Part of our Disneyland Resort Pocket Guides series, everything you need for one land at a time: every ride, every shop, every restroom, and the details most guides skip.
New Orleans Square was the first entirely new land added to Disneyland after opening day, arriving on July 24, 1966, and it still feels like its own little world once you step in. Wrought-iron balconies, gas-lamp lighting, jazz drifting between the buildings, this is the land Disneyland slows down for, especially once the sun starts setting.
It’s also home to two of the most iconic attractions anywhere in the park, and neither one has a height requirement, which makes this a genuinely easy land to build a family day around regardless of how old your kids are.
Rides at New Orleans Square
Pirates of the Caribbean
Best for: everyone, no exceptions, this is a true must-do.
A slow boat ride through a Caribbean pirate town, equal parts atmospheric and genuinely funny, and the attraction the entire Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise was built from, not the other way around. Keep an ear out in the queue for the banjo music drifting from one of the bayou houses, it’s playing “Oh! Susanna” layered with Jack Sparrow’s musical theme from the films. There’s also a small anchor plaque along the queue referencing real pirate history, tied to Jean Lafitte, who fought in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
Haunted Mansion
Best for: everyone, spooky but rarely genuinely scary, a great one for kids who are curious rather than easily frightened.
999 happy haunts and a stretching room that’s become one of the most quoted moments in all of Disneyland. Outside the attraction, look for the popcorn cart styled after the Phantom of the Opera, a small detail most guests walk right past. During Halloween Time, this becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday, an entirely different overlay themed to The Nightmare Before Christmas, and wait times climb significantly during that stretch.
Disneyland Railroad (New Orleans Square Station)
Best for: a relaxing way to reset mid-day, or to actually get somewhere.
One of the original circle-the-park attractions, and genuinely useful for getting to another land without walking. Keep an eye out for the Lilly Belle, a beautifully decorated private train car named after Walt Disney’s wife that occasionally runs as part of the train. If you’re curious whether it’s running that day, just ask a cast member at the station.
A Hidden Experience Worth Seeking Out
Fortune Red
Best for: anyone who enjoys a good story, and kids old enough to sit still for a few minutes of theatrical storytelling.
Tucked away on Royal Street near Pieces of Eight and Pirates of the Caribbean is Fortune Red, a crusty, red-bearded pirate fortune teller with an uncanny knack for predicting what’s ahead. It’s easy to walk right past if you don’t know to look for him, a genuinely fun, low-key encounter that most guests never plan around because they don’t know it exists.
Where to Eat
Table Service
Blue Bayou Restaurant
The land’s true signature dining experience, and one of the most atmospheric restaurants anywhere in the resort. Table-service seating inside a dimly lit, twilight-bayou room that looks straight out onto the opening scene of Pirates of the Caribbean, ride boats genuinely drift past your table. Open since 1967, alongside the ride itself, known for Cajun-Creole classics, gumbo, and crème brûlée. Reservations go fast, book ahead if this is a priority.
Café Orleans
Cajun and Creole-inspired dishes in a classic sit-down setting, and genuinely one of our must-eat stops on every trip. This is also where you’ll find the Fantasmic! Dining Package for New Orleans Square, a 3-course prix-fixe lunch or dinner (lunch reservations start at 11:00 AM, dinner at 4:00 PM) that includes a reserved viewing voucher for Fantasmic!, pricing starts around $64 for adults and $36 for kids. Café Orleans is also where we’ve ordered a celebration cake through Disney’s cake order service, ours easily fed two adults and four teenagers for our daughter’s birthday, and it’s a genuinely lovely way to mark a special occasion mid-trip. Cakes need to be ordered in advance through Disney’s guest services cake order page.
Quick Service
Tiana’s Palace
Formerly French Market Restaurant, closed for transformation in February 2023 and reopened under its new name in September 2023, same physical spot, new theming and menu. It’s quick-service, Cajun and Creole-inspired, mobile-order friendly, and genuinely budget-conscious, most entrées run under $15. Don’t confuse this with Blue Bayou above, they’re two entirely different restaurants despite both leaning into similar New Orleans flavors.
Royal Street Veranda
Quick-service soups served in sourdough bread bowls, along with beignets, coffee, and soft drinks, patio seating right under a wrought-iron balcony. This is also where you’ll now find the famous Monte Cristo sandwich, ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese, battered and fried. Pair it with a Mint Julep from the Mint Julep Bar just down the way, it’s on our must-eat list every single trip.
Mint Julep Bar
Non-alcoholic mint juleps and Mickey-shaped beignets that regularly get named among the best snacks anywhere in the park. Worth seeking out even if you weren’t planning a stop.
Harbour Galley
Mobile-order friendly quick service, a solid option if the other spots have a longer line.
Shopping in New Orleans Square
Port Royal Curios and Curiosities and Pieces of Eight
Both lean into the land’s pirate theming with treasure-hunt-style merchandise.
Cristal d’Orleans
Etched crystal and glassware, personalized cups, pitchers, tiaras, and figurines, worth a stop even just to see the window displays sparkle in the evening light.
Mademoiselle Antoinette’s Parfumerie
A fragrance shop worth a stop just for the atmosphere.
La Mascarade d’Orleans
Rounds out the general New Orleans Square merchandise with a Mardi Gras-inspired mix of apparel and gifts.
Eudora’s Chic Boutique
Next to Tiana’s Palace and across from Cristal d’Orleans, themed to Tiana’s dressmaker mother from The Princess and the Frog, apparel and accessories with a distinctly New Orleans flair.
Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond
The newest addition to New Orleans Square shopping, a Haunted Mansion and Nightmare Before Christmas-themed shop carrying apparel, accessories, plush, headwear, home goods, and collectibles. A genuinely fun, moody browse even if you’re not buying anything.
Restrooms
Restrooms are located west of the Disneyland Railroad’s New Orleans Square Station, directly across from the Mint Julep Bar.
Live Entertainment (Instead of Roaming Characters)
New Orleans Square isn’t really a land built around character meet-and-greets, its personality comes from live music instead. Keep an ear out for jazz groups like the Royal Street Bachelors, The Bootstrappers, and Jambalaya Jazz performing informally throughout the day. This land is also one of the best vantage points in the park for Fantasmic!, the nighttime show on the Rivers of America, worth factoring into your evening plans if you haven’t already staked out a spot elsewhere.
The Parts of New Orleans Square You’ll Never Actually Get Into
This land has some of the most exclusive experiences in the entire Disneyland Resort, and honestly, most of them are worth knowing about purely as trivia, not something to plan around.
Club 33, the most exclusive restaurant at the resort, sits above French Market and Café Orleans, with its entrance marked only by a small “33” sign near the Pirates of the Caribbean entrance. Membership runs somewhere around $35,000 to join, plus roughly $15,000 a year in dues, and there’s a genuine waitlist.
21 Royal, connected to what was originally built as the Dream Suite (a three-room apartment for Walt Disney and his family above Pirates of the Caribbean), is a private dining experience for a single party of up to 12 guests per night, multi-course tasting menu, dedicated butler service, and a private balcony with Fantasmic views when the show is running. It runs around $15,000 for the evening, regardless of party size.
One correction worth making, since a lot of guides still get this wrong: the Court of Angels, once a genuinely public, quiet little courtyard tucked behind an archway, closed to guests back in 2013 when it became the private entrance to the expanded Club 33. If you’ve read about it as a hidden spot you can still wander into, that’s outdated information, it’s not accessible anymore.
Photo Spots: PhotoPass and DIY
Disney PhotoPass photographers are typically stationed near the entrances to Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, check the Disneyland app’s PhotoPass map for exact current placement.
For DIY shots, this land is genuinely one of the most photogenic at any time of day, but especially once the gas lamps and string lights come on at dusk. The wrought-iron balcony streetscape along the main walkway is the classic shot, and it looks completely different, and better, once the sun’s down. For something a little more detail-oriented, the small anchor plaque near the Pirates of the Caribbean queue, referencing pirate Jean Lafitte, makes for a nice “found a piece of real history” photo if you know to look for it.
A Quick FAQ
Do any of the rides in New Orleans Square have height requirements? No, none of the three, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, or the Disneyland Railroad, have a height restriction, which makes this a genuinely easy land to enjoy as a full family regardless of age.
What’s the difference between Blue Bayou and Café Orleans? Blue Bayou is the more atmospheric option, dim lighting, table-service seating that looks straight onto the start of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, boats drift right past. Café Orleans is more of a classic sit-down Cajun/Creole spot, and it’s also where you’ll find the Fantasmic! Dining Package for this land.
Is Tiana’s Palace the same restaurant as Blue Bayou? No, these are two completely different restaurants, easy to mix up given they’re both New Orleans Square and both lean into Cajun/Creole flavors. Tiana’s Palace is quick-service, it’s the site of the former French Market Restaurant, closed for transformation in 2023 and reopened under its new name and theming that September. Blue Bayou is the separate, historic table-service restaurant that overlooks Pirates of the Caribbean.
Where can we get the famous Monte Cristo sandwich? Royal Street Veranda serves a quick-service version, ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese, battered and fried. Blue Bayou also has its own take as part of its table-service menu. Pair the Royal Street Veranda version with a Mint Julep from the Mint Julep Bar close by.
What is Fortune Red? A pirate fortune teller tucked away on Royal Street, near Pieces of Eight and Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s a small, easy-to-miss encounter, not a formal attraction, worth a stop if you enjoy a bit of theatrical storytelling.
Can we order a birthday cake to enjoy at Café Orleans? Yes, Disney offers a cake order service for celebrations, and Café Orleans is a genuinely lovely spot to enjoy one. Cakes need to be ordered in advance through Disney’s guest services cake page, not something you can walk up and request same-day.
Can we visit Club 33 or 21 Royal without a reservation or membership? No. Club 33 requires membership (with a genuine waitlist and a significant initiation fee), and 21 Royal is booked as a single private party per night. Neither is accessible to walk-up guests.
Is the Court of Angels still open to visit? No, it closed to the public in 2013 and is now the private entrance to Club 33. If you’ve seen it recommended elsewhere as a quiet hidden spot, that information is outdated.
Is Haunted Mansion actually scary for young kids? It’s spooky in tone but rarely graphic, most kids handle it fine, though very young or easily-spooked kids might find the stretching room or the ride’s darker moments unsettling. During Halloween Time’s Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, the theming shifts toward Nightmare Before Christmas, which reads as more playful than frightening for most families.
Is New Orleans Square a good spot to watch Fantasmic? Yes, it’s one of the better viewing areas for the show, worth factoring into your evening plans if you’re planning to catch it.
Explore More
New Orleans Square connects directly to Bayou Country, Adventureland, and Frontierland, but it doesn’t touch the central hub directly, so those three neighbors are genuinely your only walking routes in or out. New Orleans Square is also a stop on the Disneyland Railroad loop, a good alternative if you’d rather ride to Main Street, Mickey’s Toontown, or Tomorrowland than walk back through Adventureland or Frontierland. Read our full Adventureland guide here, our full Frontierland guide here, and our full Bayou Country guide here.
This post is part of our full Disneyland Resort Pocket Guides series (hub page link TBD).
Want the whole trip planned out, not just this one land? The Magic Made Easy Guide covers everything from rope drop to dining reservations in one place. And if you’d rather talk it through, we offer 1:1 Coaching, 60 minutes, just the two of us, mapping out your trip together.