Is there a reason to go to DTD?

[Mississippianna]

We're going to be at Disney for a week, and I haven't planned for any time at DTD at all. Last trip, in 2006, it was just me and DH. We went to DTD one evening and saw nothing that appealed to us for dinner, didn't have a budget for shopping, and felt like it was just time that would have been better spent at MK.

This time we're taking my mom and our 18-month old DD. Should I make time for DTD? Anything new since 2006 worth doing? We'll have the $200 gift card from our package, which gives us souvenir money this time. Is there merchandise available here that you can't find anywhere else? I'd be just as happy doing our shopping at the parks in between seeing the attractions.

Tell me what's fabulous and exciting at DTD!

 

[eventamy]

It's really cool to walk through the biggest Disney Store in the world!
We're going our first night there (an added night) and we're hitting T-Rex restaurant (or Wolfgang Puck Express if not too busy), the new t-shirt making store, the make your own ears store and Goofy's candy shop, which from what I hear, is worth the trip alone!

 

[ChristaDeVil]

We spent very little time there, as well. We are going back next time to play at Disney Quest, but we're not big shoppers. My (then) 7 y.o. wanted to go to the Lego store, and that's the only reason we even went to DTD. Next time, we'll probably spend a little longer down there, mainly because we didn't hit many of the stores that are just nice to look at.

 

[blessedby3]

We like to go and walk around and soak up the atmosphere. The kids always get a souvineer there and we love to go to Goofys candy store
We have also gotten ice cream at Ghiradelies (SP?). Very Good.
Earl of Sandwich is very tasty and affordable. Ive heard that Wolfgang Pucks Express is also very good, but we have never eaten there. It is a nice bit of down time for our family to go to DTD.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

We went for the first time last summer (we've been to WDW about six times). The parks weren't crowded, but DTD was unbelievably crowded. That alone was enough for DH to say he never wanted to go back there.

The only thing we really liked was Goofy's Candy shoppe. It was fun for the kids (and very yummy).

Personally, I won't be headed back there. I'd rather be at the parks or resort.

 

[demonskrye]

If you don't plan on going to DisneyQuest, you're not really interested in any of the restaurants there, and you think you can get enough shopping done in the parks, then no, there really isn't. It can certainly be fun if you enjoy window shopping or that $200 gift card is really burning a hole in your pocket and nothing in the parks is catching your eye. And you can get some very tasty food there. But it's really not a huge tragedy if you go back home without having seen Downtown Disney. If you're pressed for time, feel free to skip it.

 

[catne]

there are some really fun photo ops over there -- in & around the World of Disney store, there are some full-size (or nearly) statues of Disney characters (even princesses!) that are really fun for pictures, because of course they look exactly like the actual movie characters instead of people in costumes & make-up. And then there's all those really fun LEGO giant statues-those are great pictures too.

It's not always crowded - we've been there when it's fairly full, and when it's fairly empty.

 

[homerjay316]

I would not forefit theme park time for DTD, but if you are leaving the parks early one night and don't want to sit around your room, its a fun walk thru there window shopping and what not.

We did a dinner at Capt'n Jack's last year, did the shops, then ended our evening at La Nouba. We planned La Nouba ahead of time, its a little expensive to do on a whim.

 

[oakmanner]

For us its a must do at least one night every trip. Dining, shopping, cigars, drinks etc... Repeat, not nessasarly in that order.

Dennis-

 

[WaltD4Me]

I love DTD. I usually stay OKW, so I take the boat over to DTD, a favorite thing of mine in itself. Then I love the huge pin store, the Art of Disney store and Basin. I like browsing in World of Disney too, but they don't have much in there you can't find in the parks anymore. I really enjoy the atmosphere there, but I always try to go in the morning, it's much more enjoyable when it isn't mobbed. It is mainly shopping though, if that isn't your thing, it's skippable.

 

[Tomh]

We drove to Florida last year, and got to the Disney area at around 11:00 in the morning the day before our actual vacation, so we spent the afternoon at DTD.

I wouldn't give up park time for it either, it isn't a MUST SEE sort of thing, but we had a good time there. Lunch was at the McDonald's which is probably the biggest MdD's we've ever seen. We did some shopping, the World of Disney is an amazing store. DS4 had a great time playing with the Lego's and messing about in the fountain. We got some photos around the area too. It was a nice way to "ease" into Disney. We finished the evening with supper at Planet Hollywood which everyone loved (and that goes double for DD13).

This year, we're planning to arrive at around 2:00 in the afternoon our first day, and visit DTD that afternoon. We've also planned two days in the middle of our trip that won't be park days, and expect to spend some time at DTD probably on both of those days. We've also got tickets for La Nouba this year.

DTD is more relaxing than the parks are, and is a nice diversion, but if you aren't into the shopping, then it probably won't hold your interest for very long.

 

[WillCAD]

I have always loved browsing the shops at DTD, picking up a cold drink somewhere and relaxing on a bench while the people go by, and sometimes grabbing a bite to eat or even listening to the live music they sometimes have. When I'm on vacation I also like to see a movie or two, so I spend often some time at the AMC Pleasure Island theater.

I haven't tried most of the restaurants at DTD, but that's mostly because I don't make ADRs and they are usually too busy to accept walk-ups during the times of year I'm there. But I keep saying that one of these days I'll try Wolfgang Puck, Bongos, Raglan Road, or the Earl of Sandwich; all of them seem like places I'd enjoy.

As for merchandise, the answer is YES, there is stuff at DTD that can't be found in the parks. And vice-versa - each park and each resort has specific stuff that can't be found anywhere else. I've learned the hard way that if you see something you like but don't buy it then and there, make a note of its location so you can find it again later, because there are so many things that just aren't available at more than one location.

The trick to really enjoying DTD is to go early in the day on a weekday, when the majority of Guests are in the parks and the majority of locals are at work or in school. This makes crowds lower, and makes it a lot easier to browse at a relaxed pace and take in the ambience of the place.

 

[MHSweb79]

We're not shoppers either, but my DD and I went to Downtown Disney a couple of times during our afternoon "resort-rest" time (DH stayed in the pool), but mostly because we were staying at POFQ and we wanted to take the boat ride there.
I remember we got a cool towel for my DH and we got some ice cream at Ghirardelli's. Another day we were going to HS for Fantasmic so we went down and got sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich, which we then took to Fantasmic to eat while we were waiting. It was probably the best sandwich we ate all week- nice and fresh, with lovely salad greens. Also, it was on the meal plan. MUCH better than anything we could have gotten at the Studios!

 

[Lynn5700]

DTD is a must for us. Just gives us something to do at night after the parks close and we love the stores and Earl of Sandwich oooh ooh and Goofys candy Co.

The stores are great!

 

[mistee]

DTD has the best milk shakes I have ever had,,, i can't go to FL w/o getting one..... It is at gheradelies ,,, spelling wrong,,,lol,,, anyway the candy store.. They are so yummy,,, we will be arriving on the 21st and our first stop is there then to the house we rented!!

irene

 

[thecapells]

DTD to us is always the first night.
That way you don't waste a park ticket on 1/2 day and you still have something fun to after you check-in and get settled.
We hit the LEGO store, T-Rex was a highlight this past trip, Once Upon A Toy is great for souvenirs (build-your-lightsaber is AWESOME), and the World of Disney Store is a must as well (we usually buy some stuff to wear throughout the trip).

There's also DisneyQuest, a movie theatre, and lots of photo ops.
For us, it's basically a nice way to get into the Disney Spirit before you hit the parks the next day!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We like to go for dinner at Fultons and dessert at Goofys and look through the shops...sometimes we go to lunch at WPE too... we dont spend that much time there.

 

[noahdove]

Yes, even if it's for ice cream and the Legos I bought several items at The Basin for Christmas and this August I will be ornaments for gifts as well...don't forget to stop at Goofy's for some fun food :0

 

[Mississippianna]

Thank you, all! I guess I still don't think this is a must-do for us. Maybe my mom and I can do some shopping while DH stays at the resort with DD, either while she naps in the afternoon or after she has gone down for the night (usually by 7 p.m.). There will be a lot of mid-day down time for us on this trip because DD will need to nap at the resort every afternoon. We'll play it by ear, but I think all of us would agree park time is our priority.

Is is at DTD where there's a place you can fill a jewelry box or bag with costume bracelets and necklaces? I saw something about that on here and have thought about doing this for DD.

 

[jade1]

We stopped for a couple reasons. 1) we do AP's (DVC discount) so we would rather hit a park 2) the shopping has gotten better at the resorts and parks 3) PI would have got us down there (made an evening of it) since most of the kids are now 21 but oh well.