk fun, but get there early before the cakes hop away! (While supplies last) - 4pm–5pm - Riverside Pool Party
Meet at Ol' Man Island on the main pool deck for a splashing good time. All ages welcome, families encouraged. (While supplies last)
For guests celebrating Easter, religious services will be hosted in the Fantasia Ballroom of Disney's Contemporary Resort. Catholic Masses will be held at 8am and 10:15am, while a Protestant Service will be held at 9am. Please use Walt Disney World Resort transportation as personal vehicles may not be accommodated due to parking restrictions at Disney's Contemporary Resort.
Note: All events subject to change without notice.
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19-Apr-11 : POR quiet pool & POFQ Kids Playground refurbishment closures
According to the latest newsletter from MouseSavers.com, the second of the two Magnolia Bend quiet pools at Port Orleans Riverside will be closing for maintenance work from 25 April until 27 May 2011 (the other Magnolia Bend pool was done last month). Also, the Kids' Playground at Port Orleans French Quarter will be closing for refurbishment from 2 May until 27 May 2011.
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10-Apr-11 : Easter Activities at Port Orleans for 2011
The famous Easter Egg Scramble will take place at Port Orleans again this year, and there will also be an Easter Egg hunt held in Boatwright's Dining Hall (presumably both activities will take place on Easter Sunday?). The resort also describes the arrival of "special Disney characters accompanied by Mr and Mrs Easter Bunny" although I'm not quite sure what that entails! Check with resort cast members for details.
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18-Mar-11 : "Ye Haa" Bob Jackson guests on WDW Today podcast
Port Orleans Riverside’s very own night-time entertainment legend, “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson, makes a lively guest appearance on today’s WDW Today Podcast. Visit the show page to download or listen to episode #852.
Oh and Matt, I’m sure I won’t be the first person to point this out, but Bob performs at Port Orleans RIVERSIDE, not French Quarter! Lovin’ the shoe anyway 
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17-Mar-11 : Saint Patrick's Day Fun at Port Orleans
Organised by the Food & Beverage team, the resort held a fun Saint Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt on 17 March 2011, in which 47 families participated. One mother commented how she loved that she and her 8 children had to walk around the resort, getting exercise in a beautiful and clean environment on a gorgeous day.
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08-Mar-11 : Mardi Gras 2011 at Port Orleans
Every year, the cast members at the Port Orleans resorts get the opportunity to enter a fun competition to see which department can dream up the most creative, best themed Mardi Gras parade floats based around the resort’s “pargo” vehicles. The cast members get to parade their floats around both resorts for guests to see on the official Mardi Gras “Fat Tuesday”, and it all kicks off at 1:30pm on Tuesday 8th March.
If you happen to be visiting over Mardi Gras there are lots of other fun activities around the resort which guests can take part in too — look out for the signs, or ask at the front desk desk for information.
PortOrleans.org wishes all of the 2011 Pargo Parade contestants the very best of luck — have a great day!
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16-Feb-11 : DIS Unplugged podcast reviews French Quarter stay
The DIS Unplugged audio podcast today ran a detailed review of their recent stay at Port Orleans French Quarter. Despite enjoying previous visits to POFQ, to say that their experience this time was “somewhat disappointing” would be a gross understatement! Listen or download the show via this LINK to find out what happened.
Thankfully, the problems that they encountered don’t seem to be a general reflection of the state of the resort, but it does show how easy it is for things to slip. Hopefully, management have now taken note and appropriate measures have been applied.
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05-Feb-11 : PortOrleans.org Photo Gallery updates (230+ extra photos)
I've just added more than 230 new Port Orleans photos to the site's Photo Gallery, including a special page devoted entirely to pictures of the newly refurbished rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter. Enjoy!
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28-Dec-10 : Riverside Magnolia Bend quiet pool closure, 8-Feb to 1-Apr
One of the two Magnolia Bend quiet swimming pools at Port Orleans Riverside will be closed for scheduled maintenance from 8th February 2011 until 1st April 2011. All of the other pools at the resort will remain open.
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26-Dec-10 : Massachusetts man dies after walking in front of Disney bus
Tragic news as a Massachusetts man dies after walking in front of a Disney bus at Disney’s Port Orleans resort. The following information is from the Orlando Sentinel:
A Massachusetts tourist was killed Sunday when he walked in front of a bus at Walt Disney World’s Port Orleans resort, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
According to witnesses, Robert Krueger, 69, of Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, was walking alone when he stepped into the path of a Disney bus traveling through the parking lot of the resort about 5:50 pm, said Sgt. Kim Montes, a Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman.
The front of the bus struck Krueger and knocked him to the ground, a report says. He died at Orlando Regional Medical Center, Montes said.
The driver, Rosemary Kincaid, 57, of Lake Alfred, had passengers at the time of the accident. No injures were reported. Montes said she didn’t know how many people were onboard.
The crash is under investigation, but Montes said charges were unlikely. Krueger was not on a crosswalk, and the bus had the right-of-way, the highway patrol said.
Walt Disney Resort President Meg Crofton issued a brief statement on the accident: “We offer our deepest condolences to the guest’s family and loved ones. We are doing all we can for them during this difficult time.”
Our sympathies and condolences go out to this gentleman’s family and friends at this awful time for them. It’s so sad when, in this place of magic and fantasy, the real world intrudes so tragically and painfully.
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26-Oct-10 : Disney PhotoPass portrait sessions coming to Riverside?
This morning, a small group of Disney PhotoPass photographers was spotted taking posed sample shots around the grounds of Port Orleans Riverside. It seems that the portrait sessions currently available at several of the deluxe resorts, such as the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, are proving so popular that Disney is looking into the possibility of expanding their offerings into other locations, such as perhaps one of the moderate hotels.
One of the photographers indicated that Riverside was giving them some of the most photogenic backdrops so far, but of course nothing has been decided as yet and it may be some time (if ever) before the project is taken any further. Sounds like a great idea though.
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22-Oct-10 : LIVE video from Port Orleans Riverside (22 Oct-1 Nov)
LIVE VIDEO streaming direct from Port Orleans Riverside until 1 Nov 2010, see the Video page for details of when the feed is running, or visit EyesOnEars.com to join in the online fun.
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08-Sep-10 : Magnolia Terrace building temporarily closed for maintenance
A guest staying at Port Orleans Riverside this week has reported that they requested a room in the Magnolia Terrace mansion building but were told that the whole building is currently closed for refurbishment work. They checked later during their stay and noted that all of the rooms in that building did indeed appear to be unoccupied, however they did not see any actual work in progress. Hopefully this is for more than just the planned maintenance work on the elevators which has been scheduled. [Update: The building reopened a few weeks later, but without any noticeable room refurbishments having taken place.]
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09-Aug-10 : Disney releases 2011 room rates
Disney released the room availability details for 2011 bookings this week, and there are a couple of surprises in among the usual annual price rises — which actually do not appear to be quite as steep as they have been in some previous years, mostly around $5 per night extra. This year there are a couple of new room categories available, “River View” and “Preferred Location” (the latter at Riverside only).
Port Orleans French Quarter now offers rooms in four categories: Standard, then King Bed or Water View (both charged at $25/night extra) and finally River View (for a further $5/night).
Port Orleans Riverside offers five options: Standard, then King Bed, Water View, or Preferred Room (charged at $25/night extra) and finally River View (for a further $5/night).
- Standard: These rooms offer general views of the resort, landscaping, courtyards or gardens (including the bayou area at POR). This category could also include rooms facing towards a parking lot.
- Water View: These rooms offer views of the river, a swimming pool or other water feature.
- King Bed: These rooms do not specify a specific type of view and could be located within any section of the resort.
- Preferred Room (Riverside only): These rooms offer close proximity to the restaurants, transportation and main building. Update: Preferred Rooms will be located in Alligator Bayou lodges 14, 15, 18 and 27. A few guests have been informed by cast members at the Disney Reservations Center that Magnolia Terrace and Oak Manor may also be included, but this has not been confirmed and currently does not seem very likely.
- River View: These rooms offer direct views of the riverfront, but they do not guarantee any particular proximity to the main buildings. Note: at Riverside, any of the directly river-facing rooms tend to give good access to the facilities areas anyway.
To make bookings, please visit www.disneyworld.com.
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08-Aug-10 : New themed room designs may be coming to moderate resorts?
This one is most definitely in the “rumour” category, and may not even apply to Port Orleans at all (if anywhere!) but it’s interesting nonetheless. A number of guests who have stayed on-site at Disney resorts have recently been receiving survey emails asking whether they would be interested in staying at specially themed rooms in Moderate hotels. We know that the Caribbean Beach Resort already has some Pirate and Finding Nemo themed rooms, and Coronado Springs has been fairly recently updated and is targeted more towards the convention market anyway, which really only leaves Port Orleans as the potential target market — always assuming that Disney are not planning on building an entirely new Moderate hotel of course.
In each case during these online surveys guests were reminded that these would only be standard Moderate-sized rooms, and that there could be a premium of around $30 per night over the regular rooms at the same resort. The themes suggested were Royal (although not specifically “princess”) and Haunted Mansion, for which the descriptive texts were as follows:
In this special room, Tiana has hosted her royal friends from around the world. During your stay, you will discover that each friend has left Tiana a special thank you gift for her hospitality by adding touches of fun and sparkle to the interior decor. With magical fairy dust swirling above, you’ll recline in ornate canopy beds trimmed with velvet fabrics, carved detailing, and a bejeweld golden crest. Rich ceiling moldings, drapery, and custom linens further enhance the luxury of your special stay. Adorning the walls, signed portraits of each princess appear in jewel-set frames while princely swords and shields guard the entrance to the royal dressing room and bath.
It’s an enchanted stay as a special Guest of this “Royal Room.”
and...
Come spend the night with a few of the happy haunts who play in an enchanted bedroom inspired by the Haunted Mansion. Rest atop the floating Doom Buggy beds with a couple of friendly spooks and watch glow-in-the-dark, cartoon-like footsteps mysteriously appear as the evening sets in. A sliding bookcase creates a hidden passage to the bathroom and is the perfect hiding place for a hitch-hiking ghost. Oversized furnishings with curvy lines and bright colors add to the whimsy in the room.
Guests will delight in finding the hidden special effects that play up the merry, rather than scary, room ambiance.
There has been much online speculation that the Royal theme — which appears to be inspired by the New Orleans-located Princess and the Frog — would be a good fit for adding to the French Quarter, while perhaps one of Riverside’s Magnolia Bend buildings could become a Haunted mansion?
It’s all complete guesswork at the moment, but interesting anyway.
Concept Art of a proposed Royal Themed room
Concept Art of a proposed Royal Themed room
Concept Art of a proposed Haunted Manion Themed room
Concept Art of a proposed Haunted Manion Themed room
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02-Aug-10 : Refurbishment plans UNOFFICIALLY confirmed by resort manager
There is still no official word from Disney as to any start date for room renovations at Port Orleans, and Cast Members at the resort are remaining predictably tight-lipped on the subject, however at the start of August it was unofficially confirmed to a guest by two managers that the rehab of French Quarter building 7 would start in October 2010.
The last series of room refurbishments (Port Orleans Riverside, 2004/05) progressed at a rate of approximately 64 rooms per week and were carried out by the same company (Friedrich Watkins Company of Orlando, FL) without requiring major closures or impacting on guest experience.
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20-Jul-10 : More Work Permits filed, for French Quarter buildings 1-6
Disney has just filed more work permit paperwork with the Orange County Comptroller’s offices for further guest room renovations at the remaining sections of Port Orleans French Quarter, specifically buildings 1 to 6.
Again, there is no information from Disney as to any start dates, but the work permit is only valid until 25th March 2011. The nearby DVC resort of Old Key West is currently in the process of having all of its rooms updated (based on work permits issued at the start of April) so hopefully Port Orleans won’t be far behind. As always, check out Mouse Planet and wdwmagic.com for great rehab update information.
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24-Jun-10 : Best Friends Petcare Center to be built opposite Riverside
Pet lovers visiting Walt Disney World can now plan to board the family pet in fun, luxurious new accommodations [so says the Press Release]. The one-of-a-kind resort — located across the road from the main entrance to Port Orleans Riverside at 2510 Bonnet Creek Parkway — comprises more than 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space, 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas, and an expansive private dog park exclusively for the use of pet resort clients and their dogs.
The facility will accommodate up to 270 dogs and 30 cats for both daytime and overnight boarding, plus a special facility for the boarding of “pocket pets” such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and ferrets. A wide selection of suite choices for dogs includes air-conditioned indoor rooms, 48-square-foot indoor-outdoor suites, and four expansive [and presumably expensive!] VIP (very important pet) suites with television, raised bedding and private outdoor yards.
Pricing and other details are available at www.bestfriendspetcare.com or by calling 877-4-WDW-PETS. Reservations are being accepted for pet boarding stays beginning 27 August 2010.
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14-Jun-10 : More Work Permits filed, for Riverside buildings 14 and 95
More planning permits have been filed by Disney with the Orange County Comptroller’s offices for guest room renovations, this time at Port Orleans Riverside. The permits specifically refer to work on Alligator Bayou building 24 and to Parterre Place (building 95). No other details or dates for commencement of work have been given and the permits last for a year. If you want to view the submitted paperwork, click HERE or HERE.
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24-Mar-10 : Work Permit filed for French Quarter building 7 guest rooms
According to Mouse Planet and wdwmagic.com, Disney have recently filed work permit paperwork with the Orange County Comptroller’s offices for “guest room renovation” work to be undertaken at Port Orleans French Quarter by Friedrich Watkins Company of Orlando, FL.
The work permit refers specifically to Building 7 and states that the work must commence sometime before mid-March 2011. There is no information given as to whether this is to be a general refurbishment or just involves a few rooms, or what the work will entail, but the last major resort-wide refit of the guest rooms at French Quarter took place back in 2003/04.
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23-Feb-10 : "Ye Haa" Bob Jackson guests on Main Street Mugs Live podcast
“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.
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13-Feb-10 : LIVE video from Port Orleans Riverside (13 Feb-21 Feb)
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.
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27-Oct-09 : Restaurant ADRs now available from 180 days again
All Disney Advanced Dining Reservations (including for Boatwright’s Dining Hall 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.
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19-Oct-09 : Feature pools water slide maintenance dates (Oct-Nov 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.
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17-Oct-09 : Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival at DTD, 17th Oct
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.
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13-Jul-09 : Val Bunting appointed as Port Orleans General Manager
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.
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14-Jun-09 : Sassagoula River Ferry boat service operating hours changed
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).
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01-Jun-09 : 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.
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17-May-09 : 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.
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12-Apr-09 : 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.
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05-Apr-09 : 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.
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18-Mar-09 : 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.
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26-Feb-09 : 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
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22-Feb-09 : Boatwright's Dining Hall no longer serves breakfast
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.
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21-Feb-09 : 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.
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16-Feb-09 : 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?
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15-Feb-09 : 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.
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05-Feb-09 : 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.
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03-Feb-09 : 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]
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30-Jan-09 : 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.
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21-Jan-09 : 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.
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17-Jan-09 : 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.
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23-Dec-08 : 23-Dec-2008
All Disney Advanced Dining Reservations (including for Boatwright’s Dining Hall 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.
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19-Dec-08 : 19-Dec-2008 - RUMOUR
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.
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11-Dec-08 : 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.
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27-May-08 : 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.
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31-Mar-08 : 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?
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28-Jan-08 : 28-Jan-2008
The Doubloon Lagoon pool at Port Orleans French Quarter was closed for rehab 28-Jan-2008-15-Mar-2008. It actually reopened slightly early to guests on Saturday 8th March.
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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.
