We had mixed feelings about our stay at Port Orleans Riverside. There were definitely things we enjoyed, but there were also a few things that left us disappointed.
Our room was one of the positives. It was clean, updated, and fairly large. With three of us, we had plenty of space in the main room and never felt cramped. The room was comfortable and well maintained. I also appreciated that the sinks were separate from the shower and toilet. This made the bathroom much more functional. The part of the bathroom I didn't love was the limited storage. There was a small area to hang clothes, but it wasn't nearly large enough for everything we needed.
The grounds at Port Orleans Riverside are beautiful. The landscaping, paths, and overall atmosphere make the resort feel peaceful and relaxing. One thing I really appreciated was how quiet the resort felt. Even though it's a fairly large resort, it didn't feel loud or overly busy. The pool near our room was also very nice and convenient. We enjoyed having a pool close by. We did not visit the main pool during our trip, so I can't really comment on that experience.
Another huge benefit of staying at Riverside is being able to walk over to Port Orleans French Quarter. Having easy access to another resort was a definite plus. It gave us more options without having to get on a bus or find other transportation.
One thing that really stood out to me was the scent in the lobby. The fragrance was extremely strong and, for me, overpowering. I am fairly sensitive to scents, so this may not bother everyone, but I found it difficult to tolerate. I spent about 20 minutes in the gift shop and ended up with a headache from the scent. If you're sensitive to strong fragrances, this is definitely something I would keep in mind when considering Riverside.
Unfortunately, Riverside Mill Food Court was one of the bigger disappointments of our stay. Mobile ordering was far too slow. What was supposed to be a convenient way to order ahead, ended up taking so long that I would have been better off just standing in the regular line. On one occasion I waited nearly 40 minutes after placing a mobile order. What made the wait even more frustrating was that this wasn't during a particularly busy meal time. The restaurant didn't seem especially crowded, so I couldn't understand why the order was taking so long. Additionally, while waiting at the pickup window, I noticed a staff member using her phone while customers were and trying to crouch down out of sight while using it. Regardless of what she was doing, it was frustrating to see. After that I abandoned using mobile order and we were able to get through the lines easily with hardly any wait.
The Disney bus transportation at Riverside was…weird. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but I found the bus service to be the most unpredictable in the middle of the day, when you might be heading back to the resort for a break or leaving the resort to head to a park. It wasn't necessarily a problem every time, the buses seemed to be running less frequently in the middle of the day. I've stayed at other resorts and never had to wait on busses they way I did at Riverside. One thing I would definitely keep in mind is that if you're at the last bus stop on the route, by the time the bus reaches that stop, it can already be full, and you may have to wait for another one. The Disney Springs bus and boat are shared with Port Orleans so travel took longer than I expected.
Overall - Would I stay here again? Maybe. There are definitely things I liked about Riverside, particularly the atmosphere, room, grounds, quiet setting, and proximity to French Quarter. At the same time, there were enough frustrations with the Riverside Mill Food Court and bus transportation that I'm not sure Riverside would be my first choice for a future stay. I wouldn't rule it out, but I think I'd want to consider some other options before booking it again.
