Downtown Disney a Bad Idea?

[shana398]

I was thinking of heading to Downtown Disney for lunch on our arrival day. We, myself and DS4, arrive at the airport on August 29, a Saturday, at 10:50 a.m. We will be staying at Wilderness Lodge. We have dinner scheduled for 7:00 at Chef Mickey's.

I've read that there is a lot of construction right now. Does the construction make the trip to Downtown Disney not worth it? Is it very time-consuming? We will be using Disney transportation.

It's either Downtown Disney or just hanging out at our resort before dinner. I would like to go to the Lego store, as well as Ghiradelli. Is this a good idea?

Thanks!

 

[Robo]

I was thinking of heading to Downtown Disney for lunch on our arrival day. We, myself and DS4, arrive at the airport on August 29, a Saturday, at 10:50 a.m. We will be staying at Wilderness Lodge. We have dinner scheduled for 7:00 at Chef Mickey's.

I've read that there is a lot of construction right now. Does the construction make the trip to Downtown Disney not worth it? Is it very time-consuming? We will be using Disney transportation.

It's either Downtown Disney or just hanging out at our resort before dinner. I would like to go to the Lego store, as well as Ghiradelli. Is this a good idea?

Thanks!

Since you'll have several hours before your Chef Mickey ADR at CR, I'd say that is the perfect day to visit DTD.

I'd be at the DTD bus stop looking for a CR bus at about 5:45PM, or so.
That will give you a very comfortable "pad" to reach Chef Mickey's.

 

[kj2mom]

We drove ourselves at lunch time on a Friday and yes, there is construction but it didn't cause us any extra time. We had to be patient with the light cycles and traffic but all in all it was a pleasant experience. I had read many stay away threads and I considered doing just that but in the end I am glad we went. Our favorite souvenir of the entire trip is our Design our own tees from DTD and T-Rex was one of our favorite meals (we had lunch there).

 

[Disfan1968]

Agree with Robo. This seems like an ideal day for you to do DTD. Most people seem to report DTD is really generally ok at this time in terms of construction. I'll see for myself this August.

 

[joannjoe]

go for it!! Just leave around 5:45.

 

[electrocutie]

I always do DTD on my arrival day (it's a tradition of mine). I went last year during construction and it didn't hinder my experience at all. Probably a bit less pretty to look at in some areas, but there's still plenty to see and do!

 

[mhowens]

I was there last Thursday. Arrived around 12:30 and was there until 2:30 or 3:00. I used Disney Bus to get there and took the boat to OKW when I left...there really was not any problem with construction. The last time I was there was October 2014 and it is much improved since then. Go and enjoy it, lots of great shopping and some fun new dining. Be sure to stop by The Boathouse to watch the amphicars launch, it is really cool!

 

[Tinkerbellerella84]

Does anyone know when the construction will be done??

 

[SonQueen]

We drove ourselves at lunch time on a Friday and yes, there is construction but it didn't cause us any extra time. We had to be patient with the light cycles and traffic but all in all it was a pleasant experience. I had read many stay away threads and I considered doing just that but in the end I am glad we went. Our favorite souvenir of the entire trip is our Design our own tees from DTD and T-Rex was one of our favorite meals (we had lunch there).

What is Design our own tree?

 

[Robo]

Does anyone know when the construction will be done??

Not even Disney "knows" when the construction will be done.

It will be done in stages, with some major locations predicted to be open sometime in 2016.

There appear to be so many new things being announced so frequently that the "completion" would seem to be at a date sometime in at least 2017... but nobody knows.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

DTD Disney is best done with enough time and patience. Arrival day is perfect and so is down day. We're doing Portobello this arrival day lunch because I lost the coin toss.

 

[fairy oma]

We are going to DTD for dinner on our arrival day. The last members of our family of 9 should arrive at the resort no later than 4pm. DGDs are looking forward to the Lego store, T-Rex and the Disney store and Oma has promised she will purchase their very special dresses for their BBB day later in the vacation. I think it is a perfect way for the family to experience DTD and head back to the resort to see Wishes before bedtime.

 

[xlsm]

We spent a morning at DTD on Sunday, using the bus from the Polynesian to get there after our Kona ADR. The bus ride isn't short, but that wasn't because of construction (our bus avoided any major road work, I didn't notice much at all, but you'll see some work being done on parking structures and lots of walls up after you get through the marketplace - not horrible, can make the walkway seem narrow, but you can still get to everything easily). The bus also stops at Typhoon Lagoon.

We did the same as a PP and took the boat to OKW afterward to catch an MK bus, then from MK back to the Wilderness Lodge for a couple hours before our evening at Epcot. If you walk all the way down to the Westside, you can also take a boat back to the Marketplace to take a bus back to the Lodge, it was just an opportunity for us to check out another resort we wouldn't ordinarily see

 

[jaccceee]

Ooh Saturdays at Downtown Disney are really great but if you go too early you might miss the fun. Check out on youtube Downtown Disney Rappers or if you have more sophisticated tastes, look at Downtown Disney saxophonist. Guy in my picture was enthusiastic fan of the popular guitarist.

 

[kj2mom]

What is Design our own tree?

It is a Hanes store where you create your own shirt.You select the color, the picture and the wording (they have prepared phrases or you can write anything you like). We had soo much fun designing ours. Just be sure to allow enough time for printing after you order (ours were ready in 45 minutes). I found this video which explains it far better than I can.....

 

[TSR6]

I'd go for Raglan Road alone!!! We had a lot of fun there.

 

[Nancyg56]

It is a Hanes store where you create your own shirt.You select the color, the picture and the wording (they have prepared phrases or you can write anything you like). We had soo much fun designing ours. Just be sure to allow enough time for printing after you order (ours were ready in 45 minutes). I found this video which explains it far better than I can.....

We had so much fun at this store!!! WE made souvenir shirts for the grls.

I'd go for Raglan Road alone!!! We had a lot of fun there.

Yes! Raglan Road is worth the trip!

 

[aretha30]

We always go on our arrival day. It is the perfect way to start immersing ourselves in Disney without going to a park. I think you have plenty of time to go enjoy yourselves and still make it to your CM reservation on time.

 

[shana398]

Thanks for all the replies! Downtown Disney it is!

 

[britterbell]

We're have a lunch at T-Rex on our down day and I am looking forward to going to DTD. Last time we went was when construction had just started and nothing was really happening. I'm also looking forward to going to DisneyQuest one last time before it closes