Port Orleans French Quarter is an on-site moderate Walt Disney World Hotel. It’s part of the Port Orleans complex along with its sister resort, Port Orleans Riverside. The resort theme draws from the southern area of the US. French Quarter is pull its inspiration from New Orleans while Riverside is themed after the more rural south. Riverside is a rather large, sprawling resort in the vein of Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs. French Quarter on the other hand is one of the smallest resorts on Walt Disney World Property. For our January 2023 trip we decided to try out French Quarter primarily due to its size. We’ve stayed at Caribbean Beach and Coronado, so we know what the “mega” resorts are like and wanted a change.
We stayed for 5 nights in a Standard 2 Queen bed room. For us, an upgraded view doesn’t provide much value as there is no dedicated balcony area. Your view always starts with a shared walkway and thus you must sacrifice privacy to take advantage of the view. At larger moderate resorts it can be worth paying up for better location. As we found out it, French Quarter really is so small that there is no bad location.
Our room was in Building 7 almost as far away as one could get from the main building and bus stop. It took us about 2 minutes to walk to the center of the resort at leisurely pace for us. I would always opt for a Standard view room at Port Orleans French Quarter because of that. The grounds are beautiful and the river is relaxing, but there are plenty of shared spaces to enjoy them, just like the balcony outside the rooms with a premium view.
Room
The rooms have been renovated fairly recently in the typical fashion of modern Disney Room Renovations.I mostly like the aesthetic and function of the rooms following this recent model. They’re always clean due to no carpets and they’re very practical. Raised beds that allow for storing of suitcases and luggage underneath are a godsend for maximizing space!
The beds were quite comfortable overall. Each had 4 pillows and 3 layers of blankets. I fell asleep fairly quickly each night and stayed asleep until the resort came to life in the morning.
The room had plenty of storage for us. Were able to stow our suitcases and bags underneath the beds to get them out of the way. There were 4 good size drawers on the TV-stand/Dresser/Fridge storage unit. We only needed 2 between us. I think this room could comfortably hold everything for a family of 4. If your family likes to hang their clothes I’d suggest bringing more hangers. There were a good amount, but we used them all for a 5 day trip between 2 people.
We found the room to be quite comfortable, but we didn’t really use any furniture besides the bed. It’s a typical moderate resort room with 2 beds and 2 chairs. The chairs were ok, but not something you’d want to sit on while watching a long movie or anything.
The room had the typical amenities for a moderate resort. There was a mini-fridge that actually had quite a bit of storage. I don’t recall if there was a freezer, but I don’t think so. I wouldn’t rely on it to keep anything that cold anyway. It also had a hair dryer, safe, iron, and ironing board.
The bathroom/sink area was typical for moderate resorts. Two sinks against the back wall with the “closet” for hanging clothes to the side. On the other side is the toilet and shower with a separate door. There was only a curtain separating the sink area from the main room, whereas Coronado has a sliding door. I thought this would matter more than it did. The curtain provided plenty of privacy and did a good job deafening the noises. It may be more noticeable with more people, but it was just fine for us.
One thing I did not like is the shower only had a rain type shower head. Coupled with the soft water of Florida it never felt like you were completely rinsed off. I got used it to after a couple days though. Not a huge deal, but would have preferred a shower head with more oomph.
Of note, this resort had H20 products still, but they were in the pumps attached to the wall.
The shower area had a typical full size tub. Everything was clean and worked as expected.
Resort
The recreation and amenities at Port Orleans French Quarter itself are typical for a Disney moderate resort. The Doubloon Lagoon pool is a very good size with the serpent themed water slide. Right next to it is the Mardi Grogs pool bar. The medicine show arcade is off the main lobby and has a decent selection of games. You can find pictures of the pool itself on the web. The pool was either closed or had people swimming in it when we were there. It always feels a little wrong to take unsolicited pictures of people in their swimwear.
With a reservation at Port Orleans French Quarter you also get access to all recreation and amenities at Port Orleans Riverside. Riverside has additional options like Surrey Bike rentals, regular bike rentals, fishing, and Horse Drawn carriage rentals.
The combination of the options at the two resorts and especially the more unique options at Riverside make this complex ideal for a resort day or two.
Dining
There are limited dining options at Port Orleans French Quarter. Just off the main lobby is the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. This is the typical cafeteria style Disney quick service. One thing that sets this apart are the cajun style food offerings. Both the Jambalaya and Gumbo were good and relatively unique food options.
Just outside the cafeteria is Scat Cat’s cafe selling coffee and the famous Port Orleans French Quarter Beignets.They offer Mickey shaped beignets server the traditional way with copious amounts of powdered sugar and specialty beignets that they switch up periodically. They also offer 3 dipping sauce options, chocolate, caramel, and strawberry. Strawberry was my favorite, but the cinnamon sugar beignet dipped in caramel tasted like a churro, only better! Do yourself a favor and grab one or several of these anytime you pass through the lobby. Their even great the next morning for breakfast!
Just next to the cafe is Scat Cat’s lounge. They offer full bar service and lighter fare food options until 10pm. On some nights they also have a live jazz band playing. We didn’t have an opportunity to try their food options, but can attest that the jazz and drinks were both great! Drinks are available until Midnight!
Transportation
The Port Orleans French Quarter resort offers 2 transportation options. The primary option are Disney Busses to the theme parks and Disney Springs. In addition, they offer boat service to Disney Springs on the Sassagoula River. This is a fun ride, relaxing ride, especially at night. Highly recommend this option if you’re looking to go to Disney Springs. Last boat was at 11:30PM. The cast member at the dock told us that as long as you’re in line before 11:30 you’ll get a boat back. However, the cast member at the front desk cautioned that the last boat can be “spotty” and suggested the bus as a more reliable option around that time.
We found both he buses and boats to be frequent and reliable during our stay. We also took advantage of the close proximity of the two Port Orleans resorts and grabbed a bus back to Riverside from EPCOT one day. If you opt for this option, get off at the South Depot bus stop and follow the signs for the walkway to French Quarter.
Grounds
It’s difficult to overstate the charm of this resort. It’s certainly a romanticized version of New Orleans, but that’s what you want from a Disney resort. The pathways are like city streets, complete with street signs and lined with well manicured bushes and vegetation – complete with ample wildlife! A walk around the grounds is a relaxing experience, especially in the morning or in the evening after the lights come on around the resort.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to see why Port Orleans French Quarter is often in the conversation of best moderate resort. We loved our stay there and had almost nothing to criticize. We appreciated the small footprint and laid back vibe of the resort. It’s such a great feeling to step off the bus after a long day in the park and know your room is, at most, 2 minutes away.
If you’re a foodie, dining at the resort are probably lacking. But being so close to Disney Springs puts some of the best restaurants on property just a few minutes away. The quick service options on site have some unique offerings as well – Gumbo, Jambalaya, Oyster Po’ Boy in Scat Cat’s lounge.
Overall, we would book at Port Orleans French Quarter without hesitation and the resort was a highlight of our most recent trip.
