Hi Karen,
Disney's Port Orleans is one of my favorite resorts at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Mansions of Magnolia Bend are my favorite place to stay at
Riverside.
You have lots of options when staying at a Walt Disney World Resort for paying for your purchases. You can leave a credit card on hold at your resort and then charge everything back to your room using your
MagicBand. This includes not only merchandise but food items not covered by the
Disney Dining Plan. It is super convenient. You can also pay with cash in the parks and restaurants.
You can absolutely send back purchases to your resort. Simply tell the cast member you would like to have the item shipped to your resort. If you are too close to your check out date, they can ship it to the Main Gate of the park, and you can pick it up there. You may even be able to ship it home.
As for spending money, you will want to budget some money for items not covered by the dining plan. You will also want to have money for souvenirs. If you have children, you can give them a budget which can be any amount you wish. Set an amount equal to what you would spend on an other vacation.
Wishing you a magical vacation!
Beth