Disney Springs worth the time?

[jlnten17]

We have been to WDW at least twice a year for the last 3 years and never visited Disney Springs. We always stay on the monorail or an Epcot resort but this time we are at SSR because its a very last minute trip. It is also only DH and myself. We keep skipping the springs because to me it seems just like a shopping mall which we have here at home. I was going to visit Raglan Road for the entertainment but we will be there over St Patricks day and from another thread it seems like we will want to avoid RR at all costs. So is there much to do there other than shop and eat? I would be interested in live entertainment and others have shared a few links but how good are the bands, how crowded are the venues, etc? Is there anything else to do there that we can't do at home - like movies, bowling, etc seems like we can get anywhere. TIA!

 

[rteetz]

There isn't much else other than eating and shopping but I really love the eating. If you want a nice evening out getting some appetizers and runs that is a great place for it. Hangar Bar, Homecomin', Boathouse, etc. All of those have great food and bar areas. There is some live entertainment throughout the area but nothing that is really a draw.

 

[OhhBother]

We love it and go multiple times a trip. The Void -- a Star Wars virtual reality experience is incredible, and we really enjoy dinner and bowling at Splitsville. There are many incredible restaurants, and we enjoy the ambiance at night -- the live music, the lighting, picking up a pastry at Amorette's. And what can I say -- I love shopping too!

 

[Paul Rodgers]

We'd rather be at Springs than our own hotel normally. We'll look around in shops, visit different attractions, eat...

 

[Gophers]

Love Disney Springs. Usually spend a couple of evenings there on our trips. Have to do the new Star Wars void this year

 

[loves to dive]

Worth it is subjective. We don't go but we only visited Downtown Disney once or twice. Any high end shopping we can do here at home, we live 45 min. from Atlanta. Any Disney shopping we would rather do in the parks. There might be some restaurants or bars that we would be interested in going to but, for us, it's not worth the time and effort to get over there. The few times we tried it in the past it would take at least a hour to get there and we have sat at the bus stops for as long as two hours waiting on a bus. We went before because we loved La Nouba but no reason for us to go now. If we were staying at SSS and maybe were done with the parks early in the evening, I would guess we might boat over there.

 

[CAS239]

Disney springs is fantastic. It's greatly improved and where you want to go to eat and shop.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

My wife and I got a sandwich at Earl of Sandwich and

went to see a movie at Disney Springs. It is a big shopping mall with restaurants but it is a pretty nice place to walk around. The bus service to DS was particularly bad(long waits)when we went. That may have improved now. When we got out of the movie it was around midnight and we had to get a taxi back to the resort. DS is not something that we normally do. Only if there was something there that we could not get elsewhere. Cheers!!!!!!!​

 

[LizzyS]

I earmarked a day just for Disney Springs in the middle of our trip last week and I'm glad that we did, tbh. Of course, we stayed at POR and took the boat back and forth, but I think if you're looking for a low key day during your visit, def check out DS. There's the movie theater and bowling alley if you want more than shops and restaurants. It's pretty over there on the water, too, plus you could always take a trip out in the water on an Amphicar!

 

[bumbershoot]

It's an outdoor mall. Fancified or not, that's what it is. If you like malls, go. If you want to eat somewhere that's there, go. If you want to go to Raglan Road on St Patrick's Day along with everyone else, go. If you don't want to do those things, don't go.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Do they still have the T Rex Restaurant? That was a very cool themed restaurant.

 

[LizzyS]

Do they still have the T Rex Restaurant? That was a very cool themed restaurant.

Yes.

 

[LMA712014]

We took a break day in Disney Springs last month and it was a nice break from the park hustle and bustle. The kids fell asleep in the stroller so we walked around and checked out the shops for the afternoon and then had dinner at T-Rex (by far DS favorite restaurant).

 

[yaksack]

We were at Ragland Road last May and it was very good. Good selection of beer and whiskey. We Also took the kids to T-Rex, which is worth checking out. The food is like TGIF, Chili’s, etc, but the animatronics are cool.

 

[Ds4angels]

We thought it was ok, but it's like most of WDW and kinda over priced. The kids liked it because there were a few places to pin trade. I don't know that we'd go back for our August trip.

 

[rteetz]

We thought it was ok, but it's like most of WDW and kinda over priced. The kids liked it because there were a few places to pin trade. I don't know that we'd go back for our August trip.

Depends on where you go. There are reasonably priced places and expensive places. For shopping I find Uniqlo to be one of those reasonable places. Dining there is Blaze or the new Pizza Ponte which is reasonably priced and good food. I find even Homecomin' to not be priced too high for the quality that it is.

 

[kangamangus]

We definitely hit Disney Springs a few times each trip. We like to get a mickey pretzel and sit by the waterfront and listen to the live bands. We always visit world of disney, get our free sample of chocolate and stop in the personalization store and chat it up with the workers while they turn our mickey ears into something more personal. Sometimes the bus service is slow but that doesn't deter us. Also the boat ride over can be relaxing too. And how can I forget the cupcake ATM!! We stop by there at least once a trip. For our family it's not to be missed!

 

[Cinderella94]

We're in the minority and that's okay. We much preferred when it was Downtown Disney. We go primarily for the shopping, and I don't want to buy things in Disney that I can buy at my hometown shopping mall (I never have enough room in my luggage for that, anyway ). And there seemed to be less variety in the Disney merchandise as well - we went to Disney Springs on the last night of our latest trip, and we had seen all the merchandise before in the parks. I'm pretty sure that was my first time ever going there without buying anything. It also felt more "Disney" when it was DTD - I'm not sure if "trendy" is the right word, it's probably not, but it has a different vibe now that didn't do anything for us. We aren't itching to go back.

 

[Betty_Baylor99]

For an arrival day when we are not hitting up the park, it’s a nice spot to stop at, but we don’t feel compelled to have to make a special trip out there either for shopping or dining options. One time we stayed at POFQ on a previous trip and it was a nice boat ride away- it was convenient for us because we needed to visit Guest Services and there’s a location there so it saved us from having to stop at a GS in front of a park the following day. I wouldn’t purposely make a visit to DS if we’re limited on time.

 

[motherof5]

We have been to WDW at least twice a year for the last 3 years and never visited Disney Springs. We always stay on the monorail or an Epcot resort but this time we are at SSR because its a very last minute trip. It is also only DH and myself. We keep skipping the springs because to me it seems just like a shopping mall which we have here at home. I was going to visit Raglan Road for the entertainment but we will be there over St Patricks day and from another thread it seems like we will want to avoid RR at all costs. So is there much to do there other than shop and eat? I would be interested in live entertainment and others have shared a few links but how good are the bands, how crowded are the venues, etc? Is there anything else to do there that we can't do at home - like movies, bowling, etc seems like we can get anywhere. TIA!

Just went with my kids in Feb. It was a blast. They loved to dance to the music, play at the lego store and of course shop. My parents then took the kids back to the resort (OKW) so the rest of the adults could go have drinks and appetizers at Raglan Road. It was very nice. Why do you want to avoid it? A bit expensive but a nice evening.