How Long at Disney Springs?

[mocame]

How long do you normally spend at Disney Springs?

We are arriving in the early afternoon and we planning on getting settled in our room and then head to Disney Springs. Maybe leave the resort around 3:00 to 4:00 PM? We were thinking of just shopping, eating a cs at either Wolfgang Puck Express or Earl of Sandwich, and just looking around since it has changed a lot since we were last there in 2009.

Are there more things to do than that?

 

[MouseMomx2]

There are several things that can take up more time than that, but nothing that you have to do. If you just want to have dinner, stroll DS and browse in the shops you'll be fine. If you want to bowl at Splitsville, see a movie, go to Cirque du Soleil or spend time at Disney Quest you'll need to plan on more time.

 

[Lumiere Lover]

We spent about five hours there in December just browsing and shopping. We ate at earl of sandwich and it was very good.

 

[hopeful4fl]

Enter at Bus Stop entrance.
Eat at Earl of Sandwich
Get your sweet tooth fix at Ghirardelli
Curse out loud at the sweet tooth fix at G and how stuffed you are....not to mention the sugar high you have
Walk into Disney stores and browse (or like us, try to find something made in the USA or AT THE LEAST not in China)
Walk past T-Rex, looking at the crowds inside and going....wow
Go to the lake and go up the balloon
Look at some more novelty shops.
Go hit some of the bars
Go bowl
Walk over to Cirque and tell yourself, someday I will have the time to do it
Hit some bars
Go over to Raglan R and ENJOY yourself (or Boathouse)
Go back to G and get some more malts
Curse for going back to G
Walk past Rainforest C and shake your head at the crowds going Wow
Go into Art of Disney and look at REALLY cool stuff
Board the bus

If you read the entire thread, you have a lot of patience. To summarize, you can spend hours at DS and still have other fun stuff you did not do. I think it is a cool place, but the crowds are sometimes a turn off (well.... the 4 times I have been there the crowds are worse than the parks).

 

[Tomh]

Typically, we visit Disney Springs (DTD) twice during our trip. The first time is in the afternoon on our arrival day, like you have planned. Usually that includes supper at Planet Hollywood (DW loves it there) and a bit of shopping, Goofy's Candy Company (I have an addiction to the no sugar added chocolate covered peanuts), world of Disney, etc. and then a fairly early return to our hotel.

Later, in the middle of the trip, we always schedule on non park day. That day, we usually do laundry, a bit of swimming etc. in the morning, then head down to Disney Springs either just before, or just after lunch, and spend the rest of the day there. That day may include Quest, time for DS12 to build and race cars at the Lego store, and a bit more extensive shopping.

Between the two visits, we probably spend around 12 hours or so in Disney Springs.

 

[courtneybeth]

We're the opposite. We head over there and maybe spend an hour or two -- then bounce and head off to our next destination.

For us, we go to check out some of the stores we don't typically see: the ganachery, basin white, the herb/rub store, etc. We will take one pass through the huuuuuge Disney merch store and then board the bus to our next destianation. We don't need to bowl, see a movie, or the cirque show.


Assess your needs and figure out what fits your schedule best. We don't eat a lot of food, so we don't need to hit up Ghirardelli or most of the restaurants / eateries. We also want to spend more time at the park. We leverage Disney Springs as a transportation hub before heading to our next destination. Your mileage may vary - so really ... assess what sounds good to you and do it. There is no right or wrong answer.

 

[bc7ate9]

I don't like Disney Springs at all - I don't like crowds and I don't like shopping. I plan about an hour to look around and at least another hour to try and get on a bus back to my resort.

 

[ejdmomma]

The crowds definitely pick up as the day progresses. We have typically got there early afternoon, spent a couple hours browsing the shops, grabbed dinner and then head back to the resort. By dinner it's usually very crowded and we're ready to go. I would say we're typically there 4-5 hours. Just depends on my hubby and kids...I could shop much longer!

 

[a742246]

If you arrive by evening there is a lot of music entertainment happening. I can easily spend 2-3 hours just listening to the music!

 

[Gina Starr]

You really could spend all day there. I personally like to stop at Earl of Sandwhich and World of Disney. I have gone to the movies as well the last couple times but that was mainly just to kill time. On our next trip, which will be short, I think we will just go to get our beloved holiday turkey sandwhich!

 

[katt789]

There can be a LOT of things to do at DTD and you can easily spend an entire afternoon there, however, if you're looking for something to keep you somewhat busy on arrival day, it can also be done like that.Like a PP said, my plans usually go like this:
-Enter at bus stop
-Eat at WPE or EoS
-Start checking out the shops
-Stop at G for at least that free sample
-Continue on your way through DTD
-We usually stop for a beer flight and some live music at Ragland Rd
And from there you just kinda keep going, then circle back, maybe hit up a few other stores on the way back. We've also done flights of wonder and if you're there when it's still light it's a fun thing to do that doesn't take up too much time.