Our Stay At Port Orleans French Quarter--A Walt Disney World Resort

Let me begin with some background. . . We have stayed at Walt Disney World Resorts twelve times:  twice at Caribbean Beach resort, five times at Port Orleans Riverside, three times at Coronado Springs, and our trip in July was our second stay at Port Orleans French Quarter.  Let’s talk about our stay.

Our stay at French Quarter was 6 nights/7 days.  We arrived around 10:00 am on Saturday after disembarking the ship and were very pleased that our room was ready as check-in typically is not until 3:00 pm. 

When the DCL bus dropped us off, the husband stayed with our luggage near the port-cochere as I checked us into the resort.  Reason being that if luggage services took our luggage and held it and our room was ready, we would immediately have to get our luggage out of luggage services—which is what happened last time. 

Once we had our room number—no Key to the World cards as all info was in our Magic Bands—I headed back outside and asked Bell Services to assist us in getting to our room.  They also retrieved our Garden Grocer order which was being held in Luggage Services.  Soon our bags were being placed on the large cart and we were off to our room.  I so appreciate Bell Services doing this as it can be a winding maze to find your room in the sprawling Disney resorts.

We were in building 4 on the third/top floor with a garden view.  Our room was neat, clean, and cool!  It was an easy walk to get to the bus stop through the “back sidewalk.”  We changed our clothes and headed to Blizzard Beach for the afternoon.

Throughout our stay we took advantage of the pool, hot tub, playground, evening campfire with roasted marshmallows—no smores though, the nightly movie shown in the garden (the boy watched one night), the food court along with drink refills, the arcade, resort shop, and boat launch to Downtown Disney.

As for bus transportation—it took us until the last day of our stay to get the timing down for the buses in the morning.  We typically walk out the door at 7:50 am to catch a bus to a park opening at 9:00 am.  This gives us time to walk to the bus stop, ride the bus, and arrive at the park prior to opening.  What kept happening was that we would have to wait until 15 or 20 after the hour for the bus.  One the last day of our trip, we left the room 5 minutes earlier and it made all the difference in the world.  The buses were arriving at 10 minutes ‘til the hour and we were just missing them!

The boat launch was a different story.  After spending the first part of the day at Typhoon Lagoon, we returned to our resort to clean up and go to Downtown Disney.  I knew that some of the piers at Downtown Disney may not be available due to all of the construction, so I phoned the front desk to ask where we would be dropped off if we took the boat launch.  I was told that the boat would stop at the Marketplace and the West Side.  We headed to the loading area for the boat launch.  A boat arrived from Downtown Disney heading to Port Orleans Riverside and was unloading passengers.  We asked if we could board and ride to Riverside and make the return trip.  We were told by the boat Captain that we could, but all passengers would have to exit at Riverside and line up again to board.  He suggested that we wait for the next boat to take us to Downtown Disney.  When we boarded the next boat that arrived a few minutes later, I asked the Captain if we would be dropped off at the Marketplace, which was our destination.  I was told no as that pier was not open yet.  I told him I had asked the front desk for specific information and he told me they were wrong.  He then went on to say that the boat launches had repeatedly communicated with the resort and that I should have asked for a manager.  At this point, I was wishing we had taken the air conditioned bus, especially after the teenage boy with the family in front of us dropped his chocolate ice cream on the floor and splattered the husband’s white shoes with chocolate not to mention making a mess on the boat. 

We did arrive at Downtown Disney via the Pleasure Island boat pier and then walked to the Marketplace.  The good news was that it was easy for the guys to take the boat back to the resort after leaving DisneyQuest later in the evening.  (I didn’t take the boat—I took a bus back to the resort.  And, I called the front desk when I returned to give them accurate information about the boat launch.)

Like a flash, soon it was time to go home.  I phoned Bell Services the night before we checked out and asked for assistance to arrive at 7:00 am as we wanted to use Resort Airline Check-in and have breakfast prior to our Disney’s Magical Express pick-up for return service to Orlando International Airport at 8:10 am.  I was instructed to make sure our luggage was ready to go prior to 7:00 am.  Really?  They have to tell guests that?  Of course our luggage was ready.  It was actually waiting for them outside our resort room door. 

7:00 am arrived and no Bell Services.  I phoned.  The Cast Member who answered said she had no way of radioing someone to come and did not know if someone was on their way or not.  I stayed on the phone with her while she tried to find out and in the meantime, a representative from Bell Services arrived.

Resort Airline Check-in is an amenity we have grown accustomed to and would definitely miss if it weren’t available.  We delivered our checked bags and our boarding passes were printed and our checked luggage whisked away—no having to check it in at the airport or having to stop at the airline counter at the airport! 

There was some confusion though as the phone message we received about Resort Airline Check-in told us that all members of the traveling party had to be present.  But both Bell Services and the Cast Member at Resort Airline Check-in said that if all members of the traveling party have the same last name, only one person needs to be present.  I explained that was not what the pre-recorded message left on our resort room voicemail said.  They were going to do some checking.  (I really think that Cast Members need to know what it feels like/looks like from the guests’ perspective at least once.)

After the luggage was taken care of we enjoyed breakfast in the food court and took the bus back to the airport for our return trip home.

All-in-all, our stay at Port Orleans French Quarter was just fine.  The husband tried to get his mug refilled at the pool bar—with soda--only to be scoffed at and rebuked by the bar tender.  You see, at Coronado Springs, there is an area next to the pool bar that DOES refill the resort refillable mugs. 

I will also say that French Quarter was not our first choice—Coronado Springs was—for this trip, but it was available and part of the summer special being offered.  Coronado Springs was undergoing a refurbishment and had no availability for standard rooms during the dates of our vacation.

Would we stay at French Quarter again?  Yes. . . if our preferred resort was not available.

Next Trip Booked For Port Orleans French Quarter

Yes, I miss you too, Mickey.  I miss you so much that I am planning to come visit you soon.  I wish it was sooner, but we will be there, in the house of mouse, before you know it.  Save a big hug for us!

After an email and phone call exchange with our favorite travel agent today, we are now booked for our next visit to Walt Disney World.

The trip we had planned before the phone call had morphed by the time I had hung up the phone.  Originally we wanted to stay at Disney's Coronado Springs, but there were no standard rooms available--only Jr. Suites and bigger.  Too pricey for us!  My guess is there is some sort of rehab or refurbishment planned.

We went with our next choice, Port Orleans French Quarter.  It will be nice to be back at the quaint Disney resort that is one of the smallest on property.  I reminded the husband over dinner that he wouldn't have that far to go to fill up our mugs in the evenings.  He laughed.  We then talked about the proximity of the hot tub to the playground and swimming pool.  Closer together than Riverside but further apart than Coronado Springs.  Can you tell that we were envisioning our nights after returning from the parks.

I also sent our travel agent our list of dining reservations.  We aren't at the 180 day mark yet, but close.  One reservation I am not having her make is for our lunch at Downtown Disney.  I told the husband that I am not making it either.  He gave me a look that was a cross between concern and surprise.  I them explained my thinking.

Our daily touring plan calls for one morning at Downtown Disney, which will most likely end up at the Lego Store.  Then, a decision will need to be made about how to spend the afternoon--a water park or DisneyQuest.  If the decision is to hit a water park, we will traverse towards the water launches--which I hope are operational given the construction going on at Downtown Disney and since Rainforest Cafe is near the water launches back to the resort, we can have lunch there.  If the decision is DisneyQuest, then we can lunch at T-Rex Cafe, make our way to DisneyQuest where I will bid farewell to the guys after showing them where they can catch the boat back to our resort not too far from DisneyQuest.

The husband then asked if there would be much of a wait, to get a table.  I shook my head.  We are Landry Select Club Members and a perk is to get a table quickly and both T-Rex Cafe and Rainforest Cafe are Landry Restaurants.

Oh, and we added Memory Maker to our reservation--click here to read more about Memory Maker.

Staying At a Different Resort For Our Next Trip to Walt Disney World

At this time of year, most people are counting down the number of shopping days left before Christmas.  Children are counting down the number of days until Santa makes a stop at their house.  We are counting down the number of days until our next trip to Walt Disney World—100 days!

We have decided to try a new resort for our next trip—Coronado Springs, a moderate Disney resort.

We have stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort twice, and learned that location really does matter!  Caribbean Beach was Disney’s first attempt at a moderate resort.  I think they learned from their mistakes.

Port Orleans Riverside was our “home” for five trips to Walt Disney World—click here to read more.  We were hesitant to move away from our favorite and yet, queen sized beds lured us to Port Orleans French Quarter during our last stay—click here to read more.

This time we were lured by savings.  A spring discount was available during our travel dates, but only at certain resorts.  Coronado Springs was available for the discount, so we made the switch.  Just like that!  The husband had no hesitation.  He said we could give another resort a try, add information about Coronado Springs to the blog, and save some money.  Bingo!

We told the boy this morning.  “Does it have a pool?” was his response.  He wanted to see pictures—thank goodness for technology!

100 days!  I need to get packing!

Port Orleans French Quarter

8 trips to Walt Disney World equals 2 stays at Caribbean Beach Resort plus 5 stays at Port Orleans Riverside plus 1 stay at Port Orleans French Quarter.  During our most recent trip, we enjoyed a week’s stay at Port Orleans French Quarter.

Port Orleans French Quarter is a sister resort to Port Orleans Riverside.  They have separate check-ins, separate luggage service, etc.  They do share boat service to Downtown Disney and some bus service to various parks.  Guests staying at either resort can used the themed pools at both resorts.  We’ve done just that—swimming in Doubloon Lagoon at French Quarter while staying at Riverside.  That’s how we became more familiar with the resort in the first place.

So, after 5 successful stays at Riverside, why did we decide to give French Quarter a try?  Well, it was the call of the recently refurbished rooms at French Quarter that included queen sized beds.  Sounds a bit trifle I know, but it was enough to get us to try something new, and we were glad we did!

French Quarter is, well, quaint.  There is a grid of “streets” or paths that run between the buildings.  The main building is in the center with the food court, shop, and arcade.  The playground, which was closed while we were there, is just behind the main building, along with the hot tub, laundry facilities, Doubloon Lagoon, and then the boat dock is last.  The guest buildings spread out on either side of this main or central area. There is one bus stop, located just outside the main building.

When we arrived about 10:00 am after disembarking from the Disney Dream, our room was ready, which came as a pleasant surprise to us as check-in is typically 3:00 pm., and an ever bigger surprise to luggage and bell services.

We made it to our room in building 6 on the third floor—yes, there were elevators.  We had a lovely water view room, which I was informed was an upgrade.

Our plans were to take a swim, do some laundry, have lunch, and head to a park.  We accomplished all of those things.

Upon arriving to our room, we were greeted with the mysterious ball cap hanging over the smoke/fire detector on the wall.  I called guest services, which directed me to housekeeping to inform them.  The ball cap stayed in the same location for our entire stay.  We left it there for the next set of guests.

We also had a bit of a misstep our first afternoon, as after showering—after our swim—I went to blow dry my hair with the in-room hairdryer, and within seconds sparks were flying and smoke was coming out of the hairdryer before it stopped completely.  Yes, I had blown up the hairdryer. 

While the husband called guest services for the second time that day, I went next door, as we had talked to our neighbors that day, too.  I had hairbrush in hand and asked if I could finish blow drying my hair and explained what happened.  They wondered where the smoke smell was coming from, and at least now they knew.  They were gracious and allowed me to finish drying my hair.  I thanked them.

Guest services said they would bring up a new hairdryer.  A new one was installed by the time we returned from the parks that evening.  But the ball cap, was still there!

We also noticed that our refrigerator wasn’t keeping things cool.  A 3^rd call to guest services.  By the time we returned from the parks that evening, it had been fixed.  My philosophy—they can’t fix it if they don’t know about it!

The rest of our stay was uneventful, meaning we didn’t have to call for help anymore!  Our room was spiffed up daily with clean towels, sheets, and a restocking of the Disney supplies we love bringing home with us.

We learned that there are movies played in the garden between buildings on a giant inflatable screen on various nights.

We learned that lightning will stop the boats from taking guests to/from Riverside and Downtown Disney, even if it isn’t raining.  But, busses will run to Downtown Disney and if you want to eat at Boatwright’s at Riverside, the resort will send you via shuttle, which is a nice touch.

We learned that the food court is a bit slower at French Quarter than Riverside.  With fewer guests, they wait and make your order fresh.  I guess this is a good thing when you think about it, it just takes longer.  We dined at the food court twice, once for lunch and once for dinner.  Often, what we wanted was not there, like a child’s chocolate milk.  We then asked and were allowed to get the larger size for the same price as the child’s.  It pays to ask!  There were Legos to play with—which they no longer have at Riverside, and a TV—tuned to the Disney Channel—to watch.  The food court was decorated for Mardi Gras and had great things to look at.

We learned that luggage and bell services are completely separate.  Luggage services will hold/store your luggage.  But bell services will deliver and pick up.  I asked the difference, and it was about who gets tipped and who doesn’t.  I had never experienced such separateness of services when staying at any other resort.  I don’t know if it was because I didn’t need/use the services or just wasn’t paying that close of attention.

We were able to use the luggage service for our bags for the return flight.  Bell services retrieved the bags for us and took them to the airport check in counter at the resort.  The bags were weighed and tagged—good thing, as I had to adjust some things to even out the weight.  We paid the baggage fees right there, had our boarding passes printed, and when we arrived at the airport, we went straight to security and to the gate for our flight.  Loved this!   Usually our flights leave so early that this service isn’t available to us, as it begins at 8:00 am at the resort.

Let me sum up the pros and cons of staying at Port Orleans French Quarter:

• Pro—one bus stop that is steps away from any guest building.  Convenient!
• Pro—everything at the resort is nearby due to the smaller size.  Convenient!
• Pro—queen sized beds.
• Con—depending on the time of day and park, bus service may also pick up guests at Riverside, which may delay your arrival to a park.

Port Orleans French Quarter is reserved for our next Walt Disney World stay!

Doing Laundry At Walt Disney World

We finally had to do it.  Laundry that is.  After 8 trips to Walt Disney World, we finally had to do laundry while on vacation.  Actually, I had planned to do laundry.

Since our last Disney vacation included both a Disney cruise and a week at the World, I knew we would need to do at least one load of laundry to get us through our trip.  So, on the day we disembarked the ship and checked in to our Walt Disney World Resort, the laundry room at Port Orleans French Quarter beckoned.

Each Walt Disney World Resort has laundry facilities.  Most are located near pool areas.  Guests staying in Deluxe Resort Villas have washers and dryers in their villas.  Check with the resort check-in desk for the exact location.

The laundry at Port Orleans French Quarter is located near the pool—behind the pool bar/restaurant, but before the hot tub/spa.

There were several washers in rows located in the middle of the room, with dryers on the walls on 3 sides of the room.  Folding tables were available as was a hanging rack.

The cost was $2.00 per load to wash, and $2.00 per load to dry—if the load was dry after one cycle.  It is about 30 minutes for a wash cycle and 45 minutes for a dryer cycle.  A change machine is located in the laundry facility, as the machines take quarters.

Laundry detergent products were available for purchase.

The laundry facility is available 24 hours, but requires the use of your room key to enter throughout the night.

The Sunday morning I was there, the laundry facilities were quite busy, but I was able to use one washer and then a dryer to do a load of “whites.”

Some things we did to make it easier:

• We packed two pop up hampers—one white and one black.  The hampers fit nicely in the compartment on the inside top of a suitcase.  We put dark clothes in the black hamper and white clothes in the white.  When we packed up to leave the cruise, the hampers—still with dirty clothes in them, fit right into the suitcase.
• We brought Purell laundry sheets that go in the washer and in the dryer with us—no need to pack liquids and no need to purchase other products.  If I wanted to do a load of all colors, a Shout Color Catcher sheet would have also been helpful.
• When it was time to do laundry, I just grabbed the white pop up hamper, the Purell sheets, and some money.  The hamper has a handle which made carrying easier.
• Since the laundry facility is near the pool, it was a great time to enjoy the pool.  We swam and had lunch while the laundry was washing and drying.  I didn’t leave the hamper in the laundry room, but set it by the chair we were using at the pool.
• Some guests asked for plastic laundry bags at the front desk.  These are typically used for dirty laundry, but they were putting their clean clothes in them to carry back to their room.  You could also ask for a plastic bag at the store.

I am glad we took the time to do laundry; otherwise we would have run out of clean unmentionables in the middle of our vacation.  But, I wouldn’t plan to do laundry on a shorter vacation.

There was a couple doing many loads that morning, so I asked if they were headed home.  They told me that they were on vacation with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.  They offered to do laundry to take a break from touring.  They also said that their daughter and grandchildren went through lots of clothes.  I got it.  They wanted a break, so they offered to do the laundry.  While I understand, I couldn’t justify the expense at a minimum of $4.00 per load. 

Then, again, there’s another way to look at this issue.  At $4.00 per load, you could wash 5 loads to equal the $20.00 you would pay to check a bag—just one way.  You could do 10 loads to equal the amount you would pay to check that say bag round-trip. 

I may need to rethink this laundry thing. . .

The Pools at Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter

Our family enjoys spending time in and near the water, so when we visit Walt Disney World, we try to take in the pools at our resort or water park—click here to read more about Typhoon Lagoon.

Since our favorite on-site resort is Port Orleans Riverside, this post is dedicated to the pools at Port Orleans—both Riverside and French Quarter.

The sister resorts allow guest to use the main pools at both resorts. I use the term main pools to mean the themed pool at each resort, as Port Orleans Riverside also had “quiet pools” that are nestled among the buildings of the resort. A “quiet pool” does not have a lifeguard, slide, spa/hot tub, or specific kiddie pool. Main pools are typically themed, have water slides—at the moderate and deluxe resorts, have hours when life guards are on duty, typically have a spa/hot tub nearby, and usually offer a kiddie pool. There is usually a bar, locker room, and restrooms near a main pool, while a quiet pool may offer a bathroom changing area. Just as there is a hierarchy of Disney resorts from value to moderate to deluxe—the pools follow the same hierarchy. The more deluxe the resort, the more deluxe the resort pool—typically.

Laundry facilities are found near the quiet pools at Port Orleans Riverside, while at Port Orleans French Quarter, the laundry facilities are near the main pool.

The main pool at Port Orleans Riverside is located on Ol’ Man Island in the middle of the resort. The theming is that of an old fashioned swimming hole complete with water chutes, water falls, and a water slide nestled on a “hill” near the pool. The swimming area is quite large and the deepest sections are about 5’6” deep. Entrance to the pool is by steps located at various points around the pool. A large spa/hot tub is steps from the main pool, as is a round kiddie splash pool.

The deck area at Port Orleans Riverside’s main pool offers quite a bit of shade as tall pine trees surround the pool. If you are looking for a place to catch some rays, it can be found if you select your deck chair strategically.

You will find a bin of clean towels to use while at the pool as well as a towel return area so there is no need to bring your own beach towels or take towels from your resort hotel room to use at the pool.

There are plenty of lifeguards on duty and the slide is only open when they are on duty. Guests are welcome to use the pool at other times at their own risk.

The quiet pools at Port Orleans Riverside are spacious—lots of room for swimming, have one set of steps for entering and exiting the pool, have a maximum depth of 5’ but seemed to have a larger portion of the pool that is deeper than at the main pool. The deck space is very generous at the quiet pools and is less shaded. If memory serves, towels are also available for use at the quiet pools.

The main, and only pool, at Port Orleans French Quarter is located in the middle of the resort facing the “river.” The pool is themed for celebrating Mardi Gras with jazz playing reptiles and a giant serpent providing the slide. We found the main pool here to be less deep than compared to Riverside, with maximum depths reaching less than 5’. The curvy edges are welcoming and provide several set of steps to enter the pool.

There is a round kiddie splash pool almost adjacent to the main pool. Finding the spa/hot tub is a bit trickier as it is a bit away from the main pool—back towards the main building opposite the playground. The spa/hot tub is surrounded by trees giving it a more secluded feel than the spa/hot tub at Riverside.

The deck area at the main pool at French Quarter is quite large, has various layers, and has less shaded areas than the deck area at Riverside. Towels are also available for guest use at the pool.

Lifeguards are also attentive and plentiful at the pool at the French Quarter. Again, the slide is open only when guards are in place.

How to guests get to use both pools? Guests can walk (about 10 minutes) from one resort to the other, or take the boat that shuttles guests between the resorts and Downtown Disney. We have taken the boat on several occasions. On one of our more recent trips, we brought our swimsuits with us as we left Riverside for a trip to Downtown Disney. After our visit to Downtown Disney, we took the boat back to French Quarter, as the boat dock is steps from the main pool. We then enjoyed an afternoon swim, then hopped back on the boat for the ride to Riverside. Easy and fun!



So, which pool is better? I don’t have to answer that question as guests get to use BOTH main pools!



Some guests heading to Walt Disney World plan to swim upon their arrival at their resort. They pack their swimsuits in their carry on bags so that they can change when arriving at their resort. By the time they are done swimming, the rest of their luggage has been magically transported to their room. Only at Disney!