Moderate Resorts · Disney Springs area · $$
Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Southern comfort along the Sassagoula River: half the resort is stately plantation-style 'Magnolia Bend' mansions, the other half rustic bayou-woods 'Alligator Bayou' lodges with rooms that sleep five thanks to a clever fold-down bunk. Riverside's signature booking is the Royal Guest Rooms, princess-themed chambers 'decorated by Tiana and friends' with fiber-optic firework headboards, an affordable dose of princess magic compared to suite pricing elsewhere. Evenings belong to Yehaa Bob at the River Roost lounge, a piano showman whose singalong sets are a multi-decade cult institution. The boat down the river to Disney Springs is one of Disney's most pleasant free experiences. Peaceful, pretty, and the pick of the moderates for atmosphere.
🛏️ The Rooms
Two neighborhoods split the resort: stately white column Magnolia Bend mansions and rustic Alligator Bayou lodges, where clever fold down bunks sleep a fifth guest. The Royal Guest Rooms in Magnolia Bend are the signature booking, princess chambers appointed by Tiana and friends with fiber optic firework headboards that little kids never forget. Bayou rooms sit closer to the quiet pools and feel tucked into the trees.
✨ The Lobby & Grounds
The lobby plays as a riverboat cotton press with wrought iron and steamboat detail, but the grounds are the star: winding paths under live oaks, azaleas along the river, and old fashioned lamp posts glowing at night. It might be the prettiest walking resort Disney owns. The Sassagoula River ties it all together, with the boat dock right out back.
🏊 Pools & Recreation
Ol' Man Island is the main event, a rustic swimming hole with a slide off the water wheel, a hot tub, and a fishin' hole where kids can drop a cane pole in. Five quiet leisure pools scatter through both neighborhoods, so a calm swim is never far. Bike rentals and the riverside path to French Quarter fill the afternoons.
🍽️ Dining at Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Boatwright's Dining Hall does hearty Louisiana comfort food, jambalaya and prime rib, in a shipwright's workshop. The Riverside Mill food court grinds along in the old mill building, and the River Roost lounge hosts Yehaa Bob some nights, a piano act that turns the room into a singalong. The Disney Springs boat extends the menu infinitely.
Full menus, grades, and what to order for every restaurant live on the Dining page.
🚌 Getting to the Parks
- 🏰 Magic Kingdom
- Bus
- 🌐 EPCOT
- Bus
- 🎬 Hollywood Studios
- Bus
- 🦁 Animal Kingdom
- Bus
How each ride type actually works is covered in the Transportation guide.
🎀 Mal's Tips
Take the boat to Disney Springs at dusk, it winds past French Quarter and under the trees and beats any bus. Book Alligator Bayou if you have five people, the bunk makes it the cheapest way to sleep five on property. Royal Rooms are worth it exactly once for the princess age.
Best for: Royal Guest rooms, boat to Springs, Yehaa Bob's piano nights