Port Orleans French Quarter Review
This past weekend, Joe and I had the opportunity to stay at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. Port Orleans is one of Disney’s Moderate resorts, and it is by far, my favorite in the Moderate category. We’ll get into more details about why in a bit, but first let’s start with the location.
For people who have never stayed at Disney World, choosing a resort can seem a daunting task. Did you know there are 22 Disney-owned and operated resorts on Disney World property?! Disney hotels fall into three, or really four, categories: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Disney Vacation Club Deluxe Villas. One of the first things a guest should consider before booking a resort is the location. Port Orleans French Quarter is located in the Disney Springs neighborhood of Disney World. Basically, that means guests will need to take Disney transportation (aka, the bus) to get to all of the parks. However, there is a boat that can take guests from French Quarter to Disney’s shopping district—Disney Springs.
Now, let’s talk about size. Most of Disney’s Moderate resorts are so large that they have an internal bus system just to take guests through the resort. That can be a negative, particularly if your room is located further away from amenities such as the pool or food court. A plus for Port Orleans French Quarter is the smaller size. It is actually the smallest of the Disney Moderate resorts. It features 7 buildings for guests to stay in, with the pool, food court, bus stop, boat launch, and lobby all conveniently located in the middle. This translates into a walk of no more than 5-7 minutes from the furthest hotel room—something your tired feet (& children!) will appreciate after the end of a long day! Personally, I’ve stayed in buildings 1, 7, 4, and 5. I do have a favorite (it would be building 5) but even in buildings 1 and 7 (which are the furthest away from the main hub of the resort), it didn’t feel too far to walk.
There are different categories of rooms available—standard view (hint: most likely to be placed in buildings 1 & 7), garden view (could be any building) and pool view. If you want a closer room, pick the pool view. It will guarantee that your room will be close to the pool, lobby, food court, and bus stop. This past weekend, we stayed in a 2 queen room with a pool view.
The theming of the pool at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter can best be described as “New Orleans Whimsical”, with a large sea serpent encircling the pool amidst various “Gator Musicians”. While the pool is certainly not the best on Disney property, it is still fun and a great place to cool off from the hot Florida sun.
The smaller size of Port Orleans French Quarter lends itself to a quieter atmosphere—and this is truly the highlight of this resort. After the hustle and bustle of the parks, it’s nice to come back to a resort that doesn’t feel (or sound) as crowded. At the start of our stay, we decided the best way to tell you about the room would be to show you, so below is a video of our room tour. As you’ll see from the video, the room is not overly large, but it does have a nice table to place items, 2 queen sized beds, a dresser and beverage cooler, plenty of Joffrey’s coffee, a curtained-off area with a double vanity, closet, and safe, and a separate water closet with the toilet and a tub/shower combination. There is also a padded bench to sit on as well as hooks for hats or jackets. We also counted standard 6 outlets and 6 USB outlets for all the electronic devices for you and your traveling party.
Our stay this past weekend cemented Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter as my go-to favorite in the Moderate resort category here at Disney World, even without mentioning it’s the only place to score beignets in Disney World. Its smaller size means less people and a quieter atmosphere. It also has amenities that are easily accessed from anywhere on property. Finally, we love the theming of Princess and the Frog and New Orleans. With a price point hovering around $240/night this fall, it makes a relatively affordable option for families looking for a nice respite from the parks.
We’d love for our readers to comment below. What is your favorite moderate resort on Disney property?
