Question - What is Downtown Disney?

[JoniGirl]

We are all ready to go!! YEAH!!

I got some brochures from Central Florida Travel, and one of them was for Downtown Disney. DH asked me to find out what it is, and if it requires a ticket? We have PHP.

THANKS!!!!

 

[buzz2400]

Downtown Disney consists of three different areas. the marketplace is shops and restaurants. Free to come and go as you please. Another section is pleasure island which is nightclubs that you have to pay to get in at night (also has some shops). And the third area is a movie theatre, disneyquest, the circus show (don't remember the name) and some more restaurants. The circus and Disney quest also has admission. The marketplace is a good place to go when you have spare time and want to get away from the parks but only figure about an hour to shop.

 

[browneyegoose]

My family loves Downtown Disney! We will been there in 6 days and can hardly wait to go. That is our very first night planned. Ahhhh .. the white chocolate coffee at Ghiradelli's is to die for! If you have children, Legos has a great place for the kids to play. Even if you don't have children, it's fun to look at the items made from legos. There's a lake with boat rentals - power and paddle boats. The Rainforest Cafe is there and if no other reason to go to DTD - that's the place to go. An old-fashioned carousel is there, but a little expensive to ride, I thought. If this tells you anything, our "itenerary" - and we use that term loosely - has us there four to five out of the ten nights will be spent there. Our family really enjoys it.

House of Blues has terrific atmosphere, too. It's all good ....

 

[Dodie]

Originally posted by buzz2400
The marketplace is a good place to go when you have spare time and want to get away from the parks but only figure about an hour to shop.

I am going to respectfully disagree with buzz2400 here. It takes us a full evening or afternoon to get through the Disney Marketplace in its entirety. Heck, it could take more than an hour to just walk from one end to the other, stopping every once in awhile. There are shops in each of the three sections mentioned above. Some of these are Disney shops, but some are not.

It's a lot of fun and is beautiful at night.

 

[kayeandjim00]

My DH and I love Downtown Disney! It's one of our favorite things to do at WDW. We go EVERY night that we are at WDW even if it's only for an hour or so. I have to agree with a previous poster about House of Blues as well. It's always our "first night" dinner. The atmosphere is fun and the food is great. But the main attraction for me (I am a shopaholic!) is the World of Disney, which is a GIGANTIC Disney Store and it takes us a good hour or two just to go through all of the rooms! Definitley go to Downtown Disney on your trip, it's lots of fun!

 

[ceecee]

Yes, we love it as well. The Disney Store is VERY big...so if you see something you might want try and remember where it was or it'll take forever to find it again. We like the Lego place too, our daughter likes to play there for a while and we like to go to McD's for sundaes (a cheap treat!) or there is another ice cream place as well. Last year the DS there had a hula hoop contest and you won a free pin for trying (and stickers for kids) it was great and my daughter got a certificate for being a great hula hooper! Nice thing to bring home.

 

[jilljill]

The Ghirardelli ice cream shop has the best sundaes - Very Pricey!!
Some of the other shops that I can remember:
World of Disney
12 Days of Christmas
Disney at Home
Gourmet Pantry
Marketplace Gallery
Pin Station
Lego
McDonalds
An amazing toy store - the name just escaped me, as I was just there last week.
Rain Forest Cafe
Capt. Jack's Oyster Bar
Fulton's Crab House
Wolfgang Puck Express
A new Bath store - Basin I think is the name
Team Mickey
A small jewelry kiosk
Pictures with Mickey
A crystal shop

 

[IloveDMB]

I have to agree with kayeandjim00. When my best friend and I went to WDW for spring break last year we ended every night at Downtown Disney. We also started out our vacation there by grabbing dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express (the BBQ chicken sandwich is the absolute best). The weather was beautiful and even though we went into the same stores multiple times, each time we saw something different. We also ate at Rainforest one night and that place is also really really good. There is so much stuff to do there, I'm not even sure we saw it all.

 

[Athena]

Thanks for posting this question. We avoided Downtown Disney the last time we went to WDW because I didn't know anything about it. Now I'll be sure to make it a priority!

 

[KDawnLily]

Once Upon A Toy.
Great List though jilljill.

If you need more information JoniGirl, the disney.go.com site is a great place to find it about Downtown Disney. And while you are there, if you love interactive games.. You have to try DisneyQuest. We spent one of our rainy days there last vacation and my son was in "gaming heaven".
Have a great trip.
I just noticed you have PHP.. I think DisneyQuest is included with that.. check out the disney site and it should tell you what is and is not included with your PHP

 

[jilljill]

Originally posted by KDawnLily
Once Upon A Toy.
Great List though jilljill.

Thanks for giving the toy store a name. I can't believe I forgot the name of that store with all the money I have spent in there. I listed all the stores from memory - that means I spend way too much time (and money) down there.

 

[KDawnLily]

Originally posted by jilljill
Thanks for giving the toy store a name.

I was there in Early Feb.'03 and it still feels like yesterday. The memories of Disney are so special that you tend not to foget the details. Can't wait until November when we go back.
Happy Vacation planning everyone!

 

[allenx6]

I just came from a week at WDW. I had never been there before, but we travelled with my brother and his family and they have been to WDW 5 times. They took us to Downtown Disney on Easter Sunday and I was overwelmed by the shops and the size of it. You definitely need a couple of hours in the World of Disney store, it is so HUGE. We went two different times to Downtown Disney, but I know there are many things that I missed seeing. Take your child to the 12 Days of Christmas shop and get them a guest of honor badge. They will get a kick out of the cast members calling them by name over the trip.

Have an awesome trip!!

 

[finnie48]

Downtown Disney-

Hi to all,
Whenever we drove to WDW and stayed offsite the first night - in order to get an early check-in the next day - we would go "Downtown". Not only is a pass or ticket not required, we find it a great way to get in the Disney mood and relax after a long drive. Have fun and a magical trip, and DO NOT forget to smell the roses!! Bob