Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter
Port Orleans French Quarter is the smallest of Walt Disney World's Moderate resorts, a compact take on New Orleans' French Quarter of wrought-iron balconies, gas lamps and year-round Mardi Gras, set on the man-made Sassagoula River in the Disney Springs area. It has Mickey-shaped beignets at its café, a sea-serpent slide at the Doubloon Lagoon pool, live jazz on some evenings and a scenic boat down the river to Disney Springs.
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Is it worth it?
The smallest Moderate at Walt Disney World, with the shortest walks of the tier, strongest for families who'd take a compact resort and a Disney Springs boat over a big pool.
Port Orleans French Quarter is one of Walt Disney World's Moderate resorts, a step up from the Value hotels in price, theming and food. Just over a thousand rooms sit in seven three-storey buildings on the Sassagoula River, so wherever your room is, the food court, the pool and the bus stop are never far. With a pram or a tired toddler after a park day, that short walk back to the room is what you'll notice most, and it's the clearest reason to choose it over the bigger Moderates.
The New Orleans theming is understated rather than character-led, so it appeals to parents more than to young children. There's one pool, on the small side, so a family set on a big pool or lots of on-site character will be happier at one of the larger Moderates.
Best for
You've a pram or a young child and want the shortest walks of any Moderate, and you'd take beignets and a Disney Springs boat over a big pool.
The compact size
Only about 350 yards end to end, with a single bus stop where you board first.
Standard rooms only
No suites. Rooms sleep four plus a baby in a cot, and five needs two rooms or Riverside next door.
Doubloon Lagoon
One pool, with a small sea-serpent slide and a toddler splash zone. For a bigger pool you walk or boat to Riverside.
Where is it?
The Disney Springs Resort Area, on the man-made Sassagoula River, with a boat to Disney Springs and buses to the parks.
Quick facts for UK families
A compact New Orleans French Quarter of wrought-iron balconies and jazz
Gas lamps, magnolias and year-round Mardi Gras, atmospheric rather than covered in characters.
French Quarter recreates the old French Quarter of New Orleans in miniature, with cobbled streets, wrought-iron balconies, gas lamps, magnolias and Mardi Gras colours of purple, green and gold, with Dixieland jazz playing across the grounds, which turns to a Creole Christmas playlist from mid-November. Mardi Gras runs all year here rather than for a season, and an Aristocats thread runs quietly through it. The café and the jazz lounge both take their name from Scat Cat, the film's band leader, and in the lounge the hidden figure to spot is Roquefort the mouse rather than a hidden Mickey, a small game for older children.
The signature here is the Mickey-shaped beignet, a hot New Orleans doughnut dusted in icing sugar, served at the resort's café and found at no other Walt Disney World hotel. In the evening a jazz band plays on some nights in the lounge next door, which is unusual for a Moderate, and a boat runs down the river to Disney Springs. The beignets, the jazz and the boat are what most families remember it for.
Fictional settlers founded "Port Orr-Leane's" in the resort's invented backstory, which is why reception sits inside a building themed as the old Port Orleans Mint, and a themed in-room newspaper, the Sassagoula Sentinel, once serialised the tale. The oversized figures hanging from the food court ceiling are real Mardi Gras parade props from the New Orleans workshop that builds the city's floats, and the two huge live oaks by the entrance were moved here from elsewhere on Disney property back in 1991, marked by an Earth Day plaque. Costumed cast members have long handed arriving families a string of Mardi Gras beads and a commemorative doubloon coin, the coin a nod to that invented mint, though it's a touch of character rather than something every guest is promised.
How the resort is laid out, and the room to request
Small enough that every room is a short walk from the food court, the pool and the single bus stop, which is the main reason families with young children pick it.
Everything that isn't a guest room sits in one central building called the Mint, holding the food court, the shop, reception and the arcade, with the pool, the pool bar and the boat dock just beside it. The seven guest buildings wrap around that centre, and the whole resort is small. Even the most distant room is roughly four or five minutes' walk to the middle, and there's a single bus stop rather than several, so you board first and a full bus never drives past you. Every building has a lift, which matters with a pram.
A few rooms are worth asking for and a few worth avoiding. Rooms facing the pool, in Buildings 2 and 5, catch an afternoon poolside DJ and early-morning cleaning, so if you need quiet for naps ask for a courtyard-facing room, and a third-floor room is quieter again. Ground-floor rooms are easiest with a pram but busier with foot traffic. Upper-floor rooms increasingly have a walk-in shower and no bath, while ground-floor rooms are more likely to keep a bathtub, so if you bath a baby or toddler, ask for a ground floor with a bathtub specifically. A request is only ever a request, so make the one that matters most when you book and mention it again at check-in.
The rooms
Three room types, all about the same size and most sleeping four, with the real choice being view and how close you are to the middle.
The rooms come in three types on the booking, and they're the same room in different places. A Standard Location room and a Preferred Location room are identical inside, two queen beds sleeping up to four, with the Preferred simply closer to the food court and pool for a higher rate. The third type is a King Bed room, one king sleeping two, often a corner room with an extra window. There are no suites and no family rooms here.
| Room | Size | Sleeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Location | ~314 sq ft (29 m²) | 4 | Two queen beds. Garden, courtyard, riverfront or car-park views. The entry room, and the furthest from the food court and bus stop, though that's still only four or five minutes here. |
| Preferred Location | ~314 sq ft (29 m²) | 4 | The same room inside, closer to the food court, the pool and the bus stop, for a higher rate. At a resort this small the walk it saves is short. |
| King Bed | ~314 sq ft (29 m²) | 2 | One king bed, sleeping two, often a corner room with an extra window. A small number, scattered across the buildings. |
Rooms are all about the same size, roughly 314 sq ft (29 m²).
For a family of four the two queen beds are roomy, and a baby under three in a cot doesn't count towards that four, so two adults, two children and a baby fit. There's no fold-down fifth bed, though, so a larger family needs two connecting rooms, or the Alligator Bayou rooms at Riverside, which add a fold-down bed for a fifth. The rooms are decorated in a subtle Princess and the Frog style, with a sliding barn door to the bathroom that helps block light for a sleeping child.
One thing to check is the in-room cooler. It's a glass-front drinks cooler rather than a proper fridge, with no freezer, and it isn't guaranteed to hold safe temperatures, so if you need to keep formula or breast milk cold, ask for a medical fridge when you book. There's a coffee maker but no kettle as standard, though you can borrow one from the front desk. Each room has plenty of plug sockets, with USB-A and USB-C points in the dresser for the phones and tablets a family travels with, a small safe for passports and valuables, free Wi-Fi throughout and Disney's Hey Disney voice assistant, which answers park questions and can order extra towels. Housekeeping comes every other day rather than daily, worth knowing with a baby and a bin filling with nappies. Rooms open onto outdoor walkways in the motel style.
Where to eat, and the sit-down option next door
One food court, a beignet café, a jazz lounge and a pool bar, all within a couple of minutes of any room.
Everyday meals come from Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory, a large counter-service food court themed as a warehouse where Mardi Gras floats are built, with real oversized parade props hanging from the ceiling. It has a grill, a pizza and pasta station, a create-your-own counter and a Cajun and Creole speciality station, and the New Orleans dishes are better than food-court food usually is; reviewers single out the jambalaya, the gumbo, a fresh-to-order shrimp po' boy and the shrimp and grits, and there's a Mardi Gras king cake at the bakery counter. It's open from early until late, has a good range of children's meals and plain options, and you can order ahead on the My Disney Experience app. Drinks are self-serve from a bank of Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, and refillable mugs are sold for the length of your stay and work at both Port Orleans food courts, useful over a week of refills. You can also have pizza delivered to the room in the evening, handy for a night in with a small child.
The beignets come from Scat Cat's Club Café, a window off the lobby serving them all day, three or six at a time with dipping sauces, or as a Mickey beignet sundae with ice cream. There's a gluten-free version at the same price that's well regarded, and the flavour rotates through the year, a berry one around Valentine's, a red-white-and-blue one for the Fourth of July and a spooky one at Halloween. Next door, Scat Cat's Club Lounge is an adult jazz bar dressed with Aristocats details, where a live band plays on several evenings a week with the first set in the early evening. Parents describe sitting there with a beignet and a drink to the music while a baby sleeps in the pram. It's a late, adult space with no children's entertainment of its own, so it suits an early-evening hour rather than a night out with young children.
By the pool, Mardi Grogs serves drinks along with cold sandwiches, salads and pretzels, a useful poolside lunch. The one thing French Quarter doesn't have is a sit-down restaurant, the only Moderate without one. For a table-service dinner the nearest is Boatwright's Dining Hall at Riverside, about ten minutes' walk along the river or a short boat or bus hop, and the boat also runs to the restaurants and shops at Disney Springs.
Doubloon Lagoon and the things to do
One feature pool with a small sea-serpent slide and a separate toddler splash zone, and an evening programme of campfires and films on the lawn.
The single pool is Doubloon Lagoon, a Mardi Gras-themed pool with a stepped, beach-style entry from the shallow end that suits a child who can't yet swim, and a statue of King Neptune astride a giant sea serpent above it. The slide, called Scales, runs down the serpent's body and out through its mouth, a short, modest slide aimed at younger children rather than a thrill ride. Beside the pool is a separate splash zone that opened in 2016, with a crocodile squirting water from a saxophone, child-sized slides and water jets, for children up to 48 inches (122 cm) tall. There are free children's life vests from infant size up, lifeguards during pool hours and a hot tub that children can use with an adult. It's a well-liked pool for a Moderate, though it's on the small side, and families who want more water can walk or take the boat to Riverside's much bigger pool, which has a longer slide, and use it freely.
Free and paid, mostly outdoorsThings to do around the resort
Beyond the pool the resort runs a programme most evenings. There's a campfire most nights where you can toast marshmallows, and outdoor films on the lawn on Friday and Saturday evenings, both of which families use to wind children down after a park day. During the day there are paid extras that rotate, like tie-dye and craft sessions, and a Sunday-morning beignet fun run, an easy mile and a half that ends with a medallion for every child and a beignet at the finish. A few more sit at Riverside's marina next door and are open to French Quarter guests too. You can hire bikes or a covered four-seat pedal cart for the river paths, try cane-pole fishing for children off Ol' Man Island, book a guided bass-fishing trip or take a horse-drawn carriage along the Sassagoula. Closer to home there's a playground by the pool, an arcade in the Mint and a mile-long jogging path along the water. There's no gym or spa on site, so a Deluxe resort's facilities are the nearest for those. Which activities run, and what they cost, changes day to day, so the printed activity sheet or the app is the thing to check on arrival. Mardi Gras is a year-round theme here, and Fat Tuesday itself is marked with a cast parade of decorated golf buggies through both Port Orleans resorts, along with free children's masks, crafts, a poolside Princess and the Frog film and meet-and-greets with Tiana and Naveen, so a stay over that date comes with a morning of things laid on for younger children.
Getting around by bus and boat
Buses to all four parks and a scenic boat to Disney Springs, with one shared bus stop and no boat to the parks themselves.
The parks are reached by bus, from that single stop outside the Mint, which has two boarding points, one for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and one for the other parks and Disney Springs. The buses are shared with Riverside, so morning runs are usually straight to the parks, while some evening returns add a Riverside stop and take a little longer. First buses leave about an hour before the early-entry parks open, and it's worth allowing about an hour from the bus stop to being inside the park on mornings when timing matters. Pushchairs have to be folded on the bus. Buses also run to the two water parks, though the pattern shifts with the season: in summer there's often a direct bus to Typhoon Lagoon while Blizzard Beach means a change at Animal Kingdom, and it varies year to year, so the transport board at the stop is the thing to check on the day. There's no Skyliner gondola or monorail here, though for a door-to-door hop within Disney you can book the paid Minnie Van service through the app. How the buses, boats and the rest of Disney's transport network fit together is covered in our getting around guide.
The boat is often the highlight, a complimentary water taxi down the man-made Sassagoula River to Disney Springs in about fifteen minutes, especially good in the evening with the lights on the water. It's worth being clear on what it does and doesn't do: it goes to Disney Springs and to Riverside only, and there's no boat to any theme park. It also stops for lightning, high winds or low water, which is common on Florida summer afternoons, with a backup bus running when it does. It's a scenic way to Disney Springs and a bit of fun rather than a way to the parks.
Checking in and early entryArrival, the app and early park entry
You can check in on the My Disney Experience app before you arrive, and bell services will hold your bags on either side of the stay. Standard check-in is from 3pm and check-out is 11am, with a later check-out something to ask for on the day rather than count on. As an on-site guest you get Early Theme Park Entry into any of the four parks ahead of the general public, though it's worth confirming the current window for your dates. Self-parking is free. There's a 24-hour cash machine and a currency-exchange desk in the Mint lobby, and anything you buy in the parks can be sent back to the resort shop to collect the next afternoon rather than carried round all day.
Babies, toddlers and the day-to-day
What the resort lends, what the shop stocks and the handful of things to plan around.
A travel cot is free on request, one to a room, though not guaranteed, so add it when you book and confirm it with the front desk on the day, since one family found theirs wasn't ready on arrival. It's Disney's standard pack-and-play rather than a full-size cot, the bathroom is too small to put it in, and the best spot for it is the dressing area by the wardrobe. Rollaway beds aren't available either. The single shop, Jackson Square Gifts and Desires, carries everyday basics like children's medicine, sun cream, water, milk and snacks, but not a full baby aisle, so it's safest to bring your own nappies and the formula you use rather than count on a size or brand being in stock. The public toilets in the Mint and by the pool have baby-change facilities of the usual Disney kind, though there's no separate family bathroom to head for. In-room childcare can be booked for an evening, with a minimum of a few hours.
For nap-time quiet, the things to plan around are the outdoor films that can run late near Beignet Square and walls that some guests find thin, which a white-noise machine helps with. The boat can stop for summer storms, so the bus or the short walk is often simpler with a pushchair on the busiest days.
Washing, help and step-free accessLaundry, first aid and accessibility
There's a self-service launderette, Laundry on the Levee, by the pool behind the Mardi Grogs bar, open around the clock, with rows of washers and dryers that take a card or the app rather than cash, and detergent sold on the spot. With a baby or toddler and a case that fills with washing halfway through a trip, being able to run a load at any hour is worth knowing about, and there's a valet laundry service too if you'd rather drop it off.
There's no dedicated first-aid room on site. For a minor scrape or a temperature, the front desk is open 24 hours and the shop stocks children's medicine, plasters and the usual over-the-counter basics; each theme park has a staffed first-aid centre, and an AdventHealth Centra Care walk-in clinic serves the wider Disney area for anything bigger.
For families travelling with a wheelchair, an ECV or a grandparent who tires easily, the short distances across the resort help, and every building has a lift. There are 35 wheelchair-accessible rooms, 13 of them with roll-in showers, and a chair lift into the main pool. Wheelchair and ECV users board the buses first, and the boats take two wheelchairs or ECVs at a time with a ramp and staff help, so Disney Springs is reachable by water; the horse-drawn carriage ride isn't accessible, as it needs a step up. If a step-free room or a roll-in shower is a need rather than a preference, it's one of the few things Disney will confirm at booking rather than leave to chance.
Loves and gripes
The praise and the gripes both run consistent, and most of the gripes are things you can plan around.
Families come back for the food more than anything. Reviewers rate the food court's Cajun cooking, the jambalaya, gumbo and shrimp and grits, well above the usual counter-service standard, and the beignets and an early-evening hour of jazz with a drink while a baby sleeps in the pram come up again and again. It's one of the more consistently liked Moderates, with a lot of repeat guests.
The steadiest complaint is noise in pool-facing rooms, an afternoon poolside DJ and power-washing from about 7am, which is why a courtyard-facing room is worth asking for. UK guests also flag that the food court doesn't open until 7am, tight on early-entry mornings when you want to be at the park for opening, and some find the walls thin. The single small pool, the every-other-day housekeeping and the drinks cooler that isn't a true fridge come up too, though they're things to plan around rather than reasons to stay away.
The choice next doorHow it compares to Riverside
The comparison worth making is French Quarter against its sister resort, Port Orleans Riverside, next door. The two share buses, and guests of either can use both resorts' pools and restaurants, so it's less either-or than it looks. Riverside is bigger, with a woodland-and-riverside theme across its Alligator Bayou lodges and Magnolia Bend mansions, a larger pool with a longer slide, the Boatwright's sit-down restaurant and rooms that sleep five. French Quarter is smaller, quieter and quicker to get around, with the beignets and the jazz. For a family with a baby or toddler who value being able to get around fast, French Quarter is often the easier of the two; for a bigger family, or one that wants those things in their own resort rather than a walk away, Riverside fits better. Some families split a stay across the two, since a short walk or one boat connects them.
Questions parents ask
A few things families check before booking, plus the official links and when this guide was last updated.
Should we pay for a Preferred room?
Rarely, at a resort this small. The free location requests tend to do more for a young family than paying up, so lean on those instead, a ground-floor room with a bathtub if you bath a baby, or a courtyard-facing room for nap quiet, and they cost nothing. The one time the money is worth it is when a specific Preferred building has the view or the exact spot you're set on, since a free request can't guarantee that.
Can we keep milk and formula cold in the room?
Ask for a medical fridge, and skip relying on the room's own cooler. A medical fridge counts as a medical need, so it's one of the few things Disney will guarantee against your booking rather than leave to the day. Supply is limited, though, so make the request as early as you can and keep it near the top of your list.
Will a family of five fit in one room?
Not in one room here. The way round it is two connecting rooms, which is a request rather than a guarantee, so ask as early as you can and make it your only room request to give it the best chance. If connecting rooms are the deciding factor, it's worth comparing sister resort Riverside before you book.
Should we book a table at Boatwright's before we travel?
Yes, if a proper sit-down dinner matters to you, reserve it before you fly rather than count on a walk-up. You can book through the My Disney Experience app well ahead of your dates, and the popular dinner slots go first. If it's full, the same boat carries on to the Disney Springs restaurants, so those are the easy fallback for a table.
Is the single pool a reason to pick Riverside instead?
For a young family, rarely. A toddler spends far more time in the shallow splash area than doing lengths, and that's the part the resort does well. Riverside's larger pool is a short walk or boat away and open to you as a Port Orleans guest, so booking French Quarter doesn't shut you out of a bigger pool on the days you want one.
Will our little ones notice the theming?
Less than at a character-led resort. What a young child fixes on here is the sea-serpent slide at the pool and the boat down the river, rather than the décor. The New Orleans styling is detailed but subtle, with the characters tucked away rather than on the walls, so an older child can go hunting for Roquefort the mouse in the jazz lounge or the Princess and the Frog details in the rooms. If being surrounded by familiar Disney characters is what your child wants, a resort like Art of Animation or Caribbean Beach will suit better.
Port Orleans French Quarter photos
The wrought-iron buildings and the grounds, Scat Cat's Club and its Mickey beignets, all in one place.
Open the Port Orleans French Quarter photo gallery →
Useful links
- Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter: the official hotel page for rooms, dining and live prices.
- Disney's Port Orleans Riverside: our guide to the sister resort next door that families most often compare it with.
- Magic Kingdom: our guide to the park most families build a first trip around.
- Tickets and passes: how tickets, Early Theme Park Entry and UK booking work.
- Walt Disney World with little ones: our guide to the resort, its parks and getting there.
Last updated 9 July 2026.
