How to Use the Internal Bus to Get Between Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside

Imagine. You’re staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and you have plans to visit Port Orleans Riverside for dinner. You planned to leave a little early and enjoy the walk along the Sassagoula River between the resorts. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm is passing through so the walk and the boat are both a no-go. Now, you’ve got to figure out how to get there.

What most guests don’t realize is that the resorts offer an internal bus service between them. Of course, this is not something you would necessarily know because it’s not advertised. So below, I’ll explain how it works and touch on a few things that will put you ahead of the game when staying at either resort.

the walkway between the resorts with a bridge, tree, and lightpole

During our last stay at Riverside, I spent several afternoons tracking the average bus times. As someone who’s spent way more time than the average guest at the bus stops, on the buses, and questioning drivers, I have developed a spidey sense that alerts me of anything out of the ordinary.

On this particular evening, I noticed the bus sign flash from Internal to Disney Springs when it pulled up at Riverside’s South Depot. For reference, the South Depot is the lobby bus stop. So I boarded the bus and started timing the stops. We then stopped at the other three Riverside bus depots and drove to the French Quarter, which only has one stop at the lobby. After we sat at the French Quarter for a few minutes, the driver departed the resort and headed to Disney Springs.

the bus stop for Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter at Disney Springs

Upon return from Disney Springs, I tracked the route again. We stopped at Port Orleans French Quarter first and then continued to Riverside’s South Depot. At this point, I was confused and asked the driver to explain the route. He said most people never realize that the Disney Springs bus is also the resort’s internal shuttle. Here’s how it works.

Per the driver, two buses run this same route simultaneously. They always stop in this order:

Port Orleans French Quarter (First Stop *The Bus Displays Internal Shuttle)
Port Orleans Riverside Lobby (South Depot)
Port Orleans Riverside West Depot
Port Orleans Riverside North Depot
Port Orleans Riverside East Depot
Port Orleans French Quarter (Second Stop *The Bus Displays Disney Springs)
Disney Springs

So if you’re at Port Orleans French Quarter and you’re taking the bus to Port Orleans Riverside, you want to take the bus that says Internal Shuttle. Then, you can exit at the next stop, which is Riverside’s lobby.

If the bus pulls up and says Disney Springs, you can always ask the bus driver to clarify. If they are leaving the resort and heading to Disney Springs, they will tell you to wait on the next bus. Since two buses run this route, one will always be quicker than the other.

Likewise, if you’re at Riverside, you can take the Disney Springs bus and exit at the French Quarter. French Quarter will be the last stop before the bus leaves for Disney Springs.

Now that you know how to take the internal shuttle between Riverside and French Quarter or vice-versa, I have one final thing that you really might need to know. When you get to the bus stop at either of these resorts, you might look at the sign to see when the next Disney Springs bus is coming. Often, the sign will say “Disney Springs–Use Boat.”

Do not leave! The bus is coming and at this point will likely be much quicker than the time it takes to leave and find the boat dock. Every resort hotel at Walt Disney World offers bus transportation to Disney Springs.

Also, if you see others in the same situation, you might want to let them know the bus is coming. We love to take the boat to Disney Springs, but often there’s a mile-long line of guests waiting. In those cases, it’s almost always quicker to take the bus. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at the bus stop and have seen people start to leave because of the confusion the sign causes.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article provided a few insider tips for best making use of your time at Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts. For more on the resorts, you might enjoy the following:

You might also enjoy our guide: Disney Resorts Ranked by Their Transportation Options.