Port Orleans News

For the latest Port Orleans News Updates, or to ask questions, please also visit our busy Port Orleans Facebook Group.

Mardi Gras events at Port Orleans French Quarter, 28 Feb

Posted Thursday 23rd February 2017, 5:00pm (EST) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

Port Orleans has always had a reputation for fun and games at Mardi Gras (which this year occurs on Tuesday 28th February) and this time there will be a number of brand new activities available at French Quarter - although guests from Riverside are of course very welcome to attend too. Some events will be free, while others will incur additional charges.

In addition to the regular afternoon poolside games, guests can enjoy:

10am—11am - Pargo Parade : The annual parade will begin at Riverside and end in the French Quarter Courtyard. Organised by the cast members of the resort to kick off the Mardi Gras celebrations, pick a location along the parade route to watch a series of fun decorated floats inventively created using the resort's 'pargo' carts. Candy and beads will be distributed by the parade participants.

11am—Noon : Guest Interaction with Pargo Parade participants.

Noon—2pm - Painting on de’ Bayou : Located by the Scat Cat’s Stage, guests will experience an instructor-led class allowing them to create their very own New Orleans themed masterpiece to take home, priced at $39.99 + tax. Scat Cat’s Club will offer a full menu and specialty drinks, with a cocktail server to take your orders.

3pm—5pm - Scat Cat’s “Magic Mardi Gras Mixer” : Located in the Scat Cat’s Club lounge, adult guests will be able to indulge in the spirit of Mardi Gras with specialty food and cocktails, and there will be a Roaming Magician available to spellbind everyone.

5pm—8pm - Mardi Gras Courtyard Celebration : Located in the French Quarter Courtyard, events will include Mickey Tie Dye ($17 + tax), Beignet Walk, Dance Party hosted by a DJ, King Cake Eating Contest, Create Your Own Mardi Gras themed Tumbler/Wine Glass ($8.00 + tax), Bead Toss, Roaming Magician.

5:30pm—6:30pm - Cajun Campfire (note the later than normal start time).

7pm - Movie Under the Stars : “The Princess and the Frog” screened on the lawn between buildings 5 & 6.

In the event of inclement weather, events will be moved into the French Quarter Lobby.

Image

 
 

Valentine's Day events at Port Orleans

Posted Monday 13th February 2017, 12:07pm (EST) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

If you are visiting Port Orleans this week there are a few special Valentine's Day activities (all clean family-friendly fun!) on Tuesday February 14th, plus a special four course menu-for-two available at Boatwright's Dining Hall in the evening for $120, finished off a with champagne toast. Thanks as always to Special Agent John for the photos.

Image Image

Package and Mail Delivery fee of $5 per item from 12 Feb

Posted Friday 10th February 2017, 4:56pm (EST) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

Effective this Sunday, 12 February 2017, there will be a $5 handling fee charged for every incoming mail item or package delivered to the resort for guests. This follows a (presumably-successful?) trial carried out at the Value resorts over the last few months , during which I guess 'successful' was defined as making more money for Disney than before they started charging? With the current trend of nickel and diming guests at every opportunity, I can’t say I’m exactly surprised though. See https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest ... -services/ for the official announcement (tucked in after the bullet points at the bottom).

The fee is per box or envelope, whatever the size or shape - and regardless of whether it's a single small letter or a large heavy box. However the fee will not apply to deliveries dropped off in person at Bell Services such as Garden Grocer, Owner's Locker, etc. It also does not apply to internal WDW items such as Disney Florist, Disney Vacation Club and purchases made at the parks and sent back to your hotel, nor will it be charged for gifts or items that the guest wasn't expecting (such as items left by other guests, travel agent welcome packages, etc).

To be honest I think the biggest reason for this charge is the massive increase in the quantity of product that people are having shipping to them, which is I suspect due in large part to the prevalence of information, tips and suggestions passed round on the internet (including sites like this one). Also with airlines charging more for bringing stuff along as baggage, and Disney charging ever more for something as simple as a bottle of water, it will probably only get worse.

Ten years ago there would be a few guest items a day delivered to the resort, and this would be handled by front desk staff as needed. Now though, there is a constant flow of delivery people with boxes stacked to the ceiling throughout the day. POR has had to allocate a complete extra room (which used to be office space) solely for package storage, and there is now a dedicated staff member to handle everything.

While this does all seem like another case of biting the hand that feeds, I guess as long as the incremental revenue remains greater than the losses incurred from guests deciding that it’s no longer worthwhile to stay on property, this sort of thing will continue whatever anyone says. The next two charges that I fear we might see before too long will be the implementation of a resort parking fee, and/or the addition a per night resort surcharge - as if that wasn’t already embedded into the extraordinarily high rack rates which went up again by 7% per year. I do hope not, but only time will tell.

However if you are unhappy with this charge being surreptitiously added, I suggest you make your complaint known at the time and see what can be done about it.

 
 

Separate 'Internal Shuttle' Bus Service Ending

Posted Wednesday 8th February 2017, 6:13am (EST) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

The separate 'Internal Shuttle' bus service that was launched at the start of December will be ending on 12 February 2017 due to lack of demand. The system will revert back to its previous arrangement where the Disney Springs buses also act as an internal shuttle service between the Port Orleans bus stops.

From 12 February, the Disney Springs bus service will stop first at French Quarter, then continue on to Riverside calling at the South, West, North and East Depots, then it will stop again at French Quarter before exiting the resort and heading to Disney Springs.

Reminder: The Port Orleans to Disney Springs bus service no longer calls en route at Typhoon Lagoon after 1pm. Instead, guests travelling after 1pm need to change at Disney Springs for a dedicated Typhoon Lagoon bus. Similarly, there is no direct bus service at any time for guests travelling from Port Orleans to Blizzard Beach, instead you'll need to get a bus to Animal Kingdom first and change there to a direct Blizzard Beach bus.

Image Image Image

Happy 25th Anniversary to Port Orleans Riverside

Posted Thursday 2nd February 2017, 7:13am (EST) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

Twenty-five years ago, at the far end of the Disney-created Sassagoula River, a new hotel complex was nearing completion ready to become the sister resort for the recently-opened Disney's Port Orleans...

Image

Disney’s Dixie Landings Resort opened to the public on 2nd February 1992 featuring the charming rustic-styled Alligator Bayou Lodge buildings. Shortly after that, phase two of the resort opened with the more elegant sophistication of the Magnolia Bend mansion buildings, bringing the total number of guest rooms up to 2,048.

Image

On 1st April 2001, the original Port Orleans and Dixie Landings locations officially merged to form one large resort. The combined complex was now to be called Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, with the area formerly known just as Port Orleans changing its name to Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter and the area formerly known as Dixie Landings changing its name to Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside. The combined resort now spanned some 325 acres and featured a total of 3,056 guest rooms, making it the largest in Walt Disney World.

For more background on the History of Dixie Landings and Port Orleans, please see our History and Backstory pages.


Twenty-five wonderful years of creating Southern-themed magic later, and the spirit of Dixie Landings (if not the original name) lives on.

We'd like to wish all the cast members past and present a wonderful Disney Birthday, and we look forward to visiting for the next 25 magical years.



Image

<  Show More Recent News Items
Show ALL News Items (single page)
Show Older News Items  >