Downtown Disney

[charlielinda3]

I posted an earlier thread about visiting Downtown Disney one day on our "off" day and have heard that Downtown Disney is a mess with construction, parking and buses. I'm sorry to ask if it's been asked before but curious how bad it is. We love stopping there and it's a tradition for over 20+ years to have ice cream at Ghirardelli, stop at Bazins, Art of Disney, Design-A-Tee and let's not forget the Big Disney Store. Instead of going on our "off" day I might consider going first thing in the morning of the day we leave since we'll being driving to Sarasota. I'm thinking the stores open at 10:00 and we could be there when it opens and then shop, eat ice cream for lunch and head out.

 

[Alesia]

We were last summer and I had heard what a nightmare it was going to be.

It was fine. Seriously. It took us about 45 seconds to find a parking spot. And that was before the garage was built.

There were a lot of construction walls, but they didn't really bother us.

 

[amandals2007]

i think even if its "bad" and its your familys tradition of that long you should go still. i dont see how it can be that bad. i know all the stores you just listed are still open for business, so i think you should still go IMO. I know the construction is going on, and even if it is a mess down there, you cannot have progess without it. it will make it better the next time you are there and future visitors. believe me i hate contruction walls as much as anyone, im such a huge disney freak i want everything perfect but im realizing nothing is and you just gotta go with the flow (as i say that im singing the song in my head from nemo lol)

 

[yulilin3]

The stores open at 10am. If you're there in the morning it's much, much better. The evening gets hectic. The parking situation is better but traffic getting in is a mess in the evening

 

[kaetra]

Being there at Rope Drop seems to apply to everything now, including DTD

 

[tlmadden73]

I went last October before the garage was finished .. was fine driving in at mid-day and leaving at night. We did that on our first day to kick off the trip and our last day to finish it up.

It lost a bit of its charm because of all the construction walls, but my son still had fun at the Lego store and the World of Disney store. Heck we never left the Marketplace area and had a blast.

 

[HopperFan]

If you go at prime evening especially Fri and Sat it might take awhile to get a spot if you don't go in the parking deck. We still had great visits and each time looking to see what had newly open. Last trip we opted for Disney transportation and it was fine. Considering the volume of work being done, we just let the "walls" not bother us. Looking forward to going back our next trip to check out the new stuff.

 

[Bluegrrl]

It is a mess. We went post garage, and the traffic was terrible - everything is torn up, and it's really not worth trying to get there by normal car. When I say torn up, I really mean it - it's a true mess, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Parking is in a couple of areas. You can park by the Hess or the Disney employee spots. But then you are in the sun and have to walk across the streets. Disney CMs may direct you there. Or you can battle the traffic and park in the actual parking garage which is also a bit of a cluster. It's not like a normal parking garage where you can drive around and find a spot then park yourself. Nope, that day they had CMs directing you through the parking lot into spaces. Huh? Very weird - they directed us away from a level that clearly indicated it had spots to another higher level. Go fig.

Once we parked, we had to walk from HoB through West Side all the way to Marketplace. It was a shorter and safer walk than parking in the Hess area, but still. I would stay away from it.

What I WOULD do is park at POR, grab a po'boy at the food court, then boat it to DTD. Even if the boat takes a little longer, its worth not having the headache of parking at DTD.
Oh, and BTW, there are walls everywhere. Construction central!

 

[Shroog]

Can you park at POR if you are staying offsite?

 

[hedberg1661]

I think it matters how you are getting to and from DTD. Parking at night is honesty a mess. The mornings are fine. However the last time I was there Disney was routing the buses through a different way and it was pretty quick. If you are staying on property that may be your best bet if you are going at night. I would still go regardless if it is a tradition.

 

[Ceryssa]

It is a mess. But it's still a fun visit. It's much, much better if you're using Disney transportation rather than trying to drive--especially if you take the boat. Last time I was there during the day was 2012, so it may be different now but we didn't have too much trouble. Tried to go last summer but after 20 minutes waiting to turn into the parking lot we gave up and left. In November we used Disney transportation and we had no problems. The walls were up everywhere, but we were able to get everywhere we wanted to go. I don't think it's bad enough to skip out on your family tradition. I'd still plan to go, but just be aware you may have to be a little patient. Have fun!

 

[soniam]

We did the POR boat two weeks ago to DTD. We only did the Marketplace side. I think it looked way better than AK as far as walls go. We didn't try to park, so that probably helped.

As for parking at POR, if you say that you are going to eat there, they will probably just let you in. We parked at GF for dinner at V&A. They didn't confirm our reservation, just looked DH's drivers license. When we dropped DS off at the front for the kids club, they did the same thing. So maybe if you say you are going to eat there, they will just let you in. I would think they have the ability to confirm stuff with your band or KTTW card, but they never did.

ADDED: The boat trip is about 20 minutes, because the boat stops at POFQ on the way to DTD and on the way back before POR. It took a lot longer than I thought it would

 

[Bluegrrl]

If you like beneits (sp), po'boys, and gumbo - then you can park there! As locals, my DH and I often go there just for the food. (Tibby's - local place - also has some great N.O. food, but I like POR). It's a food court, so no ressies needed.

 

[Alesia]

Can you park at POR if you are staying offsite?

You're not supposed to park at resorts and then go somewhere else, but I'm sure people do.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I still find it a nightmare. Went mid March for dinner at Raglan Road. I probably won't be back for a long time. It's just not fun with all the congestion and construction walls.

 

[kj2mom]

We are staying just outside DTD and have to check out by 10am with an 8pm flight so my plan is last day being there at 10am also. Hopefully it will work for us!

 

[kbelle8995]

Once you get parked, DTD is fine. There's some construction. It's not bad. IT's the PARKING the getting there, that's a pain. Like PPs said If you are going in the morning it shouldn't be so bad. The later in the day the worse it gets just like the park.

 

[Hopefully]

Can you park at POR if you are staying offsite?

No, Parking at Resorts is for guests paying to stay at those resorts. If they realize what you are doing, you could be towed.
Will you get caught? Probably not. But is still is not right to do.

 

[mullysisters]

I have taken DTD off of my schedule this trip. Last year I went and really disliked it. Crowded and hard to navigate. I walked from the Marketplace to HOB, turned around and walked back. I'd rather shop in the parks during the mid-day "rush time". I don't find any of the non-Disney stores particularly interesting for me.
I ended up going to the movies and seeing "Captain America-Winter Soldier". It was fun! I may see "Age of Ultron" this year if I find I have some free time to go.

 

[Rose77]

No, Parking at Resorts is for guests paying to stay at those resorts. If they realize what you are doing, you could be towed.
Will you get caught? Probably not. But is still is not right to do.

From what I have read on numerous sites, this is not true. (All bolding is mine):

Frome allears.net:
"Self parking at the Disney resorts is free to all guests; however some resorts have seasonal parking restrictions. Parking at any of the resorts to gain access to the theme parks is not allowed. You must show a photo ID when entering any Disney resort! Some Disney resorts may also ask for a Dining Reservation number from guests who are dining at the resort before allowing access to the resort parking lot."

From mouseSavers.com:
"Self-parking at the Disney resort hotels remains free of charge, and it is free to drop off your luggage at the front entrance of the hotel and then proceed to self-parking. If you are not staying at the hotel and are visiting during a very busy period, you may be given a three-hour parking pass, and/or you may be asked for evidence that you have a dining reservation there (they can look up your reservation by name)."

From wdwprepschool (in reference to visiting a resort when not a guest there):
"You can also drive to the resorts and ask for a 3-hour parking pass to check out the resort or you can pay $15 to valet for the day."

My understanding is that anyone may park at a resort, even if it is to just look around. During a busy time they may issue a 3 hour permit (limiting your time allowed to park to 3 hours).