If you’ve got a stay booked at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside coming up, here’s a heads up: that pretty boardwalk around Riverside Mill is currently torn up for refurbishment, so you’ll want to plan an alternate route to get your meals.
The boardwalk in question wraps around the outside of the Riverside Mill Food Court, passing right by the resort’s iconic water wheel. It’s one of those quiet little details that make Riverside feel like its own world, tucked into the resort’s Southern bayou theming. Right now, though, guests can’t stroll through it while crews work through a full refresh.
New Boards Going In
The biggest visible change so far is the decking itself. Most of the old wooden planks have already been swapped out for fresh lumber, and only a small stretch at one end still needs finishing touches. You can spot stacks of new boards sitting inside the work zone, with a few open gaps still waiting to be filled in.
The railings are getting some love, too. A chunk of them already have their new wooden posts in place, though a couple of sections are still bare, waiting on parts. Even the rope trim running under the railings looks freshly installed in the areas that have been completed.
Getting Around It
For now, Disney’s blocked off both ends of the boardwalk with short barriers and put up signage steering guests toward a different path through the resort.
WDWNT was among the first to catch the progress happening around Riverside Mill, and while Disney hasn’t announced an exact wrap date for this specific project (they have for the whole Riverside development), the sheer amount finished already hints this stretch of work could be winding down soon.
Once it’s done, the new boardwalk should slot nicely into Riverside’s rustic, riverside charm — arguably one of the more underrated moderate resorts on property.
Disney’s own site lays out the bigger picture for guests booking a stay: “From early May 2025 through August 2027, Guest rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside will undergo refurbishment throughout different parts of the Resort hotel. During this time, Guests may see or hear construction work in the area.”
Anyone got a Riverside trip on the books during all this? Sound off in the comments.
