Port Orleans Riverside Resort Review
Port Orleans Riverside is a Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. This hotel review covers its pros & cons, room photos, info on amenities, a stroll around the grounds, and more. We will also cover basics, including our take on it, and who might enjoy it best. (Updated February 14, 2024.)
Riverside is divided into Alligator Bayou (bayou) and Magnolia Bend (mansions), which assists it in offering more thematic variety. In addition to these two different styles, each building within the sections uses different materials based upon its location on the river.
The backstory is interesting and engaging (and is executed cleverly throughout the resort), and the quiet pathways that litter Riverside make it a great place to take a romantic stroll. The grounds are absolutely stunning, with rich wilderness in the bayou and perfectly manicured gardens around the mansions.
This variety of theming is really quite impressive and is pulled off remarkably well. The mansions of Magnolia Bend are surrounded by large, perfectly manicured lawns and beautiful gardens, which provide a stark contrast to the untamed wilderness and seemingly uncontrolled growth in Alligator bayou.
In Alligator Bayou you feel you’d be at home floating down the river in a rickety boat hunting for crawdads. In Magnolia Bend, you might be better suited donning your dress seersucker, putting on a bow-tie, and drinking some mint juleps.
In our Moderate Resort Comparison, we do not rank Port Orleans Riverside very highly, but praise it as being on par thematically with some Deluxes. As mentioned there, the theming really shines at Riverside, which draws is themed to a rural Louisiana port city that is along the Sassagoula River.
Let’s take a detailed look at the pros & cons of Port Orleans Riverside…
Due to Riverside’s sprawling layout, the aforementioned differing styles of Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou don’t visually clash with one another. However, this layout may be perceived as a negative by some guests who aren’t fans of walking or internal transportation.
We don’t mind either, and find the transportation to be more than adequate. We found that the larger layout offers more to explore and a larger area to wander for romantic nighttime strolls (or carriage or bike rides if that’s your thing). With that said, Port Orleans Riverside is now one of the few Walt Disney World resorts that requires bus transportation for getting to all parks–that’s a definite downside for many guests.
In some ways, the Port Orleans Resorts feel like something out of a bygone era. This is deliberate in terms of their design and overgrown landscaping, which imbues the two hotels with a sense of tranquility.
It’s also the unintentional result of development elsewhere at Walt Disney World. Every other Moderate Resort has been significantly overhauled in the last few years, adding Disney Vacation Club wings, tower hotels, and/or the Disney Skyliner gondolas. Not Port Orleans. For better or worse, it’s largely the same hotel complex it was in the early 1990s.
From our perspective, it’s mostly for the better. Most other hotels are more modern, and with that comes a certain hustle and bustle. While the Skyliner and other modern amenities are great, there’s a certain sense of relaxation and charm you won’t find many other places around Walt Disney World (save for Fort Wilderness). As with so many things, there are tradeoffs.
The area around the main lobby ties all of this theming together perfectly with its steamship theming, providing an excellent transition between the bayou and the mansions. In addition to the variety of boat and bike rentals available outside, inside there are a number of dining and shopping options.
Boatwright’s Dining Hall is the table service restaurant at Riverside, and it is themed as a Southern, shipyard warehouse, complete with tools lining the walls and a large wooden hull of a fishing boat suspended from the ceiling.
We have a full Boatwright’s Dining Hall Review, which covers why it’s viewed as a hidden gem by so many Walt Disney World fans.
Riverside Mill Food Court (read our review of the food court) and River Roost Lounge are the other two dining options at Port Orleans Riverside. The food court is themed as a riverside mill…I’ll bet you would have never guessed that based on its name!
The theme here is carried out excellently–it probably has the coolest theming of any food court at Walt Disney World. The menu is also fairly diverse at Riverside Mill, with plenty of options for guests.
Riverside has several pools, with the main pool being located on ‘Ol Man Island in the middle of the resort, where the playground is also located. I wouldn’t necessarily call the pool disappointing, but it’s probably our least favorite pool at any Moderate Resort. The complex is nice and large, and the pool is nice, but the theming leaves something to be desired.
It’s difficult to say what could have been done better with the theming, but I far prefer the approach taken by Port Orleans French Quarter, which combines uses fun gators and a serpentine to overcome what otherwise might be “bland” Louisiana theming for its pool. This is a relatively minor complaint at what is otherwise the best-themed Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World.
As far as rooms go, Port Orleans again shines. Above is what the regular guest rooms in Magnolia Bend (the “mansions”) currently look like.
In addition to these standard rooms, the Royal Rooms are also located in Magnolia Bend.
Port Orleans Riverside received a ‘soft goods’ update to these rooms recently that refreshed some of the furnishings and revised the style (removing the comforters, among other things).
There were complaints prior to the refurbishment that the rooms felt dated. That is not the case anymore, but the style is definitely old-fashioned–from an intentional thematic perspective.
The other section of Port Orleans Riverside is Alligator Bayou. Those rooms feel slightly more rustic, but their biggest upside is that they have removed the dresser and replaced it with a fold-down Murphy bed that enables the Alligator Bayou rooms to sleep 5 adults.
We recently stayed in a renovated room and shared the experience in our New Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside post, so check that out for a photo and video tour.
For the most part, the bathrooms are similar to how they looked prior to the refurbishment. I believe the mirrors and maybe the light fixtures were swapped out.
These rooms are the same style (albeit with thematic differences) as those covered in our updated Caribbean Beach Resort Review. We personally prefer the rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort, but the theme and overall atmosphere, we think, is better at Port Orleans.
In terms of amenities, Port Orleans Riverside’s rooms feel modern and clean, with a sufficient number of details and subtle charm to make them distinctly “Disney.” These details are more on the subtle side, rather than overt imagery of Mickey and various other characters.
With that said, if you are traveling with small children, this might not be for you. We view Port Orleans as a more romantic option; this is not to say it isn’t for kids (I loved our stays here as a kid), but it’s not our top pick if you’re primarily interested in kid appeal. You might want to instead consider a different resort or one of the above-mention Royal Guest Rooms for that.
Although the Port Orleans Riverside Royal Guest Rooms are beyond the scope of this review (again, read our separate Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside Review for more on them), above is a peak at the inside of them. They are great rooms for families with kids and would make a great compromise for families looking for an incredibly well-themed Moderate Resort that also has a liberal helping of classic Disney theming.
The Royal Guest Rooms are brought to life by Disney Characters, and special “royal” touches like custom drapes and linens and ornately decorated beds. The headboards on these beds glitter with fiber optic “fireworks” lights. There is a nightly upcharge for these rooms, but the theming likely appeals more to kids than most Deluxes, and the rooms are cheaper, too!
Riverside is also conveniently located just a 10 minute walk from Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter (we also have a separate Port Orleans French Quarter Review where you can see its rooms and hear our thoughts on that hotel’s amenities, etc.), where guests can find a cooler pool and food court. French Quarter doesn’t have its own table service restaurant, but it’s still worth a visit to the (smaller and more centralized) grounds to see the New Orleans theming.
There are also boat rides available from both resorts to Disney Springs, and bus transportation to the parks. The boat ride on the Sassagoula is nice and relaxing, and having dinner at Disney Springs is a great way to conclude a day outside of the parks (or your arrival night).
Overall, Port Orleans Riverside is the perfect resort for guests looking for exquisite theming without breaking the bank. The theming is definitely Deluxe quality in many regards, although I wouldn’t put it above any Deluxe Resort in terms of overall quality. Families looking for distinctly Disney (character) theming may not find quite so much to love in Riverside unless they stay in the Royal Guest Rooms, but couples looking for a romantic resort-hotel should definitely give Riverside a look.
However, the big upside of that tranquility and romantic atmosphere also is the big downside. 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. The grounds are sprawling, which can mean a lot of walking. There’s no flagship restaurant, character dining, or anything else that makes Port Orleans Riverside a big draw for non-resort guests. Whether or not it’s for you is a personal matter–if you want a relaxed vacation, it’s great. If you’re looking for convenience and ease of accessing the parks and popular dining, perhaps not.
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…
How do you feel about Port Orleans Riverside? 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 – Riverside to be among the best of the Moderate Resorts thanks to its tranquility and atmosphere? Do you dislike Riverside?! Any other opinions or questions about staying at Port Orleans Riverside? We love hearing from readers, so please share your thoughts in the comments!
We had the same issue we booked to stay at CBR in Oct/Nov and after looking at all the forums we are now staying at Riverside we did get a good deal to change and with 2 kids 6 and 4 think this will be an enjoyable holiday.
We have a reservation at the Caribbean Beach in May. Due to the major refurbishments which we just found out about, we’re not sure whether to stay there or switch to Port Orleans Riverside. We are traveling with two 5 year olds who love the CB pool and pirate pool area. We aren’t sure whether to stay without the arcade, gift shop or dining options at the CB. While Riverside looks like it has everything and more than the CB has, we are not real fans of the bayou feel and the main pool at Riverside looks only so-so. Not sure whether to take a chance and stay at the CB with the limited amenities now or switch to Riverside. Your thoughts would be most appreciated.
That’s a tough call. If your family loves the atmosphere of Caribbean Beach…that’s something you definitely won’t get at Riverside. I’d probably just stick with Caribbean Beach, in your case.
Thanks again for all of your great information! We are planning to go in April and I am booking very soon (April 21 to May 3) and trying to decide between Caribbean Beach and Riverside. My kids are 5 and 3 and crazy about the pools – I am thinking Riverside but the pool looks bland. I read somewhere that we could use the pools at FQ? Is that true? Does that make up for it?
If pools are a priority (we are doing 3 days just at the resort intermittently and the balance of our trip at the parks) – would you stay at CB or Riverside – taking into account size of the resort for young kids, construction at CB (though I think we miss most of it) and the pools? Any advice would be MOST APPRECIATED!!
Yes, you can use the pools at French Quarter, but those are similarly sorta meh. The “Pirate Fortress” pool at Caribbean Beach is awesome.
If it were me, I’d book Caribbean Beach Resort and just deal with the couple days’ worth of construction. I think it’s worth it for the pool. Your mileage may vary, though.
Tom,
We are going in June for our 10th anniversary 9 (it’s a surprise). Right now we are planning at the Caribbean Beach, but I read your post yesterday about new construction. Would you recommend the Caribbean Beach or Port Orleans Riverside? We have kiddos ages 18m, 4, and 6.
Thank you,
Kelly
That is awesome – I will do that – thanks so much!!
I looked through several comments but have not read them all, so I apologize if this was stated already. We stayed at Alligator Bayou in October 2016 and were told that our room sleeps 5 adults. The fold-down bed is NOT for an adult! My daughter is 19 and is 5’5″ tall. She could not sleep on the fold-down without keeping her legs bent. So she gave up.
I loved the mattresses on the full beds, through, and even snapped a photo of the tags. They are Serta, and the same model is no longer available. We were there during Hurricane Matthew, but I had great nights of sleeping!
Love the information, would have liked to know there is no fishing unless you pay for it. Planned Florida trip for family to relax do Disney and fish. Port Orleans Rivereside
seamed to be the perfect place. Security let us know thete is no fishing at any of the disney resorts. I understand, just don’t appreciate planning a lifelong trip to have the whole family disappointed. FYI boats can no longer be rented at Disney.
Helpful commentary ! I learned a lot from the details – Does someone know where I can grab a fillable OR Defendant\’s Request for Hearing/Order for Stay example to work with ?
Can you tell me what room you would recommend here for the Princess Half Marathon weekend? I’ve heard busses can be problematic here. Would you just recommend CSR instead based on that reason?
We had a Royal room (higher price option) and the decorations were pretty, but there was nothing “Royal” about it! The beds were lumpy, the pillows were flat, and the bed covering was a thin piece of material. The bathroom was so small you would bang your elbow or knee just turning around and the towels were thin and scratchy. Nothing soft or fluffy or luxurious to be found anywhere!
We arrived at the resort to wait in a long line to find that the room was not ready so we had to put important things in a safety deposit box, meaning we would have to come wait again later. We finally got a text at 5:30 pm to say our room was ready, so we went back, waited in line again to get our things, and headed to our room.
Most of the staff were nice but a few really had no idea what they were doing and several times I had to call the desk more than once to find someone that could answer a simple question. The lines for food were super long, so we decided to order a pizza from the room, only to learn that there was a 2 hour wait for that as well. Another thing to be aware of is that you can only print a boarding pass between the hours of 7am and noon.
We would not stay here again and I would not recommend it to others.
We had a very nice stay this past week at PO Riverside. We had a Royal room, which was a fun immersion into Disney princesses for me, as a first timer and a non-Disney aficionado.. Looking for the hidden Mickeys was fun. Beds were quite comfortable and the double sink with shelf and counter space was helpful. We found the storage good too–dresser with 3 drawers, long rod for hanging, and open shelf above the rod. (An earlier poster complained of no dresser–this may be because we had just 2 queen beds with no fold down extra bed?). The grounds were beautiful and peaceful. We loved the boat to Disney Springs right from the property. We found the bus service to be quite good. We usually used the South (main) depot in the morning after breakfast at the food court and got off near our building at the East depot. Maybe improvements have been made recently, as I read this was a complaint from others here. Some buses were quite full but somehow we rarely had to stand :). Our only negative about our week had nothing to do with Riverside–the number of rude folks at the parks who paid no attention to others and either stopped right in front of people or didn’t look up from their cell phones to see where they were going. I would definitely recommend Riverside.
Just got back from 2 nights at riverside and we were rather disappointed with it. Like Brian said, the bus service was perhaps the worst we had ever encountered and the beds were as hard as a rock – we didn’t think they’d changed them out since they built the resort. Beautiful, yes, but not worth staying at again. Bed comfort and bus consistency seems to be very hit and miss at the on-site resorts, which is something I wish Disney would address!
We are budding Disney fanatics after four trips in four years and have stayed at riverside twice now. First time was in alligator bayou and we enjoyed it. Last time was in a royal room, which the kids liked, but the bus services were awful. I can live with heavy crowds and expect delays but the lack of organization at the south depot was horrible. It was the opposite of everything Disney stands for and I let guest services know it. In liked the resort but will never stay there again and will recommend against it too. Also, the cleaning staff was sub par. It’s really sad because I enjoyed many things but the bus situation was so bad that it is the first thing that I think of when someone asks me how my trip was.
Agree 110%. Our first visit to WDW where we stayed on property was at Port Orleans; it was called Dixie Landings back then, in 1999. If anyone wants to buy a DL golf shirt, let me know. Collectors item! 🙂
Anyway we loved PO.
They told me that there are no elevators at Riverside or French Quarter, is this true? Is it a real problem? Is it easy to get a ground floor? I really want to stay here for a 30 yr wedding anniversary but with all the bad reviews of the bus and no elevator I’m not sure now. Can you give me some insight ? Thanks, Have previously stayed 11 times in the Value Resorts, want something kind of different special to try this time thats affordable.
I’ve stayed at Riverside multiple times, since the first time we stayed we haven’t switched, I have very few complaints. I haven’t stayed in french quarter so i can’t comment on that. With the elevators there are only three floors tops most building only having two, so its not really a problem and you can always request a ground floor room, generally you will get one. With the buses you just have to give yourself extra time its not as bad people make it out to be, it really depends on the season in December buses fill up quickly, i’ve gone during that season and I’m going again this year, you have be patient and realize they’re doing the best they can. Anyway whatever you decide or have decided have an amazing trip.
I just got back from Port Orleans French Quarter. They do have elevators, but I would NOT stay there! I am still trying to figure out why it’s a “moderate” and not a “value” hotel. The bus system there is AWFUL and unreliable. Plus, Riverside and French Quarter both share a bus to Epcot and to Disney Springs, so those buses get EXTREMELY crowded! One bus driver kept letting people board until there was literally no more room for another person. Three people to one hand loop (or whatever those loops are called that standing people hold onto).
I also never got to sleep past 6:45 am because every time a neighboring room flushed a toilet, it was so loud in our room that it woke me up.
We went over to Riverside to eat one night. The Shrimp Po Boys were too spicy, so they were thrown away uneaten. Boatwrights only serves dinner, not breakfast or lunch, and it doesn’t even start serving dinner until well after 6 pm. So if you don’t like late dinners, Riverside offers no table service (and neither does French Quarter).
I found Art of Animation (value hotel) a WAY better hotel than either of the Port Orleans hotels.
There are elevators
There are not elevators in alligator bayou, but there are in the mansions.
My daughter and family arrived at Port Orleans Riverside yesterday and are extremely disappointed. They have stayed 2 other times in Port Orleans and had great stays. There are no dressers in their room, they are expected to live out of suitcases for 7 days?? The beds are very hard and uncomfortable, the rooms are freezing even after raising the temperature and room is much smaller than other Port Orleans rooms they have had before. This is first time for their children visiting Disney, they wanted this to be a great trip. not off to a good start! At the orices paid for this hotel, one would certainly expect a comfortable room with a dresser!!! will see what today brings.
We always stay at POR. Love it! I like the mansion side. The grounds are beautiful. What are there 7 pools. We had one of the “quiet pools” outside our room; no one ever in it. The biking , carriage ride, boat to Downtown(or whatever they are calling it now) is great. Check in on line and walk right up to registration and they have everything waiting, no wait time. The food court for breakfast is unbelievable! It is peaceful, beautiful, and I can not say enough about it.
My DGF is a Travel Agent. She had planned this trip to celebrate her graduation from college. After much planning, my mother, who has been ardent anti-disney, (we’re Lifestyle AP’s), shocked us by saying that she wanted to join us for the trip. We were really excited! Now, she gave us plenty of caveats… I’m not going to get all thrilled about this or that, and we’d need to rent a scooter.
She made the final plans. We’d stay at the Maingate Resort and Spa (MY absolute favorite place to stay. We never pay more than $30/night for the room and we just sleep there, we don’t hang out at any resort. We’re park-hoppers) then have breakfast at McDonald’s, Dennys, or Ponderosa, then meet Walker Mobility for the scooter. We took the few steps, about 5,from our room to the car, went to Dennys (very tasty… perfect softly-scrambled eggs on a Senior Starter for $5.89…then went to the property to meet Walker Mobility… she checked in as we waited for the scooter. She said there were problems with the Magicbands and the account. She worked to resolve the issue, they said they would text her with the room details, they took our luggage to deliver it to our room after it became available,and off to the parks we went.
The first indicator of trouble was no room details were sent. But because my DGF had never, ever, had a problem, she simply thought she’d take care of it at the front desk when we returned.
We returned to POR and waited forever for my DGF to return. She finally returned to the car with a map in hand, with a few scratches on it. She said we were at building 18. We entered the parking area to two different signs directing to parking lot 18. Left and right. That was part 1. No directions to the room. No directions to the handicap ramp. No lighting. If we hadn’t seen the wheelchair sign at the pool, yes,we had to go through the pool to get to our room. We finally found the room, but. NO LUGGAGE! My Mother was tired, needed her meds, and was getting cranky. My DGF has specified a room closer to the main building but was ignored. The clerk gave generic directions but my DGF should have asked more questions. A themed room? Lol. Maybe if I had a shaved head, goatee, cammo tee shirt, pickup truck… maybe, but it was hokey. I wasn’t impressed. It looked ridiculous, and because of the rustic wood, was seriously dusty in the nooks and crannies of the desk and headboards. The sink drain style prevented spat mucus and hair from going down the drain. We saw the air conditioner but no controls. Instead of noting on the exterior of the AC unit that the controls were on the back wall, we had to remove THE ENTIRE COVER TO THE UNIT TO FIND A PRINTED NOTICE! The sliding door slammed shut without any dampening. The beds were made so that when you pulled the top covers out, the bottom fitted sheet came out as well. Our luggage finally arrived. And we went to bed.
The pool was delightfully warm.
The food court was disorganized, difficult to navigate, noisy, empty of beverages, and lacking direction. In order to get a bowl of oatmeal ,grits ,a roll, an a biscuit and gravy requires you to stand in four, long Ines. You don’t have windows with one stop dining. The cutlery is in one place. The napkins? Took me asking a CM where they were. For $10 I was shocked. Watching how slow the CM’S worked to feed the number of people waiting was really frustrating. Looking at the quality and comparing it to my breakfast the day before made me say, no thanks.
Comment
Debating between this and renting DVC points at Saratoga (only DVC availability during our stay). What are your thoughts?? We have stayed our last 2 visits at Bay Lake Tower.
Hi Tom! New reader here and love your site! Thank you for the Expedia tip! I am not surprised by the savings, however, even with a “code” or the “spring special”, the savings are quite significant! Are you able to book a room through Expedia, then add on tickets or a meal plan directly with Disney? Or I that the catch?
TIA!
Lori
Lori,
I booked a room through Expedia last month. Once you get the second confirmation email from Expedia saying they have confirmed your reservation you can call Disney and get your Disney reservation number to link it to your My Disney Experience. Worked like a charm and saved us some money – also the Disney site wasn’t showing availability for a regular room at the POR the week we wanted to go but Expedia had it. Look for coupon codes for Expedia to save even more!
I did the same thing, Disney’s web-site had nothing in POR for our dates, but Orbitz did, and they had 25% off with a promo code. It ended up being less than it would have been even with the fall discounts.
Orbitz sent me the Disney confirmation number and I entered it on My Disney Experience, no problem. Once that came up, I canceled my original reservation at Pop and all my ADRs remained (I was worried I might lose the ones I had booked at the 180+ mark)
I was hoping for Port Orleans, this will be our first on-site stay!
My family was at the resort when my husband was running the half and full marathon 2015. We had asked for a late checkout being that he was running the marathon that day and the check in person said it was ok to be out by 1:00. The day of the race we were told we could not have the late checkout and had to be out by 11:00. That was unacceptable since my husband started at 6:30 and couldn’t possibly be done and back to shower before 11:00. Management was not accommodating at all. They said he could shower at the pool. We will never go back!
We are planning a vacation to WDW in November 2015 and I was wondering how long is the bus ride from Riverside to Magic Kingdom? Thanks so much for your review we were having trouble deciding between The Swan Resort and Riverside and now I think we will be going with Riverside it sounds great.