Downtown Disney- worth it right now?

[autumnpalm]

We'll be traveling to WDW in late September and trying to figure out plans for our arrival night. We won't have park tickets, so I'm debating between doing a monorail tour of the MK resorts/stopping at various lounges and restaurants for snacks or heading to DTD. We haven't been to DTD in about three or four years, but I've been reading a lot of reports about construction.

How is the situation looking for this summer? Is it still a fun arrival night destination with a fair number of things open or will we be seeing a lot of walls and closed restaurants/shops?

Any recent reports?

 

[cleophus12]

There are still plenty of shops and restaurants open, but if you have a particular restaurant in mind (like Rainforest Cafe), you may want to make an ADR. Parking, however, is more of a problem since they have taken away some of the lots for construction. Have fun.

 

[Aminiman]

I agree, there's still plenty to do in DTD. I was just there a few days ago, and yes, there were walls around a lot of pleasure island etc, but most of it is still open. Of course, all I really need to be happy there is Earl of Sandwich and Ghirardelli... hee hee

Also, I made a decision this past trip - I won't be going to DTD on the weekend ever again. It's just too busy and the parking situation is worse than ever. Weekdays are just fine though!

 

[bluwater]

Depends on who is in your party. DH and I did an adults only visit to the resort area a couple of yeard ago - I was on business and we didn't step foot into the parks but we did have dinner at DTD and then took a bus to GF and from there we used the boats and monorial to have "cocktails around the world" (our name) and also included a glass of wine atop CG whist watching the fireworks. The adult experience was so nice in the delux resort lounges (as long as you don't mind $16-$25 per glass of wine). We were relatively...eh...."Dopey" by the end but it was so much fun and we didn't mind the expense for that experience. We plan on doing it again next month when we return with the teens, who have no plans on hanging with us all week.

 

[DISNEYWITHCHILDREN]

If you can avoid driving it's worth it. Parking is a MESS! Forget the market side and parking-if you're not there by 11am-I kid you not. The West Side is ok till about 4/5, then forget it.

If you are staying at a disney resort and can take disney transportation it should be fun.

 

[sequoia 14]

Definitely! The shops, strolling and eating are just as fun as before. As others have mentioned, the parking is the only hiccup. If it is before 4 you have a pretty good chance of finding a spot. However, after that it is a complete mess. They have an "overflow" parking lot nearby that has a shuttle, but it is honestly a huge hassle. If you can take Disney transport that is the most stress free way to go.

 

[epcotty]

I think downtown disney sucks but that's my opinion. To me there's not much interesting there, I was there in March. Parking's really tough and there's almost nothing interesting there at all. Ate at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and that was it, really. There's bowling and a movie theater but that's nothing impressive, and Disney Quest is a separate thing with its own admission cost

 

[auntyjenn]

Can you park at like the ticket and transportation area and take a bus from there? do you have to pay to park at TT?

 

[iheartglaciers]

Is the parking even bad on a Tuesday evening? I'm also going in the fall, at a less busy time of year.

 

[ckelly14]

Can you park at like the ticket and transportation area and take a bus from there? do you have to pay to park at TT?

I don't believe there is any buses that go from any Disney park (including TT) to DTD. You can park at any resort and take the bus...

 

[Alesia]

I don't believe there is any buses that go from any Disney park (including TT) to DTD. You can park at any resort and take the bus...

Or you can park at the TTC and walk to the Poly and take the bus from there.

 

[Hopefully]

I don't believe there is any buses that go from any Disney park (including TT) to DTD. You can park at any resort and take the bus...

Resort Parking is limited to the guests paying to stay at that resort. The lots are not big enough or intended to be general parking for the theme parks or DTD. You can pay $20 to Valet Park.

 

[Disneyfan78]

Does anybody have any experience at DD on Memorial Day? My wife and I are planning to stay away from the parks, but still get a Disney experience on that day. Also, best parking advice would be best. Overflow and take the shuttle or TTC and take a bus from Poly?

 

[wdwrich]

Can you park at like the ticket and transportation area and take a bus from there? do you have to pay to park at TT?

Yes, you have to pay to park at the TTC, which also serves as the parking lot for Magic Kingdom.

 

[Flamingeaux]

Going to DTD and eating at the Earl is our arrival day ritual. For our upcoming November trip I am considering going to a park just to grab a bite and catch one of the late shows - Wishes or Fantasmic.

No reason to skimp because of free dining.

 

[leebee]

Parking…

If you are staying at a Disney resort hotel, you won't pay to park at any Disney resort or theme park. Therefore, if you are staying onsite, you could check into your hotel, get your parking pass, drive to a theme park, and take the DTD bus from there. (You could also take a bus from your resort hotel to the theme park, then take a bus to DTD, but I think it'd be faster to drive to a theme park, park there, and take the bus from there.)

Also, it's not 100% true that you can only park at a resort hotel if you are a guest there. If you are visiting a Disney resort hotel, you can park in their parking lot for a limited time period. Tell the person in the gate house that you want to see the hotel, or you have an ADR (if that's why you are going there), etc., and s/he'll direct you to a short-term parking area for visitors. You are also allowed to park at the Boardwalk Inn if you are going to the Boardwalk. Once again, tell the person in the guard house what you want to do, and they'll direct you from there.

DTD… never a fan. We used to go there when Ghirardelli would run a special on sundaes (BOGO half off) but those days are long gone. We like the food at Wolfgang Puck Express, but wouldn't make a trip to DTD JUST for that. DTD is mostly a giant outdoor shopping mall. Yes, there's a bowling alley, movie theater, Cirque du Soleil, and DQ, but those are separate venues/destinations unto themselves. There's no way I'd put up with the parking hassle, or convoluted bus route, just to get to DTD. HOWEVER… I do like the boat ride from PO and OKW to DTD and back, but that's because I like being on the water. We usually take the boat down and get right back on again to return to the resort!

 

[wdwrich]

Parking…

If you are staying at a Disney resort hotel, you won't pay to park at any Disney resort or theme park. Therefore, if you are staying onsite, you could check into your hotel, get your parking pass, drive to a theme park, and take the DTD bus from there. (You could also take a bus from your resort hotel to the theme park, then take a bus to DTD, but I think it'd be faster to drive to a theme park, park there, and take the bus from there.)

Sorry, but that's incorrect. There are no buses running between any of the WDW theme parks and DTD. The DTD buses only run to/from Disney resort hotels.

 

[cgattis]

Does anybody have any experience at DD on Memorial Day? My wife and I are planning to stay away from the parks, but still get a Disney experience on that day. Also, best parking advice would be best. Overflow and take the shuttle or TTC and take a bus from Poly?

I say skip DTD and hit a waterpark instead! I never get out of DTD for less than 50 bucks anyway . That's what we did last year and it was great.