DD or CityWalk?

[kathyclownfish]

Heard there is soo much construction going on in Downtown Disney. We are 3 generations of females, 24, 52 & 75 heading down to Disney for 1 week the 1st week of March. On our day off from the Disney parks we were planning on a nice dinner and some drinks at either DD or CW. Were thinking of avoiding the mess of DD and giving Universal City Walk a try. What do you think? Is DD as bad as everyone is saying?

 

[mikehn]

I like them both, but I don't like that universal charges for parking just to visit city walk

 

[HopperFan]

The main problem with DTD is the parking situation as they are building these garages. If you arrive at night, yes you could have trouble finding a close spot, during the day we had no issues (week before christmas even had front spot without any effort). There are many nice spots to eat at DTD, lots of live music playing through out, inside and out. Plenty of shops to browse. If you are staying onsite, just take the bus. If you drive, parking is free.

We do Universal parks and we once did CityWalk for dinner .... I will never return to CityWalk - especially at night. The atmosphere and guests were something I'm not interested in. There is heavy drinking and there's been enough incidents I would not be sticking around in evenings. I'm an urban person and street smart - and this is one area I avoid, especially with all females. Even if not doing parks you still have to pay to park and walk across the long bridge to get into CityWalk.

 

[SnarkyMonkey]

CityWalk is much more a party atmosphere. So it depends what you are in the mood for.

 

[DOOM1001]

If you've never been to City walk then that would be my choice,they've opened several restaurants over the last couple of months that are worth checking out.

 

[lmcarr49]

We love Citywalk! Have to spend time there every trip. It's a nice break from Disney and it has really good restaurants.

 

[Woodview]

Give both a miss........ Go and have a good dinner & drinks at

" The Villa de Flora " Restaurant , Buffet Style , in The Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention

Center.

( Thats the Huge Building .. that looks like an upside down funnel )

on the 6000 W.Osceola Parkway Fl 34746 . Near Disney Arch.

Linen & Table service & Atmosphere

 

[Judyat]

City walk is parking after a certain time is cheaper. Is it $5 after 8pm?

 

[rebekah615]

If you do decide on Ctiy Walk, just make sure that there is not a private event going on that will close off a lot of the restaurants and bars from the public. That happened to me last time I was there.

I'm not sure how often that happens, but I have only been blessed with bad timing one out of five times going there.

 

[NinaBella]

Since there are no kids in your group I would suggest City Walk. Actually my kids love it there, but it is more geared toward adults.

 

[newfangled]

I will never return to CityWalk - especially at night. The atmosphere and guests were something I'm not interested in.

I kinda have to agree here. I found the crowd more edgy and the atmosphere definitely more like a club scene. I liked it at first, but I smelled cigarette smoke far too frequently and there really wasn't as much to see. I will say the new Pizza place is amazing. (have Universal annual passes and tried on the way out last time). I don't mind a brief browse when going to the parks there, but I wouldn't make it my sole destination for any period of time.

As for Downtown Disney...I really hope it's improving as the new additions are opening, but I know they have a long way to go. The crowds and construction are a real challenge. But...if you are staying on site (don't have to drive or park) and can make reservations (at a fun place like Raglan Road so you don't have to wait forever for that dinner and drinks) then it's well worth the effort to spend some time browsing DD. I would still vote for that over CityWalk if you can avoid some of the pain points.

 

[Grumpy92]

I would choose according to the restaurant you want to dine at.

Citywalk has a new one, Cowfish which is good. Do you want to listen to music and people watch then Jimmy Buffets. New Orleans theme then Pat OBrians. An alternative I took my mother too was Jake's at the Royal Pacific. It tends to be quieter, not too expensive and they have a nice menu.
There is a charge to park and the mass that comes out of the parks funnels thru Citywalk which makes it very congested. As a female I have never felt unsafe there though.

Raglan Road has good food and entertainment. But with all the construction I would not drive there and give yourself extra time to get around. Still lots of walls up. Cant wait until the construction is complete. Sounds like some great restaurants coming in and the parking issues should decrease.

All the menus are available online so I would take a look at them.

 

[kiki02]

Op, you just resolved a problem (similar ) I was having with all the construction at DTD. Going to switch to CW - I know it's great, it's always great and no construction. Ty.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

DTD is definitely a mess and it is hard to even drive down the street to get to it. Obviously Citywalk has the parking fee issue but I think the small cost is worth avoiding the aggravation of DTD. A PP mentioned Cowfish which is so good. One thing to point out is that some of the more popular bars will charge an entrance fee after a certain time.

 

[kathy884]

My nephew who lives in Orlando says to avoid Downtown Disney until the construction is done. He has always given me very solid advice. and that's enough for me.

 

[JimMIA]

Another option -- assuming Grandma doesn't want to go clubbing -- is Celebration. Depending on where you are staying it's probably WAY closer than Universal. Also...free parking.

Several nice restaurants, with our personal fave (we go there every Orlando trip) -- Columbia. Here's a link to a list of the Celebration restaurants: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34956129&postcount=463

Celebration does NOT have the sideshows of wandering minstrels, etc, but it does offer good food, some quieter venues -- and then there's Kilwins for to-die-for chocolate and ice cream. As luck would have it, Kilwins is right around the corner from Columbia.

 

[anabelle]

We really enjoyed the atmosphere of CW. There is music at night and places to dance. We ate at Vivo's restaurant. It was soo good.

 

[Planogirl]

We spend a lot of time at Citywalk and never feel uncomfortable. It's not so good if you want to shop but it's a great place to eat or play mini-golf or see a movie.

 

[dioxide45]

City walk is parking after a certain time is cheaper. Is it $5 after 8pm?

It used to be free after 6:00PM, many years ago. Then it was $5 after 6:00PM. Then I think it may have went up to $6. Now I think it is now free after 6:00PM for Florida residents but out of staters need to pay full price regardless of when they visit. Universal Orlando Parking Information

 

[kiki02]

We spend a lot of time at Citywalk and never feel uncomfortable. It's not so good if you want to shop but it's a great place to eat or play mini-golf or see a movie.

Dare I say it, but it 's getting better and better @ CWalk. LOVING IT more and more.... hmmmmmm....