Downtown Disney Area
add photosDowntown Disney is a shopping, dining and entertainment area. It is lcoated at the shores of Village Lake. The West dies has top-notch restaurants, a 24 screen AMC Pleasure Island Movie Theatre, Cirque du Soleil La Nouba and DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park. The Marketplace is full of shops with Disney merchandise and lakeside dining. Pleasure Island is one to all a few night clubs.
52 Reviews for Downtown Disney Area
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1 family found this helpful
"Every Store is the Same"
If you like to shop and your child does too, then this is the place for you. Beware though, almost every store carries the same merchandise. If you must brave the crowds, make sure to build your own Mr. Potato Head complete with accessories. If you can get in the Lego Store I think you will be overwhelmed at what is available. All the princess dresses are there for your purchase so your child can wear them the next day at one of the parks - which was a major deal at the parks. I recommend buying one for princess meet and greets.
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"Great Family Time!"
This is nice walk through the stores family time. Yes, there are plenty of stores to go around and spend and if anything you can just go window shopping. There is a movie theater that is nice to go to and then head out walking around. Definetely a lot of walking. They do have a boat ride which is free that takes you from one side to the other and you enjoy the scenery as you go. Nice to look around! They have some kiddie rides you have to pay but its good for toddlers. The lego store is free to play with all of their legos and you can see the dragon in the water made of only legos which was neat to see, now that person who made it must of had lots of fun! Rainforest Cafe and the Trex restaurant is nice too. Little bit of everything is there. Enjoy! God Bless!
1 family found this helpful
"Downtown Disney Disappoints"
I love everything about Walt Disney World. Everything, that is, except Downtown Disney. We started at Downtown Disney on our second trip to Disney World. I was hoping to get a feel of Disney magic on our first night, without wasting a parks ticket since we only had a few hours. I wish we'd gone to the parks. Downtown Disney is nothing but a place to waste money on items you don't need. Candy that wasn't that great. Mediocre restaurants that weren't nearly as kid-friendly as the ones at the parks. At least we were able to buy a few Disney pins for trading at the parks later. The good thing about Downtown Disney is that it's free. The bad thing is that you'll end up spending money that you shouldn't! Skip it and enjoy the rest of Disney!
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"Make Reservations Ahead!"
This is a great place to go. There are lots of different shops and restuarants to enjoy, however I'd suggest making reservations ahead of time. We spent at least an hour walking from one side to the other looking for a place to eat because we didn't realize how busy it would be!
1 family found this helpful
"Nice break from the parks"
Downtown Disney provides a nice break from the parks, but if you aren't a big shopper, it can be a little monotonous. We always enjoy visiting T-Rex, the Lego Store, and the Disney shops. Our daughter loves playing in the water fountains during the summer, especially if the DJ is around. Last time we were there, my husband and daughter rented a boat from Downtown Disney and had a blast.
1 family found this helpful
"Get the Disney experience for less"
I love Downtown Disney because it's a cool way to feel like you're in a theme park for no money at all. The kids enjoy strolling down the streets and checking out all the stores. We usually do Downtown Disney at the end of our Orlando trips to pick up any extra souvenirs we may want. The Lego store is a must for our 10 year old. Yes, it is usually crowded, but then again, where can you go in Orlando that is not crowded?
There are lots of cool restaurants to have dinner, but make sure you make reservations online ahead of time, as some of these restaurants are almost impossible to get in at the last minute (i.e. the Dinosaur restaurant). Overall, Downtown Disney is a great way to unwind from all the park hopping.
0 families found this helpful
"I like it better than Magic Kingdom"
To me, there is enough here to entertain small children without making the arduous and expensive trek to DisneyWorld. Just go to Universal and get your Disney souvenirs at Downtown Disney. LegoLand is good, but super-crowded everytime I've been. I like the dragon in the Lagoon. Skip Rainforest Cafe, those people have lost their everloving minds. I'd like to try the Irish pub next time I go.
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"Fun fun fun"
I was here with my husband about 8 years ago when we were dating. There were lots of clubs and bars from what I could remember. Great nightlife, not very famiy friendly for the kids. Bars close late at night. Great fireworks display on the weekend at night as well.
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"A must go!"
Downtown Disney is an awesome place for adults and kids too. Mainly towards adults, dancing, dinning and shops. But kids will have fun too. There is an old photograph place that the whole family can dress up in mid-western era and take black and white or sephia tone photos. They also have a "New years Eve" Bash every night in the town square that they do the countdown and have confetti come out of the "sky". Its a lot of fun for everyone.
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"Great Addition to your Vacation "
When you're here visiting all the Disney parks, make sure you plan some time to walk around Downtown Disney. This has almost become it's own park! From restaurants to shops to play areas for the kids, you can spend your entire evening here and still come back another night to do it all over again!
0 families found this helpful
"Lego Store was the best part"
We visited the Downtown Disney area one night of our Orlando vacation. The Lego Store was by far the best part - especially the free building stations outside. Kids can either build on the stands with legos or duplos, or they can build race cars and race with other kids on the ramp set up for that purpose. There is also a small playground right outside the store. We loved the Lego Store, but the other offerings like souvenir shops and restaurants were very crowded and pricey.
Also, the parking situation is less than optimal. Take special care to note where you parked - the lot goes on forever around the area.
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"Fun Place to Walk and Eat"
This is a really cool place to go to eat and shop! There are lego statues that are really cool! The restaurants are great but expensive. There are also some nice little gift shops! I ate at the Rain forest Cafe while I was there and found everything pleasant.
1 family found this helpful
"So Much Fun 2 Be Had! "
Ah, what a great experience Downtown Disney is! We took a shuttle bus from our hotel to the Downtown Disney area where we ate at Planet Hollywood, it was gigantic with great food, there was also a DJ there! Pleasure Island I feel like is not so much suited for the kids, but rather a night out on the town with your hubby! Either way there's plenty of places to look around & just have fun!
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"Great End to our visit"
We stopped at Downtown Disney on our way home. My daughters (3 & 5) LOVED visiting the LEGO store. The large Disney store was the perfect place to pick up souvenirs and gifts for family and friends. We were also able to use up the last few snacks on our meal plan.
0 families found this helpful
"downtown disney"
Downtown Disney is the best place to pick up your sounveirs. There are tons of shops and the prices are more reasonable. There are also a ton of great places to eat and just unwind after a great in the parks! There is also a great place for kiddo's to play in the water.
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"Going to Orlando?? Then you Must GO!!"
Down Town Disney is free and full of fun! My son enjoys playing with the legos, in front of the big Lego store. Another favorite is the "Once upon a Toy" store. They sell classic Disney toys as well as many toys you can get in Disney. We bought make-your-own Mr. Potato Head (the parts are all Disney. Princesses, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, Mickey hat, etc..). And it gets played with all the time! Whether you are going for food, shopping, or a walk this is a wonderful place!
1 family found this helpful
"Better for a date night than evening with kids..."
The Downtown Disney area is tons of fun...for two adults who have time to leisurely shop in cramped stores and want to sit down for a nice dinner alone. :) Don't get me wrong...I loooove Downtown Disney. But our last trip with our little one left a little to be desired, only because there is very little for them to do. On a perfect summer day, when we have no where else to be that day, we would let him play in the pop up fountain in the middle of downtown and the Disney store and Lego store there huge and fun. But otherwise...it is mainly grown-up stores and fancy restaurants. I'd say, with little kids, plan a couple hours there at the most...and that would include a trip to Rainforest Cafe to fill out the time. :)
1 family found this helpful
"FREE Admission and so Awesome!"
The first night we arrived at Disney, we didn't want to use our passes so we decided to visit downtown area which was AWESOME! We ate at Planet Hollywood which is one of he neatest places I have ever eaten in. It was so unique. There are lego people, dinosaurs, etc. all throughout the area. There is so much free fun there I would definitely recommend blocking out time to visit while you are at Disney World!
1 family found this helpful
"A Must Visit in Central Florida"
Even if you visit Disney World, you really should check out Downtown Disney. The venue is packed (!!!) with tons of shops and restaruants. Your wallet will probably not like you very much, but its a great place to get all of your Mickey Mouse loot before leaving Florida. There do tend to be crowds, but it's well worth it. The Disney Store, the Lego Store and Build a Dinosaur are fantastic stores to visit and Ghardelli Ice Cream Shop is a must for amazing ice cream. You can also get non-Mickey merchandise, like pearls, cigars and character drawings at Downtown Disney. Bring your walking shoes though, this is a big spot and your kids will want to see everything!
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"Downtown Disney"
Downtown Disney provides a great place for families to eat, walk, and shop outside of one of the parks. It's a fun, upbeat environment with all of the excitement that is Disney World. I recommend eating at the T-Rex restaurant. We had a wonderful experience there. There are usually performances going on throughout that area as well. It's worth a visit while you are in Orlando.
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