6 Top Things We Want to do at our Resort

Hello and I hope you have all had a great Sunday.  Sorry for the late entry today, but things have been a bit busy at the homestead today.  This week, we are going to cover information about the resort that we will call home on our trip in October.  We will be staying at Port Orleans Riverside.  I have stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter in the past....so far in the past that it was just called Port Orleans.  That was way back in 1994, when I took my children to Walt Disney World for the first time.  I had thought about staying there again, but as a travel agent, I wanted to experience a resort that I have never stayed before.  I want to be able to give my clients educated information about places I have stayed with first hand experience.

 We will be staying in the Magnolia Bend area, and have requested the Magnolia Terrace building.

So, here we go with the things we want to experience at Port Orleans Riverside.

#6) SWIM!
Yes!  I know this sounds so mundane, but due to the fact that on our last trip "home" and even our extended stay in Florida was so chilly, (Feb. 2010) I did not put on a bathing suit for 10 days!  Really?  Does that really happen in Florida?  Yes.  Well, this time I want to be able to swim at our resort.  "O'l Man Island contains the main pool at Riverside, and there are also 5 other unguarded pools as well.  We could also take a jaunt over to French Quarter to swim in that pool. 

#5)  Have a cocktail at Muddy River Pool Bar

Muddy Rivers Pool Bar

Opening Hours: 11:30am — 9:30pm

 
This pool-side bar serves beer, wine, specialty drinks and soft drinks.  It is open seasonally, but I think we are safe on this trip for good weather! 

Specialty Drinks — Frozen
Piña CoLAVA Bacardi Razz Rum blended with Piña Colada Mix and Raspberry Purée	$8.25
Mango Margarita Patrón Silver Tequila blended with Mango Purée	$10.25
Tangerine Dream Finlandia Tangerine Vodka blended with Orange Purée	$8.25
Southern Sunrise Southern Comfort blended with Orange Purée and Monin Passion Fruit	$9.50
Specialty Drinks — Rocks
Captain’s Mai Tai Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Amaretto, and Tropical Juices topped with a float of Myers’s Original Dark Rum	$8.50
Caribbean Limeade Skyy Infusions Pineapple Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, and Simply Limeade	$8.50
Paradise Punch Coruba Coconut Rum, VeeV, Pineapple Juice, and Grenadine	$9.50
Grand Margarita Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice, and Sweet-and-Sour	$9.50
Banana Cabana Cruzan Mango Rum, Coruba Coconut Rum, Crème de Banana, and Orange and Pineapple Juice with a float of Grenadine	$8.50
Poolside Plunge Bacardi O Rum, Bacardi Razz Rum, and Sweet-and-Sour, with a splash of Grenadine and Sprite	$8.50
Beer, Wine and Sangria
Draft Beer	$5.25—$6.00
Bottle or Can Beer	$5.75—$7.75
Wine    Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Merlot	$6.95
Superfruit Sangria Eppa SupraFruta Red Sangria made from organically grown grapes and an organic blend of antioxidant-rich Pomegranate, Blueberry, Açaí, and Blood Orange juices topped with Veev Açaí Spirit	$8.00

(Above prices are from a menu I located from August 2011)

#4)  Walk or take a boat over to Port Orleans French Quarter

Gotta go over to French Quarter to stroll around, and also get some Beignets!! 
As I have stayed at French Quarter in the past, I remember the delicious beignets they have at The Sassagoula Float Works and Food Factory.  My mouth is already watering 58 days before we go!  Of course, I also want to show my husband around this great resort as well.

 



#3 )  Go to the River Roost and see Yehaa Bob

This location is situated in a room designed as a cotton exchange.  This is a lounge that features specialty drinks and light hors d' oeuvres.  We will be stopping my here on the night we have been at Hollywood Studios.  Yehaa Bob  (Bob Jackson) performs here on select nights from 8:30pm to 12 midnight.  We are going to be meeting a Disney friend and her husband there.  Fun stuff!

 Are you ready to try something new on your next trip to Walt Disney World? If you'd like to do something fun without having to purchase a special ticket, check out Bob Jackson - who leads a great boogie-woogie sing-along at the River Roost Lounge in Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort.  For more information on Bob Jackson:    http://www.yehaabob.com/

#2 )  Take a carriage ride around the resort

This seems like a "couple"  thing to do!  Horse-drawn carriages take guests for a 25 minute ride around the resort grounds.  Carriages hold up to 4 adults, but this will be a romantic thing to do, just us two! 

#1) Take a ride on the Sassagoula River Cruise!

Taking this boat ride down the Sassagoula River to Downtown Disney is one of my most fond memories of the last time I stayed at a Port Orleans location.  I am anxiously awaiting to feel this relaxing way to meander down the river.....with the wonderful scent of the cypress trees that line the riverbanks. 


One of the unique features of the Port Orleans resorts is that they were constructed on the banks of the Disney-created Sassagoula River, a gentle 2½ mile waterway which winds its way through the woods, past the Treehouse Villas and the Saratoga Springs Resort, to Lake Buena Vista and the Downtown Disney shopping, dining and entertainment complex.
The “Sassagoula River Cruise” ferry, a free service which takes guests from the Port Orleans resorts all the way down the river to Downtown Disney. The twenty minute boat trip is a very pleasant and relaxing alternative to road transport and shouldn’t be missed.
The fleet consists of 15 boats spread out over four routes, all decked out in a lively brightly-coloured yellow and blue livery, with suitably fitting Southern names:

1. Memphis Miss
2. Louisiana Lady
3. Sassagoula Sunset
4. Bayou Princess
5. Crescent City Queen (spelled “Cresent City Queen” on the boat’s name plate)
6. Magnolia Blossom
7. Florida Queen
8. Buena Vista Queen
9. Saratoga Queen
10. Blossom Queen
11. Jazz Lady
12. Delta Lady
13. Azalea Bloom
14. Southern Breeze
15. Jazz Queen

Cute right?  Just can't wait for this!  The trip is getting closer each week! 
Come back next week, for another installment of things we want to do at Walt Disney World! After that section of the trip is covered, we will be staring on the DREAM cruise portion of this vacation!
See you all next Sunday!