After three trips to Disney World staying at Caribbean Beach Resort, we decided to try a different moderate resort for our 2019 trip. I had heard very good things about Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter resort from friends and online reviews, so we booked our ten night stay in April 2019 here.
Disney Port Orleans French Quarter Facts and Figures
One of the big reasons for us choosing to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter was the size of the resort. With around 1000 rooms, this is one of the smaller moderate resorts on Disney property.
We always book a standard view room because we reason that as there are no private balconies available then we don’t worry about walking out of our room and seeing the parking lot.
There are three different view options at French Quarter, the standard view room which will look out onto the parking lot, a water view room which will give you a view of the Sassagoula river or the pool, and finally a garden room which will provide you a view of the stunning gardens at the resort.
We booked a standard view room, but when we checked in, we had been given a garden view room, which was lovely. Our room overlooked the garden area where the movies under the stars are played at night which was so convenient.
French Quarter resort is the sister resort of Port Orleans Riverside. Both resorts are linked and when staying at one, you can use the facilities at the other as well should you choose.
The resorts are linked via a path along side the Sassagoula river. This is a lovely river walk which will take around 10 minutes, or you could always take a boat from the dock at each resort.
Port Orleans French Quarter Facilities
We arrived around 7pm in the evening, and found the check in line to be quite long. It moved slowly for some reason, but chatting to people in front of us, they said this wasn’t normal.
The lobby is average size with multi use stations for check in and concierge. I liked this idea as it meant we could use one queue regardless of our query and it was dealt with (we had a few queries during our stay).
Just off the side of the lobby is Saxon Square gifts, the resort gift shop. I found this gift shop to be one of the better ones with a lot of choice.
Once checked in, we were give our room number. There are seven buildings at French Quarter, each defined by a number. We were in block five on the second floor, so our room number went 5228. Each building has three floors, and there is a lift (elevator) if you are taking luggage or cannot manage the stairs.
Port Orleans French Quarter has one main pool, a splash pool for children up to a maximum height of 48 inches. There is also a hot tub nestled off to the side of the pool bar which was lovely to sit in of an evening, a small playground, and a laundry room.
Whilst there isn’t a table service restaurant at French Quarter, there is a lovely quick service restaurant, Float Works which is open early and closes late in the evening.
Caribbean Beach Resort vs Port Orleans French Quarter
Movies under the stars at French Quarter are on certain nights of the week. If they’re not playing on the grass between building five a six at French Quarter then a film will be playing at Riverside Resort.
We only managed to watch one film during our stay, but we were handed towels to sit on and huge bags of popcorn free of charge to eat whilst watching the film.
A lovely attraction at both Riverside and French Quarter resorts is the horse drawn carriages that are available to book. They are around $45 and travel between both resorts. It was lovely hearing the horses travel along the path by the Sassagoula River.
Port Orleans French Quarter Rooms
Each of the rooms at French Quarter have two queen size beds, raised off the floor with space for storage underneath. The rooms are on par with other Disney resort rooms with a smart TV, fridge, coffee maker, tea/coffee supplies, drawer space, vanity area, table and chairs, and a mid size bathroom.
All rooms have an ironing board, iron, safe, hanging rail, hairdryer and double sin vanity area. I love Disney resort rooms and always find the beds so comfortable after a day in the parks.
My only problem with the beds at Port Orleans French Quarter was the style of the headboards. The design has grooves in the wood which were uncomfortable if laid against.
After check in, you are generally given the option to opt out of housekeeping in return for a gift card depending on the length of your stay. We decided not to do this as we like to come back to the room to find the bed made and toiletries etc replenished.
We found housekeeping to be of a good standard at French Quarter resort and we even got our first towel animal during this stay, something that has never happened in all of the four times we have visited Disney World.
Port Orleans French Quarter Pool
The pool at French Quarter is called Doubloon Lagoon. I remember looking at photos and videos before we travelled and wondering if the pool would be big enough as it looked quite small. I was wrong, the pool is huge!
The theming of Doubloon Lagoon pool is great with a large serpent slide, plenty of alligators playing their musical instruments and spraying water into the pool.
Around the pool there is plenty of sunbeds. The only time we struggled to find a sunbed was one afternoon when we returned from the parks around 3pm on a very hot day. It wasn’t long before sunbeds became available however.
How to spend a rest day at Disney World
On a standard day, we had no trouble finding a sunbed under an umbrella. We were quick to work out where the sun rose and travelled to during the day, and often we would find a sunbed on the upper deck area of the pool side which provided us quite a lot of shade whatever time of the day.
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory
Port Orleans French Quarter food court is otherwise known as Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory.
Every where is so convenient to get to at Port Orleans French Quarter. You can access Sassagoula Floatworks and Food factory from either inside the lobby, or outside the main lobby building.
The quick service restaurant has plenty of seating and every this is duplicated on two sides of the restaurant which helps for less queueing to refill your drinks.
There isn’t as much choice as I have seen in other quick service restaurants, and the fridge area to collect drinks and snack items is in the middle of the restaurant near the tills, making it difficult to queue efficiently.
That being said, we didn’t really ever have to wait too long regardless of the time of day. This quick service restaurant always seemed busy whatever the time.
How to maximise the Quick Service Dining Plan
I did find that if you want a pastry for breakfast, don’t leave it too late in the morning and they had often run out by 9am. A great alternative option however is the Mickey shaped beignets which are delicious and a huge attraction for Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory.
Some of our favourite options from this quick service were the Mickey shaped beignets, the Beignet cheeseburger and the cup of Gumbo which was a great value snack credit item.
Port Orleans French Quarter Transport Options
We were spoiled at French Quarter for transport choices. There is one bus stop area for the resort which is located outside of the lobby to the right hand side.
Two bus stops clearly signposted for the parks. In our whole time we never waited too long for a bus, and one day where there was a very large school group also waiting, a call was made very quickly to dispatch a new bus for them. I was really impressed with this.
If you are travelling to Disney Springs, then you have the option of taking the bus, or the boat along the Sassagoula river. Boats travel around every twenty minutes during the day and every ten minutes in the evening.
Ultimate Guide to Disney World transportation
We were told boat transport would take around half an hour to reach Disney Springs, but in reality it was only twenty minutes to reach the Marketplace at Disney Springs.
The boat journey was a lovely way to relax and see the sights. We travelled past the bungalows at Coronado Springs resort on the edge of the river and were welcomed to amazing sights of Disney Springs and the Amphi car Landing when we docked.
Walking Around French Quarter Resort
I like to take a walk around Disney resorts when we stay as I find them peaceful and relaxing. I took a walk around French Quarter one morning to see how long it would take to cover the whole resort, and also how close French Quarter actually is to Riverside along the river path.
In my opinions after staying, I don’t think there are any buildings that are worse to stay in than others. Building five and building two are both nearest the pool, and I do think we got lucky with building five as everything was just so close.
To walk from the lobby to building seven it only took a matter of four minutes. The scenery and garden areas are so pretty, and if you look up each road is signposted with cute road names.
We accessed building five generally by walking up Revellers Way, but you may also see Cake Walk, or Carriage Path that runs along the river.
French Quarter resort is themed around the Mardi Gras and the “Deep South”. I fell in love with French Quarter and really couldn’t fault it. I’d love to stay again one day.
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This looks like such a lovely place to stay, we have been looking at Disney for in a couple of years when the kids are bigger and I had not even thought of this hotel x
It’s definitely one you should consider if you’re thinking of staying on site. It’s a beautiful resort.
We stayed at Old Key West which is next to Port Orleans, and we used to love doing the boat to Disney Springs. Sounds as if you had a lovely stay, and I guess the gift card instead of housekeeping is a new thing. I would be the same as you though, who wants to be making a bed after a busy day at the parks x