In all fairness, I had originally planned Day 8 to be a salute to Disneyland Classics, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. But then I decided that rather than spending countless words comparing and contrasting the rides at both Disneyland and WDW's Magic Kingdom, I'd focus on something that exists only at WDW, and happens to be the resort I'll be staying at.
Port Orleans is divided into two parts, Riverside (formerly Dixie Landings) and French Quarter (formerly Port Orleans, before the two joined together and jointly kept the name). I've stayed at Port Orleans Riverside twice before, and I find it to be one of the coolest resort Disney has. The theme of the resort is the antebellum South along the Mississippi River. So as expected, the hotel rooms are divided among 4 buildings designed to look like classic plantation homes (though much bigger, as each building has about 250 hotel rooms). On the other side of the Riverside resort is a section called Alligator Bayou, with smaller buildings designed to represent rustic lodges in the bayou. The neighboring French Quarter is themed much more towards New Orleans and the real French Quarter.
Why do I stay at a Disney resort when I go to WDW? Aren't there other cheaper "regular hotels" you could stay at instead? Of course there are, though considering how I only go to WDW when I can get a too-good-to-refuse deal, the cost difference isn't usually too great. But the bigger reason is what I've found consistently every time I go to WDW. You get there, and you're completely immersed in the "world". No highways outside the hotel room, no worrying about what's happening on the outside world, it's all in one place! It's the ultimate vacation for relaxation and fun... well, to me anyway. There are also some great perks to staying on property, including "Extra Magic Hours", where each day one park will open an hour early and one will stay open 3 hours later, exclusively for those staying in Disney resorts. Plus Disney will whisk you and your luggage to and from the airport for free, so you're saving there too. No thought required, and I definitely don't want to think when I'm on vacation. Except maybe at Epcot. :)
This will be the first time I've gone to WDW in August, though I've gone in September twice before. I expect it to be hot, but what do I care? I'm on vacation, there's plenty of air conditioning when you need to beat the heat. And a little sun won't kill anyone (though a lot might). 8 days left... wooo...
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