Port Orleans News

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.