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Port Orleans Refurbishment Updates

Posted Wednesday 23rd August 2017, 9:37am (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

The previously announced Riverside Mill food court flooring replacement project has been delayed by one week as the newly imported tiling got held up in customs for longer than expected. Work will now commence on Monday 28 August. The first area to be tackled will be the carpeted region closest to the door leading to Alligator Bayou as that is the smallest section and will allow the company to evaluate how long the process is likely to take. Then work will continue around the back of the food court, finishing with the section closest to Boatwright's Dining Hall. A new doorway leading directly from the food court into the Boatwright's upper seating area has been installed to help deal with the potential overcrowding issues, especially at breakfast time.

French Quarter's food court flooring is also being refreshed section-by-section at the moment, the project should take a few weeks to complete.

The waterwheel outside the Riverside Mill is currently turned off for maintenance. The water course/trough was repaired and refreshed last year, and now attention is being paid to the wheel itself. The work will take about a month, during which time there will be scaffolding erected along the end of the building. The food court windows facing into the work area have been covered with cladding.

The large carpet rugs in the Riverside lobby are away for cleaning, they should be back in place within the next week or so.

The next round of guest room "soft goods" refurbishments will commence at the beginning of 2018 starting with French Quarter rooms (one building at a time) and then progressing in the middle of the year to Riverside's Alligator Bayou section, and then on the rest of Riverside during 2019. Changes are still to be confirmed, but they will include replacing the existing carpeting with hard flooring, new larger wall-mounted TVs, and the addition of smaller details such as USB sockets for charging mobile devices. More details and dates will be confirmed later.

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August 2017 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules

Posted Sunday 30th July 2017, 4:59am (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

The August 2017 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.

The main feature swimming pool operating hours are currently 9am—10pm. These hours are enforced and the feature pools are gated and locked when there are no lifeguards on duty, however the five Riverside leisure ("quiet") pools are generally available at any time (within reason).

Movies Under the Stars will be screened at 8:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday at Riverside, but only on Friday & Saturday at French Quarter. The evening campfire activities will take place from 6:30pm-7:30pm on the same evenings as the movies. There are no movies or campfires scheduled at either resort for Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday. On Saturday August 12, both resorts will be featuring the premiere of Disney XD’s new Duck Tales series.

Some other activities to watch out for (on select days, see schedules for details):

  • SassagoulaSelfie Scavenger Hunt — Grab a map and join in on an exciting selfie scavenger hunt around Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside. To get started, visit the Riverside Levee Marina from 9:00am-5:00pm! Be sure to share your selfies with the hashtags #SassagoulaSelfie and #PortOrleans.
  • Teen Arcade Challenge — Do you have what it takes to win our Teen Arcade Challenge? Guests ages 12-17 are encouraged to compete in our exciting challenges to win prizes! Join us at 4:30pm on Mondays and Thursdays in the Medicine Show Arcade at Port Orleans Riverside.
  • “Beignet Dash” Fun Run — A quick early morning Sunday Runday dash around French Quarter resort, finished with a tasty beignet (payment required). Check-in begins at 7:30am on the riverwalk between building 5 and the Doubloon Lagoon Pool. The run begins at 8:00am.
  • Fat Tuesdays — Let the good times roll! Join us every Tuesday at Doubloon Lagoon Pool for activities celebrating the spirit of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter. There’s Mardi Gras magic for all ages!
  • Mardi Gras “Mask”-erade — Sashay your way down Alligator Alley to join in on Mardi Gras fun! Located near the Musical Alligators at French Quarter, our Mardi Gras fun will include dance parties and mask-making ($)
  • Family Game Night — Join us at the Mardi Grogs patio seating at French Quarter for a night filled with games and fun for the whole family.
    Glow with the Flow Pool Party — Come glow with the flow at our nighttime pool parties, at both Port Orleans Resorts.
  • Arts & Crafts or Mickey Tie-Dye T-shirt decoration — Explore your creative side with themed poolside arts & crafts / Create your own Mickey Tie-Dye shirt to commemorate your Walt Disney World Resort vacation (payment required).

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: Bob will be away on vacation commencing Friday 25th August and returning to the Port on Wednesday 6th September.

Port Orleans French Quarter’s Scat Cat’s Club does not currently have "official" resident musicians, but filling the gap admirably are 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. The dates are only announced a month or so in advance (generally most Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays) but if you happen to be around for any of their evenings (8:30pm—11pm) do yourself a favour and pop along, they are highly recommended.


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Visit Orlando's "Magical Dining Month" includes Boatwright's

Posted Monday 10th July 2017, 12:44pm (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

Visit Orlando's annual "Magical Dining Month" will be occurring in September, and this year Boatwright's Dining Hall at Port Orleans Riverside will be included as one of the restaurants participating in the event.

Magical Dining is a month-long program (with a special preview week starting August 25) that ends on October 1, where participating restaurants feature three-course, prix fixe dinners at the special price of $35 per person. Each three-course dinner includes several choices of appetizer, entrée and dessert selected from the restaurant's regular menu. Tax and gratuity are not included, and you can book directly with Disney exactly as normal. No special vouchers are required, simply tell your server that you'd like to take advantage of the offer. One dollar from each meal will benefit a local charity - Freedom Ride or BASE Camp Children's Cancer Foundation.

It seems like a great deal - General Fulton's Prime Rib alone would otherwise cost you $34 at regular menu prices. For more details, see http://www.visitorlando.com/magicaldini ... all/46025/

Choice of Appetizers
Amelia’s Salad
fresh greens, seasonal ingredients, and house vinaigrette

Mardi Gras Fritters
house-made pimiento cheese fritters with pepper jelly

Crawfish Bisque
traditional-style bisque with crawfish tails, a touch of sherry, finished with crème fraîche

Choice of Entrées
Jackson Square Etouffee
crawfish simmered in rich seafood sauce over rice

Chicken and Dumplings
pan-seared chicken breast, hand-rolled potato dumplings, mixed vegetables, and cream sauce

General Fulton’s Prime Rib
slow-roasted prime rib with our specialty crafted chicory-coffee blend, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and horseradish cream

Choice of Desserts
Crème Brûlée

Seasonal Sorbet

Bourbon Street Pecan Pie



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July 2017 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules

Posted Thursday 29th June 2017, 12:19pm (EDT) by The Sassagoula Sentinel

The July 2017 Recreation Activities and Movie Schedules for Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter are now available, including Independence Day events. See the main Recreation Activities Schedules page for full-size printable PDF versions.

The main feature swimming pool operating hours are 9am—10pm which will continue during the peak summer months. These times are enforced and the feature pools are gated and locked when there are no lifeguards on duty, however the five Riverside leisure ("quiet") pools are generally available at any time (within reason).

Movies Under the Stars will be screened at 8:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday at Riverside, but only on Friday & Saturday at French Quarter. The evening campfire activities resumed on 19 June and will take place from 6:30pm-7:30pm on the same evenings as the movies. There are no movies or campfires scheduled at either resort for Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday.

Some other activities to watch out for (select days, see schedules for details):

  • SassagoulaSelfie Scavenger Hunt — Grab a map and join in on an exciting selfie scavenger hunt around Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside. To get started, visit the Riverside Levee Marina from 9:00am-5:00pm! Be sure to share your selfies with the hashtags #SassagoulaSelfie and #PortOrleans.
  • Teen Arcade Challenge — Do you have what it takes to win our Teen Arcade Challenge? Guests ages 12-17 are encouraged to compete in our exciting challenges to win prizes! Join us at 4:30pm on Mondays and Thursdays in the Medicine Show Arcade at Port Orleans Riverside.
  • “Beignet Dash” Fun Run — A quick early morning Sunday Runday dash around French Quarter resort, finished with a tasty beignet (payment required). Check-in begins at 7:30am on the riverwalk between building 5 and the Doubloon Lagoon Pool. The run begins at 8:00am.
  • Fat Tuesdays — Let the good times roll! Join us every Tuesday at Doubloon Lagoon Pool for activities celebrating the spirit of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter. There’s Mardi Gras magic for all ages!
  • Mardi Gras “Mask”-erade — Sashay your way down Alligator Alley to join in on Mardi Gras fun! Located near the Musical Alligators at French Quarter, our Mardi Gras fun will include dance parties and mask-making ($)
  • Family Game Night — Join us at the Mardi Grogs patio seating at French Quarter for a night filled with games and fun for the whole family.
    Glow with the Flow Pool Party — Come glow with the flow at our nighttime pool parties, at both Port Orleans Resorts.
  • Arts & Crafts or Mickey Tie-Dye T-shirt decoration — Explore your creative side with themed poolside arts & crafts / Create your own Mickey Tie-Dye shirt to commemorate your Walt Disney World Resort vacation (payment required).

Independence Day (Tuesday 4th July) Activities

Note: There is no afternoon Barbecue event occurring on Ol’ Man Island this year.

Ol’ Man Island (Riverside)
  • 1:00pm Beach Ball Boom!
  • 1:30pm Red, White & Water Balloon Games
  • 2:00pm Watermelon Eating Contest
  • 3:00pm Star Spangled Scavenger Hunt
  • 3:30pm All-American Pool Party
  • 4:30pm Mickey Tie-Dye ($)
  • 6:30pm–7:30pm Stars, Stripes & S’Mores! Join us at our evening campfire for complimentary marshmallows with s’mores kits available for purchase.
  • 8:30pm–9:30pm Red, White & Glow Pool Party. Join us as we light up the night to celebrate the Fourth of July with our Red, White & Glow Pool Party! There will be lights, dancing, games and prizes for all!
Doubloon Lagoon pool (French Quarter)
  • 1:00pm Beach Ball Boom!
  • 1:30pm Mickey Tie-Dye ($)
  • 3:00pm Red, White and Blue Balloon Toss
  • 3:30pm Patriotic Pool Party
  • 4:30pm Watermelon Eating Contest
  • 5:30pm Stars and Stripes Scavenger Hunt
  • 6:30pm Backyard Bash Lawn Games (on French Quarter Green, by buildings 5 & 6)
  • 7:00pm All-American Campfire (on French Quarter Green, by buildings 5 & 6)
  • 8:30pm Light Up the Night: Red, Blue and White Pool Party

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: Bob will be playing all of his regular shows throughout June, July and most of August. However he will be away on vacation commencing Friday 25th August and returning to the Port on Wednesday 6th September.

Port Orleans French Quarter’s Scat Cat’s Club does not currently have official resident musicians, but filling the gap admirably are 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. The dates are only announced a month or so in advance (generally most Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays) but if you happen to be around for any of their evenings (8:30pm—11pm) do yourself a favour and pop along, they are highly recommended.


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