Friday, February 8, 2019

Port Orleans French Quarter Resort Review

When you talk about favorite resorts at Disney, there's no denying that Port Orleans Riverside is one of my favorite moderates. I love the theming, the atmosphere, and the overall feel of the resort.

Last August though, my husband and I had the chance to stay on property for an evening before our Disney Cruise, and we decided to stray up the beaten path to Port Orleans French Quarter. Little did I know, this quaint little resort would quickly earn a place in my heart!


With its down home southern feel and New Orleans atmosphere, this resort is a must stay in my opinion!


A few fun facts about Port Orleans French Quarter:
  • Moderate category
  • New Orleans style theming
  • Walking distance to Port Orleans Riverside
  • Additional transportation option by way of boat to Disney Springs


Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted with that sweet, southern hospitality you come to expect in the south. Our room wasn't ready yet, but the resort was not full and the cast member was able to find a spot for us which was super nice of him!


Port Orleans French Quarter has a quick service location which serves a wide variety of food, along with a few southern favorites.


I also seriously loved the Float Works dining hall overhaul! Disney removed the giant Mardi Gras parade heads and replaced them with a sleeker, more modern design.


There's even a few "hidden" Disney touches - check out the cards below!


Remember when I mentioned traditional southern favorites?


Beignets, anyone? :)

I can honestly attest this "new recipe" (as of late summer 2018) is perfect and tastes just like Cafe du Monde. The old recipe? Well, let's just say I'm glad they overhauled that one! If you haven't tried the beignets here in a while, you definitely need to do so again!


Another touch to the southern way of living are the alligator statues located along the property. No, I don't have them in my actual backyard, but I don't have to travel far to find them!


The architectural design on this property is on point!


Our favorite part about this resort is the size. No matter which building you're staying in, you won't have a long walk to get to the dining hall which is super nice! This resort is also super quiet and we loved that!


The rooms were recently remodeled which meant no more carpet!


Our room contained a king bed, fridge, iron with table, hair dryer, and built-in soap dispensers on the wall. (Since that's super important to know!)


Mardi Gras beads were also waiting for us with the traditional hidden Mickey on the table of our room.


The bathroom was super spacious and had plenty of room to move around. The only difference with this room was the lack of separate potty/shower from the sink. If one person was in the restroom, you didn't have access to anything else. I'm not sure if this is how all of the rooms on property are, but that's how ours was for sure.


Although we didn't have time to explore the pool area, this slide looked like a lot of fun. The laundry facilities are also located alongside the pool.


Taking a boat to Disney Springs is also super convenient and very peaceful. You also have a chance spot the Treehouse Villas along the way.



The New Balance Running Trail is available at this resort as well. I've run this entire route and it's a good one!


This is subject to change, but several of the Disney resorts are offering fun runs on property on certain days of the week. Sadly, we were missing this one by one day. Whomp Whomp.


If you'd like to venture a walk over to Port Orleans Riverside, you can do that as well! It's not far and only requires crossing one waterway! :)

Also noteworthy - there is no workout facility on property which is why the running/walking paths definitely come in handy!


The street signs and cross ways were also designed perfectly, along with these guys (below) which you'll find all throughout the streets of downtown New Orleans.

 


As if we thought this resort coulnd't get any more perfect, it did. Once the sun sets at night, the streetlamps kick on and wow. It's breathtaking!


So, should you stay here? Yes, yes you should. Living in Louisiana, I've been to New Orleans more times than I can count and always shied away from staying at this resort. Now, I'm sad I didn't get a chance to experience it sooner, I'll definitely stay here again and hope you will consider it as well! 

Want to read up on other resort reviews here on the blog? Check them out below! The list is ever growing!
Thanks for stopping by! Have a magical day!

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

A Weekend To Remember

When many years have passed and I reflect back on my life, I know that this weekend will be one I'll remember for a long time. No, nothing spectacular or extraordinary happened, but it was the little things I got to appreciate and enjoy and I know I'll cherish those moments forever.


A little back story - around Christmas, Brayden hit a crazy growth spurt and not only did he grow physically, he also grew cognitively by leaps and bounds. My soft-spoken kid who didn't really begin talking until right before he turned 2 is now a chatter box who doesn't stop and I seriously love it. He's putting more and more phrases together, counting up a storm, and he even memorized his first scripture verse which completely melts my heart.

I wish I could stop time and everything right here, just the way it is right now, because in exactly two short months, my sweet little boy will be a three year old! 


So this weekend, we enjoyed the weather, playing outside, swinging "high" to our hearts content, riding our little Mickey 4 wheeler, and simply just being together - with Brayden chattering away the entire time. No deadlines, no projects, no to do lists - it's weekends like this that do a heart good.


He even slept in on Saturday morning which afforded me the opportunity to run four miles solo. Jason was home but working nights, so I checked in on Brayden every mile or so and once he started stirring, I got him up and he joined me for the final two miles of the run!


During nap time, I even managed to complete a project for my YouTube channel that I've been rolling over and over again in my mind for a long time and I LOVE the way it turned out! I've wanted to have true opening credits for my videos for a while now and I finally completed that project on Saturday.


Throughout the weekend, I also finalized the ideas in my mind for my Princess Half Marathon outfits and can't wait to share them with you guys!

Speaking of Princess and runDisney, I listened to these guys a LOT over the weekend and boy did it just get me even more and more excited for our upcoming Disney trip!


If you don't listen to Joyful Miles then you need to! They are a wealth of runDisney knowledge and will seriously bring a smile to your face!

Last but not least, if you'd like to check out the project for YouTube I mentioned earlier, check out these videos below! Yes, I'm WAY behind on our August cruise recaps, but better late than never, right? :)



I hope you're having a great start to your week! Happy Tuesday! :)

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