Feature Article: Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter - A Disney Resort Review - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Feature Article: Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter - A Disney Resort Review
Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter - A Disney Resort Review by Jennifer Shorey Arnold
The last time I visited Port Orleans French Quarter I fell in love with the cobblestone streets, decorative black iron railings, and beautifully colored buildings.
This resort is the smallest of Walt Disney World's Moderate resorts, with only 1,008 rooms. Perfect for couples or families, I have found this resort to be a cozy and peaceful retreat. So, when my family decided to meet at Disney for fall vacation, I thought this would be the perfect resort for everyone. For this trip, my husband and I decided to drive down to Florida. However, other members of our party flew, and took advantage of Disney’s Magical Express transportation from the airport. I had booked our reservation package online and indicated that we were traveling with another party. Since our parties were arriving and departing on different days, we were hoping that perhaps we would get rooms in the same building or in buildings on the same side of the resort. At check-in, it was such a great surprise to discover that we were staying right next door to each other in adjoining rooms.
Since our last visit, the resort has gone through some positive changes. As of mid-April 2011, all the rooms have been refurbished. Queen beds have replaced the double beds and a flat panel TV has been added. I was disappointed to see that the pedestal sinks that I’ve always liked had been removed, but the new sinks do offer lots more precious counter space. The rooms also have a small table with two chairs, a dresser complete with TV, mini fridge, and coffee maker, a ceiling fan, and a bench that is perfect for holding your luggage. Everything feels fresh and new, with a beautiful new royal blue and vibrant gold color scheme on the bedspreads.
Although the resort feels like its own little world of peace and tranquility, fun can be found around every corner. The resort offers a nice-size pool complete with serpent waterslide and festive statues of alligators playing musical instruments to keep you in the mood. When checking into the resort for this visit, I was told by a cast member that the pool is open 24 hours, which I thought was a neat treat. In addition to the pool, there is a small children’s wading pool, playground, and even an arcade close by. Since our last visit, I discovered that they installed a fire ring out in an open area overlooking the Sassagoula River, which is lit nightly for everyone to enjoy. Also, some nights you can catch live music at Scat Cats Club lounge. If you’d prefer something quieter, it is always great to take a stroll by the river or relax with a drink at the pool. While you’re staying at the Resort, make a point to walk over to French Quarter’s sister resort, Port Orleans Riverside. You can follow the paved path that winds its way along the river for a short walk of approximately 10 minutes. At this larger resort, you can find even more to do. Take the time to explore the resort and see the guest room buildings in the Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou areas. While there you can also stroll through the larger gift shop or go out to the dock area to rent bikes, boats, and even take a carriage ride. Carriage rides are offered in the evenings, normally from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm (the last ride departs at 9:30 pm). They offer a relaxing 25-minute journey that winds its way through both resorts. Make sure to check with the Riverside Marina for questions or to make a reservation.
A great perk of staying at Port Orleans French Quarter is that it offers easy access to Downtown Disney, which is a short and relaxing boat ride away. The boat dock is located behind the pool area at the back of the resort. The boat normally runs from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm, but it’s always good to check with the concierge desk to inquire about the exact times of operation during your trip. There is only a limited number of seats on each boat, so it can get crowded at times. One day on our trip, we decided to walk to Riverside to catch the boat from there, since it starts at Riverside and then heads to French Quarter on its way to Downtown Disney. Bus transportation is available to the parks and even to Downtown Disney, if you’d rather not take the boat.
The resort has a spacious food court named Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory which is decorated in a Mardi Gras theme. Large instruments, party favors, and masks hang from the ceiling in the dining area. Although this food court only has a few serving stations, the selection of items is still great. If you’re looking for a larger selection or perhaps want a table-service restaurant, Port Orleans Riverside has not only a larger food court but also Boatwright’s Dining Hall, a lovely sit-down restaurant. As with other Moderate resorts, Port Orleans French Quarter does offer pizza delivery until midnight. We thought this would be a great idea for a late night dinner after a day in the parks and a bit of shopping at Downtown Disney. Sure enough, it worked out perfectly, allowing everyone some food and time to relax. If you're on the Disney Dining Plan, you use two table service meal credits for the pizza delivery combo deal, but you get so much food. We received a large pizza with anything we wanted on it, a 2-liter bottle of soda, a side salad, an order of breadsticks, and two desserts. There was so much food that we were able to save our desserts for breakfast the next morning.
It had been a few years since our last trip to Port Orleans French Quarter, and with all the changes and updates I found that I loved this resort even more than I did the last time we stayed there. We will definitely be back for another visit! If you’re looking for a fun place or a quiet retreat, look into this great resort for your next Disney trip.
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
After 5 stays at Port Orleans Riverside, we gave Port Orleans French Quarter a try on our last trip. It was the queen size beds that drew us! We are booked to stay at French Quarter for our next trip to the World in March.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
]Read all about our Disney Experiences on the Williams Family Blog: 
Hybrid Mode
