Disney Park and Resort Photo Updates

Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Celebrates Grand Re-Opening of Newly Refurbished Lobby! Ribbon-Cutting and Detailed Look

Denise ,  , 

Hi everyone!

There was a ceremony with a ribbon cutting this morning at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter celebrating the Grand Re-Opening of the newly renovated lobby!  Guests were invited to attend, and were offered beignets, cookies and lemonade after the event.

Port Orleans French Quarter is one of my favorite resorts at Walt Disney World, and it seems that our readers agree – the photo walks I’ve put up from the resort are always the most read of any. Andre from PortOrleans.org gave me a heads-up that there would be a ceremony happening this morning. The lobby work was finished pretty quickly, we had friends visit the resort in April and the renovations hadn’t started yet.

The lobby is mostly finished, though a Cast Member told me that chandeliers would be added in the upcoming weeks. She also mentioned that Cast Member costumes would be changing next year.

A ribbon was attached to two columns, and General Manager Val Bunting enthusiastically thanked all of the Cast Members who worked through the renovations. Disney Ambassador Rich Tamayo also said a few words.

Here is our video of the much of the ceremony, with a look around the lobby.

Many Cast Members were part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, and I always am delighted when guests are invited to be part of the ceremony. It was still pretty early, so there weren’t many guests around, but a handful were on hand to watch.

Beignets, cookies and lemonade were put out for everyone. Cast Members rounded up guests to enjoy the celebratory goodies!

There was a display that showed what the Port Orleans French Quarter lobby looked like before and after the renovations.

Personally, I think the “after” effect is a lot more festive! I’m really impressed with the changes made. The lobby registration desk area is a lot more open, and the seating area more vibrant.

Mardi Gras colors – greens, purples, yellows – make this area stand out. Even the chairs for children are purple and green.

I love this particular table!

There are hidden Mickeys at the base of this vase.

This looks like a Mardi Gras mask in the carpet:

The chairs even have “jewels” on them. I am not sure how long they will last, hopefully they are embedded tightly!

This is a look at the lobby, floor to ceiling.

It really looks great! And I went outside for a few photos also. If you want to see more photos of Port Orleans French Quarter, check out my photo walk from 2012. That walk includes a few lobby photos, and you can see the difference.

Thanks again to Andre at PortOrleans.org for letting me know about the ceremony! He has a great website on all things Port Orleans related.

What do you think of the new lobby?