Each resort at Walt Disney World has promoting factors you could’t discover from their actual world counterparts–from location to environment to themed design to ‘distinctly Disney’ decor. This publish takes a take a look at what we consider to be the visitor rooms which can be distinctive and most magical lodging.
One factor to notice right here is that we’re lumping collectively best-themed and best-decorated rooms, which is one thing most followers appear to do anyway. Themed design is transportive. It makes an attempt to make you droop disbelief, taking you to a different time and place, whether or not that be turn-of-the-century Nationwide Park lodges within the Pacific Northwest or a bygone period of Atlantic Metropolis boardwalks.
Adorned design is precisely what the identify suggests. The All Star Resorts, for instance, have motifs–sports activities, music, films–and are common boxy motel buildings embellished with bigger than life cartoon icons from fan-favorite Disney films that match these visible motifs. They’re Disney via and thru, even when their fashion could be deemed garish by some. Not us, to be clear–we love Disney cheesiness and utterly get why it appeals to households with babies.
Whereas embellished and themed resorts could appear at odds with each other primarily based on the above descriptions, they really have extra in widespread than they do variations. At their finest, each the best-themed and best-decorated resorts and enjoyable and kooky, evoking an “solely at Walt Disney World” response. Every method appeals to completely different followers, however they each are compelling in their very own methods.
That is in distinction to numerous newer designs. Walt Disney World followers are fast to criticize new idea artwork and reimaginings, typically complaining about initiatives being bland, generic, sterile, or an excessive amount of like ‘actual world’ designs. Comb via the feedback of just about any of our articles about resort room reimaginings. You gained’t discover a single one the place the fan response is unanimously optimistic. In lots of instances, even the consensus is unfavorable. You’ll discover unfavorable comparisons to hospitals and cafeterias, and followers bemoaning a lack of attraction.
With that in thoughts, enable us to introduce (or reintroduce?) you to what we consider are a minimum of a number of the best-themed rooms at Walt Disney World…
We’re speaking in regards to the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside. These are the one princess-themed visitor rooms at Walt Disney World, that includes characters from animated movies together with Aladdin, Magnificence and the Beast, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, and The Princess and the Frog. We not too long ago had the possibility to revisit Riverside for the primary time shortly with our daughter, and fell in love with the resort another time.
It was a little bit of a full circle second for us, as we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside on a number of of our early journeys collectively as soon as we may afford to start out splurging on Average Resorts, together with once I proposed to Sarah (spoiler: she stated sure). So it was enjoyable to be again at a spot that held so many particular recollections. And we do suppose Riverside is a superb resort, particularly from a thematic perspective, the place it feels virtually like a Deluxe due to its lovely grounds and environment.
For years, Port Orleans Riverside was our favourite Average Resort for this very cause. That hasn’t been true for ~5 years, and if I’m being sincere with myself, I like the thought of Port Orleans Riverside greater than the precise resort. We nonetheless love to go to and spend time at this thematic exemplar, however when push involves shove and we’re truly doing a keep for sensible functions, Riverside is considerably low on our Checklist Rating The entire Finest & Worst Resorts at Walt Disney World.
Level being, Port Orleans Riverside has nice design and a spotlight to element within the widespread areas (that are immersively-themed within the conventional sense of the phrase) and within the visitor rooms, with each the common rooms and Royal Rooms being choices. This publish goes to focus solely on the later; should you’re within the facilities and ideas on the resort as an entire, learn our Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside Evaluate. That covers swimming pools, transportation, facilities, common rooms, eating, and way more.
Turning to the Royal Rooms themselves, one factor that makes them particular is the ‘period’ wherein they have been accomplished. The Royal Rooms debuted again in 2012, at a time when Walt Disney World was attempting its hand at extra character-centric rooms. Artwork of Animation debuted that very same 12 months, the Pirate Rooms had already debuted, and a wide range of different take a look at rooms have been rumored (together with Haunted Mansion ones–actually unhappy these by no means got here to fruition). It was a golden age for WDW room designs, coming after a glance that felt impressed by your grandma’s home and earlier than an overcorrection that resulted in bland and boring seems.
For essentially the most half, the Royal Rooms are unchanged since they debuted over a decade in the past. Port Orleans Riverside had been within the midst of a resort-wide tender items refurbishment in 2019 and 2020, with the Royal Rooms subsequent as much as go beneath the knife in March 2020. The closure got here, and that principally didn’t occur. A number of the Royal Rooms did find yourself changing the carpet with new laminate flooring and different gentle refreshes, however that’s it. Most of them are materially unchanged since 2012–save for the mattress runners, which have been lengthy gone even pre-closure.
Their age may need you anxious, however we discovered the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside to be in shockingly fine condition. These rooms have been clearly constructed to final with sturdy supplies, as I’ve seen rooms which can be lower than a 12 months previous in worse situation. On condition that they’re over a decade previous and nonetheless look this good, I’m additionally going to guess that they’ve seen some upkeep and refreshes over time. The minimal quantity of damage and tear is simply exceptional, regardless.
Port Orleans Riverside is among the most spread-out resorts at Walt Disney World, however the Royal Rooms have an awesome location. These are the equal of Most well-liked Rooms by way of distance from the foyer and meals courtroom. The entire Royal Rooms are positioned in Magnolia Bend, and even essentially the most distant rooms needs to be a couple of 10-minute stroll from the eating places and every part else. Even the Ol’ Man Island characteristic pool space isn’t that a lot farther, and there’s a quiet pool between the Royal Room buildings.
The Royal Rooms are sub-divided into Woods/River View rooms and Customary View rooms, with the previous having premium pricing most nights. The view is immaterial. Moderates have exterior hallways and no balconies, so it’s not as should you can take pleasure in that view, anyway.
What may matter is location, because the rooms with a view are additionally going to be barely nearer to the bridge resulting in the foyer. Usually, the space goes to be negligible, however it may matter to you. I wouldn’t pay something for the slight location distinction. Usually, we additionally wouldn’t pay a premium for a most popular location (and as a substitute would make a strategic room request)–however Riverside is one exception to that. It’s simply so sprawling.
You will get an awesome location at Riverside with out splurging on a Royal Room, so the most important promoting level is clearly going to be the decor. Fortunately, it’s beautiful and actually well-done. Quite than merely have a bunch of pink and sparkly stuff together with princess footage plastered on the partitions, the Royal Rooms actually really feel regal. They’re shockingly stately and virtually elegant. Properly, a minimum of to the extent a small-ish Average Resort room with exterior hallways can really feel that manner.
Critically, although. There’s a staggering quantity of consideration to element in these rooms. They’re far and away essentially the most elaborately-done Average Resort rooms, and nothing has been dumbed down or eliminated over time for the sake of simpler upkeep, cleansing, and so forth. They’re each bit as immersive right now as again in 2012. (Properly, except you get one with the fake wooden ground, which implies no magic carpet carpet.)
For rooms that spotlight princesses, Imagineering did a extremely nice job at making the Royal Rooms ‘impartial’ for the princess-averse folks in your social gathering. Extra importantly, effort was made to the ending and element of the rooms. Numerous woods, wealthy texture, and ending make the rooms have an sudden depth. Therefore the identify Royal Rooms as a substitute of Princess Rooms.
Our daughter is simply too younger for princesses and stereotypically girly stuff. Her high curiosity is stuffed animals, which she enjoys for the colours, textures and ‘style’ of the lengthy tags. I do suppose she has an innate attraction to precise princesses, however that’s not the identical as footage on the wall or regal decor.
One factor I do know she cherished is the light-up headboards within the Royal Rooms at Riverside. These have been an enormous hit. She grew to become completely enraptured when the fiber optic fireworks began lighting up, bouncing herself on the mattress, laughing, and getting all wound up. These fireworks rank proper up there with faux fart sounds by way of the extent of amusement provided. I solely want there have been an “at all times on” mode so I didn’t must press that button each ~30 seconds.
We’d assume that these headboards would likewise attraction to any child, and that there’s sufficient right here for any woman or boy to take pleasure in. In case your teenager is obsessive about automobiles, there could be a extra apparent choose, however when you’ve got one princess lover and one child who’s detached to all of that, the Royal Rooms ought to nonetheless be fantastic. They tread that line properly. Other than the princess portraits, the Royal Rooms aren’t so excessive that they’ll be eyeroll-inducing to anybody over age 8.
On the time they have been designed, The Princess and the Frog was one of the crucial latest films by Walt Disney Animation Studios and it match the theme of Port Orleans Resort fairly effectively, so Princess Tiana is highlighted all through the room. To the very best of my recollection, this was the primary time she made a everlasting (non-meet & greet) look at Walt Disney World. Clearly, that has modified since.
That’s removed from the one movie with a presence within the Royal Rooms. After that, I’d say that Aladdin is essentially the most outstanding, due to the magic carpet on the ground (when you’ve got carpet), faucet, and character portraits of Jasmine and Aladdin. Princess-wise, you’ve additionally acquired Rapunzel, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, and Ariel.
The princes are additionally repped. Apparently, Beast’s character is known as “Prince Adam” within the room, which is a supply of controversy amongst Disney followers. (No, I’m not kidding.)
By way of facilities to count on from the rooms, you’ve acquired the usual Average Resort facilities, akin to mini-fridge and low maker. One draw back is that the rooms sleep 4, versus the 5 of Alligator Bayou rooms due to the pull-down mattress in these rooms.
One other draw back ensuing from the dearth of refurbishment is that the rooms are caught in 2012 from a technological perspective. As a result of there’s a customized body across the tv, this implies an older and smaller flatscreen with clunkier interface and options. It additionally means no USB ports (though if our latest stays at different resorts are any indication, it’s about 50/50 as as to if these will work–they usually’re actually sluggish, regardless).
The larger deal is arguably the little high quality of life options which can be lacking, akin to elevated beds for suitcase storage, bedside cellphone stands, and different space-saving design components. On the plus aspect, they did add the ‘Hey, Disney’ items. Small victory, I assume? I additionally admire the desk and chairs, which has disappeared from some latest room redesigns.
All Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside characteristic two queen-size beds. There are not any king mattress rooms on this part, neither is there any house for further roll-away sleepers. On the plus aspect, the mattresses have undoubtedly been upgraded in some unspecified time in the future since 2012. I’m an enormous fan of the Beautyrest Plush High bedding, and the pillows are additionally precisely to my tastes.
We had a crib for our most up-to-date keep within the Royal Rooms with Megatron, and it was very, ahem, cozy. As a lot as we love the themed design and seeing her mesmerized by the headboard, this truly made the Royal Rooms a non-starter for us on future stays. If we’re going to do the smaller Average rooms, we have to do a king mattress to release extra ground house.
Right here’s a video of the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside Resort to indicate how they appear in 2024:
In the long run, the one cause why there’s a query mark within the title is as a result of I’m not fairly positive the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside surpass the Automobiles, Lion King, and Discovering Nemo Household Suites at Artwork of Animation. In relation to this fashion of embellished kid-centric visitor rooms, these are the one actual competitors. Specifically, the Automobiles Household Suites do an awesome job with each bringing to life the animated movie world and being themed (there’s automotive and mid-century trendy design on show).
On the themed entrance, I’m a fan of the lodges. The redone rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge are superior, and though the resort aspect of Wilderness Lodge is a little more combined, the Boulder Ridge aspect are my absolute favourite rooms at Walt Disney World. I additionally actually just like the reimagined rooms on the Grand Floridian, that are a night-and-day enchancment over what was there earlier than. Typically talking, most redesigned rooms at Walt Disney World are trending in the fitting path. Hopefully that bodes effectively for the way forward for the Royal Rooms, however I’m extra skeptical right here.
To that time, I’ll admit that there’s a little bit of selfishness in sharing this to unfold “consciousness” in regards to the Royal Rooms and doubtlessly improve curiosity in them. I’m actually a fan of highly-themed rooms and, if the present exhausting items refurbishment at Port Orleans French is any indication, the Royal Rooms will probably be up for a top-to-bottom overhaul by 2026 or 2027. A method or one other, this model of the Royal Room will probably be gone.
What stays to be seen is whether or not Imagineering revisits the idea with a modernized take or goes in a unique path utterly. Our hope is for the previous, so our daughter can take pleasure in them once more if/when she enters her princess section. I’ll take {that a} step additional and hope that Imagineering doubles-down on such a room, including themed classes like this to resorts all throughout Walt Disney World. This kind of idea has been an enormous hit on the worldwide resorts and it looks as if Walt Disney World friends would go loopy for one thing comparable!
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Your Ideas
Do you just like the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside? Is that this diploma of themed or ornamental design to your tastes, or do you favor extra delicate types? Would you take into account staying within the Royal Rooms for the sake of your youngsters? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation of the Royal Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
