Five Things to Love about Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter

Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter is a charming, New Orleans-themed resort in Disney World near Orlando. It’s considered a “moderate” in the Disney hierarchy of resorts, similar to Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs or the nearby Port Orleans Riverside. Don’t let the description fool you though, French Quarter offers so much more than its average categorization suggests. Today’s post shares five things to LOVE about Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter.

Compact Size

One of the biggest benefit of Port Orleans French Quarter, in my opinion, is the resort’s compact size. It may seem a little odd to describe a resort that offers more than 1,000 guest rooms as “compact” but in terms of Disney World resorts, particularly within the moderate category, the description certainly fits. Disney’s Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach resorts, by comparison, each offer more than 2,000 rooms each and both are receiving significant expansions this year.

There are seven buildings of guest rooms at French Quarter, loosely clustered around the resort’s central lobby and impressive pool. The thoughtful design allows the majority of the rooms to offer views of the Sassagoula River, the stately brick-lined foot paths or well-manicured courtyards. It also means guests are close to all of the resort’s amenities.

The picture above shows just how close many of the guest rooms are to French Quarter Square, the shorter yellow building in the center of the image that houses the lobby, lounge, gift shop and quick-service restaurant.

Retrieving your morning coffee (and perhaps a fabulous beignet?!) is maybe a little easier than it should be.

The resort’s compact size also means guests are always close to the resort’s one bus stop. After walking a zillion miles around the parks, it’s lovely to get off the bus and enjoy a short and peaceful stroll back to your room.

Boat rides to Disney Springs

Speaking of peaceful, a second thing to LOVE about Disney’s French Quarter is the direct boat service to Disney Springs. I feel like the value of this particular benefit has dramatically increased over the last few years due to Disney Spring’s impressive overhaul. You can climb aboard and enjoy a stress-free trip to dinner, a few hours of shopping or a full day of fun.

The boats depart every half hour or so from 10AM to 11PM from a dock located behind French Quarter’s pool area. Along the way, you’ll pass wooded views and the awesome Tree Top Villas of Disney’s Saratoga Springs. You may also spot surprises, like these fun Amphicars (part car part boat!) from the Boathouse restaurant or “hidden” Mickeys in the landscaping.

Bus Service

Although French Quarter’s bus service isn’t quite as scenic as the boat rides, it lands on my list of things to LOVE about the resort for other reasons. For starters, there’s only one stop! This means you can board the bus and go directly to your destination rather than stopping 3 to 5 more times around the resort (like the other Moderates) or at nearby resorts (like some of the Deluxe ones). You also don’t have to remember which of the many bus stops is yours for your return trip!

The bus service isn’t perfect, of course, but it’s probably the best of the services I’ve encountered at Disney resorts thus far. A few times while staying at Riverside, I actually boarded a bus heading to French Quarter instead. It requires a longer walk after getting off the bus, but the lines at the parks are usually shorter for French Quarter and the bus doesn’t make any stops in between.

My bus decision may have had a little something to do with reason #5 below too.

Doubloon Lagoon (Pool!)

A fourth thing to LOVE about Disney’s French Quarter is the fabulous Doubloon Lagoon pool. It’s the only pool on property, due to the resort’s smaller size. Fortunately, it’s a great one.

Now that I think about it, it’s really more like three or four smaller circular pools connected in the center by a large arching bridge. The “bridge” is really the back of an elaborate sea serpent, that stretches across the pool and concludes with a fun, albeit slow, slide through the creature’s large (and very pink!) mouth.

The pool area features other great perks too, like an elaborate water play area designed for younger kids (under 48″) and a well-positioned watering hole (aptly named Marty Grogs) for the adults who love them. I appreciate the gated entrance, the plentiful pool side seating and the numerous statues (musical alligators! giant King Triton!) positioned throughout the space.

If Doubloon Lagoon isn’t enough for you, guests of French Quarter are also welcome to visit the additional SIX pools at Riverside nearby. You can reach the sister resort via the boat service, if you catch the one heading back from Disney Springs, or on foot via the trail along the river. The main pool on Ol’ Man Island at Riverside offers a different feel, and more shade, than its French Quarter counterpart.

Beignets

No list of things to LOVE about Disney’s French Quarter would be complete without mentioning the resort’s fabulous beignets. These delicious, Mickey-shaped treats are made-to-order, covered with powdered sugar and unique to Disney’s French Quarter. You can purchase them individually (Disney Dining Plan Snack Credit!) or in groups of three (you’ll be expected to share!) at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, the resort’s quick-service restaurant. The restaurant, which I already mentioned is dangerously close to most of the resort rooms, also offers dipping sauces and a sundae version if you really want to go all in.

Speaking of all in, you can also find an adult version of the beignets nearby at the resort’s Scat Cat’s Club. These beignets are served with small tubes of liquor (like Bailey’s Irish Crème or Kahlua) that you squeeze into the beignets yourself before eating. (YOWSA!)

If you can’t tell, I’m a fan of the beignet. It’s not just because they are delicious, which they are, it’s also because they fit the overall theme of the hotel so beautifully. Eating one (or three!) makes it feel a little more like you’re really in New Orleans.

The beignets won’t change your life or anything, well, unless you want them too. Sometimes I order extras and save them for a quick breakfast the next day. You know, to fully embrace the theme.

Let’s Wrap It Up

How’s that for a sweet ending? We’ve explored five great reasons to LOVE Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter. I could easily list more, like the recently updated rooms, the beautiful landscaping, the unexpected extras (trivia nights! fun runs! painting classes!) but I’m trying to keep this post a reasonable length. Frankly, it’s hard to do. Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter is easily one of my favorite resorts on property.

If you have any questions related to French Quarter or Disney World in general, please feel free to leave me a comment below. I’m always happy to help! Otherwise, you can also find more detail about the resort through this official link to Disney or this unofficial one by a super-dedicated fan group.

Until next time, add a little (French Quarter) magic to your world!