Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter is a moderate-tier Walt Disney World hotel themed to New Orleans’ French Quarter, with wrought-iron balconies, jazz-tinged landscaping, and a Mardi Gras-themed pool. It opened in 1991 as the original Port Orleans Resort and today sits along the Sassagoula River next to its sister property, Port Orleans Riverside, a short walk or boat ride from Disney Springs.
It’s the smallest and most walkable of Disney’s moderate resorts, prized for its compact layout, quieter atmosphere, and boat access to Disney Springs rather than for onsite dining variety. Families who want moderate pricing with real theming, without the sprawl of a deluxe resort, tend to gravitate here.
Stats at a Glance
- Resort: Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter (Walt Disney World)
- Location: Along the Sassagoula River, near Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
- Opened: May 17, 1991 (as Disney’s Port Orleans Resort)
- Rooms: 1,008 rooms across seven three-story buildings
- Price tier: Moderate — roughly $300–$450 per night for standard rooms in shoulder season
- Park transport: Complimentary Disney buses to all four theme parks and water parks; boat service to Disney Springs
- Perks: Early Theme Park Entry for all Disney resort guests; free self-parking and Wi-Fi
- Theme: New Orleans French Quarter, with Mardi Gras and jazz motifs
Rooms, Theming and Dining
Rooms are spread across seven compact three-story buildings clustered around courtyards, giving French Quarter a tighter, more walkable footprint than most Disney moderates — you’re rarely more than a few minutes from the lobby, pool, or bus stop. The main pool, Doubloon Lagoon, is themed around Mardi Gras and King Neptune and includes a sea-serpent water slide.
Dining is the resort’s trade-off: French Quarter is the only Disney moderate resort without a table-service restaurant. Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory covers quick-service meals, Scat Cat’s Club serves beignets and coffee, and Mardi Grogs is the poolside bar. Guests wanting a sit-down meal typically walk or boat over to Boatwright’s Dining Hall at neighboring Port Orleans Riverside.
Getting to the Parks and Perks
There’s no monorail, Skyliner, or direct boat to the theme parks from French Quarter — getting to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom means relying on Disney’s complimentary bus system, which can be shared with Riverside guests at busy times. What French Quarter does offer directly by boat is Disney Springs, reachable via the Sassagoula River Cruise from a dock behind the pool. As with all Walt Disney World resort hotels, staying here unlocks Early Theme Park Entry (30 minutes before rope drop). Extended Evening Hours, by contrast, are reserved for Disney’s Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts (plus the Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green) — French Quarter guests as a Moderate resort do not get that particular perk.
Who Should Stay Here
French Quarter suits couples, small families, and anyone who wants Disney theming and Early Theme Park Entry at moderate pricing without needing a full-service restaurant onsite or extensive resort amenities. Its small size makes it easy to navigate with young kids or lighter luggage. It’s a weaker fit for guests who want Extended Evening Hours access, a table-service restaurant onsite, or a boat/monorail straight to a theme park — those all require booking a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resort instead.
Explore more: More Walt Disney World hotel guides, Magic Kingdom guide, Epcot guide, Hollywood Studios guide, Animal Kingdom guide.
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter FAQs
Does staying at Port Orleans French Quarter include early park entry?
Yes. As a Walt Disney World-owned resort, French Quarter guests get Early Theme Park Entry (30 minutes before official opening), the same as other Disney resort guests. However, Extended Evening Hours are limited to Disney’s Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts (plus Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green), so French Quarter — a Moderate resort — does not include that perk.
How do you get from French Quarter to the theme parks?
Complimentary Disney buses run to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and the water parks. There’s no direct boat or monorail to any theme park from this resort — the boat service only goes to Disney Springs.
Is Port Orleans French Quarter a good value?
It’s priced as a moderate resort, roughly $300–$450 per night for standard rooms in shoulder season, putting it above value resorts but well below Disney’s deluxe hotels. The trade-off is no onsite table-service restaurant and no Extended Evening Hours access, which keeps costs and crowding down but means walking to Riverside or Disney Springs for a sit-down meal and skipping deluxe-only late-night park time.
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Photo: Jared / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.