Hi Dickie,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel. One of the many reasons my family returns time and time again to the Walt Disney World Resort is that there are always new adventures awaiting us!
I love that you’re thinking about taking a
Disney watercraft adventure – there is nothing better than that cool breeze and beautiful scenery. You’re asking me to make a tough choice here, so I’m going to lay out what I see as the pros of each, and maybe convince you to try both!
Disney’s Old Key West Resort feels like a relaxed vacation paradise. The boat launch location is gorgeous, with nautical flags and palm trees all around. If you’re going to choose this boat experience, I highly recommend a meal at Olivia’s Café before or after heading to Disney Springs. This hidden gem is the restaurant my family visits on every Disney trip because the food is just so good.
The Sassagoula River Cruise boats at Disney's Port Orleans Resorts stop at both Riverside and French Quarter, so you could choose to explore either resort before boarding the ferry. I love the lush, green theming at Riverside, and the path between Riverside and French Quarter is really lovely. I might arrive at Riverside and walk over to French Quarter to catch the ferry, giving me the opportunity to enjoy the scenery at both resorts. You could even wander over to Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory to try their legendary beignets (tip: order the beignet sundae – yum!).
Dickie, the boat rides themselves are both about 20 minutes in length and are relaxing and scenic. I would choose based on which resort you’d like to spend time exploring and go from there. Enjoy your time checking out the resorts and at Disney Springs and cheers to a new Walt Disney World adventure.
Wishing you a magical vacation,
Robyn