Disney Springs

Understand

Visitors to Disney Springs will find that it has a split personality. During the day, it's a shopping district like no other on Disney property, with everything from mega-stores to smaller specialty boutiques. This is the place to go if you're on day six of your vacation and still haven't figured out what souvenirs you want, or if you decide you just need some good old-fashioned retail therapy. Most of the large stores are in the Disney Springs Marketplace area, with the specialty shops concentrated in the Disney Springs West Side. At night, though, the lights come on and the place really gets hopping, with live music, stage shows, and sophisticated restaurant and lounges opening their doors to a primarily adult clientele. If you get tired of the relentlessly artificial environments of the theme parks, you can drop by Disney Springs at night for fun of an entirely different sort. The strongest concentration of activity at night is on the West Side, but The Landing gets its share as well thanks to its upscale restaurants and lounges. Disney Springs also serves as a major transportation hub (especially late at night when the parks are closed), as it's the most reliable way to transfer buses in order to travel between two resorts via Disney transportation.

History In 1975, just a few years after Walt Disney World opened, Disney created a small shopping district far to the southeast of the Magic Kingdom, which was at the time the only developed area of the property. As the Walt Disney World Village, and later the Disney Village Marketplace, it remained a remote and rarely visited destination for many years. The only real attraction aside from shopping was the Empress Lilly (Paddlefish in 2017), a non-functional replica paddlewheel boat named after Walt's widow that featured three separate dining rooms.

In the late 1980s, however, as Walt Disney World prepared to open its third theme park, executives realized that adult guests would want to have a place to go

Getting there

There is no admission fee for Disney Springs in general, although individual attractions may carry a fee. The main entrance is the Town Center opened in 2016 in the middle of the complex. Wheelchair, ECV and stroller rentals are available at the nearby Sundries location next to the Town Center bus loop. Typhoon Lagoon admission is $49 for adults and $41 for children, unless you have added the Water Park Fun and More option to your Magic Your Way package.

By car Disney Springs and Typhoon Lagoon are on Buena Vista Drive; drive east from Epcot Center Drive or west from Hotel Plaza Boulevard. Parking is free at both locations. During peak periods, valet parking may be available for $25. Two parking structures flank the Town Center main entrance to Disney Springsː the Lime Garage on the right adjacent to Town Center and closer to the Marketplace, and the Orange Garage on the left adjacent to the West Side. There are surface lots on the far end of the West Side.

By Disney transportation

Buses and ferries travel to Disney Springs. From any resort, you can take the Disney Springs bus from your resort's bus stop. The buses will drop you off in front of the Town Center. These buses sometimes also stop at Typhoon Lagoon after Disney Springs. Ferries travel the Sassagoula River from Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs to Disney Springs. The three ferry docks are at the far end of the West Side, at the Landing, and on the bridge between the Marketplace and Saratoga Springs. Saratoga Springs and Downtown Disney Hotel Plaza guests can also walk to Disney Springs. If you're going to Typhoon Lagoon, take the Disney Springs bus. Before 1PM or so, you can stay on board and the bus will continue on to Typhoon Lagoon. After that time, you may have to switch buses; ask your bus driver for confirmation. You can, of course, arrive at Disney Springs by foot or by boat before transferring to a bus to Typhoon Lagoon.

From the

Getting around

Disney Springs is long and skinny, running roughly northeast-to-west. The northeastern-most end is the Disney Springs Marketplace. The Marketplace curves down and around to the southwest, where it meets up with The Landing (on the water front) and Town Center (to the south near the bus stops). To the west is, of course, the Disney Springs West Side, with the Cirque du Soleil arena at the far end near the ferry terminal. The entire long complex is sandwiched between parking lots/structures on the south side and Village Lake on the north. From Village Lake, boats can travel the Sassagoula River, which provides access to the Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and Port Orleans resorts. The Downtown Disney Hotel Plaza, a set of inexpensive non-Disney resorts on Disney property, lies just to the northeast of the Marketplace. If you're tired of walking and need to get from one end of Disney Springs to the other, a free shuttle boat runs among the three docks (West Side, The Landing, Marketplace) every 15 minutes or so—make sure you get on the Green Flag boat.

Buy

Disney Springs is a retail mecca, a mall done Disney-style. The highest concentration of Disney-themed merchandise shops is in the Marketplace, the eastern part of Disney Springs. The new Town Center holds most of the chain stores one might find in any American mall, but also is home to more unique retailers not easily found elsewhere. Many of the stores here also sell exclusive Disney-inspired designs. The rest of Disney Springs has fewer shops, but the West Side does house some specialty retailers, with a lot less mouse ears. For shops without direct phone numbers, you can call Guest Relations at +1 407 828-3150. Press '3' and tell the operator which store you wish to contact. All stores at Disney Springs open at 10AM and close at 11PM (11:30PM Friday and Saturday).

Marketplace

The Marketplace is anchored by the 51,000-square-foot (4,700-m2) World of Disney:

1 World of Disney, ☏ +1 407 828-1451. A Disney Store on steroids, with a truly stunning array of character and park merchandise. This is the place to go if you can't find a souvenir you like anywhere else. If that doesn't suit your fancy, try out these other shops:

2 Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers, ☏ +1 407 828-4840, fax: +1 407 828-8019, [email protected]. Since 1967, Arribas Brothers has been crafting metal, crystal, and glass into works of art featuring iconic Disney characters and settings. The store sparkles with light refracted through the many creations; you have to at least wander through the place even if you don't intend to buy anything. (updated Jul 2018) 3 The Art of Disney, ☏ +1 407 828-3929. An art gallery a-la-Disney, filled with works that wouldn't look out of place in a museum, whether they had a Disney theme or not. Fun to browse, but don't think you can't afford the stuff in here; there's lots to be had for very reasonable prices. Of course, if you feel like splurging, you can't really go wrong here, either. 4