Is Downtown Disney worth checking out?

[mama4]

We enjoy dining at DTD more than in the parks. In our three most recent trips we have eaten at Rainforest Cafe, Fultons, Portobella Yacht Club, Bongo's, Earl of Sandwich, and of course Ghirardelli (I love the malts) I can't say that I've ever had a bad meal at DTD. We have also been to DisneyQuest (great for older kids and teens- not so much for preschoolers), we shop there for all of our souvies and dh and I even saw a movie there while on our no kids anniversary disney trip. We LOVE the parks but sometimes it's nice to be in smaller crowds and it's just more relaxing to dine there IMO. Sometimes we even drive the two hrs from our home to visit DTD- it's that much fun to us. One day (our last day of a week long trip) ds 4 and ds 2 along w/ their 4 cousins got to dance to some great tunes played by a great DJ out in front of WOD. They had more fun that day that they had all week! It was a neat way to end our trip Oh, we've also been to Pleasure Island and while I enjoyed the Adventurers Club and the Comedy club-it's not a must do for us. Didn't feel Disney to me and we're not big club people which is mostly what Pleasure Island is. On my next visit to DTD I want to try Wolfgang Puck Express and I still want to see Cirque Du Soleil.

 

[amy4bruce]

We hit DTD on our last trip. Here are our recommendations:

It's a good place if you like shopping, and you're staying on property to get packages shipped back to your hotel. Of course, if you have a 4 year old, they'll either want everything, or be bored.

There are many restaurants there, but if you're on the Dining Plan, you should know that many aren't. With a 4 year old, stay out of Raglan Road. Despite a children's menu, it's about as unfriendly a place for children as Pleasure Island.

Only go to DisneyQuest if you have the waterpark plus tickets. There is not enough for a 4 year old to do to justify paying the extra cost of admission. There are animation lessons, and a few games for him or her, but that's it.

As far as the movie theatre goes, it plays the same films that are playing at your local megaplex. If you want to pay all that money to go to Disney just to see a current release, be my guest.

We're not big fans of Downtown Disney, and our daughter is almost 7.

 

[Goofy4Disney!]

We go to Downtown Disney on our first night, it's sort of a tradition. We go to DisneyQuest and walk around, and usually eat at Planet Hollywood. It's a great way to browse the shops etc. and a good way of unwinding from the travel and to get ready for a week of fun and chaos!! I wanted to skip this part of the trip the last time we went, and just head straight to the parks, but my kids still wanted to go. So off we went. But the other poster is right, if you don't have much time, I'd skip DTD all together.

We usually hit it on our last day real quick too, to buy any last minute things we forgot, it's great for shopping.

 

[whogirl'smom]

Definitely go to DTD! The Christmas shop is awesome! Since you have a 4 year old, I would take a stroller--we took one for DD5 and glad we did. It was worth the trip to DTD to get a silhouette done of DD (black paper on white background kind). The lady is beside Pin Traders before you get to the Christmas shop and you get 3 silhouettes for only 12.95. It's a really nice and different souvenir and grandma and grandpa loved it when we got home.

The only other advice I would have is that if you want to eat there, do it by late afternoon. We shopped and didn't watch the clock; by 7:00 pm all the restaurants had 2 HOUR waits! Even on Thursday!

 

[MeLaNie9]

I would say "no" to DTD. When my DH and I went a few years ago (before we were married) we did the night time partying in DTD 2 nights and honestly, we felt like we were forcing ourselves to go. We did enjoy the comedy club one night, but the rest of the stuff we did was only so-so. And, at that time we were WDW commandos - rushing around each day, getting up early to see and do everything in the park so these nights in DTD made us extra-exhausted. This past year we went to WDW with our DS2 and went to DTD via bus from the Poly. The bus trip was horrible - we waited a really long time for the bus to come, there were no seats, we had to carry DS and stroller and bag and I was in my second trimester. The trip seemed really long! DTD was absolutely packed and so were all the shops. We were going to eat at WPE but decided against it when we studied the menu and went to EoS - we were not impressed with the food there. We were quickly discouraged and quite cranky and returned to the bus stop pretty quickly!

 

[tink1978]

There is a great toy store, candy store, and Lego store that kids love! There are several shops there too that are fun. It's good for a lite evening.

 

[honeybee30]

If you've got some $$$ to burn then yes. Also try Earl of Sandwich. Great food and really inexpensive.

Another hint - if you're going to shop, go first thing in the morning. WoD and all the shops are blissfully empty.

 

[SteveN73]

I agree with many of the others. DownTown disney is really a nice and fun and tame place. You will find many places to eat, can see a movie, or just stroll. Very pretty at night and it is on a lakefront which offers pretty views of Sarasota Springs. Recommended.

 

[flortlebap]

I would say "no" to DTD. When my DH and I went a few years ago (before we were married) we did the night time partying in DTD 2 nights and honestly, we felt like we were forcing ourselves to go. We did enjoy the comedy club one night, but the rest of the stuff we did was only so-so. And, at that time we were WDW commandos - rushing around each day, getting up early to see and do everything in the park so these nights in DTD made us extra-exhausted.

Hiya

Are you getting DTD confused with PI? Because I'd definitely agree with the above statement if you have kids as far as PI goes, but not with DTD!

We all loved DTD the last two trips, we never went before that. The shops are great - World of Disney, the Christmas Shop, the Virgin Megastore and Magnatron all worth a long look! The lego stuff is fun for the kids, we also sat on the deck by the Margerita Bar with a cocktail watching the boats whilst my daughter played (she can't get out or anywhere near the water in case I sound like a neglectful parent ) the Rainforest Cafe is wonderful, we went three times on our last trip (14 nights) because the kids loved it and the food was great. There are nice little stalls dotted about (we bought a hand made wooden door plaque for our daughter's bedroom), and many people rave about Ghirardelli's (the ice cream parlour).

We love it

 

[SplshMtnLvr28]

I LOVE Downtown Disney. Whenever we've gone, we always only went to Marketplace. But on our last trip when I was at Downtown Disney by myself for a few hours, (yeah, my mom left the fourteen year old with the credit card in Downtown Disney) I meandered over to the West Side. They have tons of great shops like Sunglass Icon and Virgin Megastore. It's definately worth going.

 

[Minniespal]

We love visiting DTD in the evening ~ Lots of lovely shops and then a sundae from Ghiradelli's.

 

[pigletforever]

WE have been there twice this visit. The first time hit the Christmas store, Once Upon a Toy, the princess store, Goffy Candy Co, and the Lego Store. Since it was so humid out we came back to cool off. DH and I went again last night to have Dinner at Fulton's. (I highly reccomend this place - expensive but great dining expreience) a Ghiradelli, back to Once upon a Toy (needed more Mr.Potato head parts) then went to the other side and went to Virgin Mega Store and the Candy Cauldron.

The Market place is very family oriented. There were kids and strollers everywhere. I highly reccomend this as a stop for you

 

[SnwflkCts]

It was fun to visit. The LEGO stuff was nice. Fulton's was neat to see and $$$ to eat! ARG!! I went into a few shops but I am not a big shopper. DH and I are not into clubs so didn't go there.

I guess I am trying to say (as I look back), if you have the time ... if you like to shop ... it is worth a peek.

 

[rayelias]

DH and I are definitely more homebodies than partiers, so the dance clubs wouldn't interest us. We'll have a four-year-old along and honestly I don't want to shell out the cash for a babysitter anyway. Is Downtown Disney something we could skip?

For years I avoided Downtown Disney because I detest the whole "club scene", and I thought it was just one big drunk dancefest that was un-Disney.

Then someone dragged me down there (against my will).

Downtown Disney is definately worth the trip. Lots of excellent shops and some REALLY great restaurants.

Pleasure Island, while mainly dance clubs, has one of my favorite places - The Adventurers Club. This is so much fun - we go every trip! To be honest, I still have not been inside any of the dance clubs, so I can't speak for them. And, during crowded times, the streets of Pleasure Island can be filled with drunk partygoers, but there is tons of security who do a great job.

Since they "opened up" Pleasure Island, and with the expansion, I'd imagine that it will become more a part of Downtown Disney, and less "segregated". You can (and have been for a short while) go in Pleasure Island without admission (just not the clubs), and visit the shops over there. I would think there will be even more shops with the expansion. No more stage for concerts, though. And I'm not sure, but I think they discontinued the nightly "New Years Eve" party, too.

 

[deekaypee]

Okay, the distinction between "Marketplace" DTD and PI has been made--and I have to admit I love PI's Comedy Club and Adventurer's Club.

As for the DTD open market, it's okay. We'll definitely go on on arrival day if we arrive late or on our last evening, as we wind down from our trip. (I'm sort of weird in that on the last evening of my trip, I CAN'T close the parks on the last day--it makes me too sad.) Or if we're staying at POR/POFQ, we'll take the boat over there during a slow day or for lunch/dinner.

But I wouldn't make a special point of going to DTD if it meant trading in a day/afternoon at the parks (exceptions above). We only include it on our itinerary if we're already plannng some time away from the parks--a slow day, a lazy afternoon, etc. We'd never prioritize DTD, as it's mostly about shopping and dining. Cool experiences in those areas, but not what DH and I are into.

 

[BluOrchid2]

Sorry it's so BIG, but I thought a detailed map was needed here, to clearly distinguish the THREE DIFFERENT PARTS of Downtown Disney.

I think the GREEN part of the map is the place that most of us who are recommending visiting DTD are referring to. The BLUE and PINK parts are the areas more widely known for nightlife - dancing and partying, although you can see there are also some nice just plain restaurants on the West end, too.

Hope this helps!

 

[LoriMistress]

I would go to DTD for at least a part of the day. I would hit DTD when you first arrive at WDW. Just check into your hotel and head towards DTD. You'll probably will feel drained from the flight/drive. Just eat at a nice restraunt, maybe see a show, and look around at shops. DH and I enjoyed DTD a lot.

 

[Desnik]

We cannot be at WDW without going to DtD!! We have young kids and we stick to the market place section. However, we have gone to the movie theater many times. It is really nice and the same price we pay to see a movie here in NY. We go to WDW on the off season when the parks close early, so a night time trip to DtD is fun for us when we aren't ready to go back to our room. For the kids there is a small train ride and carousel. You will love the WOD store and the boutique section for your little girl. The toy store is really cool, as well as all the other shops. Eating at the Rainforest Cafe is really cool too. I would say it is worth a visit, but would agree with the other posters only if you have the time to do so. It's great to go to on your arrival day. You can also rent a boat at the marina there. We have done that and had a great time. But you would have to do that during the day time. They close at around 5-6pm.

Thanks to that map posted I think you get the idea that DtD isn't just clubs and bars! I'm actually surprised at the amount of people who think that's all there is to DtD. Lot's of people I've talked to think that!

 

[Slightly Goofy]

If I were a short timer at DW I would probably skip DTD but since we go for extended periods of time we usually give it a try or two, just for something to do early in the morning or late at night. It is sort of like walking around Boardwalk in that there are different things to see and it is a nice change of pace from the parks.

I would probably not go to the movies there if I were there for just a few days but on our recent 3 week stay we did go. POC2 AT Disney World???? Sublime!!!!

I also am required, as the grandmother of six, to stop by and pick up something special at the Lego Store.

Slightly Goofy

 

[Alicnwondrln]

well i love dtd the stores are great and we also love earl of sandwhich