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In this week’s ParkSpotting we are back at Downtown Disney to take another look at the bustling entertainment district as it transforms itself into Disney Springs.
The construction pace has really picked up in recent weeks and almost every time I stop by something new has shown up or been revealed from behind walls. It’s a really exciting time for Downtown Disney and much more is about to happen in its future, so come along and take a look at some of its most recent additions.
After parking in my preferred location right now, the West Side Garage, I took a quick stroll over to see if any new food trucks were out. No local food trucks were out serving this day, but the World Showcase truck had a really tempting menu.
Continuing over to the old Pleasure Island area, now called the Landing, I spotted some new signs had popped up to help people find their way a little easier – a smart idea as the winding construction walls can sometimes leave you confused.
Planet Hollywood may look like this right now, but it was recently announced that it will have a new look soon. Check out the future plans for it here
In the new Landing area we have seen the most recent change with a bunch of smaller shops opening up with an eclectic mix of merchandise offerings. Not a single Disney item is to be found in these stores and some of the names you may recognize from a recent visit to your local mall.
The Art of Shaving offers both shaving products and a barbershop for those dapper men visiting Disney.
The Sanuk shoe store may not be a household name, but it offers those who would want some functional footwear a place to shop.
Sound Lion is the closest we can come to finding an Apple store at Downtown Disney for now with cool sound tech displays to let you try out the latest and greatest in audio wear. Personally, I’m still hoping for an Apple store to be a part of Disney Springs’ future.
Apex by Sunglass Hut will probably look familiar to most Disney guests by now with the sunglass store having had a pretty big presence in Disney Parks before. But if a pair of pretty shiny pair of designer sunglasses is what you wish for there is no better place to go on Disney property.
The Raglan Road restaurant has finally gotten its walkway back and you can now again enjoy some fish and chips on the patio of Cookes of Dublin.
The new restaurant the Boathouse continues with its rapid construction pace to have its water view restaurant ready for the summer guests.
The view from the Boathouse restaurant will be of the beautiful Saratoga Springs resort with its pretty flower Mickey head.
Continuing my walk closer to Downtown Disney Marketplace we have some more new stores that recently opened, Havaianas and Chapel Hats and popular vegan bakery Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC.
The main reason for my visit to Downtown Disney this day was to check out the new walkway bridge, the Marketplace Causeway, in the Marketplace section. The new bridge goes from the T-Rex restaurant to Rainforest Cafe and gives us a great new way of getting around the Marketplace and really helps with the congestion that this area has suffers from.
The bridge doesn’t just offer pleasant views of Downtown Disney but some shopping too with four new kiosks featuring a variety of products. Florida Inspired Cookies was my favorite with lots of cute cookies to munch on.
After my pleasant walk across the new bridge I decided to do a quick look thru the Marketplace shops to see what fun things I could find. The Nightmare Before Christmas section of the Disney’s Days of Christmas store got a Frozen transformation over the holidays and I assume was so popular it is still here today. You continue to see tons of guests taking pictures with the Anna and Elsa outside the store and shopping with Olaf plush toys inside.
Every holiday is always celebrated at Walt Disney World and Easter is no exception. Cute Minnie and Mickey plush toys in their Easter finest can be found at World of Disney.
Caramel apples are always a fun and yummy treat you can find at Disney World and our latest star Baymax has now gotten his own apple.
I’m ending my trip to Downtown Disney with this wonderful new Walt Disney World t-shirt that really symbolizes some of the great things Florida has to offer. Sunshine, palm trees, flamingos and of course, Mickey ears!
That’s it for this weeks visit to Disney World and I hope you join me again next week for some more fun in the parks!
