Disney Springs...wondering what it is like

[wdw&sonny]

Crowded, difficult to park, shopping center.
Since the new section opened, parking in the garages takes extra time.
We used to pop in there in the evening to grab a Ghiradelli ice cream. Now it takes just as long as getting into a theme park.
There are some restaurants that we like (Morimotos) but the effort to get there deters us from going.
The evenings are sooooo crowded, it's like MK after Wishes.

 

[Disnsyncey]

Its a spur of the moment thing for me too, if we have a park on the schedule that we are overloaded on, or have done all the attractions that were on our list, we're like "hey, lets head over there!"

 

[marcyleecorgan]

It's a giant outdoor mall plaza. They have entertainment in a variety of places, but it's just basically an outdoor mega-mall with lots of pretty landscaping. And most of the stores are recognizable brands so it's not like you're getting something SUPER SPECIAL and OOAK as a souvenir, it's more like, *snap*.... "time to replace my Oakleys!"

I was rather disappointed that I wasn't able to visit Pleasure Island when it existed (I was far too young) and therefore was not able to go with my DH on our last trip.

 

[Jennasis]

We love chilling at the Springs after a long hot day in the parks! We are NOT shoppers and we are not drinkers, but we do love enjoying the live entertainment out there and browsing through the stores. At Christmas time they had the drone show which was lovely. The restaurants are fabulous too. We enjoy this place so much that our upcoming trip has us staying at SSR and planning visits to the Springs most evenings.

 

[Farro]

We plan to go our arrival day for a couple hours before dinner plans to see it during the day. It looks so pretty from the pictures. I love to browse in shops.
Then we have two nights planned there during our trip. One night just eating on the fly, walking around and getting some drinks - I like to drink at the hotel, I like to drink at Epcot, I will like to drink at Disney Springs . The other night we are having dinner at Boathouse.

Some people seem almost upset by it's existence. If you don't like it, don't go! It's pretty easy to avoid.

 

[Micca]

We always hit DS on our trips but we seldom stay very long. We like the Disney shops in the Marketplace, and we've been known to stop in a restaurant or Ghirardelli for some ice cream. We probably average about 2 hours there during our visits. We have no interest in the high end shops/boutiques but I must say they sure made it look nice.

 

[CAS239]

Crowded, difficult to park, shopping center.
Since the new section opened, parking in the garages takes extra time.
We used to pop in there in the evening to grab a Ghiradelli ice cream. Now it takes just as long as getting into a theme park.
There are some restaurants that we like (Morimotos) but the effort to get there deters us from going.
The evenings are sooooo crowded, it's like MK after Wishes.

Complete opposite imo. Now with both parking garages open and the new road done and lanes opened up, it's a breeze to park. We go to Disney Springs usually every trip which is about once every 1-2 months and I've never had it take more than about 5 min to park. Leaving is also a breeze now that they have the construction completed right there

 

[Summer2018]

We plan to go our arrival day for a couple hours before dinner plans to see it during the day. It looks so pretty from the pictures. I love to browse in shops.
Then we have two nights planned there during our trip. One night just eating on the fly, walking around and getting some drinks - I like to drink at the hotel, I like to drink at Epcot, I will like to drink at Disney Springs . The other night we are having dinner at Boathouse.

Some people seem almost upset by it's existence. If you don't like it, don't go! It's pretty easy to avoid.

People are providing feedback for me, which I find incredibly helpful. I don't think that I, at least, am upset by it's existence as much as wish Pleasure Island with the clubs and hilarious comedy show still existed. I do believe that if I managed to accomplish everything I would like to do in 7 days (impossible) every 2 or 3 years, I would probably spend some time there. If I were a local Floridian or was able to visit Orlando on a regular basis, I think I would love to devote quite a lot of time there. However, for me, it just doesn't provide enough to give up time elsewhere in WDW.

 

[anniemae]

I know a lot of people are disappointed with Disney Springs and keep saying it's just a glorified mall. We happen to love it and always visit during our trip. We are not big shoppers but enjoy walking through the stores. We do love the big world of disney store, it is really fun to wander through there. We enjoy the restaurants, the Boathouse and Raglan Road are both fav's of ours. We like to wander around and watch the performers. There is a balloon ride you can do for a nice view of the area. We also enjoy Ghiradelli's for ice cream. You can also take the nice boat ride to the POR for a fun thing to do.

 

[uchi]

Our last trip was two summers ago, before Disney Springs. We were big Pleasure Island fans, but never really enjoyed Downtown Disney. We are trying to decide whether or not to include a visit to Disney Springs on our next trip. What is there to do in Disney Springs besides shop and eat out?

If you go before the year ends, there's also the Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba, which - as all of Cirque's productions - is amazing.

 

[bryanb]

The following recent discoveries alone will take me back to Disney Springs on my next trip:

Art Smith's Homecoming - fantastic fried chicken, very simple but a perfectly cooked meal. Great crunch without feeling too heavy. And since you're already eating fried chicken anyway, forget about going healthy and try the chicken and donuts combo, and substitute the mac and cheese for the mashed potatoes. The service was excellent, by the way.

Polite Pig - The pulled pork sandwich is excellent, and the sweet tea is a great complement. You order at the counter and then there is table service once you sit down. They also have a chicken salad sandwich which feels nice and refreshing on a hot day.

Cookes of Dublin- Great fish and chips, and even chicken and chips. Much better than the versions that Disney serves. Really wonderful crunch outside and juicy inside. You can get the same food at Raglan Road if you want a sit-down dinner with entertainment.

There's a great deal more that I want to try. On a vacation, eating great food is important for my friends and family. I don't feel like it takes too much out of theme park time because we usually incorporate the visit after we're done at the parks for the day or on the way to Typhoon Lagoon (since it's right on the bus line).

It certainly isn't more inconvenient than having a buffet at Boma at AKL, which is another one of my favorites worth going out of my way for.

 

[anniemae]

Polite Pig is on my list for our next trip! I have heard great things about it.

 

[Disneylover99]

I'm not a shopper, but I love walking around DS in the evening.

 

[amberpi]

Its a mall with some good dining choices. Its DARN handy when you realize you left your sunglasses, or favorite hat or whatever for a quick Uber and grab.

 

[Parker Clan]

I just want to add, it depends on what time of year you go. Some people compared it to MK after Wishes, not even close when we go in mid - late August... A bit of a stretch. Now, another time of year, I could see that.. But that's not always the case.

 

[Disneylover99]

I just want to add, it depends on what time of year you go. Some people compared it to MK after Wishes, not even close when we go in mid - late August... A bit of a stretch. Now, another time of year, I could see that.. But that's not always the case.

We were there several evenings between Christmas and first week of January. We had no trouble parking. It was really easy getting in and out and there was plenty of parking.

 

[Aurora0427]

I will always go into Art of Disney store, World of Disney, Once Upon a Toy, The Christmas store, Superhero Headquarters (Marvel store) and Galactic Outpost (Star Wars store)
So while I don't think you can make a day out of it without getting bored I can see how you can have a fun evening without buying a thing

Wait. They have a Star Wars store? I did not know that... how's the merchandise??? May have to stop in after our dinner!

 

[Gophers]

We enjoy going to DS on arrival day. Really like shopping the Disney themed stores. There are a couple of none Disney stores we want to check out this time around. Trying the Boathouse for early dinner. We stay at POR and take the fairy boat. Might also go there for 1-2 hours when the parks close.

 

[yulilin3]

Wait. They have a Star Wars store? I did not know that... how's the merchandise??? May have to stop in after our dinner!

They basically have the same things you would find at Tattooine trades in DHS, t shirts, some collectibles, pins, they also have a build a light saber station

 

[Praying Colonel]

I'm local and I visit about once every other week to see the entertainment, eat at Blaze.

I hardly buy anything from the stores.

We have at least 2 Blaze locations where I live. And many of the "new" stores at DS we have at our local malls.

I much preferred the old DTD to the new DS. It feels a lot more generic to me than it used to.