Should you take a meeting in the Port Orleans Riverside lobby?
Part of my Work-From-Disney-Resort series.
This is just one part of a series of lobby reviews. If you are just joining us, please start here.
Tucked away between golf greens and swaying trees, Disney’s Port Orleans: Riverside looks out over the Sassagoula River. This moderate level resort boasts over 2,000 rooms between it’s Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend themed sections, each representing a different flavor of Antebellum South.
Originally opening in 1992 as Disney’s Dixie Landings Resort, this resort has seen many changes over the years. Many of those changes were in naming or theming, to reduce references to the American South’s troubled history with civil rights.
By late 2001, the nearby French Quarter and the newly renamed Riverside joined together under the Port Orleans Resort name, where today they share recreation, dining, and transportation.
Located in the center of the Riverside rooms, the main lobby building houses check-in, a large gift shop, a lounge with full bar and live piano, a casual table service restaurant, and the quick service café, The Riverside Mill.
With a combined 3,056 rooms, Disney’s Port Orleans claims the title of the highest occupancy resort in Florida.
Atmosphere 6/10
This resort holds a special place in my heart, to be honest. The winding pathways become of the quietest places on property, with plenty of trees and space between every building.
Unfortunately, this is not the case inside it’s main building. Because the quick-service restaurant, the table service, a lounge with live music, and the primary gift shop are all connected to the lobby, the space only gets louder throughout the day.
I began this testing period midday, when most families have either checked out, left for the park, or have not yet arrived for afternoon check ins. Even with lower population, the roar of the quick service (the only of the lobby’s dining options open before dinner) carried throughout the building. Both my on-ear and earbud style headphones had no problem drowning this out, but the impact on calls cannot be ignored.
A quiet place to study or take a call can only be found near the check-in area or the lounge, before the afternoon arrival rush.
The music played throughout the resort is a mix of upbeat jazz and slower swing melodies. I find this music pleasant, but you might not. The speakers that output the soundtrack are not too loud, but watch out for louder levels when the lounge’s live music picks up in the evenings.
Comfort 4/10
Riverside’s lobby building contains a rather large check-in space, with plenty of concierge counters. This leaves the inner floor space to couches and chairs, with no real tables or desk space in sight. There are a few coffee and side tablets, but these are not compatible with laptop use. While these seats, and the similar choices in the adjoining lounge, are comfortable, the lack of desk options forces you further towards the restaurant options for any real work.
But those restaurant options aren’t the most comfortable either. Most of the chairs are basic, wooden, and hard. The matching tables are quite spacious for books and laptops, however, I would bring a wet wipe or two. These tables are used daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: every one I sat at needed a good wipe before use. The few cushioned bench seats were more comfortable to sit at for longer periods of time, but none were near an outlet.
If you don’t mind using your laptop in the lap, or are just looking for a place to sit on a call or read a book, I’d avoid the restaurant seating and stick to the check-in area or lounge. But if you need more desk space, Riverside Mill is your only choice.
Tech 4/10
The outlet selection is really slim here. I had a hard time finding any outlets near seating, especially in the check-in area.
As you move towards the restaurants, and the better table options, the outlets almost completely dry up. In the back area I sat in to type this, I found one set of outlets, a two plug near one of the windows. As this restaurant area is often busy, I wouldn’t rely on finding a good seat with a nearby outlet here.
On the other hand, I was very pleased with the Network Performance. I connected to the WDW Resort Wifi from my tablet, and was able to consistently grab over 20mbps upload and download, with less than 20ms ping. The speed and range across the building was very impressive. This prevented such a low score in this category.
Food 5/10
I spent most of my day in The Riverside Mill, a cafeteria style quick service. While the standard options are available, I appreciated the inclusion of a few southern staples. Besides the standard Bacon Cheeseburger and Cheese Pizza, they also offer a Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya. Unfortunately, the famous Mickey-shaped Beignets are limited to the kitchen at French Quarter.
For lunch, I mobile-ordered a French Dip, which was honestly fresher than I was expecting. The lack of veggies or other toppings was disappointing, and the fries were nothing special. Really no surprises here, but I kind of wish there were. Something special would have been nice.
For anything outside a basic beer or wine selection, you’ll need to visit the pool bar during the day, or wait until the evening hours for the lounge to open. I was also bummed there was no specialty coffee of any kind. Just cream and sugar on request.
Entertainment 6/10
The standard lobby TV, playing Disney cartoons to distract the kids while you check-in, is located at the far end. This means you can see it, and your kids, from any number of cushioned seats. Great placement for the lighter workload.
But really I was surprised to see there’s a second screen in The Riverside Mill. It’s tucked away in the back of the quick service restaurant, giving you the desired distraction and better table space. For those that need it, this will be great.
In the evenings, the lounge comes to life with jazz piano and a very lively audience. If you need a break between meetings, nothing quite beats live music. And for more outdoorsy activities, I’m a huge fan of the bike and boat rentals available here. Not to mention the great walking paths!
Total Score: 25/50
This score surprised me in multiple ways, I’ll be honest. I was really hoping the wonderful atmosphere I enjoy around the resort would carry indoors. And I wished the flavors I love from the real New Orleans would be a bigger staple of this menu.
On the other hand, the recreation options brought this back from the deep end, and I’m still very surprised by the WIFI performance in this building. I’ve used a lot of bad networks, but this was better than my parent’s home WIFI.
Overall this slots Riverside right in the middle of my score card. For a moderate resort, this work-from-lobby experience was extremely average.
Thanks for reading! I’ve got more resorts to get through, so follow me down below to see new reviews as they drop. Or head back to the introduction piece to check out the running leaderboard!
Working from a Disney Resort Lobby | by Perryn Andrews | Oct, 2021 | Medium
