Downtown Disney Worth It?

[Klstacey]

Hi! I'll be in the Huntington Beach area next week and it is only 30 minutes from DL. I'm traveling from Maryland to do a quick beach trip and just realized how close we will be to DL. There are no reservations and I just went to both DL/DCA at the end of October and WDW 2 weeks ago but I have not been to Downtown Disney in CA. Do you think DTD is worth the 30 minute drive? Is it comparable to Disney Springs in Florida? Any insight would be great!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'd stalk the reservation page and try to get into the parks. People cancel all the time.

 

[disney-inspired]

Hi! I'll be in the Huntington Beach area next week and it is only 30 minutes from DL. I'm traveling from Maryland to do a quick beach trip and just realized how close we will be to DL. There are no reservations and I just went to both DL/DCA at the end of October and WDW 2 weeks ago but I have not been to Downtown Disney in CA. Do you think DTD is worth the 30 minute drive? Is it comparable to Disney Springs in Florida? Any insight would be great!

Definitely not comparable to Disney Springs. It's much smaller and offers less. It's still nice to walk around and get some of that Disney magic when you go into the World of Disney.
We've never made DTD a destination but have stopped by on our way to San Diego. We're driving from northern LA county so it's nice to stretch our legs on the 3 hr ride to SD.

 

[l4dyj8]

No, not worth the drive if you have no specific plans.

I like DTD And prefer some of those restaurants over than in the park. But just to walk around, no. But reservations do open up a day or two before the weekend. Too much of hassle with the crowds and parking. The non Disney stores can be found in most malls.

 

[Didi8367]

IMO there’s no comparison between the two areas. Don’t get me wrong, DTD is fun if you’re already in the area (every time we go to DLR, we “jumpstart” our trip by having dinner in DTD the night before our first park day). But it’s not comparable to Disney Springs at all. I definitely wouldn’t drive 30 mins out of my way to go there.

 

[DisSurfer878]

If you want to see some Christmas decor and feel festive and have a meal, it can be fun to walk around and see the lights, pop in the shops, have dinner, enjoy a beverage and a cookie in the lobby of the Grand and listen to the carolers and pianist. But it's not like Disney Springs at all. It's a 2-3 hour stop at most

 

[BadPinkTink]

It depends on your perspective. In over 10 trips to Disneyland I've spent very little time in Downtown Disney, usually about 3 hours on my last day, after I check out of my hotel and before my flight.

I usually just go to Starbucks, World of Disney and Sephora, a race through the shops as I am on a time limit.

On my next trip to Disneyland, I have scheduled a no park day and I will spend the whole day at Downtown Disney, just strolling, people watching and leisurely shopping. I have breakfast and lunch reservations and I plan to finally make it over to Disneyland Hotel and try a dole whip with rum.

For the first time I don't have to watch the time and can spend as long as I want in the shops, many of which I have never been in.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I don’t think it’s worth it, there are other places I’d rather go that have better food and shopping options. Most of the utility and charm of DtD comes from staying on property and having it sandwiched between your home (hotel) and destination (park).

We did a DtD only stop when the parks were closed and it was actually kind of depressing not being able to go in. Definitely stalk the reservation page, though, there are a lot of cancellations.

 

[starlite_]

There are some really nice Disney shops. You can find almost everything sold in the park there. No experience with the restaurants so can't help there but I agree with what everyone has said. It is a small group of stores that you can see in 3-4 hrs or less, depending on your tastes. I would do it because I love window shopping and it's just 30 min. Just check hrs of operations, I remember the Pandora store opens ant like noon or something but I'm unsure of others.

 

[cruisehopeful]

As the others have said, it's not anything unique or special to go out of your way for. However, I do enjoy just going to the restaurants and bars at the hotels. Right now, they are decorated very nicely and you can walk up for Tangaroa Terrace at the DLH (has everything that Trader Sam's has) and Hearthstone and Craftsman Grill at the Grand.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I’m thinking 30mins is a best case scenario (like you live right off the freeway and there’s zero traffic). It’ll probably be closer to 45mins to an hour if you’re going factor in traffic, parking (Simba), walking, security checkpoint, etc…to get down to WOD.

Plus have to mention the $10 minimum parking fee even with validation (not bad, but annoying enough to mention).

 

[Lisa24jks]

I can't compare to Disney Springs as I have never been. I do like going to DtD when I'm in the area and not visiting the parks, but I don't know that I'd go out of my way for it unless I was looking for a specific item in the stores or something. I was there the first weekend in November, because my family had just taken a cruise and was staying at the SunCoast down the road afterwards. So it was a quick uber ride there and back to spend a couple hours shopping and picked up some Christmas stuff and some things for the December DLR trips we had planned. So it's nice if there's Disney related shopping you want/need to do and want a dash of Disney it's a good for that, but it's not really an "hang out all day" kind of place.

 

[Tinkaboo]

The LEGO store is awesome, at least last time I was there. Great LEGO creations of Disney/Marvel/Star Wars characters.

Great Sprinkles cupcakes and the candy store are nice too.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

As the others have said, it's not anything unique or special to go out of your way for. However, I do enjoy just going to the restaurants and bars at the hotels. Right now, they are decorated very nicely and you can walk up for Tangaroa Terrace at the DLH (has everything that Trader Sam's has) and Hearthstone and Craftsman Grill at the Grand.

This! The lobby of the Grand Californian has a wonderful gingerbread house and tree. If you like shopping, the shops in DTD are great, so much great merch. I actually like that DTD is smaller…easily walkable. I remember during the pandemic when the parks and hotels were closed people were flying down for the weekend just to go to DTD, which I thought was a little overkill. But if your in Huntington and already flew across the country and love Disney, why not pop over for lunch and Salt & Straw ice cream or treats from Marcelline’s (many of the yummy treats sold in the parks including Mickey ice cream bars).

 

[DLgal]

Not really. Fashion Island and Irvine Spectrum are both much better outdoor malls. There is nothing really special at Downtown Disney. If you're not DYING for some Disney atmosphere/shopping, skip it. Also, have a backup plan for the beach and all other outdoor activities. It's supposed to rain for a good part of next week.

 

[njchris]

Not really. Fashion Island and Irvine Spectrum are both much better outdoor malls. There is nothing really special at Downtown Disney. If you're not DYING for some Disney atmosphere/shopping, skip it. Also, have a backup plan for the beach and all other outdoor activities. It's supposed to rain for a good part of next week.

I love those malls. Moved here from NJ 3 years ago and just love the outdoor malls here.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Not worth it. I wouldn't even recommend it if you only had to drive 10 minutes because of the parking fee.

The only situation where it could potentially be worth it is if you have some very specific Disney merchandise that you know is available at Downtown Disney and the scalper price is way too high.

 

[DLgal]

I love those malls. Moved here from NJ 3 years ago and just love the outdoor malls here.

I grew up in NJ! Have you heard the joke "what mall were you from?" Brunswick Square Mall for me. Irvine Spectrum has been named the #1 outdoor mall in Southern California for several years in a row. It's so good. So many great restaurants and stores there and they even have a Disneyland sponsored ice rink in the winter.

 

[njchris]

I grew up in NJ! Have you heard the joke "what mall were you from?" Brunswick Square Mall for me. Irvine Spectrum has been named the #1 outdoor mall in Southern California for several years in a row. It's so good. So many great restaurants and stores there and they even have a Disneyland sponsored ice rink in the winter.

HAHAH Mine was Garden State Plaza in Paramus. Which was actually an outdoor mall in the 1970's!

 

[nicole88s]

Irvine Spectrum has been named the #1 outdoor mall in Southern California for several years in a row. It's so good. So many great restaurants and stores there and they even have a Disneyland sponsored ice rink in the winter.

I love the Spectrum! I feel like my kids grew up there. I belonged to a mom's group that always met there. I miss living in Irvine. Such a safe place, but so much to do.