Port Orleans French Quarter Resort Review

Port Orleans French Quarter is a Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World with a romanticized New Orleans theme. This hotel review features room photos, pros & cons, info on amenities, and our take on whether staying here offers good value for money.

Let’s start with the latest update, which is that Port Orleans French Quarter wrapped up a room refurbishment in 2025, shortly before the ongoing project in Magnolia Bend at Port Orleans Riverside started (that’ll likely last until early 2027). The new rooms are pictured below, and feature design elements inspired by The Princess and the Frog, along with other updates and aesthetic refreshes.

We stayed in the new rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter around Christmas-time and loved the results. We were pleasantly surprised by the improved dining scene, transportation, and pool area. As always, French Quarters scores points for its convenience, compact layout, and single bus stop–as opposed to the internal loops at all other Moderate Resorts.

French Quarter is popular among a lot of Walt Disney World fans because of its relatively compact size, which is–save for theme–its biggest distinction from the other Moderates. Whereas Moderate Resorts are typically the largest in terms of number of rooms and sprawling size, French Quarter has fewer rooms and a small footprint.

Sarah and many other Walt Disney World fans appreciate this about POFQ–its size can save you some steps at the end of a long day! Honestly, it took me a while to “see the light” on the compact layout at French Quarter. But not that we’re parents and the end of the night often involves carrying a tired toddler, I definitely get it. That’s a huge advantage for Port Orleans French Quarter over Riverside, or any other Moderate Resort, for that matter!

Thematically, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter is the romanticized version of New Orleans that exists in the hearts and minds of many people. It evokes the spirit of the city and what so many love about NOLA.

Imagineering is really good at crafting charming and idealized versions of New Orleans. They did so at Disneyland decades ago with New Orleans Square, which is one of the very best theme park lands in the world. Port Orleans French Quarter is essentially the hotel take on that land.

Much like we enjoy World Showcase, we love the romanticized and Disneyfied version of New Orleans depicted at French Quarter.

Sure, they are incomplete and lack that lived-in feeling and true culture, but both New Orleans Square and French Quarter capture the romantic feeling of New Orleans. Moreover, they do so in clean, polished, and family-friendly ways. As is the case with the World Showcase pavilions, French Quarter captures the essence of New Orleans, and acts as a great love letter to the city, even if an inauthentic one.

While French Quarter doesn’t hit the same thematic high notes as New Orleans Square, there is a lot to like about it. From the quaint promenades lined with gas street lamps to the fountains that serenade passers-by, French Quarter is a pretty romantic resort, isolated from the hustle and bustle of Walt Disney World.

Unfortunately, the Port Orleans Resorts accomplish that sense of isolation and serenity by not having the same degree of development or proximity to the parks. There’s no Skyliner, monorail, or non-bus transportation to the parks here.

There’s also no flagship restaurant, character dining, or anything else that makes Port Orleans French Quarter a big draw for non-resort guests. Personally, we don’t view any of this as a big loss. If you want to do character dining, that’s typically one-and-done, and not a good basis for choosing a resort.

All of those restaurants are easily accessible from other hotels or the parks, anyway. The only real downside is the lack of non-bus transportation, but even that isn’t make or break. There’s no internal bus loop at French Quarter, so transportation is still incredibly efficient.

The good news is that Port Orleans French Quarter has much-improved its dining options over the last several years.

The relatively new Scat Cat’s Club Lounge is a fantastic addition that has taken over the old Bonfamille’s Cafe space, serving a mixture of drinks and small plates along with live jazz music. It’s not a fully-fledged table service restaurant, but the food is good and it’s fun.

Port Orleans French Quarter also has another lounge serving freshly-made beignets, which are a strong selling point. We’re not kidding–guests love these beignets (and for good reason, as they are delicious). Then there’s the high quality Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, which is one of the better food courts at Walt Disney World.

There are some places where French Quarter does look like a boxy, dressed up motel, but in most regards, the theme works, and in greater depth than is found at other Moderates.

I really like the theme at Caribbean Beach Resort, for example, but what I really like about this theme does not extend to the buildings of the hotel themselves. They look like hotel room boxes plunked down in the midst of the Caribbean environs.

This is not nearly as pronounced at Port Orleans French Quarter, where the buildings are dressed up to look like what you’d see in New Orleans, with the same style of wrought iron lattice common there.

They are still basic in style, but the buildings do a much better job of conveying theme than any other Moderate (except some of the buildings in Port Orleans Riverside), making the whole place more immersive. Suffice to say, there’s really a lot to like about the theme at Port Orleans French Quarter.

…And that’s before we even start talking about the house band of alligators that performs around the Doubloon Lagoon pool. Well, performs is a strong word since they are inanimate objects, but I still rather enjoy these gators (they’re much better than the animate kind that also inhabit Walt Disney World!).

They give the resort a sense of whimsy without overtly cartoonifying the theme, which I consider a big plus; I’m sure families appreciate these gators, too.

In addition to this swinging band, there’s also a giant snake-like creature that makes up the pool slide. This is a solid pool, and that 51-foot water slide is a big reason why. The location is convenient, the size is large, and it has a fun vibe. I’d say the only Moderate with a better pool is Caribbean Beach, and that’s only because I’m a sucker for forts with cannons.

Now, you might be asking, “why is King Triton riding a water dragon at a New Orleans-themed resort?” Well, actually, that ‘water dragon’ is actually a sea serpent, and ‘King Triton’ is actually King Neptune, God of the Sea. King Neptune is a popular figure in New Orleans, with a Krewe that honors him. I don’t know what ties the all-gator band has to New Orleans, but they are just awesome, so do you really need any ties there?

In terms of other amenities, French Quarter has a good slate.

The horse drawn carriages are perhaps the highlight in terms of uniqueness (and in further enhancing that romantic theme), but most guests probably aren’t going to pay for a carriage ride.

Other plusses include the Sassagoula River Cruise boat transportation to Riverside and Disney Springs, as well as the efficient bus transportation (no internal stops!).

However, it is worth pointing out that Port Orleans French Quarter is all-bus transportation to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. This is also true at Riverside and Coronado Springs, so French Quarter is hardly unique in this regard. The actual outlier is Caribbean Beach, which offers Skyliner transportation to EPCOT and DHS.

There’s definitely something to be said for being able to take the boats to Disney Springs or Riverside in order to switch things up. You can also walk to Riverside fairly easily (it’s a lovely stroll), and take advantage of the amenities there. As a result, the Port Orleans Resorts (both of them) feel less isolated than Coronado Springs.

Now let’s take a look at the rooms…

Before we take a look at the newly-reimagined rooms, let’s first start with a look at the previous rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter (above) to give you context.

These were last redone as part of a soft goods refurbishment in ~2018 that largely involved replacing the (very worn) carpet with new hard flooring, larger TVs, raised beds, removal of the wallpaper border, repainting, illuminated vanity mirror, addition of USB ports, and other minor details I’m probably forgetting.

Above is the newly-reimagined rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter post-hard goods refurbishment in 2025. These feature a fresh coat of cream paint that brightens the room–or makes it overly bland, boring, and beige–depending upon your perspective.

The flooring has changed once again. Previously, there was a straight arrangement of lighter woods framed by a dark square. It looked good, but perhaps slightly dated. Now the floor is a herringbone pattern, similar to other new rooms at Walt Disney World.

Another fairly major change is that the table and chairs has been replaced by a sofa and slightly larger table. The curtains have been also been replaced with a detailed-but-muted pattern that matches the sofa. The AC enclosure has also been repainted to match the dresser.

We really like the sofa, which can easily seat 3 adults or maybe a family of 4. From a function perspective, it’s an improvement. While not relevant to us, it would’ve been nice if the table were a little larger, as there’s not enough space for 3-4 people to use this at the same time. There’s barely enough room for 2.

The new design follows the trend of being more understated in design, but doesn’t go as far as other resorts. The plain white bedding without a runner or any accentuation looks just as sterile as everywhere else (I really wish Disney would rethink this), but at least the room has other New Orleans flourishes.

The headboards above the beds replace the old wood frame, and extend all the way to the ceiling. There’s nice depth and dimension to these, with a lightly-upholstered area right above the pillows and then a mosaic pattern above that, all framed by a blue-green color similar to that of the previous paint on the wall itself.

There are also new lighting sconces above each bed, as well as fold-out reading lights flanking each side of each headboard. For me, these are improvements over what was there before, giving more personality and pops of color to the rooms to counter the bland/boring/beige complaint, while also classing them up a bit.

The beds are also now elevated and on wood frames, with space for luggage storage underneath. In the cramped Moderate and Value Resorts, this is a huge gain. I’m also pretty confident that the mattresses in these rooms are new—and they’re spectacular. Port Orleans French Quarter had good mattresses before, but this was even better.

The dresser now features a top panel with power and USB sockets, the chairs have been reupholstered, and there are new blinds. The dresser is that it’s longer and slightly slimmer. It doesn’t stick out as far as the old dresser, and extends all the way to the wall that abuts with the bathroom.

Adjacent to that bed, there’s a new barn door to the bathroom–there previously was no separate between the two rooms, so this is a nice feature. The color scheme is the same as the headboards with gold metal details; the pattern is different, and evokes Princess and the Frog.

There’s also Princess and the Frog artwork to the right of the door. This is much smaller than the New Orleans Square art that it replaces, which is to accommodate the new sliding door. It’s a tradeoff, but we appreciate the addition of the door.

As you can probably see from the photos, there’s Princess and the Frog and Mardi Gras-inspired art throughout the room to replace New Orleans Square concept art. Which you prefer comes down to whether you favor the animated film or Disney history. I can see why Walt Disney World got rid of the Disneyland concept art.

Like all other Moderates, French Quarter rooms feature a split bath, with double sinks outside and the toilet and shower/tub in a separate room. This separated setup is nice, save for the size of the toilet/shower room, which puts the closet in water closet.

Here you have two sinks, illuminated bathroom mirror, and make-up mirror. A lot of shelf space and storage has also been added. Personally, I’d be willing to trade those shelves for more counter space so it’s easier for two people to get ready at once.

As part of the 2025 hard goods refurbishment, the bathroom floor has been redone and now features a mosaic pattern in the color scheme of the entire room, tying the whole redesign together. This looks fantastic, and again helps the room counter the bland/boring/beige accusations.

The shower has also been redone, just like other Moderate Resort bathrooms.

As you can see, ours was a traditional walk-in shower. For those who want or need a bathtub, it’s our understanding that those are also still available. If that’s important to you, we’d recommend making a request during online check-in and then confirming with the front desk before entering the room.

The rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter certainly aren’t the epitome of luxury, but they are sufficiently spacious and comfortable. Moreover, the style is thematically tasteful and feels fairly sophisticated. Given the ever-increasing price of the Moderate Resorts, it’s a savvy move on Walt Disney World’s part to make them more upscale.

For the most part, the new rooms also do a better job of maximizing the space of these rooms. There are some little quirks that I don’t love, but Walt Disney World has generally done a good job of making these rooms feel larger and have more area for storage. Functional improvements, plus more sophisticated and on-theme makes these Princess and the Frog rooms a win for us.

Overall, there is a lot to like about Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, especially if you have sentimentality for New Orleans or prefer hotels with compact footprints. The latter is probably going to be a big deal for families, and is a huge selling point of Port Orleans French Quarter. Conversely, the biggest downside is likely going to be that there’s no novel transportation to the parks–it’s all buses.

I typically prefer a more spread out resort to explore, but can concede that Port Orleans French Quarter offers the best of both worlds. You’re able to explore the combined Port Orleans Resorts and take advantage of the compact (single) French Quarter resort when going to catch a bus.

I also enjoy the theme quite a bit, and found there to be some really lovely touches. All things being equal, though, Port Orleans French Quarter is a solid Moderate worthy of consideration if you want a compact resort with a romantic theme for your Walt Disney World vacation.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!

Your Thoughts

Have you stayed at Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter? Does its lack of unique transportation to the parks, character dining, or other ‘big’ draws make it less appealing to you? Or, do you find Disney’s Port Orleans — French Quarter to be among the best of the Moderate Resorts thanks to its tranquility and atmosphere? Do you dislike French Quarter?! Any additional tips to add regarding French Quarter? Planning on staying here? We love hearing from you, so please share your thoughts or any questions about the hotel in the comments below!