Disney Springs worth it?

[CapnJack0506]

I'm spending the week at Disney World and have a 6 day hopper ticket. Is taking time away from the parks and hanging out at Disney Springs worth it? Thanks and let the debate begin!

 

[Klayfish]

I'm spending the week at Disney World and have a 6 day hopper ticket. Is taking time away from the parks and hanging out at Disney Springs worth it? Thanks and let the debate begin!

You gave us no specifics about what interests you and what doesn't. It's kind of like asking "What kind of car should I buy" and giving no details about budget, needs, etc....

Disney Springs is mostly shopping and dining, with a little entertainment sprinkled in. If you like shopping and dining, then go. If you don't care for that, then don't.

 

[CapnJack0506]

You gave us no specifics about what interests you and what doesn't. It's kind of like asking "What kind of car should I buy" and giving no details about budget, needs, etc....

Disney Springs is mostly shopping and dining, with a little entertainment sprinkled in. If you like shopping and dining, then go. If you don't care for that, then don't.

One of the choices in the poll is "Depends on how important shopping and dining are to you"

 

[sullyfam]

It's essentially an outdoor mall. So if shopping and dining is important to you then yes, it may be "worth it." If you have a specific restaurant you *have to eat at or store you *have to shop at then yes, it may be worth it to you.

If visiting the parks and hanging at your resort are your focus and you're not really concerned with visiting a mall like atmosphere then no, it might not be "worth it" to take a special trip to Disney Springs.

If you've never been then sure, go check it out and see for yourself. I don't like to be in the business of telling people what may be worth their time vs. my time. We have been on the occasional trip (both pre and post renovations) but don't go out of our way if our schedule is already full. If we visit it's usually on arrival or departure day when we need to kill chunks of time.

 

[ellbell]

I feel like it is worth it. I go every trip down and in November I will be going to Disney Springs but not any of the parks.

 

[CAS239]

Disney springs is very nice. Tons of shops and restaurants that aren't in just any mall or outlet mall.

We usually go there for at least a few hours every trip. AP's, so it's basically a few hours every month. I wouldn't necessarily cut out park time for Disney Springs. But I would take a trip to DS over hanging out in the hotel

 

[NJ Goofy]

We usually go a couple times for dinner if we're staying at SSR. If we're staying somewhere else and need to use Disney transportation we only go once. The new dining choices are very nice (PaddleFish, Boathouse, etc.). We then walk around a little and if we're in a shopping mood we visit the Disney Store and the Christmas store. We don't shop in the "regular" stores unless we realize we forgot to pack something. We like it as a night-off from the parks, it can be relaxing.

 

[OneinThree]

I voted "no", but with a caveat. At Disney, the primary draw IS the parks; better food and lodging can be had all over the place. So I feel like the vast majority of time should be allocated to what you're really paying for. That said, if you're going to take a break from the parks (particularly for stays of 7+ days), DS is probably the best option available.

It's essentially an outdoor mall.

Yes, and no. Traditional malls are a dying breed. The modern concept is one which increasingly centers on dining and diversion, balanced by shopping. DS offers all sort of things to see and do from movies, to bowling, to Lego land for kids, to live entertainment, etc. For a night out after the parks, there is no better option, IMO.

 

[2Lunds]

Are you a foodie? If so, then 100% yes. You *can* find great food in the parks, of course, but almost all of the restaurants in DS are better than in-park. Even if you only spend an hour or two to check it out and have a snack, I think it's worth it. It's really pretty, with lots of great entertainment too.

 

[eric1985]

I go either on my last day or on a non-park day. Lots of food options and shops, not really my thing, but it's ok to explore.

 

[sullyfam]

I voted "no", but with a caveat. At Disney, the primary draw IS the parks; better food and lodging can be had all over the place. So I feel like the vast majority of time should be allocated to what you're really paying for. That said, if you're going to take a break from the parks (particularly for stays of 7+ days), DS is probably the best option available.



Yes, and no. Traditional malls are a dying breed. The modern concept is one which increasingly centers on dining and diversion, balanced by shopping. DS offers all sort of things to see and do from movies, to bowling, to Lego land for kids, to live entertainment, etc. For a night out after the parks, there is no better option, IMO.

Going to have to disagree with you there. Movie theaters, bowling alleys/arcades and play spaces have been a thing at malls since forever. As has live entertainment (Tiffany/Debbie Gibson anyone??). Pop stars doing mall tours was all the rage in the 1980's/90's. So I wouldn't say those concepts are necessarily new or unique to Disney Springs. The ratio of shops and dining to "entertainment" is still highly skewed any way you slice it. But yes, if you are looking for something to do outside the parks, it's an option for sure.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

It's a mall themed toward Disney.

It's a nice mall for sure, with nice restaurants, stores, and the Disney-ish theme, but it's a mall just the same.

I would never plan specifically to go there, but if you have down time there are worse ways to spend a few hours. It's free to go anyhow.

 

[Farro]

I'm spending the week at Disney World and have a 6 day hopper ticket. Is taking time away from the parks and hanging out at Disney Springs worth it? Thanks and let the debate begin!

If you like a good dinner, scenic atmosphere, cocktails and fun alternative to a night in the parks - yes.

If you will be annoyed because the stores aren't all Disney-centric and some are expensive - no.

 

[momto3boysillbe]

Not if 6 days is all you have. I’d rather be in the parks. We used to go after we checked out and before we got on the road to drive back home. You could always go after you leave a park for the day too.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

We went to Disney Springs the last time we were at WDW (May 2017). We did not find it to be worth the terrible transportation (Disney Buses) that we encountered. Maybe the transportation situation has improved. We waited 40 minutes for a bus to DS and over an hour for return transportation back to the resort.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Is Disney Springs worth an entire day? No.

Is Disney Springs a solid spot to go on your off day after hanging by the pool all day? Yes.

 

[skyblue17]

I think it's a fun place to visit if you're taking a rest day from the parks. We had a 5-day hopper and a MNSSHP day, then a rest day where we visited Disney Springs in the afternoon/evening. Even not being super into shopping, I still enjoyed going there and looking around, having a leisurely sitdown dinner and an early night. There is fun stuff to look at, it's designed well (though pretty huge!) and a good place to wander. But I also don't think you're missing much if you don't go.

Also, I'm not sure I'd want to go out of the way to take a bus there. We were staying at POFQ, so we took the boat, which was fun and relaxing and an attraction in itself, which added to the appeal.

 

[nkereina]

IMO, yes, its worth it. We usually visit at night and have dinner there, typically after our DHS day or AK day which take us the least amount of time. There are a ton of good restaurants to enjoy, and we like browsing the unique to Disney stores which have things you can't find in the parks. We always buy our souvenirs here, and stop at a few places for drinks. Some really great themed bars and restaurants. Its also doubled in size in recent years, so we don't even get through the whole thing in a night anymore.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We go to Disney twice a year for about 3 weeks total. We love the resorts and ambiance and only go to parks a couple times. We go to Disney springs almost every night for dinner with thevTIW card and I always go alone for a few hours for shopping. We also do the dine in movie for lunch and bowling. For people like us it’s s destination by itself.

 

[mittelst]

This question is asked often, and as with many aspects of vacation/leisure time, it really depends on personal preferences. If you consider dining and shopping an enjoyable part of your vacation, then absolutely go! There are many unique and good restaurants, live music, and fun shopping. All in an attractive setting with easy parking.
Although not an inexpensive proposition, I would plan a minimum of 7 days for a WDW vacation - especially if it's a "once in a lifetime" trip. WDW is a resort, not just a collection of theme parks. The property, aside from the theme parks, includes opportunities for dining, shopping, movies, live performances, water parks, mini golf, golf, bowling, spas, etc. That's what I love about it!