Walt Disney World – Disney Springs

August 2019

Disney Springs used to be known as Downtown Disney. It’s a ‘shopping complex’ with a mix of Disney-themed shops and some other big brands like Levis, Coke and LEGO.

It’s come a long way in the past few years. In a word – WOW.

It’s the most beautiful shopping complex I’ve ever seen. It has an Italian style – with neatly coloured bricks and bright paving – but it’s also very Floridian, with palm trees all over the place. It’s just immaculate. It’s pristine. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Location, parking and hours

Disney Springs is within Walt Disney World. If you’re already in Disney you won’t be far away. You can get to the Springs by car, bus and boat.

Parking is free! Yes, you read that right. Everywhere you seem to go in Disney World you have to pay for parking, and parking isn’t cheap – so this is a saving grace. All the more reason to visit.

On the Disney Springs website, their is a calendar which tells you opening hours for each day, which is a very useful tool. Averagely it opens at 10am and closes at midnight.

Shopping

Since the new expansions, there are so many more shops. Like SO many more shops.

There are shops to cater to all needs, from toys to clothing, and jewellery to home décor.  You can find: Alex and Ani, the aforementioned Coco Cola Store (which is huge!), Coach, Ever After Jewelry Co (Amazing Disney jewellery), Kate Spade, Kipling, Lacoste, MAC, NBA, Pandora, Stance, Superdry, Ugg, Zara and more.

We didn’t really venture much into those shops to be honest. My shopping-eye consists of Disney, and Disney only.

Disney Shopping

Now, the good stuff.

From what I can remember, they haven’t changed much in this part of the shopping complex, as the Disney shops are at one end and the other shops are at the other. They’ve expanded many of the shops, as well as added new ones. And they’ve moved a few of them too. But other than that, it’s relatively the same. Phew!

Here is a list of some Disney shops:

• The art of Disney
• The Boathouse Boutique –  expensive but amazing clothing.
• Bibbidi Bobbodi Boutique – if you have a little princess and haven’t took her here, what is wrong with you!
• Disney Style
• Disney’s Candy Cauldron
• Disney’s Days of Christmas – being a Christmas lover and an even bigger Disney lover, this shop is heaven.

Food and Drink

If you are fortunate enough to have the Disney Dining Plan you can use that here.

As well as expanding the shops, they have also added a vast selection of eateries. There was already a good selection of places to eat and drink here, but they have added more, which has added an even greater social element to it, especially when it comes to evening times.

Within the Disney shopping area, there are a few places to grab a bite to eat and drink, like Starbucks, Rainforest Cafe and Joffreys. But once you are on the other side, you’re inundated with food and drink options, with a big emphasis on restaurants and nightlife.

Entertainment

You’re still in Disney, so expect the entertainment of Disney while you’re here.

Live music feels like it’s everywhere, but a few places you might want to consider for free or ticketed live music are The Edison Live, House of Blues, Marketplace Stage and Paradiso 37. There are other venues, of course, but these places always seemed to have something on.

If you want to catch a show, why not get some tickets to see the infamous Cirque du Soleil – we are yet to see this, but I’ve never heard a bad word about it. Other things that might tickle your fancy could be the Aerophile balloon ride – which is located along the water, ascending you 400ft into the air, giving you great views of Disney World. It’s $20 for adults and $15 for children. There is also an AMC movie theatre, so if you are in fear of missing a film release while on holiday, fear not. Newly added is an NBC experience, which is filled with games and activities.

There is so much to see and do, and depending on the time of year you visit, different things will be happening. So be sure to check the website before visiting.

Overall

I’ve never seen anything quite like it. But I wouldn’t have expected anything less from Disney. Disney Springs is spectacular. I already look forward to visiting again ASAP to see what goodies I can snatch up.

Disney Springs was also the place where we had to pick up our tickets and Magic bands for our time in Disney World, so Disney Springs was our first stop on our holiday. What a way to start!