By: Marvelous Mouse Travels
Did the title give it away? Maybe not- but this blog is going to go a little more in depth on my favorite resort Port Orlean's Riverside!!!
Port Orleans Riverside is like taking a stroll into a quaint town in Louisiana filled with manor homes leading into the bayou. With lush foliage and a great picturesque waterfront view of the Sassagoula River makes for a relaxing yet entertaining retreat. All the moderate resorts at Walt Disney World have a lot to offer when it comes to hospitality- they have some of the amenities of the deluxe resorts but with a closer price point to the value resorts.
One of my favorite amenities that moderate resorts have are the satellite pools! So they have a big pool with a slide, fun recreational games, a kiddie area, hot tub and a pool bar (Muddy Rivers Pool Bar). At Riverside this is called Ol' Man Island- it even has a playground the little ones love! But I am a big fan of the low key/ quiet pools. There are 5 at Riverside- two in Magnolia Bend and 3 in the Bayou. Each also has laundry facilities; which is a huge life saver when it comes to packing because you can pack half as much and do laundry mid trip. These other pools tend to have way less foot traffic if any during the mid day when most people are in the parks. Sometimes I just want to float around without being pegged in the head with a football or splashed by the kid who can't figure out how to swim with their feet in the water! Y'all know what I am talking about and I know you agree with me even if you won't openly say it!!!rooms. The manor houses are gorgeous they replicate large plantation houses you might see in historic Louisiana, the Alligator Bayou is a wooded swampy area with overgrown plants and wood cabin like buildings, and lastly the Royal Princess rooms are in the Manor homes but the decor inside the rooms pull inspiration from different princess movies to make you feel like you are truly royalty. All the rooms are the same size and some of them have the 5th person pull down twin sleeper under the tv which makes it super convenient for families that need that extra sleeping space.
Let's start by the entry- from the second you step foot on the resort grounds you feel like you are transported directly to the southern border where you can stroll along the Mississippi River. The lobby has such an old money feel along with the most wonderful smell of magnolia trees being piped through it. There is a lovely general store carrying the usual Disney Merch as well as a section that has food/ snacks to enjoy while staying there (not to mention they do sell booze in the store too- helps save ya money if you like to enjoy cocktails- since the ones at the pool bar usually cost more than three bottles of liquor). Anyways back to the tour.....there is also the Medicine Show Arcade all the way at one end of the lobby where kids or adults can go and enjoy your run of the mill game room.
As for rooms, there are the Magnolia Bend Mansions, the Alligator Bayou and Royal Princess.
Another perk of moderate resorts is that they usually have a decent table service dining option along with their food court/ quick service dining. So at the Riverside that would be Boatwright's Dining Hall- the food has changed since I was a child but they still have a good menu. Years ago it was a lot of comfort food; such as fried chicken, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, homestyle cooking; whereas now it is southern comfort food like jambalaya, shrimp and grits and an all you can eat platter consisting of different meats and sides. It definitely has enough choices for everyone and the price point is average for table service in Disney. The quick service area- Riverside Mill- is my family's favorite by far! They have a standard bakery, burger and sandwich stand, pasta and pizza, a homestyle dinner which changes each evening and a make your own salad bar with speciality sandwiches. As you can tell nothing crazy special but also nothing too eclectic that you feel like you fell into the movie it's themed after.
All resorts have some form of recreation they can offer to guests of all ages. Riverside offers a few different than the usual including horse drawn carriage rides along the Sassagoula River, fishing at the Ol' Fishing Hole, and a jogging path. They also offer the usual movies at night, campfires with s'mores you can purchase and make, playgrounds, bicycles you can rent and games on the pool deck during the days. I am a huge fan of the recreation options because it allows you to really get a lot more out of a resort than just sleeping and a quick swim.
