Disney’s Port Orleans Mardi Gras Parade Brings Out Enthusiastic Cast Members & Musical Darth Vader Cart (With Smoke Effects!)

Hi everyone!

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort held its yearly Mardi Gras parade, which consists of Cast Members and Pargo golf carts in a procession beginning at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort and looping around Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter (returning to POR). It is a lot of fun to see the enthusiasm of the Cast, and we especially enjoyed the creativity of the last float this year – a bouncing Darth Vader with smoke and sound. This is at least the 5th year we’ve been bringing the parade to Mousesteps, it is a yearly tradition for us.

Greeter Arneil was in his Mardi Gras best.

A sign posted the parade route, with this year’s theme being “Let the Board Games Roll”.

There were other activities scheduled at the Doubloon Lagoon Pool from 11a.m – 4:00 p.m., though it was a chilly day and we didn’t stick around to see what was going on after the parade.

The window of Jackson Square always looks festive.

We usually see and photograph the parade two or three times, beginning on the Sassagoula River at Port Orleans French Quarter.

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort presents their Mardi Gras parade.

Before looking at the photos, here is our video of the entire parade.

Cast Members in a golf cart tossed candy.

This cart was Mardi Gras themed.

Up next, were the Candy Land themed cart and Cast Members.

A Cast Member dresses for the theme.

This is the Candy Land cart.

A Cast Member hands out candy to Jeff.

Another Cast Member wears her Eeyore hat.

I don’t remember so much candy in previous parades, fortunately there were three of us to split it.

Next up, the Chutes and Ladders cart. Goofy, Clarabelle Cow, and Donald were character art on the cart.

Donald and Clarabelle were on the side.

The next cart was Monopoly themed. A Cast Member was handing out candy, there were also beads being given to guests.

The Cast Member here looks like he was put in jail.

The banker from Monopoly stopped by.

Collect $200!

Last up was the Darth Vader cart. This is our video of it from several different angles, it really was so much fun to see in person. If you watch the whole video, you’ll see the smoke and some sound coming from it (not just the music).

Here is the back of Darth Vader, though you can see it better in the video.

The Star Wars theme didn’t end with the cart.

And here is a photo of the smoke coming from Darth Vader. Someone on my Instagram said the Engineering department came up with it, I would love to know who it was. It really was phenomenal.

Thanks to all the Cast Members for putting together another fun parade! And here is a bonus from a few years back, Pricess Tiana and Prince Naveen singing an impromptu “Going Down the Bayou” to us!