Disney Springs - A must do or just another mall

[GoofGoof]

I love to stop and shop at World of Disney, as well as many of the other classic shops. When It comes to the upscale shopping, we don't do much of it, but we have bought some great stuff at Uniqlo. I have eaten at every dining destination at Disney Springs. Some I think are great and others I would be happy to never visit again. RR is a must every visit as is Earl of Sandwich. It is by far the best bang for your buck on property. Let's also not forget all the unique entertainment such as the travelling piano and the many talented artists that provide FREE live music every night. Disney Springs has a little something for everyone. Will all the new stores make it? Time will tell. RIP Pleasure Island.

I think there will almost certainly be some turnover of stores. I also wonder if all of those higher end restaurants can co-exist without canabalizing each other. It’s good for us as consumers if they have to start competing more for our business. I also think there’s still room for a few more drinking establishments. The clubs are never coming back but I still don’t think the adult oriented nightlife market is fully explored yet either.

 

[DisneyDoctor]

Alright, but the problem here is we are talking about a place that used to be much more than what it is now. You are expecting people who experienced something like lightning in a bottle get excited about it being replaced by a jar of glitter. Disney Springs is a nice diversion for people who aren't looking for something special sure, but we had to sacrifice some really great stuff for something rather basic. Even without knowing it's history DS comes off as Disney's answer to Premier Outlets and not much more than that. I think that if you are visiting Orlando and spending tons of money on the trip an experience like Disney Springs is a waste of time and money. Maybe it's just me but there really isn't anything in the entire complex that screams "Headlining Attraction" or "You've got to see this!".

If you're in to Disney merchandise, World of Disney is a must-see. My jaw drops every time I enter that store. I rarely spend much money there, but I love walking around at night and taking in its magnitude. Of course, if you're not that in to merchandise, then the store wouldn't seem as appealing.

 

[hanwill]

Also, I go in the summer and there is ZERO shade and that white ground is blinding... beautiful, but you don't want to be out there long when its hot...im sure that intentional.

 

[GoofGoof]

Alright, but the problem here is we are talking about a place that used to be much more than what it is now. You are expecting people who experienced something like lightning in a bottle get excited about it being replaced by a jar of glitter. Disney Springs is a nice diversion for people who aren't looking for something special sure, but we had to sacrifice some really great stuff for something rather basic. Even without knowing it's history DS comes off as Disney's answer to Premier Outlets and not much more than that. I think that if you are visiting Orlando and spending tons of money on the trip an experience like Disney Springs is a waste of time and money. Maybe it's just me but there really isn't anything in the entire complex that screams "Headlining Attraction" or "You've got to see this!".

So basically what you are saying is if it isn’t PI it’s not worth visiting. That’s a valid opinion. I’m just saying even if it can’t hold up to the past it’s still an enjoyable place to spend some time on a vacation for me.

There was a time many years ago when a vacation to WDW wasn’t just theme parks and foam heads. The resort was marketed as a place to visit where in addition to theme parks you could play golf or tennis or shop (at the distant predecessor to what is now Disney Springs) or rent boats or relax at the resort hotels. You can still see some of the old adds on YouTube. The 80s hair and clothing are pretty funny. Some people still like to do some of those things while at WDW. The tennis courts aren’t special, unique or a headlining attraction, they are just plain old tennis courts. Same goes for golf or the spas or arcades at the hotels. They are just ancillary activities that compliment the main attraction which is the parks. Disney Springs is just like that for me. I don’t care if parts of it look like a mall or it has a bunch of stores I don’t want to shop in. I go, walk around, get a good meal and a few drinks and maybe stop in some of the Marketplace stores. It’s a nice evening out on a day when I wasn’t planning on being at the parks in the evening anyway.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

A must do for me every trip.

 

[SSH]

I live near huge shopping destinations that rank among the biggest nationwide. Malls, designer outlets and every other shopping venue imaginable are literally everywhere. Restaurant choices are even more prevalent.

To me, what makes DS a cut above and why I like reserving one off-park night each trip to visit is the live entertainment, the pretty atmosphere and the relaxed people watching. The restaurants are ok. Nice places with good food, but most are fairly pricey and it's a one and done for the evening; once you've dined, the other 99 restaurants (yes I exaggerate ) have nothing further to offer.

But I could easily while away 2-3 hours strolling through and hearing jazz, top 40, latin, blues, and other sounds from diff artists and bands. I love the trail of trees during the holidays. I love popping into World of Disney, just for the pure sensory fun of Disney everything surrounding you and kids' reactions to it all.
I like a couple of the funky boutiques with memorabilia or other stuff.

Now add in a cool club or two like CitiWalk or the old PI and that would be ideal.

 

[AndyS2992]

As a foreigner, Disney Springs is great. It’s gives us the chance to visit American stores without having to drive off property and out in to the unknown. Whilst it may not be exciting to Americans as you have these stores in your home towns, us lot from out of the US do not have this so makes it much more enjoyable. Lots of people don’t think of this when calling it a waste of space. Though to be honest it doesn’t have the greatest range, we still make the trip out to the Florida Mall but World of Disney and Goofy’s Candy Co. is always worth a visit.

 

[redsfan4life]

I voted just a mall but would have voted for a choice like " I visit the Marketplace but not the rest of Disney Springs " Usually hit the Marketplace area on our Animal Kingdom day since the park closes earlier . When Pleasure Island was still around was at Downtown Disney nightly for the Comedy Warehouse and Adventures Club

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I miss it as Downtown Disney "The City of choices in a Metropolis of Fun"......Now it's Disney Springs "A babbling brook to make your Wallet Cry and can't stay up past Midnight"

 

[Occasional Guest]

I always love visiting the Candy Cauldron to see the cool candy apples. They make me happy for some reason.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

I'm not really a fan of Disney Springs at all. Although in the end of Downtown Disney's existence I also love my desire to go there as well. We don't really do any shopping for keepsakes because we go all the time anyway so there's really not a lot to interest us there. I do think the big Disney store is nice and I like looking for all the Hidden Mickey's in there and I like the Christmas store too but most of that stuff you could probably just get at the parks if you wanted to anyway. Oddly enough I guess my biggest complaint with Disney Springs is it really doesn't feel all that "Disney" to me.

 

[DanielleOG]

It's the perfect thing to do on arrival day/departure day when you can't go to a park! Also...Blaze Pizza! Hands down the best deal in all of Disney World, and yummy too!!

 

[nbdysreal]

We enjoy the small added touches like the Halloween performers and the (slightly lame) xmas tree trail. It's not just a mall to us.

 

[POLY LOVER]

With all the live entertainment now it's a must do, I visit it on a regular basis to get a bite to eat and stroll the springs and listen to music. I really enjoy it now. I compare it to city walk but there is no comparison , Disney wins this one!

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

Downtown Disney (sorry I can't get used to the new name) has always just been sort of a "if we have a lot of time to kill" place for me. I usually only ever go there for a dinner reservation.

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

I think I would visit Disney Springs more often if it had a section with no third-party stores - someplace that feels more like an immersive environment, but obviously without theme park attractions. For example, I really enjoy the theming of Jock Lindsey's, and it was worth visiting once, but I wouldn't go all the way to Disney Springs just for a drink there. If there were a few places of that thematic quality, clustered together with some thematic cohesion to the area, I could see myself carving out an evening to pay a visit and have dinner/drinks there. Right now, I actually prefer the more thematically cohesive Boardwalk area for a non-park evening (e.g., dinner at Flying Fish, drinks at AbracadaBar, etc).

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I do love Disney's Days of Christmas and World of Disney. I also got a cupcake from Sprinkles on my last visit.

 

[pax_65]

It seems many people agree with my view that the old Disney Marketplace is still cool (with the World of Disney store) but the new Disney Springs outdoor mall is really just that - an upscale outdoor mall that's not very unique, with a few decent (and pricey) restaurants and a good cupcake spot. I'm disappointed at what could have been done with this space.

And I'll add one comment... what's with the CROWDS at Disney Springs? In over 25 years of visits to WDW I've never seen Downtown Disney/Disney Springs so crowded. It's to the point that I'm just happy to find a piece of bench/wall to sit on and watch in amazement at the sea of humanity. Getting there and getting home has become more of a challenge too (although the new parking garages help). I wonder if shorter hours at MK has something to do with it, since we're usually in DS on a night when MK is not open late (or has a private party happening)...

 

[DfromATX]

We usually go there on arrival day for dinner and to walk around, but I don't care so much about the shops. For our next trip in June, we plan to go to Splitzville.

 

[Rumrunner]

Very mall-ish! And, pretty expensive. I'm already spending quite a bit just to be at Disney, definitely don't have the money to add a shopping spree in there lol.

I am with you-we have never been to DS-our Disney trips have shopping as a very low priority. Parks and pools are our thing.