Disney’s Port Orleans Resort French Quarter

After 28 years of dreaming, I finally got to go to Walt Disney World! My partner and I decided to go all out and stay on Disney Property (which we will definitely be doing again in the future, even just for the luxury of the transportation service! Hooray for a week of not driving!).
The French Quarter was beautiful– wrought iron railings, stairwells and fencing, a very Mardi Gras feeling in the décor, lush foliage and comfortable shade, a quiet winding river with boats that take you to Disney Springs and other locations. The food at the café Sassagoula was yummy and reasonably priced (I recommend the giant ice cream sandwiches!) There’s also a gift shop with all sorts of souvenirs, snacks, drinks, and the little necessities like sunscreen, aloe, baby supplies, etc.
The room was clean, room service was timely and all the staff was friendly. The beds were comfy and fresh linens are so nice! We were in building 7, and in one of the farthest-​located rooms at the resort. Still, it wasn’t much of a long walk to anywhere (bus transportation, café, shop) as the resort itself is on the smaller side. There’s a pool which looked clean and it wasn’t crowded even through Memorial Day week. I didn’t get to enjoy the pool but all the kids there seemed to be having a blast in the splash park and the slides!
I only have two insignificant things that were sub-​par, but not enough for me to knock off a star. One was the water felt…“heavy”? Kind of sticky-​ish, but it just may be how Florida’s water is. Just bring a little extra soap than you normally would, if you don’t care for the Mickey-​eared ones they give you (who doesn’t?). The second thing was that the upstairs toilets flushing were noticeably loud during the day, but I slept through it at night without a problem and I’m a very light sleeper.
Overall, I’d 100% stay at French Quarter again in the future. And I’m already looking forward to my next visit :)

So, I have been coming to disney since I was 8 years old. I have stayed at disney hotels, value, moderate, deluxe most every property over the years.
This was the first time I have stayed at this hotel… I will be coming back more and more.
Its décor and landscaping is beautiful. My room was ready by 10:30am which they texted me. Online check in… JUST DO IT! So Easy, Parked and went right to our room to drop off before we hit epcot.
The Room was So Cute, and clean. One of the nicest rooms I have stayed in at a Moderate.
I fell in love with this hotel, I didnt want to leave it. It has quickly become one of my favorites

I admit to being a bit of a Disney resort «snob.» I’ve gotten spoiled by the Deluxe resorts, but this solo visit I decided to give the POFQ another go. I stayed here several years ago in adjoining rooms with my godsons and their mom and we all enjoyed it. The kids really loved the pool area, which I enjoyed briefly this visit just sitting poolside for some time off my feet.
Both visits featured beautifully appointed rooms, quaintly designed with small, thoughtful touches. The grounds are amazing, this is one of the most delightful landscapes of all the resorts, including the Deluxe. What really wins here is that it’s a more intimate hotel, hard to find at Disney.
The food court is adequate for a smaller resort. The lines for food options are a bit confusing, find your way to the line with the beignets and you will not be disappointed.
There is a small bar that I visited this time around. Tiny menu, I ordered a pizza. It was along the flatbread lines, very tasty and hit the spot with my selected cocktail.
Props to the hotel staff. They are all so nice. It’s a truly fun energy from the moment you set foot on property.
My only issue is the noise. I lucked out on a corner without a neighbor for the first two nights. However, the third night was an entirely different story. My neighbors were so loud that I knew everything going on over there from the moment they opened their door. One should not be able to hear everything, let alone certain things in a family resort. Not Disney’s fault what I heard, but they really could soundproof all rooms as well as they do the Deluxe.
All told, it’s still my favourite non-​Deluxe resort, by far.

Unbiased review; we have stayed literally at all of Disney World’s resorts multiple times over the last 15 years. For me, this resort is my overall favorite for a couple of reasons. First, I believe it is the smallest, or one of the smallest resorts on Disney property. This is great for many reasons…1) your walk to/​from your room to your car or the Disney bus is short. 2) your walk to/​from the main building is short. Secondly, because the resort is small, it also doesn’t have the long bus lines to get on the Disney busses to/​from the Parks like some of the other resorts do. I noticed this resort draws a little bit of an older crowd with older children. It makes for a more quiet resort experience. Disney has no bad resorts, all of them have great qualities. The Grand Floridian will be prettier– but for a much larger price tag, and that’s worth it if that’s where you want your money to go. Pop Century will be cheaper– but your daily walks just to get to your car, the bus, or simply to the cafeteria can be VERY long. But for a middle of the road price point, super convenient proximity to parking lots/​busses/​cafeteria, and smaller crowds, Port Orleans French Quarter makes for an easier-​going quieter resort. The pool is super fun with slides and such. Boat transportation is available to/​from Disney Springs every 15 – 20 minutes. The resort is replicated in New Orleans fashion very accurately. There are nightly fires for toasting marshmallows and watching outdoor movies at the resort. The bar in the hotel is great to grab a drink and listen to live music, New Orleans style. The cafeteria has a decent selection of food & Cajun fare… their creamery/​bakery is worth a visit for their beignets and homemade GIGANTIC ice cream sandwiches. We have stayed here 4 times, most recently in March 2016… we have never been disappointed.

At check in i wish they had indicated that going to the check-​in/​registration counter is a single file line because I had no idea with no signs or ropes that indicated that it was that way until people already spread out in lines and a Disney person had to come up to tell us. At the registration counter we got Polly and she was a sweet and went above and beyond to help us with all our questions.
It was really nice to have them transfer the lugagge from Coronado Springs Resort to French Quarter — inorder for us to do that we initally had to drop it off at the Baggage storage room near the bell service area before 11am then we received the luggage at the other hotel by 2−3pm. Once we checked in and find out the hotel room we called baggage/​luggage room on the phone and they sent them to our room.
Our room was located in section 3 so it wasnt far /​long walks to free bus transportation area (only to go to amusement parks– not to the resorts but you can go to a park and transfer over to get to a different resort) or the free water boat rides. I truly enjoyed staying at this resort because it has great architecture– building and rooms interior looking just like New Orleans French Quarter style, they have a river boat landing area that we can use the river boats to head to either Riverside Resort or Disney Springs (aka downtown Disney), pools that is located centrally ggreat for all ages, comfortable beds, much quieter than staying at All-​Stars resort, and the room is huge for two person that are staying. Got a Garden View room that had two queen size beds and this room could fit 4 people comfortablely. My wifi was great but on my boyfriends computer it was not picking up wifi– super slow in the rooms for him. Love the magic bands that we got to open the doors.
The cafeteria/​dining hall-​The food Factory is open till midnight which is great to get late night yummy Grill Chicken Sandwich and getting awesome beignets.
Overall I enjoyed my visit for the weekend while participating in the 2016 Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon. I also stayed at the Coronado Springs resort for this weekend.

Rooms are decent. Beds are large queens. Staff is very helpful and nice. Overall, nice resort but in need of fixing up a little. Elevators look like they are in bad shape. See photos. Hot tub works snd boat to Disney Springs was fun. Room service was fast, Pizza & Wings. Only decent part of trip.

We enjoyed this resort, we stayed for a week.
* Loved the river that allows you to take a boat ride to downtown Disney.
* The drinks at the pool bar were really strong and good.
My one gripe would be the smokers are stationed right next to the arcade. Every time you pass from the rooms to the lobby or cafeteria you have to breathe the nasty cigarette smell. I think they should move the smokers area further out and not right next to where everyone walks.

We had 12 people in our group for Princess Half Marathon weekend. I requested that the rooms on each reservation be close to each other and was more than accommodated (the rooms ended up being connected by a door on the inside). We also had a beautiful view of the river and I would definitely request that again.
Transportation to and from the races was very easy and we never had a problem getting to and from the parks. The pool/​spa area is wonderful and my mother and I had the most amazing piña colada while relaxing on our last day.
The hotel itself is beautiful. The food court area is smaller than Riverside but I think Riverside is the larger of the resorts.
Great choice for a mid-​price hotel on Disney property.

We LOVE Disney and come here often. Although this is the first time we’ve stayed at the French Quarter.
The overall theme is nice and well designed.
But the most important and really irritating thing is, THIS MATTRESS. Old ancient spring mattress that I can’t even sleep on. I’m am absolutely never staying here at this resort again until I know it’s been updated. As an annual pass holder we spend thousands of dollars a year here and I expect top notch sleeping accommodations. I mean it’s sad that you can stay at an ALL-​STAR resort and get way better treatment there.
If I could give 0 stars I would. Let’s face it, if you can’t get a good nights rest on your mini vacation WHATS THE POINT OF GETTING AWAY.
NOT SO MAGICAL!
…
So I’m very pleased to say that after we complained they brought us a brand new mattress.
I have to say that this was very pleasing.
Thank you Walt Disney World.
This is awesome. Thanks again!

Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5, rounding to 4 because the service was great and the resort was beautiful and very convenient for the price.
When my friend and I went to Disney World for our 2016 Disney Princess Half Marathon, we wanted to stay on a Disney resort property to take advantage of the buses and convenience. After all, we wanted to visit the parks too! After a bit of research, we landed on Port Orleans Resort French Quarter, a «moderate» Disney resort.
The whole thing has a New Orleans feel, from the characters and décor to the overall ambience. First off, we had the best ever cast member, Natalie from Niagara University, help us at the front desk. I had booked the room, but my friend was a Florida resident, and Natalie and the other front desk cast members helped us sort out the room pricing AND split the room costs between us. The cast members have great costumes, and ever since The Princess and the Frog, the New Orleans characters and themes are even more relevant.
As for the rooms, they were fine. We had a room with two queen beds. The room in general was pretty standard and basic. The bathroom (toilet/​shower) was tight and tiny, and we did have a dirty washcloth hanging out upon arrival (the ONE thing I wasn’t happy with, ugh). But the dressing area/​vanity was large, perfect for two girls sharing a room, and the bed linens, while not brand new, were clean and comfy. I slept like a rock both nights! So overall, the rooms were just what we needed, and very quiet and peaceful too.
The pool area was large and looked fun! Again, I liked the smaller size of this resort because it meant less walking between points of interest. Everything was close to the pool, bus stop, lobby, restaurants, etc. In addition, you could actually park pretty close to your room, which seemed so unlike a resort, right? BONUS! Easy access to our car. They even gave us free late checkout for 1pm, because it was available for our room specifically.
While my main point of reference is Disney’s Grand Floridian (you can check out my Unilocal review), I did notice that as you move away from the Deluxe resorts, the characters and themes get stronger and more cheesy. But I think that’s to be expected, and I don’t think it’s off-​brand because it’s Disney! More magic, right?
My biggest regret? Not spending more time at this resort! We visited the lobby, and Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory for a dinner, (and beignets!) but I didn’t run on the grounds (or take a carriage ride!) and get over to the Riverside resort, nor did we take the ferry to Disney Springs, the rebranding of Downtown Disney.

As I lay here on this uncomfortable, ancient mattress, I want nothing more than to teleport back to my soft bed at home
Once you leave your room, life gets better. The overall theme and design of this place is spectacular, but let’s be real. If your bed isn’t comfortable, how can you enjoy the resort?
Disney, if you’re reading, it’s not okay to stick old, uncomfortable spring mattresses in the handicap rooms. My friends were staying in a non-​handicap room and their bed was superb.
I’m really frustrated over my sore back and tired eyes, but I have to give this place 3 stars. Other than my horrendous mattress, this place, like most moderate to high end Disney hotels is a gem.
If you stay here, make sure to take the ferry over to Disney Springs. The 20 minute journey is a beautifully relaxing one. You float out of Port Orleans through a Forest where Disney’s Tree House Villas are into the big lake at Disney Springs.

Property is large, complete with a river, playground, pools and dinning hall. Rooms are decorated in a French theme and each manor reflective of a New Orleans manor to the tee. We visited NOLA pre-​hurricane/​late 90’s and stayed at the Rue Royal. As soon as we stepped onto this property we heard the jazz music and felt as though we were right in the French quarter! There are multiple Walt Disney World shuttle pick up locations which makes the stay here very convenient should you need to go to and from the parks and Disney springs.
Better than your standard hotels but not a 5 star like the Polynesian or the Grand Californian.
We loved our stay and would definitely recommend this property to our friends/​family when visiting WDW.

I stayed at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort in December over Christmas. The property is a moderate hotel and is one of the smaller Disney hotels at Disney World. The hotel was recommended to me by a friend since they noted it was more adult like and seemed to have less kids here than other properties. This definitely was the case and the property was relatively quiet, even over the Christmas holiday.
Check-​in was quick and a room was available before the check-​in time. The room was basic, but did have a mini-​fridge. The carpet though looked like it really needed a good vacuum. We all wore sandals or shoes anytime walking around the room. The A/​C unit was also rather loud, but did cool the room down well.
The bus system was decent most of the time. The only bus that was a pain was the one to Epcot, which stopped at the Riverside resort. The total time took around an hour with all the multiple stops. This was the only bus that had multiple stops from the French Quarter in December.
Overall the hotel wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t wow me either. I’m used to the Disney hotels at Disneyland in California, so for me the hotel didn’t meet my expectations nor feel Disney like (and to be completely blunt Disney World didn’t do anything for me either). I would probably only stay here again if the price was right.

Stayed here for one night over thanksgiving break. We stayed in one room with two big beds, big enough to early accommodate 3 adults. I loved it here, everyone was super helpful and we checked in and out super easily. The décor of this hotel is so beautiful, it’s very sophisticated compared to other Disney hotels.

I didn’t love this resort but I didn’t hate it. This is Disney so check your normal hotel standards at the door. $$$ doesn’t always = luxury. That said, it served its purpose just fine.
It’s a mid-​level Disney resort, which means you don’t get all the bells and whistles that say The Grand Floridian or Polynesian Resorts would have. No theme rituals (i.e. the torch-​lighting ceremony and storytelling at the Polynesian and the daily parasol walk and Cinderella’s carriage rides at the Grand Floridian), just some buildings designed to make you feel like you’re walking through N’awlins. The Sassagoula River is a nice sight with a decent running path. You can ride horse drawn carriages around the perimeter of the river, which can be magical in its own way.
My Port Orleans — French Quarter breakdown:
THE FOOD:
The jazz bar and restaurant have food comparable to what you’d see at a mall food court or high school cafeteria. Those beignets are tasty, but other items on the menu weren’t anything to write home about. The restaurants stick to the Cajun/​Creole theme and so have po’boys and seafood on the menu, but think more of the Long John’s Silver variety. For your «healthy» option, they have this tasty penne pasta with kale pesto (yes, that one item). Also, breakfast is the best time to eat as they serve those cute little Mickey Mouse waffles and frittatas.
Everything shuts down at midnight here, unlike the other high-​end Disney resorts. We learned this the hard way on day one. We arrived for a late evening check-​in and asked what late night dining options were available. We were given two phone numbers: Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut. There’s nothing less magical than getting off of the Magical Disney Express and having to call domino’s delivery at midnight.
The «jazz» in the jazz bar is a real (ish) thing on the weekends. As in there is a guy playing a piano and singing on those nights. And in New Orleans theme, the bars serve Abita, a win for beer-​loving adults.
THE ROOM:
We were in building 7, which was a convenient hop, skip, and a jump away from the park shuttles. The room was small and really clean. Each day, housekeeping left a Mickey Mouse design in towels on our bed. I really don’t have any major complaints in this department. I mean it’s not luxury, but we weren’t expecting it to be. If you want a modern bathroom with marble sinks and a rain shower, this isn’t your place. But how much time do you spend in the room anyway, right?
TRANSPORTATON:
There was a running joke among all people staying here that this resort was Disney’s red-​headed step child. The shuttles we needed came so infrequently that these poor bus drivers were always met with angry mobs wanting to stampede in. I mean you’re dealing with sugar-​charged kids (and adults) who came to see Mickey/​Elsa and are ready to trample anyone standing in their way.
The other mode of transportation here is a ferry that will take you to Disney Springs (Downtown Disney). Be prepared to wait here as well. You’ll see a ferry picking up those PO-​Riverside folks in drones while the patient French Quarter people wait and wait. We probably waited half an hour for that 10 minute ferry ride. They should have wait times listed for the ferries and shuttles like they do above the rides at the park.
EXTRAS:
They have outdoor screenings every night so a different Disney movie plays on a big screen each night for all to see. Apparently, they also have some kind of Mardi Gras parade a couple times a year, so that seems like it would be cool if you’re lucky enough to catch it. The pool was pretty big with a large King Triton statue overlooking it. Pretty neat.
At the end of the day, it comes down to what you really want from your resort. This place is great if you plan to spend 90% of your time at the parks. Some resorts are an extension of those parks, which this was not. It’s a simple place to rest your head, get in a good run or leisurely stroll by the water, and then leave the premises for activities elsewhere. It really is a clever interpretation of New Orleans through a Disney lens. A kid-​friendly New Orleans without the debauchery. I mean Fat Tuesday served virgin drinks and I’m sure those beads around the workers’ necks weren’t earned the traditional way.
Personally, I think it’s worth spending a little extra to be closer to a park, have more options for dining and cool activities to partake in on site. I’d pay extra to not feel like I’m leaving my Disney experience behind whenever I’m heading back to the resort.

Pros:
Smaller resort and for most of the times you are traveling to the parks French Quarter gets it’s own bus. If it does happen to share a bus with Riverside though French Quarter is always first stop for pick up and drop off which is nice so the buses never felt completely packed to the gills unless it was park closing time. We’ve stayed at Caribbean Beach in the past and that resort is huge with at least 5 stops so the buses are always completely packed and it takes longer to get to the parks with all the stops. Also liked the double bathroom vanity with two sinks. The additional availability of boat transportation to DIsney Springs is a nice perk as well. The grounds of the resort are lovely too and very peaceful.
Cons: Shower /​toilet component of bathroom very small space. In general the standard room is small. I suppose the pool for a moderate resort is not quite as cool as some of the pools at other resorts but we hardly ever use the pool. We had one very disappointing experience with housekeeping this trip. The didn’t clean our room our first day when we returned for a quick break from the parks around 330pm. We called them around 4 when we were headed back out to ask that they clean it while we were gone and they promised it would be taken care of right away and when we came back after 930pm it was never cleaned. I went to the front desk somewhat irate that they didn’t come through on a basic service you pay for with a hotel room and even more angry when I called to have them correct the mistake that they failed on that front too and that it was late and I was tired and didn’t want to be kicked out of my room for cleaning at that point. I settled for having them deliver some fresh towels which took over half an hour which was also kind of annoying. I wish I had asked for some other compensation though or that they had offered something else because it was a frustrating experience. Every other day they managed to clean the room. I also feel like because the rooms are older they are just not as clean in general. The carpet was somewhat worn in our room and there was a slight bit of mold on the wall of the bathroom. I kind of expect better of Disney.
Overall we don’t spend that much time in the room at Disney so the convenience of it being a smaller resort with what I think is faster bus transportation was nice but I might see if there is something else that fits our needs for our next trip given our experiences with housekeeping and the overall outdated and somewhat lower quality of the room for the price.

Dirty, noisy, old and not Disney. There were bugs in the bathroom, bugs in bedroom, old carpet, very noisy, there was not even lotion in the room. Wifi is slow. No tea bags in the room. Feel like a 2 star hotel while the price is like a five star hotel.

It’s been 26 years since I last came to Disney World and I really enjoyed our stay here. It is a beautiful property designed to look like New Orleans that has nightly free outdoor movies for kids, a great pool area with dragon slide and a whirlpool spa. There’s a laundromat, poolside bar. Dixie jazz playing throughout the main area and restaurant.
These resorts have amenities for physical challenges as well, such as electric mobility chairs to help people get into the pool and hot tub.
Hotel greeters give you mardi gras beads on Tuesdays.
I loved the fact we could take a boat to Disney Springs versus the bus. Our favorite boat captain was Jim from Alamonte Springs; he embodies the Disney spirit of being the happiest place on earth; he cracked family-​friendly jokes and puns, as well as explained the sites we saw en route, such as the «Swiss Family Lodges» of the Disney Vacation Club properties.
I was highly impressed that our room was ready six hours prior to check-​in. I was already riding rides at Animal Kingdom when I got the text.
Several perks were the two day included Disney Amusement Park tickets per person; I paid a nominal additional $ 50 or $ 25/​day to park hop.
The second perk was the ability to enter the parks early and stay late as a Disney hotel guest.
The third is curbside checkin for returning to the airport. So no dragging bags on a bus.
The fourth is the Magical Express, a free shuttle from the airport to disney properties. You don’t get that from any non Disney-​owned hotels. They send you luggage tags so that when you arrive in Orlando, you skip baggage claim and your bags are delivered to your hotel room. That in itself is a huge plus.
I highly recommend spending the money to do a magic your way package. It’s going to save you money in the long run.
As the Cajuns say, laissez les bons temps rouler at Port Orleans French Quarter!

Staying on property at Walt Disney World, Port Orleans French Quarter is one of the more reasonably priced hotels without limiting yourself to budget (i.e. lots of noisy children running around).
Very similar to Port Orleans Riverside but I actually preferred the outdoor areas a little more and found the shuttle stops a little more conveniently located. Rooms were basic and service was on par with other Disney Resorts I have stayed at in the past. I’d stay again given the option.

Don’t let three stars give you a bad impression! This was my first time staying on WDW property and I would definitely do it all over again, but just not at this hotel.
Staying in building 1 in room 1205, I think our neighbor might have had a urinary tract infection or something, because the toilet seemed to flush ALL night. I would recommend bringing earplugs, because the walls were paper thin. The bathroom (toilet and shower) were also super tiny and there was no closet or luggage rack. Overall, I found the bed to be on the stiff side, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Everyday the room was cleaned well and the overall resort is well kept up for being 24 years old. If using the Magical Express shuttle from Orlando airport, this is the third out of four stops on the route. For getting to and from the parks, I never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus.
Overall, I had a FABULOUS time! As expected the people here are super friendly and welcoming, but with so many other Disney resort options, I think I’ll be checking out another hotel on my next WDW vacation.