Downtown Disney -- Beware

[Grumpy92]

Even walking from the Hilton was a little difficult. Dont take your car. Take one of the Disney buses from some place else. Evenings and weekends are the worst.
They have pushed back the completion date to late 2016.

 

[agavegirl1]

They have pushed back the completion date to late 2016.

 

[bumbershoot]

You do bring up an interesting point, which is all the new construction basically makes this into a fancy mall.

That's all DTD has ever been. Stores and restaurants, no matter the fake story behind it (goes for Disney springs as well) or how pretty it is, it's a mall.

We went on Christmas Eve. I drove and we parked in the parking garage. Our longest wait was in line to pull in to the garage. Once we got in, it was apparent what the problem was. Everyone wanted to park on the first floor. There were probably 50 cars creeping around the aisles at 2 mph trying to find an empty space. But only on the first floor. I went up the ramp and immediately got the second spot next to the escalator. Almost the entire second floor was empty. So parking might be better if people knew how to use a parking garage.

Were the lighted signs telling you the parking spots not on yet?

In January we had the easiest time parking we have ever had. We took a bus once to and from on our first trip and waited over an hour for a bus "home" to come. We have driven and circled for ages in the area near once upon a toy. Misery. We started parking at Nouba because walking the whole length was easier. In January we hit the garage and it was so easy. Came in from near the middle of the garage, left DTD from haagen dasz near Nouba (horrid placement now is that going to get changed back), walked a little to get to the garage , easy. And like I mentioned once we figured out that some of the exit signs were wrong from our level, got out easy.

Not saying all visits are easy, but some are.

 

[LynJ]

That's all DTD has ever been. Stores and restaurants, no matter the fake story behind it (goes for Disney springs as well) or how pretty it is, it's a mall.

Were the lighted signs telling you the parking spots not on yet?

.

I don't recall seeing the lights, so they must not have been on yet. They had some poor employee telling people to go up, that there was plenty of parking upstairs, and people still weren't doing it. Completely mystified me, especially since there are nice elevators and escalators that will easily get you back down. Then again, I park in a parking garage every day for work, so if the floor seems full, it's intuitive to keep going.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Can you valet park anytime of day at DTD or just at night?

 

[DisneyFive]

Haven't read all the responses, but wanted to say that DTD has been a huge letdown for us ever since we first visited in 2010. I can only imagine that the changes, once finished will be a big improvement.

As a side note, we either take Disney buses or a friendship boat there and back so the parking garages don't impact us much at all.

Dan

 

[Ronath]

My wife has had a knee replacement. Is there anywhere I can drop her off other than parking garage? Last year I was able to drop her off at World of Disney store while I parked. Can I still drop her off and pick her up there?

 

[IrishNYC]

You do bring up an interesting point, which is all the new construction basically makes this into a fancy mall.

Exactly. It's a glorified mall with the Disney name slapped on it. I can be aggravated at the mall at home, or hop on the subway to Times Square and get the same. I don't ever need to do it on vacation again.

 

[AuntNi]

We went twice during the first week of May, and had a great time. I enjoyed all the shopping, our meal, and especially the Ghirardelli ice cream.

Our second parking experience was fine - we approached from the west, parked in the big garage by the AMC theater, and walked to Raglan Road for dinner. That was on advice from a Raglan Road manager, and we were so happy we followed it. I honestly didn't see anywhere else to park.

I actually loved the garage. What genius figured out the sensors that tell how many spots are left in a row?! Our local mall needs this system in the worst way! Maybe I'm just easily entertained?

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Does anyone else read this thread title in the voice of Goofy as Jacob Marley in Mickey's Christmas Carol?

No, just me? Carry on.

 

[Disfan1968]

Exactly. It's a glorified mall with the Disney name slapped on it. I can be aggravated at the mall at home, or hop on the subway to Times Square and get the same. I don't ever need to do it on vacation again.

Irish, you're funny. But seriously, whether DTD is a pleasant diversion or an annoyance to one might depend on the length of your trip. I tend to stay 11-12 days, so for me and my family, it's a nice diversion from the parks... a way to stroll through some air conditioned stores, eat some food, and not be on a schedule. I find it to be relatively pleasant. I can imagine, however, if I were staying less than 8 days, that I would not want to sacrifice the time for it.

 

[hakepb]

My wife has had a knee replacement. Is there anywhere I can drop her off other than parking garage? Last year I was able to drop her off at World of Disney store while I parked. Can I still drop her off and pick her up there?

As far as I know, that whole (Eastside/marketplace) parking area is under massive construction for the 2nd garage, so the only drop off point would be on the far AMC/Cirque west side.

Busses from resorts would have a closer drop off.

 

[wdwrich]

During our upcoming trip in December, DW and I are going to DTD for one reason and one reason alone- to have dinner at Raglan Road. We'll have a vehicle, but since we'll be staying at OKW, we will leave the vehicle behind and use the boat.

 

[amagalski]

So for someone who's not familiar at all with the roads or with DTD - coming from an offsite hotel, what's the best way to get there and where do I go to park? Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Tara619]

So for someone who's not familiar at all with the roads or with DTD - coming from an offsite hotel, what's the best way to get there and where do I go to park? Thanks ahead of time.

I have a similar question. We're getting off a Disney cruise on 7/4/15 in the morning and our flight home doesn't leave until 8 PM at MCO. We were going to go to DTD using a rental car, but now I'm wondering if we should make other plans. Any feedback?

 

[siskaren]

So for someone who's not familiar at all with the roads or with DTD - coming from an offsite hotel, what's the best way to get there and where do I go to park? Thanks ahead of time.

I have a similar question. We're getting off a Disney cruise on 7/4/15 in the morning and our flight home doesn't leave until 8 PM at MCO. We were going to go to DTD using a rental car, but now I'm wondering if we should make other plans. Any feedback?

http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorize...ry-review-some-interesting-merchandise-51115/

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

I'm also curious about the parking situation. I'm sure the garage isn't too bad-- you should see the garages at my University. Now that's a nightmare

My most recent trip was at the All-Star music and let me tell you something. That bus ride was almost 45 minutes long! The ride home wasn't nearly as long. Hm. Just he took the scenic route then.

Is the lot by the huge world of disney store still open? That's where we used to park when we drove. In June we're staying off-site and will have to drive instead. Is the garage the only place to park in now? I want to be as close as possible to the World of Disney store area.

 

[ParkHoppers]

Wish my mall had Cirque du Soleil and a hot air ballon. Just sayin. All kidding aside I think DTD( Disney Springs ) will be at least 50% better than before the refurb and that's a pretty good increase for Disney who only seems to improve things by a very small bit at a time.

 

[agavegirl1]

A Mall very close to me (half hour drive) doesn't have Cirque or a Balloon but it has an amusement park and a comedy club. I like Raglan Road but skipped it this time because of the mess. I hope to return in 2018. It's just so messy right now.

 

[CAS239]

I'm also curious about the parking situation. I'm sure the garage isn't too bad-- you should see the garages at my University. Now that's a nightmare

My most recent trip was at the All-Star music and let me tell you something. That bus ride was almost 45 minutes long! The ride home wasn't nearly as long. Hm. Just he took the scenic route then.

Is the lot by the huge world of disney store still open? That's where we used to park when we drove. In June we're staying off-site and will have to drive instead. Is the garage the only place to park in now? I want to be as close as possible to the World of Disney store area.

The only places to park now are the parking garage in front of the movie theater and planet Hollywood, or back a little further by Cirque Du Soleil. Everything else is under construction as the other parking garage is being built.

The parking garage is really nice and super easy to find a spot