Port Orleans French Quarter: Flavor and Fun

Y’all, I am in love with the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort at Walt Disney World! I recently stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and had to make the trek over to its sister resort, which had just reopened from its COVID closure the week before.

The walk to French Quarter from Riverside took just over 10 minutes from the Riverside lobby. (It took considerably longer from my room at Riverside, but that’s another story!) The resort’s running trail, which loops around both French Quarter and Riverside, is about 2 miles long, which should give you a sense of the scale.

Port Orleans French Quarter Theming

The main building is home to the lobby (check-in), the gift shop, and the resort’s restaurants. Even if you’ve never been to New Orleans, you’d recognize the touch here.

Filigree ironwork provides a sturdy, elegant look to the buildings, but the colors are very playful. Rue Bourbon-style street signs with silly names sit atop wrought-iron lampposts and guide you through the resort. The only thing missing is the crowd!

The guest building are arranged around courtyards with parterre-style gardens with lawns or fountains. As far as resorts go, French Quarter is quite small with only 7 sets of buildings, most with at least a partial view of the Sassagoula River. The resort’s pool is also located on the river.

Dining Options

Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory is a food court-style dining complex that features standard American fare plus some New Orleans-inspired options.

The resort’s bar and lounge, Scat Cat’s Club, has a limited menu of small bites, including southern favorites like chicken and waffles. The drink menu is similar to the one at Mardi Grogs.

In the mornings, Scat Cat’s Club becomes Scat Cat’s Café and serves, among other things, Mickey-shaped beignets! They are served in sets of three or six and come with your choice of dipping sauces: caramel, chocolate, or strawberry. Mine were piping hot and delicious. Each batch is made to order, so I waited about five minutes for mine. It was well worth it!

Scat Cat’s Café is the only place in Walt Disney World where you can find Mickey beignets! On the west coast, you can find them in New Orleans Square (Disneyland).

Gift Shop

Jackson Square Gifts & Desires, the Port Orleans French Quarter gift shop, was smaller than I expected. It was still large enough to carry several Port Orleans goodies, including cold cups, mugs, and clothing. The collection was rounded out with 50th Anniversary gear, snacks, and sundries.

The Pool

Port Orleans has a single pool complex, Doubloon Lagoon. That’s all it needs! The main pool is irregularly-shaped with rounded sides, almost like five round swimming pools merged together. It features a sea-serpent water slide that is nearly 100 feet long! If you’re brave enough to hop in, you climb the serpent’s back and slide down its tongue.

Another portion of its back serves as a bridge over a shallower portion of the pool. Its tail extends all the way outside of the pool gate! During this visit, I learned that this sea serpent is named Scales.

Guests of Port Orleans have access to both Riverside’s pools and French Quarter’s pools. I appreciate the options and even took a dip in the Dubloon Lagoon! The water was warm, but getting out was quite chilly. I will stick to in-season swimming.

Just beside the pool is a sprayground area perfect for smaller children. It has several slides and spray structures. While enjoying the atmosphere nearby, I heard the gentle whoosh of the water features of the sprayground dumping at regular intervals.

Pool Bar

Mardi Grogs Pool Bar can be found just outside the Doubloon Lagoon. The menu features pre-made sandwiches, snacks, beer, and mixed drinks. There are Hurricanes, of course, plus many other themed specialty drinks.

This drink is All That Jazz. Its layers are Front Porch Freeze (mango, pineapple, and orange), Gata-Melon Juice (made of melon, pineapple, banana, and piña colada), and Nola Cola (pineapple, pear, raspberry, mango). It’s delicious! The souvenir hurricane glass is actually made of plastic and made it home safely in my luggage.

The Sassagoula River Cruise

The Sassagoula River Cruise is a ferryboat ride that links Port Orleans French Quarter to Riverside and Disney Springs. It’s a fun experience and worth exploring if you stay at a resort on the river.

Overall Impression

Choosing between the Port Orleans resorts is starting to feel like choosing between my own children! I love both of them and they’re quickly becoming standouts in my Disney Resorts experiences. I think they may be my favorites! I love the atmosphere and energy at Port Orleans French Quarter in particular.

Plan Your Visit

Port Orleans French Quarter
2201 Orleans Drive
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830
407-834-6000
website