Visually how bad is Downtown Disney right now?

[chris4disney]

We'll be at WDW in late October and I'm debating about whether or not I want to visit Downtown Disney this trip. Is there too much construction going on that doesn't make it worth the time over there? We would probably just want to visit the World of Disney, Disney Christmas store, and a few other shops in the Marketplace. Are the bus stops at Marketplace operational now?

TIA

 

[magicaldisney]

Subscribing. I'd love to know this as well.

 

[pmcneff]

i will be there next week and i am also curious!

 

[ssei7802]

Marketplace is the only bus stop in DTD now. Marketplace is very much uneffected by construction at this time.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

Pretty much the only annoying part about DTD right now is driving there and parking. Since you're taking a bus it won't be too much of a hassle. You should check out the new Marketplace Co-op if you haven't been yet.

 

[chelseabun76]

We're heading there in January and I think we're planning a later afternoon/evening there no matter what... I have one free day that I can play around with, so we'll hit a park for a few hours and then I know my mom would love to get there to take a look around and I'd love to hit a restaurant. We'll be bussing too, so I figure it can't be horrible. lol

 

[PrincessNelly]

Walls.... lots...

We went around 11 am and the walls were there but it wasn't crowded and sometimes it felt like we were walking for a while and not seeing anything lol.

However, we went a few days after that at night and it was mobbed!
There was so much congestion anytime you got near construction walls.
We left shortly after arriving.


That was in May, and I know some walls have come down and some have gone up so I cant say how bad it is now.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Also there the end of Oct and hoping to go to DTD on our arrival day...Oct 25. We are renting a van and wondering if we should drive or take bus. I know it is messy driving but don't you wait forever at the bus stops? Hoping to eat dinner there (thinking maybe trex) and checking out the Christmas store, world of Disney and Lego store. We'll be driving from New Smyrna Beach and not sure what.time we will leave the beach so not sure what.time we would arrive at DTD. I do want to check into Pop first though.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We just returned Saturday...DTD, from my point of view is utterly awful... It's basically wall to wall...walls... No presence of the old DTD district...we came by boat from POFQ...that was decent enough but sightseeing DTD is non existent...

We also drove pass DTD headed to a Publix early one evening.... don't even think of driving to or thru DTD area... So much road construction, guest traffic, plus locals and buses... We were in stopped traffic for over an hour traveling one mile...

Best bet for hitting DTD... Boat from Riverside or French Quarter....actually for us, there's nothing there to see or do... Wife likes World of Disney and we had lunch ADR's at Ragland Road ... We had plans to do a dinner and movie but after seeing what a mess DTD was... We never went back..

 

[aacvacation]

I just got back from visiting and spent two days enjoying DTD. We stayed at the new B Resort so I don't have any info on the Disney buses, except that I saw them running through the Marketplace. Both days (and pretty much coming/going from there all day) driving to DTD was a little messy. Parking was honestly not too bad though, if anyone does want to drive themselves. I wouldn't recommend anyone in an RV trying to park there, but SUVs amd vans seemed to be fine. The construction walls are not unsightly. Some areas are barren right now, but once you get where you want to be it's still a lot of fun. We really had a great time.

Oh, and anyone looking for a place to hang out or have a great meal-- you can't beat Raglan Road. The band they have there now is incredible, and right when we walked in we were informed it had been voted #1 restaurant in Orlando-- and rightfully so!

 

[Ozzygirl]

After reading this I am considering cancelling my Raglan Road ADR for our trip in 2 weeks. Is it worth the trip or should I try to get an ADR at one of the resorts instead?

oops just saw the above response so maybe I should keep it??? SO confused!!!

 

[aacvacation]

I went to Raglan Road the first time about 3 months ago, so when my mom and I took a trip back to Orlando I told her we had to go to Raglan Road one night. We stayed from 8pm til 1 in the morning and ended yp doing it AGAIN the next night she loved it so much. If you are going for Raglan Road it's more than worth it. If you are going to 'look around' without much of a plan, I'd say it's not. Hope that helps a little bit more.

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

We were there in June and the Marketplace area is ok for shopping and the new Starbucks etc...
Then you head toward the Lego store and it is a mess!! Walls everywhere!!! Hated it!!!

So when I go back in Nov I am just going to the Marketplace and Wolfgang puck express and that is it!!

So if you just wanna shop the World of Disney or the Christmas store, Trend D and the new Co Op you will be fine...Just don't venture any further for now.

 

[Bluegrrl]

Hmmm...how bad is it....It depends on the conditions.

Walls - everywhere. Wall to wall walls. It's like walking through a partly constructed mall, which I guess is what it is anyway.

Shops are still up and running. At least most of them.

Giradelli no longer hands out full free chocolate wafers. They are 1/2 the size.

For sight-seeing, there is really nothing, and the congestion can be bad.
The worst part is really getting in, after that the crowds are mostly OK.

If you get there early, you can usually find a good spot for parking. Or I would take the POR boat. But that boat takes FOREVER. You were warned.

It's like a big crusty shell with a soft interior. Everything around DTD is horrible. The parking, the scenery, the traffic. Ick. But the inside - shops, resturants, etc are great. Just beware the crust!

 

[chelseabun76]

I went to Raglan Road the first time about 3 months ago, so when my mom and I took a trip back to Orlando I told her we had to go to Raglan Road one night. We stayed from 8pm til 1 in the morning and ended yp doing it AGAIN the next night she loved it so much. If you are going for Raglan Road it's more than worth it. If you are going to 'look around' without much of a plan, I'd say it's not. Hope that helps a little bit more.

Can you take kiddos to Raglan Road? I'd like to treat my mom to a dinner there the night we're hanging out and it's a maybe on my list... but we'll have my 9 year old dd too.

 

[aacvacation]

Can you take kiddos to Raglan Road? I'd like to treat my mom to a dinner there the night we're hanging out and it's a maybe on my list... but we'll have my 9 year old dd too.

Children are more than welcome but it is themed as an Irish pub and therefore is mostly a bar, so it all depends on what you are comfortable with. Starting at 8pm they alternate between Irish dancers and a band all night long. From what I saw, everyone with children requested seating (do it beforehand) in the main dining area, near the stages (one in the center, one at the back) so that they could see the shows and weren't too close to the bar areas. It's a very interactive environment so it's fun for everyone.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

It looks awful.

I was just there on Friday morning - Sept. 26. I had no problems shopping to my hearts content in Marketplace.
Unfortunately, a storm rolled in and soaked the area. There was also lightening so the boats to POR/POFQ quit running and I was stuck with the buses to get back to the resort.

That was a PITA. It took forever for one to arrive and then they all stop at Typhoon Lagoon before heading back to the resort. I'd forgotten about that stop.

I hate that whole bus stop set up at DTD - it is too small of an area and hard to negotiate around people when you need a further away bus stop.

I had thought about taking a taxi back to the resort and quickly wished I had when the bus stopped at Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[Mrsjvb]

We'll be at WDW in late October and I'm debating about whether or not I want to visit Downtown Disney this trip. Is there too much construction going on that doesn't make it worth the time over there? We would probably just want to visit the World of Disney, Disney Christmas store, and a few other shops in the Marketplace. Are the bus stops at Marketplace operational now?

TIA

Marketplace is operational. lots of walls and you only have one route to get from one end to the other.

very off putting along that route to the other side but the actual Marketplace area is fine

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Marketplace is completely fine, but everything else is very difficult to manoeuvre alongside being unsightly. But you can shop happily around Marketplace

 

[oe76]

How does all the construction impact disney quest?