“Disney Was Opting to Go the Cheap Way” — Fan Reacts to NEW Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Hotel

By Jessica Wedinger
Posted on Posted on February 17, 2025

Disney World is changing, which unfortunately means that there is quite a bit of construction.

While many people think about all the new and exciting projects coming to Disney World’s four theme parks, there are also tons of construction projects planned or ongoing at some of Disney World’s hotels. A majority of the time, Disney opts to keep the hotels operating during refurbishment, meaning they will work on a few buildings at a time, so refurbished rooms open in phases. The recent room refurbishments have been met with some criticism. 

While rooms at the All-Star Resorts, Ft. Wilderness Cabins, the Contemporary, and more have all been refurbished in recent years, currently, the rooms at both Port Orleans – Riverside along with Port Orleans – French Quarter have been under construction or will soon be under construction again. 

Disney has been shifting to a more modern look in their refurbished rooms and has also been adding their intellectual property (IP) throughout. For example, the Contemporary rooms now have an Incredibles overlay. Unfortunately, these room refurbishments have been met with some criticism.

Before we keep going, did you know that you can leave reviews on our site about all things Disney? From hotels, rides, restaurants, and more, we want to hear from you! Recently, we were scrolling through the reviews on our site, and one about the recent room refurbishments at Port Orleans – Riverside caught our eye.

This reviewer said that they “Recently stayed in two royal rooms at this resort. One was the typical royal room we had stayed at last year. The other was a refreshed room. Gone were the deluxe flooring, the light fixtures, and even the fancy valances over the window. In their place were cheap, plain flooring and recessed lighting in the ceiling, along with most of the charm. Moving from one room to the other was rather disappointing. I felt that Disney was again opting to go the cheap way rather than trying to preserve the guest experience.” They ended up giving their stay at Riverside five out of ten stars.

Another reviewer left a similar review as they were also disappointed in their stay and their room. They said that they “Stayed in the princess rooms, and they were small and very dark, like a dungeon, not a royal suite.” They also went on to say that they “stayed there for one night, and I was done! Never again! I was not the only one who thought when I was complaining; a family behind me overheard me and agreed.” They gave the resort one out of ten stars.

While some reviewers have not enjoyed their rooms or their stay, others have left positive reviews, like this one with nine out of ten stars that says, “The room was quiet. I really liked the theming in the royal rooms, especially the fireworks on the headboard and the mementos given to Princess Tiana by the other princesses. You also get a welcoming scroll from Princess Tiana in the royal rooms.”

Agreeing with the reviewer above and also giving their stay nine out of ten stars, this reviewer said, “The beds and space fit three adults and one ten-year-old very comfortably, who loved the decorations and receiving a special invitation from Princess Tiana at the front desk. The double sinks and bathroom curtains were very convenient for our early sleepers and those who got ready for bed later in the night.”

Although Disney is heading in a new direction with their room refurbishments, everyone is welcome to their opinion as some really like it, and some are not a fan of the modernization of the resort as a whole.

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