Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
We were a bit concerned about the parking situation at Downtown Disney, knowing that several of the lots had been closed in preparation of the construction of their new parking garage. We had read a few posts on the Dis in the weeks prior to our trip that reported quite a bit of congestion in that area, so we wondered if perhaps we might end up giving up and trying again another day.
Imagine our surprise, then, when we found absolutely an absolutely prime space not far from the entrance and parked without difficulty . I am not sure if the availability of parking was the fact that the weather had been unsettled for a good part of the afternoon, or if was earlier enough in the evening that the masses from the parks hadnt yet arrived, or a combination of both .but either way, it was a nice surprise. On a side note, in case I forget to mention it earlier, when we left a couple of hours later, the lots were VERY full so I definitely think our timing was right.
Now, we really dont do much when we visit Downtown Disney. We visit the shops. We people-watch. We snack (on the days that we have room ..not on this night, when we arrived immediately following a big dinner). We soak up the atmosphere. This generally results in our relatives looking at our post-trip photos and saying .When you dont even do anything, then why do you even bother going? . And I say to them .because its Downtown Disney! (like that should explain so much) And for some reason, its just fun to walk around and soak it all in. Its oddly entertaining while still being relaxing. And relaxing was what this trip was all about.
Our previous visits to DTD all focused on the Marketplace. So its not surprising that thats where we started again this time. We spent some time enjoying the live performers that were entertaining the crowd:
Surprisingly enough, Jake didnt find anything to purchase at his beloved Team Mickeys. Their selection of basketball merchandise was rather thin. A little disappointing, but alas .whats a jock to do?
The little train was in operation for the youngest guests, as well as the carousel. Someday Im going to take a trip with someone who has little ones so I can ride them both. One of the downfalls of travelling with a teenager!
We strolled around the area, taking in Once Upon A Toy, and of course World of Disney.
While we didnt go inside the Lego store, we did enjoy the outdoor sculptures.
This picture of the boys made me laugh right out loud it totally looked like the sea serpent is a photobomber. I loved it!!!
We couldnt miss the chance to stop at Ghirardellis. They were distributing samples of caramel filled chocolate squares that were absolutely to die for . We thought about ordering some of their sundaes (and spent some time oohing and aaahing over the dessert menu) but sadly, we were still just too full to enjoy them. Next time. I promise.
After meandering around the Marketplace, we continued our stroll over the bridge to somewhere we had never (for reasons unknown) explored before this trip ..Downtown Disneys west side. I guess, perhaps, we have just never had such an open schedule before, which made extending our DTD boundaries a little further.
We were disappointed to see that the Characters In Flight balloon had been grounded due to the wacky afternoon weather. I had almost convinced myself to take a journey up, up, up so I could enjoy the view (the Vistana was so close to DTD that the balloon was spotted regularly soaring just over the rear of our buildings in the Spas section .very neat).
The boys toured the Harley store and couldnt resist posing for a tough photo on one of their bikes. I hope neither one of them got any long-term ideas!!!!
We sniffed out the candy store .cause as I have mentioned before, we have some serious sweet tooths in our family.
In the midst of it all, we grabbed some beverages (gotta stay hydrated), walked, took photos, and just explored and meandered and walked off our Buffalo Wild Wing bloat. It felt good, despite the heat.
Jake treated us to ice cream on our way back to the resort (hes a good kid .and who am I to pass up an offer of ice cream? After a couple of hours of walking, my tummy could actually handle it) and we spent the remainder of the evening enjoying another wonderful swim at the Super Pool. This might have even been one of the nights they offered the karaoke party (some of the details have become muddled together with time) .where we sang and swam and grooved to some good music and bad singers. The DJ was a ton of fun on each occasion and made for a fabulous way to end the day.
Tomorrow, the weather was forecasted to be mighty fine (no rain AT ALL .not even an afternoon thunderstorm), which was awesome ..cause we were headed to Typhoon Lagoon .
Imagine our surprise, then, when we found absolutely an absolutely prime space not far from the entrance and parked without difficulty . I am not sure if the availability of parking was the fact that the weather had been unsettled for a good part of the afternoon, or if was earlier enough in the evening that the masses from the parks hadnt yet arrived, or a combination of both .but either way, it was a nice surprise. On a side note, in case I forget to mention it earlier, when we left a couple of hours later, the lots were VERY full so I definitely think our timing was right.
Now, we really dont do much when we visit Downtown Disney. We visit the shops. We people-watch. We snack (on the days that we have room ..not on this night, when we arrived immediately following a big dinner). We soak up the atmosphere. This generally results in our relatives looking at our post-trip photos and saying .When you dont even do anything, then why do you even bother going? . And I say to them .because its Downtown Disney! (like that should explain so much) And for some reason, its just fun to walk around and soak it all in. Its oddly entertaining while still being relaxing. And relaxing was what this trip was all about.
Our previous visits to DTD all focused on the Marketplace. So its not surprising that thats where we started again this time. We spent some time enjoying the live performers that were entertaining the crowd:
Surprisingly enough, Jake didnt find anything to purchase at his beloved Team Mickeys. Their selection of basketball merchandise was rather thin. A little disappointing, but alas .whats a jock to do?
The little train was in operation for the youngest guests, as well as the carousel. Someday Im going to take a trip with someone who has little ones so I can ride them both. One of the downfalls of travelling with a teenager!
We strolled around the area, taking in Once Upon A Toy, and of course World of Disney.
While we didnt go inside the Lego store, we did enjoy the outdoor sculptures.
This picture of the boys made me laugh right out loud it totally looked like the sea serpent is a photobomber. I loved it!!!
We couldnt miss the chance to stop at Ghirardellis. They were distributing samples of caramel filled chocolate squares that were absolutely to die for . We thought about ordering some of their sundaes (and spent some time oohing and aaahing over the dessert menu) but sadly, we were still just too full to enjoy them. Next time. I promise.
After meandering around the Marketplace, we continued our stroll over the bridge to somewhere we had never (for reasons unknown) explored before this trip ..Downtown Disneys west side. I guess, perhaps, we have just never had such an open schedule before, which made extending our DTD boundaries a little further.
We were disappointed to see that the Characters In Flight balloon had been grounded due to the wacky afternoon weather. I had almost convinced myself to take a journey up, up, up so I could enjoy the view (the Vistana was so close to DTD that the balloon was spotted regularly soaring just over the rear of our buildings in the Spas section .very neat).
The boys toured the Harley store and couldnt resist posing for a tough photo on one of their bikes. I hope neither one of them got any long-term ideas!!!!
We sniffed out the candy store .cause as I have mentioned before, we have some serious sweet tooths in our family.
In the midst of it all, we grabbed some beverages (gotta stay hydrated), walked, took photos, and just explored and meandered and walked off our Buffalo Wild Wing bloat. It felt good, despite the heat.
Jake treated us to ice cream on our way back to the resort (hes a good kid .and who am I to pass up an offer of ice cream? After a couple of hours of walking, my tummy could actually handle it) and we spent the remainder of the evening enjoying another wonderful swim at the Super Pool. This might have even been one of the nights they offered the karaoke party (some of the details have become muddled together with time) .where we sang and swam and grooved to some good music and bad singers. The DJ was a ton of fun on each occasion and made for a fabulous way to end the day.
Tomorrow, the weather was forecasted to be mighty fine (no rain AT ALL .not even an afternoon thunderstorm), which was awesome ..cause we were headed to Typhoon Lagoon .