Downtown Disney

[petals]

What's the best thing to do in downtown disney? Is it worth seeing or are parks better?

Also do you need a ticket to get into downtown disney??

 

[LoriABil]

You don't need a ticket for Down Town Disney, except to go into Disney Quest. Arcade seems inadequate to describe it, but I'm at loss for a better word. It is 5 stories, with everything from old school arcade games to virtual reality games including a really cool Pirates of the Caribbean game/ride. If you have tickets with a Water Park and more option, this is included in the "and More" part.

As for it being better than the parks? Absolutely not! Unless you like Ghirardelli ice cream. In that case, it might be a tie. But there is a lot of shopping, and it is a fun way to spend an evening, plus good restaurants.

The best thing to do...Ghiraradelli ice cream, but my count. But DS says it is the splash pad outside of the Design your own T-shirt store. DH says it is sitting on the patio at Raglan Road and enjoying a cold adult beverage.

In short, worth a look if you have some free time or need a break.

 

[OKW Lover]

Down Town Disney is really just a shopping place. Certainly not a substitute for a park.

 

[DisneyDorkORama]

Downtown disney is just shopping other than arcade. But it is awesome place to shop! I dont think any trip is complete without a trip there. There is a lot of neat shops there. I take it you have never been, so in that case you should defiantly GO!!

 

[DOOM1001]

DTD is a shopping/entertainment/dining complex,you can easily spend close to 1/2 a day there,no admission or parking fee required.

 

[minniebeth]

In the evenings, there is a lot of great entertainment in DTD. Music, mini-concerts, magicians, etc. There is a play area for children in front of the Lego store (legos). There are fun things for kids to play with at Once Upon a Toy (store) too. Fun to walk through Rain Forest and T-Rex Cafes too. There is a hot air ballon ride you can take (it's a tethered balloon) over DTD that's really cool (separate ticket). You can take the boats between ends of DTD or to other resorts for something to do. Lots to do and fun, you could spend a lot of time there, but as others have said, no subsititute for the parks.

 

[petals]

Downtown disney is just shopping other than arcade. But it is awesome place to shop! I dont think any trip is complete without a trip there. There is a lot of neat shops there. I take it you have never been, so in that case you should defiantly GO!!

Nope never been although we did go to a cinema at Pleasure Island when we were there in 1995 not sure if it's same area! I don't remember that far back lol

 

[DOOM1001]

Nope never been although we did go to a cinema at Pleasure Island when we were there in 1995 not sure if it's same area! I don't remember that far back lol

Pleasure Island IS/WAS the middle section of Downtown Disney,I say was because Disney closed the clubs in the area leaving the area with few tenants.The movie theater is on the edge of the Pleasure Island and DTD's West side.Pleasure Island will supposedly be changing from clubs to more restaurants and stores,they've already opened some like Paradiso 37 but it's been a while and not much else has been added.

 

[Ottes4]

Downtown Disney is our first stop when we hit Orlando! My kids love to get a touch of Disney before we head to the parks the next day....

My oldest (7) loves to check out all the merchandise early so she has time to decide what she will buy, without wasting time in the parks?!

We always buy a personalized ornament there as well. Then it is completed before we leave.

Hope you have a chance to visit the area!

 

[lilosurf11]

I have to say, I wish they hadn't done away with the clubs!! However, The House of Blues is awesome and so is Cirque du Soleil. I could spend an entire day in DTD.

 

[petals]

What's Raglan Road like? We're Irish and we notice a little habit building that everytime we go away we try find an Irish bar.. wonder what disney's one is like

 

[CdnBuzzFan]

Downtown Disney can't really be compared to the parks. It has some very nice restaurants and places to shop but you dont need a ticket to enjoy the things that DDT has to offer. You can visit it even if you've been to other parks already on the same day. It has a LEGO store that my DS loved when he was 7 and the Goofy Candy store is worth it just to go in a look around. There is a place where you can build a motorized toy car and make your own light saber and other interesting things to see and do but it has no rides. It's also got clubs but I've never been to that section. It has a nice little place to stop and get a family picture taken for your Christmas card.

 

[petals]

Cool.. I've planned a character breakfast and a few hours in downtown disney for our last day.. How does one get between resorts and downtown disney though if you're not on property?

 

[bnhasak]

We love Raglan Road. They have live Irish music and a dancer in the evenings. The food is good and they have many beers on tap.

My kids even love to go. My DD likes to get a picture each year with the dancer.

 

[misha]

What's Raglan Road like? We're Irish and we notice a little habit building that everytime we go away we try find an Irish bar.. wonder what disney's one is like

We love Raglan Road too! It's my DD13's fav place to eat and the first thing she said she wanted to do when I told them we were heading back to our Happy Place!

Trying to decide if we should do DisneyQuest - as a parent I have a hard time paying that much for an "arcade" But I'm guessing the kids would love it. I would love to hear from those who have been. TIA!

 

[minniebeth]

misha, if you search, there are a lot of threads on DisneyQuest, and people talk about it, you could see their opinions on if it would be a good option for you. Whether it's worth it or not for you depends on how old you kids are, how much they love gaming, are you going to pay for extra DQ tickets, or using a water parks, fun, and more ticket, how much time you would plan on spending there.
DQ is a defiantely more than just an arcade.
I would say DQ is great if you've been to WDW before, done a lot of things at the parks and are looking for a something new, or if your trip is long that you have some out of park days and want a change. If you are already going commando and have not done all the parks/water parks have to offer, I'd say focus on that.
It is a cool experience~

 

[misha]

Thanks Miniebeth!

 

[minnie29uk]

We love Raglan Road too! It's my DD13's fav place to eat and the first thing she said she wanted to do when I told them we were heading back to our Happy Place!

Trying to decide if we should do DisneyQuest - as a parent I have a hard time paying that much for an "arcade" But I'm guessing the kids would love it. I would love to hear from those who have been. TIA!

We spend all day at Disney quest when we go - lots to do there

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Lets not forget the Earl of Sandwich is well worth the trip. Mmmmm. Also it's a must if you like potato heads. All the Disney potato head toys can be found there!

 

[trickiwoo]

After we check into our hotel, we usually head to DTD and spend our first afternoon/evening there. (We save the parks for when we have a whole day to spend at WDW!) We also like to head there in the evenings after the parks close.

If you love to shop, I'd definitely recommend it!

We also love to go to T-Rex and have a drink at the Shark Bar!