Disney Springs Plans: What do they mean?

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WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So, I've had some time to look thru the 200-plus pages of plans and architectural renderings and blueprints for Disney Springs (i.e. the latest rebranding of what was once the quaint WDW Shopping Village at LBV ... complete with barber shop, post office, deli and pet shop).

In full disclosure, I had a friend go over them with me who is in the business, and could 'splain certain things to me.

The first thing people may wonder why Disney Springs, something so generic? Apparently, water is going to be featured prominently (until those water features break or need repair at which time they will be filled with potted plants and trash) and the inspiration is the Mickey topiary pouring water into buckets that you see at the entrance to the current 'Marketplace'.

Everywhere they can stick a water feature or a bridge, they will be doing so.

Most lacking from the plans is in ANY direct entrance/egress from I-4. There isn't any. You will simply follow traffic clogged, albeit reworked Buena Vista Drive into a massive parking structure (as garages are called out west). I do wonder how well this will work as folks here aren't used to parking in them and I can one person holding up traffic for someone to fill up their SUV and leave on Level 2 when Level 4 has 543 empty spaces. SHould be interesting. I see no reason to believe traffic will be any better, just that it will be reallocated, if you will.

Also, there is no attempt made at internal transport beyond the boats they currently have. Meaning the biggest complaint many people have -- that it's too much walking (have you seen the average WDW guest?) -- isn't being addressed.

New nicely designed pedestrial bridges are all over this from one across the Marina area ... to one in almost the exact place they knocked the old Westside to PI access bridge down not that many years ago.

The project is being designed by the Boston-firm that built the Americana at Brand in Glendale. On one hand, they know how to do quality outdoor lifetsytle centers ... on the other hand, that's what they are good at. The newest way of looking at malls.

MORE to come ...
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Westside looks to see the least real change.

There will be elevated rail trestles just added alongside many buildings -- the one near DQ looks awful in the rendering (although it is hard to say how it will look in the end). The idea is the linear parks that NYC has built on abandoned elevated rail lines. ... That would be very kewl, if Disney were doing so ... second level gardens would have been great.

Alas, they are not.

These are simply design flourishes for some convoluted backstory as to how trains somehow factor into the new Westside. They will be used largely for shade. Apparently, one of the biggest complaints about Westside is it being a concrete jungle sans shade. These structures are designed to help answer that.
 

Bork Bork

Active Member
I see no reason to believe traffic will be any better, just that it will be reallocated, if you will.

Kind of like FastPass demand and distribution? Seems like a trend at WDW. Anyway, thanks for the update and taking the time to go through 200 pages of bridges and water features. If it isn't changed or thrown out before becoming reality, I'm sure it'll be pretty. But it doesn't sound like a game-changer or anything.

Anything on Adventurer Springs??
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
What about TSFKaPI you ask?

Well, there will be no reopening or old clubs. There will be more significant removal. BET's building and the newish restrooms (the ones that didn't have one paper towel during a recent visit at a non-busy time) will also be history with a new restroom complex in front of AMC. ... The amphitheater planned for next to Paradiso during the Hyperion Wharf phase (isn't that an interesting way to term it?) is still in these plans. A large new third party dining facility on the water is planned as well.

Much of the walkways will be reworked, so the old remnants of zigzagging up hill like you did at PI will no longer be part of the complex.

There is room being set aside for a large anchor store, which will not be WoD, which is staying put.

Lots of escalators to access both the parking structure and the second level of shops being basically added in front of what was the entrance to PI.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
To take the project down to its essence, there's a lot of esthetically pleasing elements ... from water features to all the bridges. But there is no wow factor to this. Nothing major, secret, hidden from y'all that will get you saying 'Yeah, Disney really gets it. Take that UNI!!! I'm gonna plan a trip just so I can spend time in Disney Springs.'

It's just the latest in long line of breaking a product that worked and then trying to fix it. This is just a much costlier, ambitious plan. But at the end of the day, it is still a Disney mall.

Yes, there will be a Sephora ... REALLY!
 

Virtual Toad

Well-Known Member
Gut-level snarky response mode: Bold. New. Visionary.

Not as snarky but still curious: Will this be something so cool, so unique, so DISNEY that new visitors will flock to its gates just to experience it? Is it even supposed to be a draw? Or something "just good enough" to keep the flock and their $$$ on property?

Or is it simply a real estate venture dreamed up by boardroom executives? Just want to know where to set my expectations.

EDIT: Sorry '74, was typing this as you were posting directly above. Questions answered :)
 

Genie of the Lamp

Well-Known Member
A one of a kind shopping mall located in WDW property. That totally has me excited and ready to make a trip to Disney Springs.:rolleyes: The way I'm looking/treating this is how they came up with/executed NFL. Esthetically beautiful land with eye candy exterior's but no high quality substance in that land that would not cause me to make a WDW trip just for that (which I wish it still would've). I just hope these water features spirit mentions can be kept up to high quality standards in the long run cause I'd rather look at those than potted plants but to a bigger extent trash. I'm sure it'll be nice to stroll through and take a quite walkaround at night, but as Spirit says "There's no wow factor to this" or any major incentive to spend countless hours in this area. Now I understand changes could be made, but as of right now, my opinion/take on DTD doesn't change after hearing Spirit's input on this project as he read all 200 plus pages of these architectural renderings/plans/blueprints. Besides that new large third party restaurant coming in, are there any signs (like that rumored tex mex restaurant) that possible new restaurants are in play here?
 

dcibrando

Well-Known Member
It's not ever going to be something people decide to go to Disney for it's just something extra and I think the new design also appeals to locals more as well

I think they are missing the boat (lol) building some sort of peoplemover system from one end to the next - that could be a wow factor if done correctly

Is their any indication of pay per park method or adding busses from the parks to DTD so everyone stops using the SSR busses in the afternoon/evening to get there?
 

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
The first thing people may wonder why Disney Springs, something so generic? Apparently, water is going to be featured prominently (until those water features break or need repair at which time they will be filled with potted plants and trash) and the inspiration is the Mickey topiary pouring water into buckets that you see at the entrance to the current 'Marketplace'.

This made me lol for real. Sounds like an upgrade over the current offering....nothing original though. On a scale of 1-10 I give it a C+.
 

raven

Well-Known Member
I don't know how anyone has seen completed plans yet because there are still several variations in the works, complete WITH an I-4 entrance/exit AND trolly transportation featured in at least two of the layouts. I just saw about 5 different master plans for Disney Springs on Friday and nothing is in stone yet.
 

hpyhnt 1000

Well-Known Member
Sooooooo...its basically Any Mall, USA but with more water. And its at WDW so I'm sure it will have that "Disney®" touch of "quality."

I'm sure some of this subject to change and is not finalized, but honestly, if your design inspiration for the whole project is a topiary fountain in some random walkway planter, you're not just scraping the bottom of the barrel - you've gone right through it and are scraping up the gunk that was underneath the barrel.
 

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
I don't know how anyone has seen completed plans yet because there are still several variations in the works, complete WITH an I-4 entrance/exit AND trolly transportation featured in at least two of the layouts. I just saw about 5 different master plans for Disney Springs on Friday and nothing is in stone yet.

Is the spring, walkway motif in all the plans or do some feature different looks?
 

yeti

Well-Known Member
A solution to the current parking fiasco is welcome.

The rest....well put it this way: have they even set foot inside Hollywood Studios recently?
 

hpyhnt 1000

Well-Known Member
It's in all of them. Much better than what people are describing or speculating nagetively about on here. It looks nothing like a "mall" at all.

Any idea what, if any, entertainment options would accompany this new re-work? Or unique dining options? Or any non-shopping reated enhancements? I know its probably all hush hush and in the planning stages, but have you heard of any rumblings related to these items?

It can have all the water and topiary it wants, but at the end of the day, if the biggest/only additions are new stores, its a mall, presumably a very nice looking one. And after the Charlie-Foxtrot that was Hyperion Wharf, I'll admit I have become more than just a bit jaded about anything being done to fix what used to be a more diverse set of offerings at DTD.
 
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