New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park – What You Need to Know

New Orleans Square evokes the French Quarter’s energy, elegance, colorful culture, music, and architecture, where guests can celebrate the spirit of this Dixie-loving land. It features the classic Disneyland Park attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, along with distinctive boutiques and restaurants that give guests a little taste of the Big Easy in the 1800s. New Orleans Square certainly has character from swashbuckling pirates to hitchhiking ghosts to street musicians.

Each year, Jack Skellington gives the Haunted Mansion a Christmas makeover, complete with jack-o-lanterns and wreaths, a real gingerbread house, and kooky characters from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Haunted Mansion Holiday is open at Disneyland Park throughout the Halloween and holiday seasons.

New Orleans Square has two indoor attractions: Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. In Pirates of the Caribbean, guests set sail as Captain Jack Sparrow attempts to plunder the town’s treasures. Ghosts and ghouls await guests who choose to take a tour of the Haunted Mansion. The land also includes New Orleans Square Station, where guests can embark on a circle tour of Disneyland Park aboard the Disneyland Railroad.

New Orleans Square buzzes with jazz and blues of the French Quarter, with regular performances. Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band perform high-energy tunes on a New Orleans-themed raft as they float down the Rivers of America on select nights. During their set, fountains and lighting create a beautiful, ambient atmosphere. 

A new limited-time nighttime entertainment offering, “The Heartbeat of New Orleans – A Living Mural,” will enchant guests at Disneyland Park. Set to a dynamic jazz score, projections on the Rivers of America will tell a short, whimsical tale of a mischievous little frog from the bayou that leaps into the lively heartbeat of New Orleans when he is lured by the jazzy sounds he hears in the distance. “The Heartbeat of New Orleans – A Living Mural” and Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band will enhance the atmosphere on the Rivers of America on select evenings this fall, and will run nightly during the holiday season. Guests can check Disneyland.com or the Disneyland app for details and showtimes.  

New Orleans Square is home to the famous Blue Bayou Restaurant. Guests can dine on Cajun and Creole specialties, like the Blue Bayou Bouillabaisse, inside the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Cafe Orleans also offers delicious table-service options along the Rivers of America. Guests may grab quick Southern favorites like gumbo in a bread bowl at the Royal Street Veranda. Guests may even choose to plan ahead and use the mobile ordering feature on the Disneyland app to order their favorite food and beverages from the Royal Street Veranda.

Recently opened Tiana’s Palace Restaurant, a reimagined quick-service style restaurant, is the next step in bringing more of Princess Tiana’s stories to life in New Orleans Square, which began with Eudora’s Chic Boutique featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets last year and will continue with the opening of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction in 2024.

At the restaurant, friends and family are surrounded by fixtures and references to Princess Tiana’s life as they sit beneath yellow and gold awnings accented by bistro lighting, reminiscent of the film’s version of the restaurant. The new menu includes New Orleans-inspired dishes and seasonal flavors, including the 7 Greens Gumbo, gulf shrimp and grits, house-filled beignets, and various regional dishes using select ingredients sourced from Louisiana when available.

The Mint Julep Bar reopens alongside Tiana’s Palace with its famous mint juleps and ever-popular Mickey beignets. Both locations offer mobile order so guests can order their favorites using the Disneyland app. While Tiana’s Palace is not a character dining location, guests may still find Tiana walking through New Orleans Square at various times of the day. 

The landscaping in New Orleans Square evokes grace, beauty, and history. Towering trees provide shade and seem to have stood there for a century. In fact, some predate Disneyland Park itself. When Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles was being re-landscaped in the 1960s, Imagineer Bill Evans salvaged some of the park’s trees to be replanted in the developing new land.

• The Haunted Mansion celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 9, 2019.
• Guests can interact with the mysterious pirate Fortune Red (located outside the Pieces of Eight shop and adjacent to the exit of Pirates of the Caribbean) through the Play Disney Parks mobile app, without inserting a quarter. His treasure chest is packed with dozens of fortunes and a series of tall tales from his adventures on the high seas. Using the app, guests may collect one fortune and a piece of the fortune teller’s story each day they visit the park.
• The mast of a ship can be seen just over the buildings along Orleans Street rooftops, giving the area the feeling of a port town.
• Pirates of the Caribbean features more than 120 Audio-Animatronics figures.
• New Orleans Square is filled with relics brought back from New Orleans by Walt Disney and his wife, Lillian.
• The upper stories of the New Orleans Square buildings are private areas, home to the membership-only Club 33 and 21 Royal, a residence once envisioned by Walt and Lillian Disney as a luxurious oasis for hosting celebrities and dignitaries. Guests who are seeking a one-of-a-kind, unforgettable epicurean experience may book an evening at 21 Royal, complete with fine dining and exquisite service. For details, visit 21RoyalDisneyland.com.
• If you look up at the ironwork on the 21 Royal balcony, you’ll see the initials W (Walt Disney) and R (Roy Disney, Walt’s brother) in the design.

• A favorite snack in New Orleans Square is the Mickey-shaped beignets found at the Mint Julep Bar.
• The courtyard between French Market Restaurant and Haunted Mansion is a quiet, shady spot – great for relaxing and taking a break.
• Guests may plan their visit to the French Market Restaurant around a performance of the Royal Street Bachelors to enjoy great music while dining.
• Dining reservations are recommended for Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou Restaurant, as these locations are very popular.