Disney springs not doing so well.....

[Otterhead]

If you can't understand how using two seperate forms of transport is convoluted as opposed to one then i can't help you.

I'm talking about boat vs. feet.
People are complaining that Disney Springs is a long walk from end to end, yes?
There are frequent boats to take you from place to place.
I'm unclear why taking frequent water taxis is an unappealing option vs. walking. But as I say, people love to complain.

 

[Jon81uk]

Maybe the Magic Kingdom needs a bus stop in Fantasyland as well as the one at the front of the park as well...

 

[drizgirl]

I'm talking about boat vs. feet.
People are complaining that Disney Springs is a long walk from end to end, yes?
There are frequent boats to take you from place to place.
I'm unclear why taking frequent water taxis is an unappealing option vs. walking. But as I say, people love to complain.

We actually stayed at POR on our last trip. One of the reasons we chose that location was the easy boat access to DS. We ended up waiting 40 minutes in the direct sun for a spot on a boat to take us there. Yes, the dock was shaded, but the line extended beyond the dock quite a ways.

No anger, no hate, just trying to plan for the things that might come up on a trip to cause problems for us. But if it makes you feel better to think I'm a hater or have an anger issue, then do what you must.

As I mentioned earlier, it's more that I'm just indifferent. If I feel like it's convoluted, I just won't go. I'll keep my money in my pocket. And maybe others are feeling the same way, which might help explain why sales have been soft.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

We actually stayed at POR on our last trip. One of the reasons we chose that location was the easy boat access to DS. We ended up waiting 40 minutes in the direct sun for a spot on a boat to take us there. Yes, the dock was shaded, but the line extended beyond the dock quite a ways.

No anger, no hate, just trying to plan for the things that might come up on a trip to cause problems for us. But if it makes you feel better to think I'm a hater or have an anger issue, then do what you must.

As I mentioned earlier, it's more that I'm just indifferent. If I feel like it's convoluted, I just won't go. I'll keep my money in my pocket. And maybe others are feeling the same way, which might help explain why sales have been soft.

we chose POR for the water taxi as well. It's not the end of the world for us to stroll from one end of DS to the other and back again.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

I'm talking about boat vs. feet.
People are complaining that Disney Springs is a long walk from end to end, yes?
There are frequent boats to take you from place to place.
I'm unclear why taking frequent water taxis is an unappealing option vs. walking. But as I say, people love to complain.

I am quite happy to walk yet understand that some people like taking the boats. No hate for them here either.
I believe the "convoluted" issue is with the bus stop. for example to get to rainforest cafe you used to take the bus to Ds and take the short walk from the stop. Now you queue at the resort for the bus and then get to DS and queue for a water taxi. then take the short walk from that dock.

 

[drizgirl]

we chose POR for the water taxi as well. It's not the end of the world for us to stroll from one end of DS to the other and back again.

I'm glad that works for you. I just don't care about the selection of shops there enough to put that much more time on my feet. I'm usually trying to recuperate my feet on non-park days.

But that's the beauty of it. If you like the setup, then go. If I don't like it I won't. Honestly, I just don't care that much about shopping to have a strong opinion on it. I'm just saying that if sales are soft, maybe there are others like me.

 

[TimeTrip]

Is there parking on the Marketplace end of things now? I used to be able to park close to WOD, pop in there, the Christmas shop, the pin shop, grab a sandwich at EOS and have close access to my car or bus stop.

Unless you were able to get there in the early afternoon, it was notoriously hard to get a spot in the far-east lot, and finding a spot in the lot behind WoD back then usually required a decent amount of hunting. The amount of time saved with the conveniet / less-hassle lime garage more than makes up the difference in the couple of extra minutes of walking to get to that end IMO.

 

[Bandini]

Unless you were able to get there in the early afternoon, it was notoriously hard to get a spot in the far-east lot, and finding a spot in the lot behind WoD back then usually required a decent amount of hunting. The amount of time saved with the conveniet / less-hassle lime garage more than makes up the difference in the couple of extra minutes of walking to get to that end IMO.

But I don't rent a car, so the current resort bus arrangement is less convenient for me. But isn't that always the way?

 

[drizgirl]

Unless you were able to get there in the early afternoon, it was notoriously hard to get a spot in the far-east lot, and finding a spot in the lot behind WoD back then usually required a decent amount of hunting. The amount of time saved with the conveniet / less-hassle lime garage more than makes up the difference in the couple of extra minutes of walking to get to that end IMO.

We knew that so always went in the morning. Stayed to have lunch. No issues.

But it sounds like the lime garage will solve that issue so we'll be fine when we drive. Unfortunately most of our trips we rely on the buses.

 

[toeknee]

Here ya go!View attachment 172492

Deep down inside each of us, we know - like it or not - that this place would do kick a** sales in DS!

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Wait...so you'd get off at the Marketplace bus stop, go to the Christmas Store, Earl of Sandwich, and World of Disney...then walk back to the bus. It's really not that much different. Maybe an additional 3-5 minutes of walking. (If you use the garage, you're even closer!)

I don't get what has changed so drastically that it would put you off from going.

 

[drizgirl]

Wait...so you'd get off at the Marketplace bus stop, go to the Christmas Store, Earl of Sandwich, and World of Disney...then walk back to the bus. It's really not that much different. Maybe an additional 3-5 minutes of walking. (If you use the garage, you're even closer!)

I don't get what has changed so drastically that it would put you off from going.

In my post above, I already said thanks for the info on the lime garage and it looked like that would be fine when we drive.

We knew that so always went in the morning. Stayed to have lunch. No issues.

But it sounds like the lime garage will solve that issue so we'll be fine when we drive. Unfortunately most of our trips we rely on the buses.

But many times we are there without a car and rely on bus access to DS, so a different issue.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

In my post above, I already said thanks for the info on the lime garage and it looked like that would be fine when we drive.




But many times we are there without a car and rely on bus access to DS, so a different issue.

I was talking about taking the bus....not much more of a difference...plus, walking through a newer area may open your eyes to other things you like, not just the 3 standards that you do a lot. It's not as if they drop you off in a shady part of town, Town Center is beautiful.

 

[Pleakley]

Finally visited this week. I am someone who enjoys doing some shopping on vacation since there is not a great selection at home, and I live in the Boston area. I also usually come with some extra spending money, whereas at home I will only buy on sale. It sort of relaxes me to not have to scrimp on clothes on vacation. Going downtown to shop can be a hassle and expensive, and the burbs are just okay. Nothing real hip, though we do have plenty of outlets, and NH is tax free. This was the first time I had been in a Uniqlo and a Zara, and I think at their price point and relative rarity for most Americans. I like Superdry quite a bit and actually bought a shirt. Prices and styles are similar to Hollister which I think is realistic. Sephora was absolutely packed and people were buying. Again, people may be more likely to spend on vacation even if they have a store at home. I also saw a lot of people using their makeup services. I imagine this will be very popular, I even thought of going myself on Halloween. Same goes for Mac, though they were not as busy. Lilly Pulitzer and Tommy Bahama will probably do fine being resortwear. FreePeople isn't cheap but carries interesting clothes and has a following. And they had a sale rack. JohnnyWas was on the expensive side, but the styles are unique enough people may be willing to splurge. I can't say the same for the likes of Kate Spade or Vince Camuto. I found Shore to be a very pricey and non interesting boutique. It was empty and will likely go fast. Even for the cheaper Lucky Brand and Columbia, though I did see quite a few bags for the latter. I agree with many posters here that uniqueness will be key. IMO the generic clothes and lack of availability have worked, among many factors, to kill off the shopping mall. By the stores maximizing every last inch of their space with less risky items and sizes, they have ruined the need for their store in the first place. Give customers a reason to not just shop online. Perhaps a restoration of more interesting finds will get people back, and get people into Disney Springs.

 

[drizgirl]

I was talking about taking the bus....not much more of a difference...plus, walking through a newer area may open your eyes to other things you like, not just the 3 standards that you do a lot. It's not as if they drop you off in a shady part of town, Town Center is beautiful.

As I said, I'm not a big shopper. I've seen the selection of shops and it's just not my cup of tea. I'm generally looking to do the things on our list and get back off my feet. It's not like we do any of those things "a lot". We're not there often enough for it to be classified as such. If I want to shop, we have nice places to do that at home. For that same reason, I'm not interested in watching a movie or bowling while on vacation either.

But as I said, to each his own. I'm just offering my personal thought processes on why DS doesn't hold strong appeal for me as we discuss why the area doesn't seem to be doing well (per the OP).

 

[mf1972]

i'll admit when we were there a few weeks ago, we liked how DS looks. i was more impressed with the architecture & the restaurants than the stores. they just didn't have a disney feel to me. although i did buy a zip up from the colombia store.

 

[tissandtully]

People keep saying this, but I have yet to see any solid evidence Disney Springs is doomed. I'm there at least once a week and its always bustling, even the Town Center and the Disney owned stores. Something isn't adding up. Of course I know large influxes of people doesn't equate to showstopping success, but still.

Um, most malls in America were busy, but people will just walk around and not buy anything. They also "showroom" by going to stores and then just finding the cheaper price online or buying inferior products at the outlet malls. The stores that will survive will be the unique experiences like Uniqlo, although they really need to up their sizing, they do not realize the size of the average WDW fan.

 

[ford91exploder]

Um, most malls in America were busy, but people will just walk around and not buy anything. They also "showroom" by going to stores and then just finding the cheaper price online or buying inferior products at the outlet malls. The stores that will survive will be the unique experiences like Uniqlo, although they really need to up their sizing, they do not realize the size of the average WDW fan.

The whole 'Showrooming' thing is a cop out on the retailers part for not having adequate inventory management systems, Example I wanted a specific Panasonic LED TV which 'supposedly' my local Sears had in stock, Went down confirmed that that was indeed the one I wanted. Went to purchase, 'Sorry we don't have it in stock', Me then sell me the Display, 'Cannot do that' 'Why Not?' 'Company Policy' but we can order it for you if you pay in advance and it will take 14-21 business days to get to the store. Would you like to buy a service contract with that?. Sorry no, Buh-Bye.

Ordered it from Amazon saved some money and had it next day, Sears WOULD have had my money if they actually had the product IN STOCK and ready to sell, I even would have been happy with the floor model. When I hear retailers whining about online sales - people will buy in the stores if the store has the product ready to sell.

One local auto parts chain is whining about the competition from Amazon, Price is about the same but amazon delivers NEXT DAY and they take 3-5 days to get it from the 'warehouse'. Who do you think I shop with?

Yes some people will always shop for the absolute lowest price, But they are the ones whining about no after sale service etc - the iron law of economics always rules, you get what you pay for.

 

[21stamps]

i'll admit when we were there a few weeks ago, we liked how DS looks. i was more impressed with the architecture & the restaurants than the stores. they just didn't have a disney feel to me. although i did buy a zip up from the colombia store.

This is what I was saying yesterday. I will never buy a clothing item at a Disney store, but if I see a bag, zip up, hoodie, shirt, etc as I'm walking by one of the new stores, there's a much higher chance of me purchasing it. Even though I do have Columbia etc where I live, I'm not typically just strolling past the store.

 

[hopemax]

I am only on page 3, but it doesn't surprise me that the Marketplace is struggling, the place is a dump. Every time we walk through there, we comment on how decrepit the buildings look, especially the Art of Disney building. I think it's going to be hard to sell higher end products in a building that looks and feels like that place does. And every time they've removed a cabinet, and now I hear they've removed a bunch of the art from the walls. All the money they have dumped into Disney Springs and none of it to freshen up the Marketplace.

Even newer stores like WoD and Once Upon a Toy, all the fun, kinetic elements have been allowed to rot or been removed for something I'm guessing is, "easier and cheaper to maintain." All of the retail spaces that have been recently renovated have left me feeling turned off by shopping. The new Animal Kingdom megastore feels dark and cavernous. Things like moving the Art of Disney merchandise to the Muppet store where pricey items are left to be handled and broken by dozens of little hands. And the CM's don't know their merchandise either.

I can't imagine anyone with real retail management experience would look at how Disney sells their products and the environments and rate it acceptable. And the fact that no face-lifting has been done at the Marketplace other than the Co-Op building, I'm left feeling that it is intentional.

We walked through the new areas on our last trip. The only store we even went into was Uniqlo. It was very bright, airy, modern, and had reasonably priced merchandise. What a concept. The fact that there was so much Disney stuff too was an added bonus.

I forgot we also went in the Coke store, and had the same feeling we get from Disney. It was too small, the aisles were too narrow, displays felt cheap and thrown together. It felt like no one cared about presentation and the retail experience.