Disney Springs worth it?

[Shellyred8]

We usually do DS once a trip because I like some of the restaurants there. Earl of Sandwich is a must for almost every trip! We are not huge on the shopping scene so we will usually just walk around and see if something jumps out at us. If not, we leave.

 

[dlavender]

We honestly find it too crowded. If I want to be in those crowds, might as well be on Main Street!

 

[tex1989]

I answer all of these type questions the same, it totally depends on your personal touring style, your expectations, and believe it or not your budget. We go to WDW three times a year on AP's and plane tickets bought with SWA Visa points. We stay budget/moderate and so we can usually go of the cheaper side. We always go to DS because we like to go at a slower pace some days and like to shop for Disney Items. But that's my wife and I. If you have younger kids (ours are grown) or limited times on vacation, then by all means skip it and hit the parks. I see no need for debating the subject because quite frankly like most things on the web these days, I ain't changing any one's opinion no matter what I say.

 

[FCDub]

One of the choices in the poll is "Depends on how important shopping and dining are to you"

Well this is the same for virtually ANY choice we make in life. We weigh our interests against the cost. Without a sense of your interests, no one can weigh the costs.

 

[Moliphino]

We usually go for a few hours. Have a few drinks at Jock Lindsey's, dinner at Raglan Road, shop at the more Disney-centric stores (World Of Disney, the Christmas store, Art of Disney, etc.).

 

[NickC]

We went on our last trip and are thinking that we want to stay closer to DS on our 2019 trip. The food is the big draw for us. We just prefer to have a nice sit down dinner, in the evening, after spending the day at the parks. Aside from MK, we are usually ready to leave the parks by dinner time, so heading over to DS for dinner and a drink seems like a great way to end the day.
Plus, The Void is amazing. I don't really love the Star Wars attractions, but it was pretty incredible.

 

[kniquy]

I'm spending the week at Disney World and have a 6 day hopper ticket. Is taking time away from the parks and hanging out at Disney Springs worth it? Thanks and let the debate begin!

If you are into shopping or find a particular restaurant which you want to try then yes it is worth the time.

I am not a shopper, I don't do it as a pass time so going somewhere to shop really doesn't interest me. My husband has wanted to try Homecoming, so we are going to hit DS in the morning, will have lunch, but then leave to hit the park for the afternoon.

If you are not a seasoned WDW person then i don't think i would take the time away from the parks to go to DS.

There are no buses which take you from DS to the parks so your options if only spending part of the day at DS would be to hitch a ride on a resort bus and then grab a park bus from there or using the Minnie Van or Uber.

 

[nkereina]

There are no buses which take you from DS to the parks so your options if only spending part of the day at DS would be to hitch a ride on a resort bus and then grab a park bus from there or using the Minnie Van or Uber.

Actually, all four parks run buses to Disney Springs beginning at 4pm. This is ideal for people like us who want to end their day with dinner and shopping at Disney Springs.

 

[YesterDark]

I like strolling through in the evening and listening to some of the performers and just relaxing with a drink. Good food too.

 

[Moliphino]

There are no buses which take you from DS to the parks so your options if only spending part of the day at DS would be to hitch a ride on a resort bus and then grab a park bus from there or using the Minnie Van or Uber.

Walk to the Congress Park stop at Saratoga and catch a park bus from there. That seems to be the easiest way to get from DS to a park.

 

[Moliphino]

Actually, all four parks run buses to Disney Springs beginning at 4pm. This is ideal for people like us who want to end their day with dinner and shopping at Disney Springs.

Yes, but there are no buses from DS to parks.

 

[KenHutch]

I was one of your no votes. During our 1st 4 trips we planned on several hours at Downtown Disney. This past June we checked it out (and it was fairly late at night). First the WoD store is now a sad joke a remnant of its former glory. And while I love the restaurants there if we ever go again it will be much earlier in the evening. For the 1st time I ran into several very drunk and somewhat obnoxious people. My 18 year old daughter cannot stand booze of any kind and has vetoed going back there. It really is just a big old mall with admittedly very good restaurants now.

 

[tsme]

I think it’s a nice place to go to, to relax, window or real shop, grab a bite to eat, maybe see a movie. When we extra days, we’ll go.

 

[missnic]

We usually go for dinner if we arrive early evening/late afternoon. It's good for dinner and drinks, but almost all of the stores can be found elsewhere. We like the art store across from Splitsville, and the new clothing store that is now where Harley used to be is unique. Even most of the Disney merchandise can be found inside the parks at this point. World of Disney is sort of sad right now.

 

[Delirium]

It's a nice break from the parks. Definitely worth heading over for 3-4 hours of exploration. Would certainly do it before I would start repeating attractions in the park.

 

[hckyhead17]

We went this August and hated every minute of it, loud and too crowded. I don't travel to DW to buy a coach bag or go to the UA store. I have no desire to ever go back there. Waste of 2 hours. I hate shopping so I guess I am not their target audience anyway. There are plenty of great restaurants to go to with far less hassle.

 

[LizzyS]

I say take a day off from the parks in the middle of your trip and visit Disney Springs. We did that and I do not regret it. It's a slower pace and I really did enjoy some of the shops and restaurants.

 

[KNovacovschi]

We wouldn't give up a park day but absolutely have to go multiple times each trip. We always go on arrival night and eat at Earl of Sandwich and then 1 or 2 more times during the week, my DH has to eat at Raglan Rd on each trip.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

I love DS. And my only regret for my commando itinerary for my upcoming (short) November trip is that I chose NOT to include DS in my itinerary for "relaxation" time. My trip this time will only be for 5 days, expressly just for TSL / SDD and Mickey's 90th Birthday on the 18th. For DS, I will only be "dropping in" to visit the Edison (ADR) and to visit the Polar Bear at CokeCola (always forget about him!). So my time there will be limited, unless I find that I do indeed have more time based upon how my touring goes. It's my hope that my schedule does indeed allow time just to "hang-out" at DS. I plan extensively (with great results, always). But to me, even if I am not dining anywhere, or buying anything specific, I enjoy just walking around DS. I love entering at THE MARKETPLACE entrance for the nostalgia of it, and just cruising around, getting a bite at "wherever" and picking up an item or two at WOD. Nothing more.
So.. moving on to my short answer, yes, I always think DS is worth it. Just very relaxing in general. A refreshing change from the parks.

 

[Micca]

You're at WDW for a week, so that allows quite a bit of time for parks. We always go to DS but seldom stay there very long, maybe 2-3 hours max. They do have some nice restaurants so we usually plan one meal there and hit the Disney shops.