Disney's Port Orleans - Riverside, Lake Buena Vista

the resort was huge and groundscaping pristine! everything was always queit and peaceful. The amount of pools was fantastic and everything was so clean! our room was HUGE and we had a great veiw of an swamp pond and we felt like we were at a 5 star hotel! We got towel animals every day and everyone was always so happy! By far one of the most overlooked resorts and one of the nicest!

very slow check in. Horrible directions to where our room was. Given a map that had the wrong location of our room. I was walking all over a huge parking lot at midnight. Even called the front desk to ask where my room was. Given more bad info. Finally found the bldg. and room by checking the signs and following a maze to my room..This a.m was awakened at 8 :45 by a loud knock on the door and the sound of someone trying to enter the room. Housekeeping woke me up even tho I had the Do Not Disturb sign in the lock. Not at all happy.

This hotel rocks, sweet, atmousphere, great, clean, and comfy, a great disney resoprt, fun fun fun great pool too!!!!!!!!!!!!! Loved every secound of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pros : easy connect to Downtown Disney, shuttle service to all parks. Quiet and secluded from park traffic and excitement. Pools are close and accessible. Kids enjoyed the scenery and amenities. Cons : Slow check in, meal plan issues, restroom was not clean before our check-in. Long wait times for shuttles, long shuttle rides to the park. Confusion on "Disney Magical Express" vs. Disney Cruise bus delivery to airport for our return flight. If you don't plan on spending a lot of time in the hotel, this is a great choice. Stand alone villas were nice, quiet, secluded, for great sleep.

Had a great time at Disney however, would not stay at Riverside again. -Sheets on the bed were short. -Refrigerator stunk. -Spot on bathroom floor and hair clip on shower curtain rod were there for our entire 9 night stay. -Buses were awful - shared with 4 stops at Riverside and 1 at French Quarter. Almost every bus was packed, to standing room only. - Had to request twice to get enough towels for our family of 5, they would leave us 2 wash clothes even though the room was booked for 5. - The landscaping in a mess, may have looked and smelled better is there wasn't so much brush.

This was by far the worst hotel I've ever had the misfortune of staying. The room was FILTHY. The floor had clearly not been mopped between guests- it was dirty and covered in hair. Despite our call to housekeeping, it did not improve. There was a rubber band on the floor the first night there and it never moved! We used it as a gauge as to whether they ever cleaned the room. They sheets were too short and left the bed bare with just the mattress cover for about the bottom 12 inches. Left my pregnant wife with a nasty rash. Again, despite pleas, the sheets were never changed. NEVER CHANGED DURING OUR 6 NIGHT STAY!!!! The alarm clock was flashing, by the second day, we tried to set it and discovered it was broken- apparently we were on Alaskan time. There are no towels by the pool, you have to take you room towels and then ask for new ones. Of course, they brought 3 towels even though we asked for 4. Disney spends so much time and $ on their image, but apparently that does not apply behind doors. We will NEVER stay at this or any other Disney resort again. The transportation system is so slow anyway, you're better off staying off site- less money and cleaner.

I need to get My ONLY complaint with this resort - actually quite a major one - out of the way first. Despite the cleanliness of the room in general, I discovered after using one of my paper/styrofoam that the next cup in my stack was previously used as evidenced by the stains of grapejuice. These cups are not individually wrapped, therefore it is entirely plausible for a guest to use cups, stack them back and the housekeeper assume that they weren't touched. For a hotel than can easily cost more than $200 a night, this is inexcusable. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside is the only one of the "Moderate" accomodations that can accept a party size of 5 without having to get a suite or extra room. For that reason, and the fact that it is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company, this should be a primary consideration for anyone wanting to have the ultimate Disney experience. This resort features two double beds, double vanities, a very nice TV armoir, and in-room refrigerator. The room itself, however, is quite small - about the same size (if not smaller) than a $35/night motel we stayed at in Kissimmee the night before. The Alligator Bayou section of Port Orleans - Riverside has a rustic Louisiana feel. Bedposts are made to look like wooden logs. The blanket under the bedspread is just a regular cotton throw - not one of those ultra comfy soft motel blankets. This is the only section of Port Orleans that has trundle beds. Port Orleans - Riverside offers a fine dining restaurant, a food court, and at least two bars. There is a themed feature pool at Ol' Man Island as well as numerous 'lazy pools' located throughout the resort. Ol' Man Island also has a catch and release Fishin' Hole open from 7 AM until 3 PM. You're almost sure to catch a bluegill. The question is more of how big is it gonna be? Transportation to the Theme Parks is exclusively by bus. These busses can get very over crowded and the wait can sometimes feel like an unbearable 20 minutes. However, that wait time is mitigated by not having to deal with parking fees, tram rides from your car, or in the case of the Magic Kingdom, a 10 minute wait and ride from the parking lot to the park entrance. There is also boat transportation to Downtown Disney, The West Side and Pleasure Island. Look for deals by booking through a travel agent or online booking agency as opposed to booking with Disney directly. But be aware that online agencies may not recognize a party of 5 as an acceptable party size for this resort. All in all, this was an experience that my family and I LOVED. We are excited to look forward to going back again, but next time, we'll leave the paper cups alone.

We had a great time at the Riverside Resort. We went in February last year and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The staff was great, our pool was big and roomy, the laundry facilities were spaceous, and the commisary was more than adequate. We liked the pasta the best! Go, you'll like it!

We stayed at this hotel for one night before we checked into our villa at Saratoga Springs and I wished we could have stayed longer. The room was clean and comfy and walking around the resort we felt like we were in a beautiful Louisiana bayou. The boat rides, the nature, the cafeteria, the lobby, everything was great. Excellent value for a moderate resort!

This place is beautiful and you really feel like you're at one of WDW's Deluxe Resorts. The landscaping is beautiful and the rooms in the Magnolia Bend section have a luxurious decor to them. The resort is very large and spread out, so get used to walking to the General Store, Boatwright's (restaurant) and Old Man Island (pool). But, you can rent bicycles and ride around the huge resort. The only way to get to the parks from here is to drive or take the WDW bus system, which is very convenient. There is a ferry that takes you along the man-made Sassagoula River, stopping at Port Orleans-French Quarter and passing Old Key West and Saratoga Springs resorts, on the way to Downtown Disney for shopping and dining. It takes about 25 minutes to get from the Riverside marina to Downtown disney, but it's a very relaxing ride. We LOVE this resort..........we usually stay at deluxe resorts, but if you're looking to save some cash, but don't want to sacrifice the Disney experience, beauty and cistomer service, then I HIGHLY recommend staying at Port Orleans Riverside!