DTD for kids

[ErinInCT]

Never been to Downtown Disney (or is it officially Disney Spring yet?). My girls are 11 and 15 and we arrive Tuesday Sept 1st. We plan to unpack, get our grocery delivery and take a swim at AKL and then head over to DTD/DS for the evening. What is there to do for tweens/teens? What is the best CS restaurant for not picky eaters, but not very adventurous eaters? Is the Lego store just a store or do they have cool Lego "sculptures" we can look at?

On a side note, just in case anyone else has stayed at AKL Kidani so I don't have to do a separate post - does anyone know how the arcades work? Do they take tokens that you get from a machine or do they take quarters? I know the kids will wanna hit the arcade at the nights the parks close early.

 

[LaurEm378]

You buy arcade cards now, no coins involved. I know they card machines take credit/debit, and I think they take cash. You pick the dollar amount and reload them when you run out of funds.

The Lego store is actually pretty cool. There are some great sculptures and some photo ops in the store, plus a big table where you can build your own creations.

Not sure if it's technically CS or TS, but Wolfgang Puck Express was really good the last time I visited. You order and pay at a counter and then seat yourself (indoors or outdoors) and your food is served to you. Very nice menu with lots of options for kids or picky eaters, and excellent service. It was like a little relaxing oasis in a very chaotic place, and the prices were not bad.

Have fun planning!

 

[amomma23]

WPE is quick service and excellent! Lots of great shops and things to see for teens/tweens.

 

[Mama Lo]

My boys 11 and 13 love to go to DTD. Although we usually have fun I think its a big shopping trip.

The Lego store there is awesome. Looks of photo ops and a few building tables including a place to build and race a car down a hill.

The Ghirardelli shop gives you a free yummy chocolate just for walking in there.

WPE is great! Also Earl of a Sandwich and Cookes of Dublin are good choices.

Have fun!!

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

My teen DD's always love to visit DTD. As previous posters mentioned, the Lego store is pretty cool - the sculptures are impressive. We like to get ice cream from Ghiradelli and visit Goofy's Candy Company to build our own rice crispy treats with chocolate and yummy toppings. Wolfgang Puck Express (amazing quick service with rotisserie chicken, salmon, pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, cream brule, frozen yogurt, cheesecake) and T-Rex (fun table service; huge servings). I have not eaten at Raglan Road (it's very popular here on the disboards though - it's on my 'to do' list). I would suggest a stop at Hanes 'Build Your Own Tee' for a fun souvenir. Your 11 year old might like shopping at "Little Mismatched" - my 13 year old might be getting too old/big for this store now. Disney Quest is something that my girls like to do once every trip for a few hours. With our package, we usually get 2 free passes (last year at ages 12 and 15 they went in on their own while we shopped, but they had been with us a couple of times before and knew the layout of the place). Just to note, Disney Quest is closing some time next year, so if it's something you think that they might like to do, this might be your only chance. My girls really like DQ, but DH and I think it's ok. If they love to play video / interactive games, they will likely enjoy it. Of course, the World of Disney is fantastic. My DD's like to visit the jewelry area and get earrings / Alex and Ani bracelets. DD's love getting bath bombs at Basin and oldest DD enjoys shopping at Trend-D store for more 'adult type Disney tee's'.
DTD is definitely worth a visit IMO

 

[kayli2299]

DTD/DS is absolutely awesome! You could definitely spend hours there. When my family goes we always go to splitsville for bowling. It's amazing!! You have a booth right behind your lane and you get a waiter that will come to your table for orders every so often. You can order anything from pizza to burgers to pasta to sushi! It's really fun for a day off.

Also go to Ghirardelli and get the hot fudge sundae. You'll thank me later.

Have fun!

 

[broncobill]

We always got to Disney Springs. Even when my daughter was 4. She had a blast at the water fountain.
So much to see there.
We either eat at Rain Forest or Planet Hollywood.
My daughter will be turning 16 on our next trip (August 7-16 2015) and still plan on going there.
You will not regret going there.

 

[kj2mom]

Another vote for the Design your own Tee! We did it on our last day though (after seeing what all of the parks had to offer). The tees we designed are our favorite souvenirs of the trip. The Lego Store had some really cool sculptures, don't forget to look in the water too! We ate at a TS, T-Rex and loved it....we did venture into Goofy's though and got a cake pop to enjoy!

 

[Fizban]

For that age and gender there are the stores including little missmatch (spelling?), dining options for their ages i would suggest T-rex (seriously dinosaurs RAWWWRRR), Raglan (for the dancers), or Rain Forest (no dinosaurs or dancers but still cool), Ice cream, and did i mention shopping?