When visiting Walt Disney World, guests have so many options when it comes to where to stay. Matt and I have been fortunate to stay at various resorts from Pop Century to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. On our most recent trip, we were visiting for the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and would only be staying for two nights, but we still wanted to stay on the property and we wanted to stay somewhere new, so after comparing prices on the My Disney Experience App, we decided to stay at the Port Orleans Resort French Quarter.

Read on to find out about our experience, see our room, and get some tips and tricks.

The Resort

One of Walt Disney World’s Moderate Resorts, Port Orleans French Quarter is designed to transport you to New Orleans historic French Quarter. The resort opened May 17th, 1991, and is considered one of the smaller, more walkable Disney resorts. No detail is too small when it comes to the theme. From the lamp posts to the architecture of the buildings, to the covers of the sewer drains, it is dripping with gorgeous New Orleans charm.

As you stroll through the resort you will feel like you are part of the Mardi Gras festivities. There 7 three story buildings containing the 1008 rooms. Each building has stair and elevator access as well as ice machines and vending.

Parking is free!
There is only one bus stop, but it is broken up into two separate areas to help with crowd control. There is a handy screen that tells you when the next buses will arrive for each park, and you can also find this information on the My Disney Experience app.
There is only one smoking area (overlooking the river and in a covered shelter).
There is a public laundromat, but the washers and dryers here do not accept cash. They only accept credit or debit cards. The resort also offers dry cleaning for a fee.
There is a playground for the kiddos just outside of the pool area.
Right in front of the pool bar nestled in the seating area there were some corn hole games available.
Free Ferry to Disney Springs and the Rivera Resort (more on that later).
We saw signs posted throughout the resort sharing other available recreational activities such as:
- Movies under the stars
- Mickey Tie Dye
- Arts and Crafts
- Mosaic Class
- Arcade Challenge
- Glow Party
They also offer Carriage rides at the adjacent resort (Disney’s Port Orleans Resort Riverside) $55 including tax.
- A relaxing 25-minute carriage ride through Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. Carriage holds up to four adults or two adults and three small children.
- Reservations nightly (weather permitting)
  First ride 6 p.m. – Last ride departs 9:30 p.m.
  Pick up at Port Orleans Riverside at the Riverside Levee Marina.
- Reservations are recommended and can be made up to 180 days in advance by calling (407) WDW-PLAY or (407) 939-7529.

The Lobby/Port Orleans Square

The main building is called Port Orleans Square, and it contains check in, the Scat Cat Club/Lounge, the quick service restaurant (Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory), and the gift shop. It also contains the arcade, a souvenir penny machine, an ATM machine, a machine that sells portable chargers, and a machine that makes custom dog tags/ID tags. They even have an area for the little guests to relax and watch Disney movies while the adults handle things. At the concierge desk they had a pin trading station! So many special touches to help make the resort feel special.

Every evening when we came back from the parks we were always welcomed back “home” by a cast member. We did mobile check in and were able to go straight to our room using our magic bands, but there was someone always at the front desk (even at 12:30am when we got back from the Halloween party).

Check in is normally at 3:00pm and checkout is at 11:00am (however late check out can be requested). We checked in via the app on our drive in at around 7:30am, and I got a text message at 9:30am saying that our room was already ready!! We were so thrilled that we could go ahead and settle in and change for the Halloween party. We would have just left our luggage in our car but if you fly in, you can leave your luggage with the Bell Services and you can either collect you items when you are ready for them or they can bring them to your room.

One night when coming back from the park, it had been raining and was especially humid. When walking up to the Port Orleans Square building, we could see hundreds of Mickeys that had been drawn onto the windows in the fog. It was so cool!

The Gift Shop/Jackson Square

Every resort has a shop, and this one was attached to the main lobby with access from the outside as well. It opens daily at 6:30am and closes at 11:30pm. Just like other typical resort stores, it sells Disney merchandise and memorabilia, snacks, drinks, wine, beer, medication, and best of all some special resort merchandise. They had special shirts, cups, and bags (like most other resort stores), but because of the special theme of this resort they also had some extra special items such as the Cafe Du Monde Beignet mix, and some Gumbo starter. My favorite item was the Mickey Beignet ears that even SMELLED like Beignets!!

The Pool

Every resort is in competition over the pool and the Doubloon Lagoon is pretty darn impressive. It is located at the back/middle of the resort and overlooks the Sassagoula river. The pool is heated and has a sea serpent waterslide featuring King Neptune. All around and leading up to the pool you can find fun Mardi Gras alligators known as the “Alligator Band” and the ones closest to the pool even shoot water. The waterslide closes at 10:00pm and the lifeguards go off duty at this time as well. The pool provides life vests for children and there is even a special kids splash area off to one side of the pool (in a separate area).

There is also a hot tub just before the pool across from the playground and before you reach the pool bar the Mardi Grogs. The hot tub closes at 2:00am.

The Mardi Grogs features typical bar food and cold drinks. It is open from 11:00am until 10:00pm. Some dining plans are accepted here. Check out some photos of the menu below.

The Ferry

Running up against the backside of the resort is the Sassagoula River, and from the dock you can access the free River ferry boat and visit Disney Springs or the neighboring Riverside resort. The boats come about every 15 minutes from 10:00am-10:30pm and are about a 15-minute relaxing ride to Disney Springs. It was really neat to pass by all of the Treehouse Villas as well as go through the Lake Buena Vista Golf Corse. When you arrive at Disney Springs, you will be dropped off at a dock beside the “Marketplace” over by the Saratoga Springs resort.

When returning from Disney Springs, to find your way back go all the way back towards the Disney’s Days of Christmas shop and out the exit that way. To the left you will find the docks that you arrived on. Be on the lookout for a purple flag to signal your resort (but just ask a cast member if you have any questions). Sometimes the boats utilize yellow flags and stop at both the French Quarter and Riverside, so if you are not sure, just ask.

Image taken from Disney Water Transportation | Walt Disney World Resort (go.com)

The Food

The biggest opportunity with this resort is lack of food options. There is only one place to eat, and it is a quick service restaurant called the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. You can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner with varying hours (around 7am until midnight). You can either walk up and order or you can do a mobile order for pickup. They do participate in the Rapid Fill beverage program where you can get a resort mug and refill it as part of the Disney Dining Plan $21.99.

We ate breakfast here one morning before catching a bus to a park and ordered through the app. It was quick and easy, and the food came out hot and ready when we arrived. You have to order, and then go back into the app during your pickup window to click that you have arrived and then wait for your order to be prepared, so I clicked that we were there when we were actually leaving our room and walking down to the restaurant. See some photos below of what is currently on the menu.

There is plenty of seating inside and the theme is all about Mardi Gras and the big parade floats. There are a few tables scattered outside, and this does connect to the main lobby area and to Scat Cats Lounge.

Scat Cat’s Lounge opens from 5p-12:30am and is focused around beverages and appetizers.

Our favorite spot to grab a snack (and what makes Port Orleans French Quarter famous is Scat Cat’s Club Cafe and the legendary Mickey shaped beignets! People make special trips to the resort just for these babies! As soon as we got our luggage in our room, this was the first place we went. Even at 10:30am on a Tuesday in October, there was a line. They came out HOT and absolutely smothered in powdered sugar (we were covered). This is an absolute must do, even if you are not staying here. When you order them, they come with one sauce for free and you can order additional sauces for a $0.99 charge.

You can walk over to Port Orleans Riverside or take the Ferry to have dinner at their full-service sit-down restaurant Boatwright’s if you choose, or you can go to Disney Springs. Sassagoula Pizza Express also delivers to French Quarter up until midnight.

Our Room

We were assigned to the first floor in building 4 and had a standard view room. We felt like the room was just as big as a standard room at Coronado, and the bathroom actually felt bigger. We once again loved all the theme details throughout the room, and some that were left behind by mousekeeping like the Mickey shape of towels on one of the beds, and the special welcome note and Mardi Gras beads in the shape of Mickey on the table.

While the bathroom only had one sink, there was lots of counter space and storage in the cubbies to the left. The water pressure and the heat of the water was just ok, but otherwise it was spacious and enjoyable.

Having a mini refrigerator was nice as we kept some things there to enjoy when we got home from the parks. The wardrobe was also handy as there was plenty of space to hang our clothes, store our luggage and shoes. The safe was in the bathroom and was plenty big enough for our most important items.

The room was equipped with:

“Hey Disney” Amazon device
Hairdryer
Internet - Free WiFi Service
In-Room Safe
Telephone with voicemail
Coffee maker
Iron & Ironing Board
Beverage Cooler

The pricing is typical for a Moderate resort:

Standard Rooms range from $246 – $344 (Holidays up to $392)
Garden View Rooms range from $253 – $354 (Holidays up to $402)
River Water View Rooms range from $268 – $366 (Holidays up to $413)
Pool Water View Rooms range from $268 – $372 (Holidays up to $421)
King Bed Rooms range from $278 – $388 (Holidays up to $429)

Overall, we loved our stay here and would definitely recommend it and would stay here again. Have you ever stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter? What was your experience? Share in the comments!

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort French Quarter