Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Quarter Review

Overall Rating

Beautiful Scenery
Many swimming pools
Plenty of Restaurants
Gift Shop
Free shuttle service to DisneyWorld
Meet Mickey oppertunities

Basic Rooms
Some rooms far away from main block
Restaurants and shop expensive
Not good value for money

(2001) 2 years ago we went to Florida for the second time (we are going again in 2004). We arrived in Orlando airport and spent about an hour searching for the hotel, Dixie Landings Resort. After asking someone working the barrier for the Disney Institute, we discovered that the name had been changed to Port Orleans. We all thought it was unacceptable not to be told the new name of our hotel, causing much inconvinience.
When we tried to check into our hotel, there was a problem with their computers and they couldn't find our booking.
At last we got to our room, an it was gone midnight and we were suffering for jetlag. We had a swimming pool on our doorstep, which was great, although there were screaming kids swimming with no consideration for all the guests trying to get some sleep.
The grounds, however, were beautiful. There were pretty plants and trees, all giving off subtle smells.
Unfortunatly, this didn't account for the room. My parents had paid a lot of money for the hotel because it was near Disney (duh) and it certainly wasn't what we expected it to be. It had two good sized beds, and it was all quite new and clean. There wasn't that much space though. There was a TV and two sinks. The 'wardrobe' was a sort of indent in the wall with a rail though it. There was hardly any other storage space...NOT good for a family of 4's belongings for 2 weeks. For the money my parents were paying, we were expecting a hair dryer, coffee/tea machine and a lot more space. We were a 10/15 minutes jog from the reception area.
The second night we ate at one of the restaurants. There were 8 of us (we had gone with friends) and 4 of us were children. We had one course each and 2 of us had desert. It cost $230.
The other restaurant was just like a cafeteria. You went along with your tray and chose which food you wanted. My Dad once wanted 2 beers. They said they 'weren't allowed to sell him 2 beers at once' for some absurb reason. He had to buy one, go back and buy another!
On the plus side, there are car parks everywhere so you don't have to walk miles to get to your vehicle, and the shuttle buses were regular and took you all over Disney. The staff were very helpful and friendly and I think if the reception was more central and they had spent more on the actual accommadation rather than the surroundings, then it would of been worthy of its 4 star rating. I would personally give it a 3 star, or 3.5 star if they're lucky. They may have improved it though!
In conclusion, the hotel was ok, but hardly worth the hundreds of pounds we spent on it. My advice to you is to stay at a hotel in Central Orlando...International Drive is a great idea! :) If you want to stay at Disney, my friends have told my the Carribean Beach Resort (we actually wanted to go there but it was totally booked up) and the Disney Swan And Dolphin Resort apparently lives up to its 5 star rating if you're willing to spend A LOT on accommadation. :)
Hope this helps!

Members' Comments onEmily Moose.'s Review

• Arfa on 3rd Oct 2007

  I disagree. The rooms aren't massive, but they are about the same size as a UK Holiday Inn so they're not small either. Also, the reviewer complains about the distance of the rooms from the main hotel complex and says they really wanted to go to the Carribean Beach resort, which is much bigger than Port Orleans and even more spread out. Then the reviewer complains about the cost, but says they would rather go to the Swan or the Dolphin, which are even more expensive.