When I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside last month, I shuttled back and forth to Disney Springs each day… on a riverboat! Even though I hadn’t intended to visit Disney Springs every single day of my trip, I set aside the time for The Sassagoula River Cruise daily after I tried it. I think it should be considered an attraction in its own right.
The Sassagoula River Cruise
Ferryboats run daily from 10:00AM to 11:00PM, weather permitting. (The cruise can be canceled for storms or high winds.) When I was catching the boats from Port Orleans Riverside, they arrived about every 20 minutes in the morning and every 15 toward the end of the day. They also seemed to be more crowded as the day went on.
The Sassagoula River Cruise is meant as a mode of transportation between various resorts and Disney Springs, but what I really enjoyed was the experience. It’s a serene way to move from place to place and there’s plenty to look at from the river.
We passed right by Port Orleans French Quarter (which has a designated stop), Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course, and the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs!
The Riverboats
The bright, flat-bottomed ferryboats look right at home on the Sassagoula, which feels very old Mississippi. The boats are cream with blue details and they bear name plates on both ends, plus “SSC” for Sassagoula Steamboat Company.
The riverboats are also named as southern belles. You might find you’re riding on the Azalea Bloom, Bayou Princess, Blossom Queen, Buena Vista Queen, Crescent City Queen, Delta Lady, Florida Queen, Jazz Lady, Jazz Queen, Louisiana Lady, Magnolia Blossom, Memphis Miss, Saratoga Queen, Sassagoula Sunset, or Southern Breeze.
These boats seat about 30 and have a sheltered area in the center so that riders can avoid the elements. I sat mostly in the back, soaking in the Florida sun from the side and enjoying the view.
Flags on the front of each boat indicate the route. Typically there’s a Disney Springs water taxi, but it wasn’t operating during my visit as only the Marketplace dock was open. The other three routes serve Disney resorts, running back and forth from the resorts to Disney Springs about every 20 minutes. Green flags mark the route to Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Blue flags mark the boats that run to Saratoga Springs Resort and the Treehouse Villas.
Port Orleans Resort is marked by purple-and-yellow flags, though you’ll sometimes see solid purple flags for French Quarter and solid yellow for Riverside. (When I was there, they only used the two-color flags.) This route is the longest at about 20 minutes.
Cruising Along
One particularly enjoyable thing about the cruise was seeing Port Orleans Resort from a different vantage point. I loved going under the bridges (instead of over them) and having an unobstructed view of the resort’s main building and water tower.
Most of the time, I used the ferryboats as a ride between resorts. I stayed in a building that was pretty far back in the Alligator Bayou. By the second day, I was tired of walking all the way to the French Quarter for beignets! I still had a decent enough walk to the dock and definitely got my steps in each day.
I saw several birds, including some large herons resting by the river. We also passed by a couple of fishing boats that typically dock at Port Orleans Riverside. I even saw someone catch a large catfish! (At least, I think it was a catfish.) Each ride was a unique experience and a lot of fun!
Plan Your Visit
The Sassagoula River Cruise
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort
1251 Riverside Drive
Orlando, Florida 32830
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