Is Disney Springs Worth It?

[Upatnoon]

Hi. It's been several years since we've been to Disney. Our kids were 9 and 7 and will be 16 and 14 for our upcoming trip! Disney Springs is new to us, so I'm not sure if it's worth us factoring it into our plans. Our then 9 year old doesn't remember much about the parks, so that is our priority and they've never been to either of the water parks, so we'd like to get at least one into our plans. None of us are big on shopping and I don't really feel the need to go to WDW for bowling of the movies. All of that being said, should I factor time at Disney Springs into our plan???? Thanks!

It's free. It looks great with the big renovation. There are lots of good places to eat. There is food for pretty much every budget. There is usually some kind of free entertainment going on. It has good people watching. Did I mention it's free?

 

[saraheliz]

We use to love it when it was Downtown Disney- we'd always have dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express and split some Ghiradelli sundaes, and save the bulk of our souvenir shopping for the giant World of Disney store. Last trip was our first time since it became Disney Springs and we didn't love it. Now, granted the World of Disney store was under renovation so didn't have as much stuff, but it just felt like a giant upscale mall to me. I would like to try some of the new restaurants but it's definitely not a priority anymore. We had better luck with Disney-related shopping at MK and Epcot anyway.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

It's a fun place. DS and I go there on the day we arrive. I didn't want to spend a day's admission in just a couple of hours. Disney Springs is a fun way to fill in the open time.

We have done the same on the last 3 trips, but this time I booked California Grill for a late dinner on arrival day so I can see some fireworks! Everyone else always wants to go back to the resort early so I miss them. not this time!

 

[Boopuff]

We like the restaurants at DS. As well as Wold of Disney to shop. It's very vibrant, fun area.

 

[rkstocke5609]

16 & 14 ? You MUST take them to the VOID . Plan a trip to Disney Springs for a trip to the Void followed by a nice dinner. There are so many nice dining experiences. We think the VOID is one of the best attractions on Disney property. We go everytime we are at WDW.

 

[finedice]

Now if the Adventurers club was still open () I’d definitely recommend a visit....

Kungaloosh!

I just want to say - Disney Springs = best food on Disney property at a "relatively" affordable price!

 

[xipotec]

I had not been in ten years, and my visit this month reminded me in a hurry as of why.

It super boring. The stores are pretty much the basic high end mall stuff with the exception of 2-3 stores.

its usually packed with locals also , out shopping , and showing off their new bought fashions. just not my kind of place.

There are a few nice restaurants all very expensive.

I probably will never go there again.

 

[ClapYourHands]

DS is a good place to go for a nice meal or to shop. It can be a good time-filler on a day you don't have tickets. So veg out at the pool for most of the day and head over to DS for the evening atmosphere and dinner.

For a trip with kids where I had tickets for each park day, I would not make the trek over there. I can go to the mall at home. When I'm at Disney, I want to be in the parks or by a pool.

 

[staceychev]

We are going for dinner and to walk around the night before we go to MK. We're not shoppers either, and I think it's totally skippable!

 

[yorkieteacher]

We go only if we have a late arrival/departure day. Our grandsons love the Lego store and Lego statues. They love T Rex (yeah, I know, but they are 3 and 7 year old boys!) and we love The Boathouse.

 

[MrsDuck]

It's just shopping. I'd skip it and do the pool/a water park/more park time/resort time.

 

[a742246]

We use Disney Springs as our off day, but if you don't have an off day from the parks I would skip it.

 

[Beer Me]

I had a conference last year and my wife joined me. We had no plans for Disney parks but spent a day at DS.

I was impressed with the changes over the last couple of years. Those saying it’s just a mall must have much better malls than I’ve experienced. I’m not into shopping at all but still found it a nice place to wander around, have few drinks and a nice meal. It was a pleasant atmosphere and I’m looking forward to doing it again soon.

That being said on a family trip to Disney i wouldn’t prioritize it unless we really had a lot of extra time.

 

[Jennasis]

we love Disney Springs and we are not shoppers. I actually hate shopping...with the white hot intensity of 10,000 suns. But for us, DS is about great food and entertainment. We wander from end to end enjoying all the free llive entertainment along the way. Bands, dancers, musicians, magicians etc. Plus it's beautiful. It is a fantastic way to spend a relaxing evening. We do try to do it on weekdays as it can get very crowded on weekends and holidays.

 

[kbelle8995]

It's good if you need someplace besides park restaurants. Some of the restaurants are quite good. But if you are not interested in shopping than I would skip it. It's basically a outdoor mall at Disney

 

[jbish]

DS is good if you enjoy or would like to try out:

• Shopping
• Additional dining options
• A break from the parks
• Movies/Bowling
• Cirque du Soleil
• the Void
• NBA Experience
• or, you just need to fill in some non-park hours

And based on what's there, it's really up to you to figure out if your family would like that. We will go this year because a) it's Spring Break and I'm trying new techniques this year to help get us out of the park and the crowds, b) my kids LOVE basketball and we will definitely be trying out the NBA Experience, and c) because of peak ticket pricing, we aren't getting 6-day park hoppers and will have some non-park days to fill up with activities. We may try the Void, but DH doesn't want to spend time on our vacation spending Disney prices on things we could do at home, like movies or bowling (there's even a Void-like experience around us, apparently - but likely not Star Wars themed). We often will go once during our trip when we're there for 5-6 days. But DH needs a break from the parks and there are lots of great dining options, so it fits our family's needs.

 

[KenHutch]

We went for one evening on our 2018 trip and for my 19 year old daughter that's it. We used to spend one full day there but she is death on the subject of booze and far to many people were very happy to put it best. We had two groups of girls run into us and spill stuff one us. I don't begrudge anyone's right to drink but if we go there for dinner on next years trip it will be very early and not 20:00 hours like the last time.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I love Disney Springs! Great dining options there. I usually go to either Raglan Road OR WGPE then Ghiradelli's for dessert. They truly do have the best sundaes. Plus i absolutely love the live entertainment in the evenings. So relaxing and fun overall.

 

[epcotty]

Now that DisneyQuest is gone, definitely NOT worth it. We haven't been since it closed, nothing that's really unique there anymore

 

[nkereina]

Clearly "worth" is subjective, but IMO its worth a visit for dinner one evening at the very least. Its improved drastically over the last few years, becoming much larger and making a nice atmosphere to explore. We like to visit as a night off from the parks - usually on our Animal Kingdom day where we finish up sometime in the afternoon, or on our arrival day when we don't want to waste a full park ticket on a partial day. Going to Disney Springs, you don't need much of a plan or agenda, and many of the TS restaurants there can be booked last minute, on Open Table, or even show up as a walk-up. And if all else fails, Disney Springs has the best QS options on property IMO.

We usually visit Disney Springs twice per trip, and I make the second visit towards the end so we can use it as a means to buy all the souvenirs we want. We'll see what's around in the parks all week, and then narrow it down to what we want, which we can usually find at the World of Disney store in Disney Springs. We also bring home snacks that travel well from Goofy's Candy Co (also make good souvenirs for people who don't like trinkets), and we like to get an ornament from the Christmas store. With teenagers, they may like the clothing store Uniqlo which is very reasonably priced, and there's a fun home section in the Co-Op which has unique and subtle Disney houseware and decor items that I don't typically see anywhere else. We'll also stop for a sundae at Ghiradelli, or for a drink and snack at a place like Hangar Bar or The Boathouse. There's free live entertainment around, or you can eat at some of the restaurants that have entertainment of their own like Raglan Road or The Edison. So, obviously lots of unique things going on there and its worth a visit even if only for dinner, especially if you've never been.