Downtown Disney / Disney Springs - Should I be Nervous ?

[jcvalenti]

I've never been a big fan of Downtown Disney, and we skipped it altogether last year because of parking and construction horror stories. We're tentatively penciled in to stop there in a couple of weeks when we're back at WDW ... but I'm hoping someone can alleviate my concerns. Based on recent visits there, can anyone please advise:

1. Is the parking / traffic still a nightmare. We are planning to go there around 4:00/4:30 pm on a Wednesday ?

2. Where's the best parking option if coming essentially from the main entrance to WDW ?

3. I do have Tables in Wonderland - is there any complimentary valet area ? We are planning to eat down there so getting it validated wouldn't be a problem.

4. I'm not much of a shopper and used to spend most of my time at DTD hanging out at the Sosa Cigar Bar (Fuego?), which I understand is no longer there. I want to stop at the BoatHouse bar and perhaps Raglan Road while the wife and kids shop ... what else is open ? I wish I was doing this next year, as both Edison and the Indiana Jones themed bars sound very cool.

Thanks for any insight !

 

[dogdangling]

There is still a lot of construction on the roads but the new Parking garage does help matters.

There is still a lot going on with regards to construction but what they have done is absolutely beautiful. I went end of May

 

[CAS239]

1- you should be fine. Traffic normally only gets backed up on the weekend and sometimes around prime hours of the day

2- the parking garage

3- Only valet I know of is near Cirque Du Soleil for $20. But there's no point in valet when the parking garage is huge and easy to use

4- not sure on a cigar bar, but the Sosa cigar shop is open. Mostly everything is open and running fine. Here's a list of all the stores https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/shops/downtown-disney/#/sort=location/

 

[gunderda]

We went on a Friday afternoon a few weeks ago (mid-June) and it was totally fine!! It was about 3:30-4:00 i think.
We got into the long lane turning left at the stop lights and into the parking lot real easily, lots of places to park - this was near Cirque. You'll want to be in the far left lane cause the other one goes direct into Valet parking.
My dad was driving another vehicle and did not follow us - I had a feeling he would go straight to try and bypass the traffic that was turning left - and he did, and it took them FOREVER to park. I think they ended up in one of the parking garages.
I'm sure later in the night it gets a bit messier.

I was preparing for the worst but it was super easy to get in and out.

 

[aleksandr]

We were there from late April through the end of May. Downtown Disney was an absolute nightmare! For the first week we were at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. We occasionally head off-site to eat, shop, etc. From WBC, the fastest route to Apopka Vineland Road is via Hotel Plaza Blvd--right through DTD basically. The road construction was so horrendous that the entire road backed up from the lights at the Marketplace past the I-4 intersection near Bonnet Creek! This happened multiple times, ranging from 3PM in the afternoon to 9PM at night. And late April/early May is not a typically peak season!

The new parking garage at the West End is beautiful. If you are planning on going to Cirque, Disney Quest (while it is still open), Bowling, etc., use the garage. Getting in/out of the garage can be difficult at times because they are still using CMs to direct traffic manually. It took me 20 minutes one day to simply exit from the garage and make it back to the main road. Be warned though--the vehicular and pedestrian paths are still in flux. One day we were directed to walk out of the garage on the 1st floor and down the street, the next we were directed to take the elevator to the 2nd floor of the garage, across a foot bridge, and then an elevator back down to ground level.

If you are going to the Marketplace, well you are out of luck. There is a large parking area open behind the Hess gas station, across the street from DTD. They offer a complimentary shuttle bus, although I got a little irritated when I stood in line for the bus only to be told that the bus goes from Hess to the parking garage. Only. If I wanted to go to the parking garage, I would have parked in the parking garage in the first place! The cast member mumbled something about the parking garage having problems with it's fire control system and frequently getting shut down due to false alarms, thereby "trapping" all cars in the garage until cleared by the fire department. I never experienced anything like this at all in several trips to DTD. If you want to go to the Marketplace, you need to walk. Park at Hess, walk down the street on the opposite side of the road, and Disney cast members will direct walking traffic across the street and through a special pedestrian walkway. It's a bit of a long haul. I have a child who has special needs, and was recovering from a severe cold. He missed out on the DTD marketplace this year because he didn't have the stamina to walk from Hess, or from the garage.

I have no doubt that the improvements they are making are good in the long run. The "Orange" garage is beautiful. I just wish they had started at the other end. I have more use for the Marketplace end of DTD than the West end. I'm hoping things are better next Spring when I return, but if they aren't I plan on avoiding DTD for another year. If you do need to go, plan on extra time and extra walking.

 

[jcvalenti]

Aleksandr - thanks a lot for the detailed response. That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. It sounds a lot like what I feared it would be like. I usually parked in the lots right out front of the Lego store, kind of in the middle. Sounds like that isn't really an option this time around. Wife wants to go shopping - I just want to sit in a bar. She ain't going to be happy if she has to walk all the way from Marketplace to West End with packages in tow.

 

[RatherDrive]

Thanks for posting this. I was just about to post this very question! We are planning on stopping by for our Disney fix Since we are not doing the parks this year. I am really hoping that it gets better by August!

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Aleksandr - thanks a lot for the detailed response. That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. It sounds a lot like what I feared it would be like. I usually parked in the lots right out front of the Lego store, kind of in the middle. Sounds like that isn't really an option this time around. Wife wants to go shopping - I just want to sit in a bar. She ain't going to be happy if she has to walk all the way from Marketplace to West End with packages in tow.

The parking lot in at the Lego Store and the big Disney store is gone now. They are working on a garage there. We went twice. Once around lunch time and once around 10 a.m. We came into the area from Disney property but drove thru from Hwy 192. We turned at the first light for DTD and kept going straight and came to a parking lot at the back of DTD. You could see the resort that is behind there but I'm not sure of the name. This put you coming from the back near Cirque and Disney Quest. This was nice because it was closest to the boat to the other side of DTD/Marketplace. In the heat, it was nice to just take a boat to the other side instead of walking all of DTD. I'm not sure where parking in the garage will put you in relations to the boat. It was not our most enjoyable trips to DTD and we only went back the 2nd time because my mom was with us then and wanted to go.

 

[CAS239]

We always park in the garage to go anywhere at DTD. I've never and wouldn't park across the street. You'll be longer doing that vs just parking in the garage. Once the pedestrian bridges open up though it'll be a little easier for those parking across the street and definitely free up traffic.

People freak out over DTD but majority of the time, it's smooth sailing. Go when it's the busiest and you'll run into backed up traffic. It's a mix of people don't know where there going then trying to merge into a turning lane and lights having to stay red so about 200 people can cross at a time.

 

[CAS239]

The parking lot in at the Lego Store and the big Disney store is gone now. They are working on a garage there. We went twice. Once around lunch time and once around 10 a.m. We came into the area from Disney property but drove thru from Hwy 192. We turned at the first light for DTD and kept going straight and came to a parking lot at the back of DTD. You could see the resort that is behind there but I'm not sure of the name. This put you coming from the back near Cirque and Disney Quest. This was nice because it was closest to the boat to the other side of DTD/Marketplace. In the heat, it was nice to just take a boat to the other side instead of walking all of DTD. I'm not sure where parking in the garage will put you in relations to the boat. It was not our most enjoyable trips to DTD and we only went back the 2nd time because my mom was with us then and wanted to go.

^this if you wan to take the boat.

You can take a boat across the lake and the closest spot to park for that is behind cirque du Soleil. This parking lot always has a lot of spaces available. The parking garage exit puts you out next to Planet Hollywood/Characters in Flight area

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

^this if you wan to take the boat.

You can take a boat across the lake and the closest spot to park for that is behind cirque du Soleil. This parking lot always has a lot of spaces available. The parking garage exit puts you out next to Planet Hollywood/Characters in Flight area

Thank you for this info. I was wondering about that. Helpful for our next Disney trip.

 

[NavyDad]

We were there about a week ago in the early afternoon. We parked at the first parking garage coming from MK area (West Side I think....). It was super easy getting in and out of the parking garage with tons of spots available. Escalator and set of stairs took us right to the area where they have the movie theater and not too far from Raglan Road and the boat house. Wasn't bad at all...

I would just avoid any time from dinner after...

 

[CAS239]

Also, if you park around the parking garage area and want to get somewhere on the other side of the lake like Earl of Sandwhiches or the T Rex Restaurant, you can take the new walking bridge across. It connects near the Lego store to T Rex restaurant.

Cuts down on walking distance if you don't need to walk around the lake and they also have some vendors set up on the bridge selling items

 

[jcvalenti]

I never heard about a boat before. What kind of boat are we talking about ? a 20 person skiff ? How often do they make the run ? That might be helpful.

Yes, I know .... I'm totally overthinking this.

 

[maciemouse]

We just got back about two weeks ago and I thought it was a nightmare. We frequent Disney three times a year and I've never seen such a mess. When we went there was a sign saying garage was full. They had traffic filing into one lane. The one bus area is under construction as well. They are only letting a set number of buses in at a time. I am going to choose to stay away until it's finished.

 

[bigcrit]

Is there a charge to park at DTD?

 

[CAS239]

Is there a charge to park at DTD?

No parking is free. Which is why so many people go there.

 

[CAS239]

I never heard about a boat before. What kind of boat are we talking about ? a 20 person skiff ? How often do they make the run ? That might be helpful.

Yes, I know .... I'm totally overthinking this.