Our New Favorites From Our Recent Trip

Our new favorite resort is Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort. We had heard so many good things about this resort and it had been on our short list for our previous visit before Coronado Springs and its Mayan pool and waterslide won out. But this time I wanted to make it happen. The smaller size of the resort appealed to us and Old Man Island pool area looked awesome. We were also excited to take the boat shuttle down the Sassagoula River to Disney Springs.

When we checked in we requested a room in the Alligator Bayou section because we were angling for a room with a Murphy bed. The cast member who checked us in tried to steer us to the Mansions in Magnolia Bend. But since this would likely be our last opportunity before my son outgrew the smallish Murphy bed so we decided to hold firm on the Alligator Bayou, even though it meant a wait of several hours before we could get into our room.

The grounds of Riverside are great, very quiet and private. Each building is surrounded by lush greens and trees, making it very homey and not like your typical hotel. We were situated next to a quiet pool and despite the initial draw of Old Man Island, we never dipped a toe in it. Our younger son decided that there too many “little kids” there and so we used the quiet pool instead and shared it with at most just one or two other families.

New Favorite Restaurant

We discovered another new favorite at Port Orleans—Boatwright’s Dining Hall. On previous trips The Plaza Restaurant at Magic Kingdom was our older son’s favorite. He’s a picky eater and when he discovered their grilled cheese sandwich he was in his glory—it was the best grilled cheese ever! To me, it seemed pretty unremarkable but I tried at home for months to recreate it and all its glory. For those of you who also have picky eaters, you know that when your child gets excited about a meal, it’s a thing.