Hello Everyone and Laissez les bons temps rouler!
I am excited to be FINALLY writing about some Disney things, but I'm sad to be back from Florida. We flew back into a snowstorm, so that was a post-vacation buzzkill for sure. It was our first time back to Walt Disney World since 2019, and no matter how long we stay, it never feels like enough time. We were celebrating my mom's birthday, so I let her pick the resort for this stay. No matter how much I push the deluxe resorts, they are just not her personality so her request was to say at Port Orleans French Quarter. This is classified as a moderate resort and I've heard it's very underrated. In fact, we came across many cast members and people around the parks that told us it is one of their favorite resorts. We also found out about two weeks before our vacation that they do a Mardi Gras celebration for Fat Tuesday that we weren't aware of. It was a happy accident and we were looking forward to seeing what all there was to offer.
 |
| Lobby |
 |
| Outside of lobby |
Our room had very subtle New Orleans decor and wasn't heavy on theming. I felt like there was a little more space to move around than a standard value resort room. I loved the hardwood floors because carpet grosses me out. The shower curtain had little crowns on it from Princess and the Frog, but that was the only obvious theming. The shower had a rainfall shower head, which gave off very low water pressure. It took a while to take a shower because of it. We had a welcome note from the housekeeping staff with Mardi Gras beads laid out in the shape of a Mickey. I love those little touches that make you feel like you're truly at Disney. The room had a Disney Magical Companion device, which is basically an Alexa. I loved that thing and used it every day for an alarm, weather, music, etc...When you turned the TV on, they had a welcome screen that showed an animation of the resort and played jazz music. They have some cable with channels that Disney owns, and then a prompt to sign in to your Disney+ account. They have a few channels that give you a "peek" at what Disney+ has to offer, but you can't make selections on what you watch. I feel that if you're staying at a Disney resort, Disney+ should be provided. You'd probably get more subscriptions after people leave if they can see what it's like while they're staying there.
 |
| Garden View room |
 |
| "Hey Disney" |
This resort doesn't have a table service restaurant. It has a quick service restaurant, a lounge, and a cafe. I do wish there were a table service restaurant so there was a little more variety in food options. Scat Cat's Lounge has a bar and small plate food options. They also have live jazz on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Unfortunately, it's very small and the tables are first come first serve. We tried on a few different nights and couldn't find an available table.
The quick service restaurant is Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory. They have some standard options for breakfast, lunch and dinner such as omelettes, Mickey waffles, breakfast platters, oatmeal, burgers, pizza, salads, etc... I like to try the dishes that are exclusive to a particular resort. They have two New Orleans-style dishes: Gumbo and Jambalaya. I really enjoyed both of them. They were both spicy and flavorful. The portions were pretty big for what you pay and easily shareable. I'd also like to note that the quick service section is very clean. Cast members are constantly walking around wiping things down and restocking coffee/silverware/trays. It's very much appreciated.
 |
| Gumbo |
Then there's Scat Cat's cafe where you can get specialty coffees and the famous beignets. This was my favorite place to get coffee during our stay. These are also hands down the best beignets on Disney property. While they do have them in the parks from time to time, 1. they aren't Mickey-shaped, and 2. the flavor profile is nowhere near what these are. I've even had beignets from a non-Disney park in Orlando during their Mardi Gras celebration, and these are better by a landslide. They are made to order and are hot and fresh. We got an order of the plain ones with salted caramel dipping sauce and it was heaven. However, they had a special for Mardi Gras, which was Bananas Foster beignets. If I could eat those every day of my life with no repercussions, I would. To be even more dramatic, I would request them as my last dessert before I die. Maybe even to be buried with them.
 |
| Bananas Foster Beignets |
The resort itself is very pretty. I loved the french style buildings and street names. It's very quiet by the river and the room buildings. It is a smaller resort, so we liked that there wasn't a ton of people around. Cast members around the resort were very friendly. The main building/lobby constantly has jazz music playing inside and outside, but we liked that as well. You felt like you were truly in New Orleans.
The transportation options were buses to the parks and Disney Springs, or a riverboat to Disney Springs. My mom loves taking the riverboat to Disney Springs so we did that a few times. It's a very calm and relaxing ride. Plus, I love seeing Disney Springs from the water. They do run the boats consistently, but sometimes there can be a wait of 15 minutes or so. The buses had very low wait times. I think the longest we waited was 8 minutes. They were also never packed, which was wonderful. I say this because we've stayed at another resort where the buses were constantly packed and after a long day in the parks and your feet hurt, you had to stand on the bus ride back. A few times this trip, we even had the bus to ourselves.
Each resort has activities and a daily schedule of what's going on around the resort. They had Mickey mosaics, surprise characters in the afternoons, a Cajun campfire, Mickey Tie-Dye shirts, and more. I had hoped we'd have time to do some of them, but the parks were unexpectedly super crowded that we had to be there all day long to get anything accomplished. I was also disappointed that the pool and hot tub was closed for refurbishment during our stay. They do refurbishing on the water parks or pools in December-February since there tends to be lower temperatures.
 |
| Pool sign |
The Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday celebration was all day. The parade was 10am-11am and started at Port Orleans Riverside (the sister resort next door), went along the Sassagoula River, and ended outside the main building at Port Orleans French Quarter. It featured decorated golf carts (floats) from staff at the resort with Princess Tiana in a carriage leading the concession. Cast members also handed out beads and candy. I liked that it was in the morning because we actually were going to a park that day. I was concerned we'd have to miss it if it was mid-day or in the evening. When the parade was over, they gave us a QR code to vote in different categories for our favorite floats, which was super fun. They had arts and crafts going on all day and were selling masks and other merch specifically for Mardi Gras. Princess Tiana and Louis were there for meet and greets. There was a DJ outside playing music and doing games until 10pm. They had pre-mixed cocktails outside and added standing tables, but there weren't enough. It was very crowded and the beignet line was out the door every time we walked by. They were very efficient with that line, though.
We've stayed at three Walt Disney World resorts so far, and this is my current favorite. I loved the atmosphere and how quiet and relaxing the resort itself is. If you want a jazz party, they have that, too. I didn't get enough beignets, but I don't think you ever can. We loved the low wait times for the buses and the fact they weren't packed. It was exciting to see the Mardi Gras celebration on Fat Tuesday and how they make it an all day long event. I need to start allowing more time to enjoy the resorts we stay at because I'm always bummed that I feel we didn't get to truly get the most out it. It is a personal goal of mine to stay at every Walt Disney World resort property, and I would 100% stay here again.
You can check out more about the resort here. Have you stayed at this resort? Let me know your thoughts or what your current favorite Disney resort is in the comments!
Comments
Post a Comment