Located near the main lobby, the River Roost is not generally much to look at, but has probably the longest, most elaborately created backstory of any Walt Disney World lounge. In fact, the entire Port Orleans Riverside Resort has a fascinating story behind why it looks the way it does. The entire story can be found over at PortOrleans.org, but the gist of it is that it was a rural outpost up-river from the more metropolitan French Quarter Resort which developed things such as a cotton mill and a shipbuilding industry, many hints of which can be found around the resort.

River Roost started, so the story goes, when the proprietors of the general store decided to make some extra money selling drinks to patrons. While the lounge is not heavily themed, many examples of shipbuilding are present, as well as hints that Riverside is a major trading hub. The stage area contains a commodity board, a departure schedule for the “Sassagoula Steamship Line,” and some ship-related architectural drawings.