What happened to Disney Springs?

[yulilin3]

Is this true with any Disney Springs store or just World of Disney?

To my understanding only Disney owned stores. But I'm not 100% sure

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I love Disney springs I just wonder sometimes who buys all this super expensive stuff, alas enjoy

 

[DisneyOma]

We are locals now and we LOVE Disney Springs. It's the closest mall to us so we love that it isn't just all touristy, Disney merchandise. Between shopping and restaurants we are there a lot - just went this morning, actually. Don't worry about the World of Disney store - they are still working on it, only part of the store is opened right now.

See, that's it - it has just become 'the closest mall', one of many malls in the area. Seeing as it's a bit overpriced compared to the others, my guess is it will flourish for a bit, then the shops will either make their prices more in line with the other malls or close.

Not local, really like it. Honestly if DS hadn't been there on our first visit in 2016 I'm not sure we'd have come back to WDW as much as we have, or at all. Staying at a nearby resort with boat access is relaxing and fun. I spend more time out of the parks than in them, and most meals are DS. It's well themed and they keep it interesting. No issues with the stores or restaurants and it doesn't feel like a "mall" to me, so most of the complaints are not relatable. Never visited the earlier iteration.

If you haven't been before 2016, you've missed the better Downtown Disney.

 

[disneyvoice]

See, that's it - it has just become 'the closest mall', one of many malls in the area. Seeing as it's a bit overpriced compared to the others, my guess is it will flourish for a bit, then the shops will either make their prices more in line with the other malls or close.

I guess it depends on what people are used to. We don't feel like there are many decent shopping options nearby, mainly shopping areas that are more like strip malls but not places that we typically shop or the outlet malls which we just don't care for. I don't find the stores at Disney Springs overpriced at all - the stores at Disney Springs are the same stores I go to at other malls so it is perfect for our family. I still have to trek across town to get to the designer stores that Disney Springs doesn't have but unless I specifically need something at one of those stores I much prefer the quick trip to Disney Springs. We are from Houston and had both the Houston Galleria and Highland Village less than 5 minutes down the street so we are used to malls like that. We also love the options in terms of restaurants so it's a great date night spot for us as well.

 

[LMHB]

I just wanted to second what someone else said about the LONG walk back to the departing bus on the bus loop. It is such a pain! I enjoy the marketplace section, the rest is also enjoyable but, yes, stores that you can find in other places and not Disney, just expensive. We stay at a range of resorts, deluxe when with the whole family and All-Stars when just 2 of us. I guess this is intentional, but the All-Stars bus station is the FARTHEST you have to walk to. It is a very long way from Earl of Sandwich, where we like to go!

 

[SL6827]

I love Disney springs I just wonder sometimes who buys all this super expensive stuff, alas enjoy

I agree with some of those stores. I just stay in the Market Place for the most part.

 

[SL6827]

I just wanted to second what someone else said about the LONG walk back to the departing bus on the bus loop. It is such a pain! I enjoy the marketplace section, the rest is also enjoyable but, yes, stores that you can find in other places and not Disney, just expensive. We stay at a range of resorts, deluxe when with the whole family and All-Stars when just 2 of us. I guess this is intentional, but the All-Stars bus station is the FARTHEST you have to walk to. It is a very long way from Earl of Sandwich, where we like to go!

Yes, Disney has ruined the bus transport to Disney Springs.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

It's a giant overpriced outdoor mall/tourist trap. We have several of those shopping establishments here in my city.

We went, we thought we were going to buy souvenirs, we were seriously underwhelmed. Didn't even buy any LEGO because there wasn't anything exclusive to Orlando that we could not have bought at our local LEGO store. It's a sad sad day when my DH says he doesn't want to buy LEGO!

None of the restaurants took the Dining Plan and we had had a crazy amount of credits left over from our stay... if we had been able to use our Dining Plan, we probably would have ate somewhere, but no.
It was so underwhelming to go to such a large shopping centre, but to come away with Zilch Zip Zero purchases... that was when we decided it was not worth the bus ride over.

I miss Pleasure Island... I remember the advertisements as a kid but too young to go... ahhhh missed opportunity...
I doubt we will return to Disney Springs in the future unless they make it a special destination again where you can buy things that are different from the rest of the Park merchandise.

 

[yulilin3]

It's a giant overpriced outdoor mall/tourist trap. We have several of those shopping establishments here in my city.

We went, we thought we were going to buy souvenirs, we were seriously underwhelmed. Didn't even buy any LEGO because there wasn't anything exclusive to Orlando that we could not have bought at our local LEGO store. It's a sad sad day when my DH says he doesn't want to buy LEGO!

None of the restaurants took the Dining Plan and we had had a crazy amount of credits left over from our stay... if we had been able to use our Dining Plan, we probably would have ate somewhere, but no.
It was so underwhelming to go to such a large shopping centre, but to come away with Zilch Zip Zero purchases... that was when we decided it was not worth the bus ride over.

I miss Pleasure Island... I remember the advertisements as a kid but too young to go... ahhhh missed opportunity...
I doubt we will return to Disney Springs in the future unless they make it a special destination again where you can buy things that are different from the rest of the Park merchandise.

Excuse me but there is a large amount of restaurants that take the dining plan both quick archive and table service (just Google to get the list) also Uniqlo it's one of my new favorite stores that has affordable priced items exclusive to this Disney location. Other than pleasure island there really isn't a lot that has changed, especially in the marketplace area, they just expanded to include more mainstream, upscale merchandise. When people compare to a mall I always say which mall gives you the ability to shop Disney and non Disney merchandise, have an array of food options, movie theater with dine in option, bowling alley, tethered balloon ride, entertainment venues , vr facilities and nightly street entertainment?

 

[FastPasser.]

Yes, Disney has ruined the bus transport to Disney Springs.

As someone who is very familiar with WDW bus transportation and likes the new setup, how have they, in your opinion, ruined bus transport to DS?

 

[paisleys]

The last time we went was last year and we won't be back. Just getting into the garage took 30 minutes, then we felt swept up into a ginormous crowd-pod (which made us nervous) to get to the Springs area. Gone are the days where you could just pull up, park and walk into Puck Express, have a great meal and just then go enjoy the holiday shop, kitchen shop etc. And the big WOD store was amazing! It used to be a unique, boutique shopping experience to mix into a trip but NYC feels less crowded and crazy than DS now. Plus the uniqueness of the shops is gone (as everywhere at WDW as someone else mentioned). I'm old enough to remember when it opened as Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village in the 70's. It changed a lot over the years but was still pretty great maybe up until around 2015.

 

[SL6827]

As someone who is very familiar with WDW bus transportation and likes the new setup, how have they, in your opinion, ruined bus transport to DS?

Well for me personally, I liked it better when we were dropped off at Market Place. Generally we don't venture too far out from that area and it was just better for us. But that is "for us." POR, POFQ and SSR now have added value to me as to being able to enter the Market Place from either walking or boat.

 

[OhhBother]

We love Disney Springs! A favorite place to shop, eat and people watch. And I disagree with the person who said it’s like what you’d find at Myrtle Beach. I live in the Myrtle Beach area, and I avoid Broadway at the Beach like the plague. Nothing but junk stores and bad restaurants — and crime. There’s constantly some sort of assault or robbery occurring there. Not even in the same universe as Disney Springs!

 

[FastPasser.]

Well for me personally

I understand, it ruined bus transportation for you?

I liked it better when we were dropped off at Market Place.

It didn't make sense to have two WDW resorts bus stops at DTD. The Marketplace bus depot was too small and required resorts to share load zones. It was a nightmare during very busy times for bus drivers requiring them at times to wait in line just to enter. Having one very large bus depot almost centrally located was the right decision.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Excuse me but there is a large amount of restaurants that take the dining plan both quick archive and table service (just Google to get the list) also Uniqlo it's one of my new favorite stores that has affordable priced items exclusive to this Disney location. Other than pleasure island there really isn't a lot that has changed, especially in the marketplace area, they just expanded to include more mainstream, upscale merchandise. When people compare to a mall I always say which mall gives you the ability to shop Disney and non Disney merchandise, have an array of food options, movie theater with dine in option, bowling alley, tethered balloon ride, entertainment venues , vr facilities and nightly street entertainment?

Ah, the fun of opinions. There were no restaurants we were interested in, that we could get in and out of in less than an hour, that were open in the morning for breakfast. The only thing that was somewhat appealing was Morimoto and they don't take the Dining Plan (or they didn't when we went). Poutine isn't poutine without the actual cheese curds.

We have one of those fancy dine-in movie theatres at home. There are several bowling alleys in our city and I hate bowling anyway.
You couldn't PAY me to get in a hot air balloon.
We have a VR HTC Vive system in our living room and I also hate Star Wars.

We have THREE Disney Stores in our city, two of which are in Fancy Upscale Malls with Indoor/Outdoor Shopping and Eating. Nothing really different than DS other than retailers (obviously swimwear and sunglasses are not as needed in a land-locked province). And I don't think Uniqlo prices rival our thrift store prices, which is where I go shopping for Disney clothing

We had three hours to kill in the morning before we had to be at our MDE stop at the resort, and Disney Springs was hugely underwhelming. I think we should have spent the time at the resort pool LOL

 

[disneygirlsng]

Ah, the fun of opinions. There were no restaurants we were interested in, that we could get in and out of in less than an hour. The only thing that was somewhat appealing was Morimoto and they don't take the Dining Plan (or they didn't when we went). Poutine isn't poutine without the actual cheese curds.

We have one of those fancy dine-in movie theatres at home. There are several bowling alleys in our city and I hate bowling anyway.
You couldn't PAY me to get in a hot air balloon.
We have a VR HTC Vive system in our living room and I also hate Star Wars.

We have THREE Disney Stores in our city, two of which are in Fancy Upscale Malls with Indoor/Outdoor Shopping and Eating. Nothing really different than DS other than retailers (obviously swimwear and sunglasses are not as needed in a land-locked province). And I don't think Uniqlo prices rival our thrift store prices, which is where I go shopping for Disney clothing

We had three hours to kill in the morning before we had to be at our MDE stop at the resort, and Disney Springs was hugely underwhelming. I think we should have spent the time at the resort pool LOL

Morimoto has accepted the dining plan since it opened. 2 credits for dinner, 1 for lunch. And the Daily Poutine has regular poutine with cheese curds in it (super yummy!). Just wanted to clarify in case you missed it.

 

[adelaster]

Ah, the fun of opinions. There were no restaurants we were interested in, that we could get in and out of in less than an hour, that were open in the morning for breakfast. The only thing that was somewhat appealing was Morimoto and they don't take the Dining Plan (or they didn't when we went). Poutine isn't poutine without the actual cheese curds.

We have one of those fancy dine-in movie theatres at home. There are several bowling alleys in our city and I hate bowling anyway.
You couldn't PAY me to get in a hot air balloon.
We have a VR HTC Vive system in our living room and I also hate Star Wars.

We have THREE Disney Stores in our city, two of which are in Fancy Upscale Malls with Indoor/Outdoor Shopping and Eating. Nothing really different than DS other than retailers (obviously swimwear and sunglasses are not as needed in a land-locked province). And I don't think Uniqlo prices rival our thrift store prices, which is where I go shopping for Disney clothing

We had three hours to kill in the morning before we had to be at our MDE stop at the resort, and Disney Springs was hugely underwhelming. I think we should have spent the time at the resort pool LOL

As far as everything located near you and your home tech, you are likely in the minority of visitors to Disney Springs and maybe even the country. There's at least several states with no location at all.

 

[SL6827]

I understand, it ruined bus transportation for you?
It didn't make sense to have two WDW resorts bus stops at DTD. The Marketplace bus depot was too small and required resorts to share load zones. It was a nightmare during very busy times for bus drivers requiring them at times to wait in line just to enter. Having one very large bus depot almost centrally located was the right decision.

I get the logistics of the more centralized location, but it really sucks for us. We will now either drive and park at the Lemon Lot or if we are at a resort with direct access to the Market Place, we will utilize that.

 

[yulilin3]

Ah, the fun of opinions. There were no restaurants we were interested in, that we could get in and out of in less than an hour, that were open in the morning for breakfast. The only thing that was somewhat appealing was Morimoto and they don't take the Dining Plan (or they didn't when we went). Poutine isn't poutine without the actual cheese curds.

We have one of those fancy dine-in movie theatres at home. There are several bowling alleys in our city and I hate bowling anyway.
You couldn't PAY me to get in a hot air balloon.
We have a VR HTC Vive system in our living room and I also hate Star Wars.

We have THREE Disney Stores in our city, two of which are in Fancy Upscale Malls with Indoor/Outdoor Shopping and Eating. Nothing really different than DS other than retailers (obviously swimwear and sunglasses are not as needed in a land-locked province). And I don't think Uniqlo prices rival our thrift store prices, which is where I go shopping for Disney clothing

We had three hours to kill in the morning before we had to be at our MDE stop at the resort, and Disney Springs was hugely underwhelming. I think we should have spent the time at the resort pool LOL

Sure if you have everything close by that's awesome. Also from your original post it seems you miss pleasure island the most, even if it was still open it wouldn't be for the morning hours which is when you went. I would not recommend going to Disney springs looking for breakfast options for sure. Like I said before, the only big thing that closed from the original was pleasure island, not sure if your went inside the co op building. Lots of unique Disney items in there. What they did do was add a lot of stuff.
Like I said before Uniqlo is my new favorite store, I'm a tshirt and jeans person and the tshirts are superb quality for $15-$20, also really unique designs, I've bought Alice in Wonderland inspired, Dumbo, Star Wars and Marvel shirts from them. As a local it is great to have everything in one place especially with how horrible parking is at the local malls and outlets. Disney is not just a tourist destination it caters to locals as well.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Sorry but every woman’s t shirt I have seen lately is cheap, thin and basically see through. And the v neck does way down. I’m not impressed

And as Matt’s girl friend noted there is not much “dressy”

Overall they seem to be marketing to a very young audience. That’s ok. I keep my money

But things like mugs where the logo comes off in a week, jewelry that is incredibly cheaply made, etc have pretty much turned me off Disney merchandise. If I buy something it’s made by someone other than Disney. (Pandora for example):