Port Orleans Riverside Review

Today’s review is brought to you by Guru Shannan. Please feel free to visit her over at her website Addicted to Mickey or on Facebook. Let he know we sent you!! Enjoy!

On my family’s 2010 visit to WDW Resort we stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter.  It was great!  There were many activities to do at the resort if you wanted a break from the parks.  We knew when we returned in 2011 that we wanted to stay at Port Orleans, but this time we had a party of five, so we chose Port Orleans Riverside- Alligator Bayou.

     I had already done the online check in before we left home so registrations was quick.  We arrived at the resort at 9:30 AM.  Our resort wasn’t ready yet, as we expected because check in is at 3:00 PM.  We were offered luggage storage, which was near the front desk.  We chose to just leave our belongings in the car, as our room was on the opposite side of the resort.  We did have a bottle of medicine that needed to be refrigerated and they were happy to accommodate. I left my cell phone number so they could text me when our room was available.  We were given our keys to the world, drove our vehicle to the lot for our room and headed to Magic Kingdom. It was 1:00 AM when we returned to the resort.  We were very appreciative of the fact that there were four bus stops spread through out the resort and one of them was near our building.  This made it convenient for early mornings and extra late nights.  The rooms were ample size for a hotel, but that was really all we noticed that night as we tossed in our luggage and hit the beds.  There were two queen beds and one fold down Murphy type bed, instead of the trundle we expected.  This left the room for very little storage space, there were only three small drawers.  This was nowhere near enough space to store the clothes for a family of five on a 7 day vacation.  The vanity area was great with a double sink and plenty of room for all of our toiletries.  There was even a privacy curtain from the bedroom. The bathroom was TINY!  There was hardly enough room to turn around.

 The layout of the grounds is somewhat confusing.  There are directional signs on some pathways but not on others.  Several mornings we wasted no less than 15 minutes trying to find the lobby.  I do guess that if we had used our resort maps, we would have made out a little better 🙂  On the last night we finally realized that we had been going way out of the way to get to our room from the bus stop.  Other than bus transportation to the parks, there is also a ferry that is located on the back side of the resort that will take guests to French Quarter or to Down Town Disney.

    The kids loved the main pool, near Ole Man’s Island.  It had a large slide and huge waterfalls.  This area was heavily watched by lifeguards and was closed down when they went off duty.  There was plenty of seating to lay out or relax while the kids swam.  A jacuzzi was located near the pool bar, but it was small and always full of children so I didn’t get to test it out.  There was a wading pool for kiddies and a small playground nearby.  The pool also had showers, restroom and lockers available.  Port Orleans Riverside has five smaller and quieter pools scattered through out the property.

     There are many recreational activities also available.  There are guided catch and release fishing excursions along the stocked Sassagoula River, pontoon and Sea Raycer rentals, pirate adventures, Ole Man’s fishing hole, Surry bike rentals and movies under the stars.  Also available in the evening hours are horse and buggy rides.  Eating establishments include the Riverside Mill, which is a food court style fare, River Roost Lounge that offers evening entertainment and adult beverages, and Boatwright’s Dining Hall that serves as the resorts table service restaurant featuring Cajun flavored cuisine.

     Other than very little storage space and being frequently lost, we had a wonderful stay at Port Orleans Riverside with great food and plenty of entertainment.