Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside

Erminson Daniel Contreras Salazar

Our experience at this hotel was deeply disappointing and far below the standards one expects from a brand like Disney. We arrived on January 4th at 10:30 p.m., after spending the entire day visiting two parks, traveling with our three young children, all of whom were already asleep and completely exhausted. It is important to note that this day was also my daughter’s birthday, which made this moment especially meaningful for our family. From the very first interaction, the lack of service and empathy was evident. Upon arrival at the entrance, no one made the effort to open a door, despite the fact that there were three staff members outside and three inside, gathered and talking, showing no concern whatsoever for the guests who had just arrived. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation and completely contrary to what Disney claims to represent in terms of hospitality and guest experience. The check-in process was cold and devoid of any human judgment. With no consideration for the late hour, the visible exhaustion of a family traveling with children, or even a basic gesture of hospitality, we were assigned one of the farthest rooms on the property: building 36, room 3619. No alternatives were offered, no questions were asked, and there was no attempt to ease our arrival. Absolutely zero empathy. I have over 20 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry, which makes this situation even more surprising and frustrating. This is not about requesting special treatment, but about basic common sense—understanding that the guest experience begins the moment a guest arrives, especially late at night and with children. What we experienced reflects a lack of leadership, insufficient training, and a complete disconnection from the concept of service. A brand like Disney should not allow situations like this to occur, as they seriously undermine the trust and family experience that the company actively promotes. Unfortunately, this hotel did not live up to its name or to the expectations it creates. I sincerely hope this review encourages a serious review of nighttime service protocols and, above all, staff attitude toward guests.

Vicki Sauchinitz

The resort itself is beautiful and the cast members are great. We loved the boat access to Disney Springs and the grounds. Our issue was the room- do not book a royal room here. While the princess decor and headboards are beautiful, they are extremely outdated. Wall outlet covers were not secure, no USB ports in the room, old TV’s (ours was on Spanish news when we arrived), multiple chips and stains on furniture, our plugs fell right out of the outlets, ironing board was ripped and stained and the AC was caked with dust and what looked like mold. The beds were comfortable though, and the room was spacious with enough room for four. The bed closest to the bath should be moved over, allowing more than six inches to get out of bed without hitting the wall. Storage was also lacking- there were three drawers in the dresser and a shelf above the bathroom sinks. We were on a bounce back offer and still paid almost $900 for two nights here which was way overpriced. After asking the front desk we were told all royalty rooms were like this and were due for renovation next year. The location of the total rooms were close to the main lobby. We ate at the quick service location and the food was good but they are very busy in the evening. We waited almost 40 minutes for our mobile order.

Crystal Barrow

What an amazing place. From the moment we arrived until the end of our 5 day stay every staff member treated us wonderfully. When we arrived we were promptly checked in, all questions answered, and on our way to our beautiful room. We had dinner the first night in the main restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the food and service. Had breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria style room and also delicious food and great service. We used the bus and boat for transportation to the parks and both were always on time and friendly staff. The room was recently renovated and was perfect! The final plus was having amazing help when we had a medical emergency and had to go to the emergency room. The staff member arranged transportation to and from, found the nearest facility, and we were provided vouchers for transportation. We could not have asked for a better experience for our holiday vacation and can only hope that we will be able to return someday. Thank you to the beyond amazing staff at Port Orleans Riverside!

Sabrina Marinko

The last few times me and my hubby have visited we always end up choosing the Port Orlean sister resorts! We stayed at Riverside again this past week for the holiday parties and even during the end of the year, it's green and warm. We love the boat transportation to Disney springs and the subtle theming in the rooms (unless you stay in those pretty Royal guest rooms!) I wish I could live there! Staying here feels like living in a quiet community! The food court has some sweet staff as well, we had a sweet lady named Diane who saw us two separate days and seeing her before we left was wonderful. The resort is so big and beautiful and a hidden gem, we haven't even explored all of it yet! I'd say the only downside to this resort is the amount of bus stops, depending on which stop you're at, the bus may fill up at prior stops before reaching you on those busy days and cause delays. Usually it's fine! But we had to do a bit of waiting to reach the parks for the event parties! We personally didn't mind since we weren't rushing to do stuff, but if you are worried about making the most of your time and event ticket, it'd be best to catch a bus before the park allows party guests in and just wait at the park!

Jessica M

Had the most magical Disney vacation and Port Orleans was a huge part of that! We loved everything about the hotel! The rooms were great and I loved how even though it’s a large resort, it was still so peaceful and beautiful. The pools were perfect (and so much fun), and there were also so many other wonderful amenities offered by the resort (fishing hole, movies, arcade, boat rides etc). The food was great (and when mobile ordering, the food was always ready on time, even during rushes with guests returning from parks etc)! And every single cast member we met during our stay was fantastic, kind, and always willing to help answer any questions we had. Highly recommend this resort and hope to be back in the future!