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The new expanded Scat Cat's Club Lounge and Cafe is open for jazz music and beignets
Posted Tuesday 1st October 2019, 6:56pm (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel
There were two grand openings at Port Orleans French Quarter today. The existing Scat Cat's Club, located just off the main Lobby, closed its doors for the last time on 29 September, only to emerge phoenix-like this morning as two separate entities. |
October 2019 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules are now available
Posted Monday 30th September 2019, 5:31pm (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel
The October 2019 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available. See the main Recreation Activities Schedules page for full-size printable PDF versions.
Note: Poolside Yoga, Dockside Drawing and the Trivia Nights at Riverside, plus the “Let the Good Times Roll Dance Party” at French Quarter, have been discontinued. Live Evening Entertainment No visit to Port Orleans Riverside would be complete without spending an evening in the company of the legendary “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson at the River Roost Lounge, playing 8:30pm—midnight four nights a week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday). Note: “Ye Haa” Bob has an extended vacation travelling in China from 16—30 October, returning to the Port on Thursday 31 October. Don’t miss an opportunity to see the new live jazz entertainment at Scat Cat’s Club Lounge in the newly renovated space next to the main Lobby (the old Bonfamille's restaurant). The Lounge will open at 4pm, with live music on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 7pm. You can also pick up your favorite tasty treat, Beignets, and specialty coffee in the new Scat Cat’s Club Cafe, open all day from 6am. These new offerings replace the popular evening musical duo Jason Thomas and Billy Varnes, whose four-year tenure at Scat Cat’s Club unfortunately came to an end on Sunday 29 September 2019. Good luck with your next gig guys, wherever that may be, you will be sadly missed at the Port. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Magnolia Bend Quiet/Leisure Swimming Pool closure
Posted Thursday 19th September 2019, 8:31pm (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel
The quiet leisure pool located in Magnolia Bend between buildings 80 (Acadian House) and 85 (Magnolia Terrace) will be closed for maintenance and refurbishment work from mid September 2019 until late October 2019. The closure includes the laundry building next to the pool. This work broadly aligns with the current guest room refurbishment process that is underway in the same general area. The main feature pool on Ol' Man Island, and the other four quiet pools around the resort, will remain open as normal. |
Scat Cat's closing as we know it, re-opening inside the old Bonfamille's Cafe location - minus popular musical act
Posted Tuesday 17th September 2019, 7:00pm (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel
Scat Cat's Club at Port Orleans French Quarter will soon be closing as we know it, and re-opening inside the old Bonfamille's Cafe restaurant location - sadly minus the current popular musical duo of Jason Thomas & Billy Varnes. The current location just off the main lobby will apparently become "Beignet Central" - perhaps some sort of coffee and cake shop? It was always a slightly odd location for a bar with live music - being effectively inside the entrance lobby atrium - but why the current entertainment could not have simply been transitioned into the new location I really don't know.
While it's certainly long overdue for the resort to do something about the unused and wasted Bonfamille's Cafe restaurant space, adding another lounge/bar and losing an established and well-liked musical act into the bargain might not have been my first choice... I'll miss Jason and Billy, they are a talented and popular duo and I wish them well with whatever projects lie in their future. Update on 20 Sept from the Disney Parks Blog:
I like the idea of expanding the space allocated for Scat Cat's, which should make for a more atmospheric and laid-back location - and live jazz music will certainly fit in well with the theming of the resort. The current duo of Jason and Billy will be sadly missed though. There is a fully fitted kitchen there too, left over from Bonfamille's Cafe restaurant and subsequently the WDW test kitchen days, so hopefully they will be able to offer an expanded range of food offerings - although the current selection of enticing choices was pretty good already (such as Chicken and Waffles, Sassagoula Crab Dip, Crawfish Étouffée, Mardi Gras Mac & Cheese, and Bayou Brisket Sliders). The lobby-based Cafe is a nice concept too, and possibly a better use of that open plan space which never lent itself well to live music. And it's sure good to know that beignets will "soon be available throughout the day"... as opposed to currently, when they are only available a measly 6am until midnight just a few steps away in the food court. ![]() ![]() |
September 2019 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules
Posted Sunday 1st September 2019, 8:21am (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel
The September 2019 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available. See the main Recreation Activities Schedules page for full-size printable PDF versions.
Note: Poolside Yoga, Dockside Drawing and the Trivia Nights at Riverside, plus the “Let the Good Times Roll Dance Party” at French Quarter, have been discontinued. Live Evening Entertainment No visit to Port Orleans Riverside would be complete without spending an evening in the company of the legendary “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson at the River Roost Lounge, playing 8:30pm—midnight four nights a week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday). Note: “Ye Haa” Bob has a few personal event days coming up, and will not be performing his regular sessions at Port Orleans Riverside on Wednesday 11, Friday 20 & Saturday 21 September, and then for an extended vacation travelling in China from 16—30 October, returning to the Port on Thursday 31 October. Port Orleans French Quarter’s Scat Cat’s Club does not currently have "official" resident musicians, but filling the gap admirably for a number of years now are the talented Jason Thomas and Billy Varnes, two members of the fabulous Off Kilter rock band which used to perform in Epcot’s Canada pavilion. Occasionally when one of the boys is not available, Greg Hayworth (from Mulch, Sweat & Shears) will sit in. You can normally find them playing at Scat Cat's on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:30pm until 11pm, and recently you may even find them there on Fridays too. So if you happen to be around for one of their evenings why not do yourself a favour and pop along, they are highly recommended. [Update] Jason and Billy’s four-year tenure at Scat Cat’s Club is unfortunately coming to an end, their last performance will be on Sunday 29 September 2019. Disney are transitioning the entire bar/lounge facility into the old Bonfamille’s Cafe restaurant space (just behind the current location) and will be introducing a new musical offering when that opens. This is a real shame as the boys had worked hard to build up a great reputation and a loyal following. Good luck with your next gig, wherever that may be, you will be sadly missed at the Port. ![]() ![]() ![]() |