Downtown Disney- WDW vs. DL?

[KJay]

I have never visited DTD during trips to WDW, but I did visit DTD when I was at Disneyland earlier this month. Are they relatively the same? The WDW DTD looks quite a bit bigger- but I'm wondering what other differences are. It was fun for an evening, but it seemed to be pretty much just...a pricey shopping area. On any given evening, I'd rather be in one of the parks! But perhaps I'm missing something- what are your thoughts on DTD?

 

[Disney Fool]

I'll jump in...To me, the DTD at DL is very much like a mall. you have Wetzel's Pretzels, and jamba juice, Build-A-Bear, and the whole area of shops on both sides of a walking area. Nice and cozy, with a couple of restaurants thrown in with the Jazz Kitchen and House of Blues, and the Pizzeria, and taco place. It makes for a fun walk-through. morning or evening and of course World of Disney shop.
DTD at WDW is much larger, with boat docks, a Mississippi paddle boat restaurant,Fultons, Cirque du Soleil tent (think SantaMonica pier); yes, it has House of Blues, the AMC theatre, (no Ralph Brennan's--sorry), but lots and lots of shops, Ghiradelli soda fountain, Arribas Bros. Crystal Arts, and several other eateries, like Bongo's, Wolfgang Pucks, The Earl of Sandwich, T-Rex, etc. The World of Disney store is larger, and right next to it is Once Upon a Toy store. DTD at WDW is larger in scope, and it has a meandering feel to it; there are even attractions like DisneyQuest, and the new balloon ride, Characters in Flight. Pleasure Island was once a mecca for nighttime party-goers with all its clubs--but they are all closed now- the area is in transition. It will be interesting to see how the area will develop. To me, the place is always changing. I'm actually old enough to remember DTD before there ever was a Pleasure Island, when it was just "Buena Vista Village"!!!

 

[cannp123165]

DTD at WDW is bigger than Disneyland, and I definitely think it is worth visiting, maybe for a meal in the evening. There are loads of restaurants to eat at. The marketplace is mainly shopping, but there is a greater variety of shops than just Disney shops. There is also Disney Quest and Cirque du Soleil.

 

[PictureJumpr]

It was fun for an evening, but it seemed to be pretty much just...a pricey shopping area. On any given evening, I'd rather be in one of the parks!

There are restaurants, some a destination unto themselves like House of Blues or Planet Hollywood and some not so interesting, and there are lots and lots of shops. Even the restaurants have shops.

We do go to wander aimlessly around and sip on a beverage from time to time, but it is not on our must-do list by any stretch of the imagination. If any of the parks is open late, we're probably there instead.

 

[KJay]

Thanks for the info- places like House of Blues or Planet Hollywood (or Rainforest Cafe, for that matter- how did this restaurant end up in a Disney park?) hold no interest for me- I view them as mall-type chain restaurants (albeit expensive ones, with cool decorations) that I can easily find elsewhere, if I so desired. When I went to DTD in Anaheim, it was only because it was our arrival night, and we did not have park tickets for that night. Thanks for filling me in- I'll know what I'm missing now

 

[SplashMo]

Way diffrent. WDW is much better and has Ghiradelli Hot Fudge Sundays!!!!

I still done spent too much time there. maybe 2 hours per visit.