Downtown Disney to Expand into Disney Springs

A few years after it announced and then scrapped plans to reformat Pleasure Island, the official Disney Parks blog has revealed that Downtown Disney is getting an upgrade. A years-long project will transform Downtown Disney into Disney Springs, an even larger shopping and entertainment district. Downtown Disney is so popular with Florida residents and Disney World guests alike that it was time to expand. Don’t worry about suddenly needing a ticket to get into the area: just like before, Disney Springs will be open to the public (though individual entertainment venues still might require tickets for entrance). Tom Staggs, the … Continue reading →

Art Show Coming to Downtown Disney

One thing that never comes to mind when I think of the Disney Parks is art. I know that isn’t entirely fair; I’ve pointed out in the past how members of the Disney Animation team had a hand in designing the parks. But I can’t help it; when I think of “art” and “Disney” my mind immediately goes to the movies and doesn’t stray. I’d only be interested in purchasing Disney-themed art if it was a still from one of the movies (though the movie stills I really want come from films by Hayao Miyazaki, most of which Disney distributes … Continue reading →

What Is DisneyQuest?

Lately many articles I write seem to be giving me other ideas for more, as I learn about new Disney topics I’d like to explore. Today’s inspiration comes from my New Year’s Eve article; one of the settings at Disney World for end-of-the-year celebrations was DisneyQuest. I’d never heard of the attraction before, so I did some research and now I’m bringing what I’ve learned to you. The Disney World website describes DisneyQuest as an “indoor interactive theme park” with a “one-of-a-kind gaming experience.” Think restaurants like Dave & Busters or even just a classic indoor arcade, but with a … Continue reading →

Pleasure Island Converting to Hyperion Wharf

Many of Pleasure Island’s restaurants will likely remain Change abounds at Disney World. In addition to all the other construction happening around the park, plans are underway for Downtown Disney. Soon Pleasure Island will be replaced with Hyperion Wharf. Those who love Pleasure Island shouldn’t fret: the language used by the announcement post on the official Disney Parks blog says that Pleasure Island will “evolve.” That could just be fancy PR talk to soothe any upset over the change, or it could mean that elements of Pleasure Island will remain. The Disney Parks blog doesn’t have much information about the … Continue reading →

Benefit Sale for the United Way

In some ways working as a Disney blogger has hurt my love of the company. Researching Disney in order to write more about it has clued me in to some corporate practices that I just don’t like. But I try not to talk about that too often; for all that I don’t want to just blindly praise everything Disney does, I don’t want to be a downer all the time. I’m really excited, then, about a post I just saw on the official Disney Parks blog. On November 6, Downtown Disney will host a benefit sale to support the United … Continue reading →

Progressive Cooking Class for Adults

When some of Downtown Disney’s restaurants offered progressive cooking classes for kids in June, I complained a little bit. I loved the idea for children, but I was jealous that adults weren’t given the same opportunity. Well someone must have listened, or more likely, listened to feedback from those who actually attended the classes with their kids last month. Now, one month after three Downtown Disney restaurants opened their doors to introduce kids to the professional culinary world, those very establishments are doing the same thing for adults. On July 10 Fulton’s Crab House, Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Cafe, and Portobello … Continue reading →

Progressive Cooking Class for Kids

If you’re going to be in the Disney World area the weekend of June 11-13, then there’s a unique event happening for your children that you should know about: progressive cooking classes for kids. Tampabay.com and TheDisneyBlog.com reveal that on Saturday June 12, three restaurants at Downtown Disney will open their doors to children, age limit unspecified, for an afternoon of cooking classes. The executive chefs at Portobello, Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Cafe, and Fulton’s Crab House will lead the classes. Starting at 11 a.m., kids move from one restaurant to another to receive cooking tips from masters in the trade. … Continue reading →

Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba

Just in case you’re wondering what this is doing in the Disney blog, let me clarify. Cirque du Soleil has been a permanent part of the Downtown Disney experience for at least a few years now. La Nouba is their newest production and if you haven’t seen it, I have to say it’s fairly amazing. Tickets aren’t cheap (the 3rd tier tickets cost us $67 per person) but it is totally worth it in this blogger’s humble opinion. It’s interesting because we hemmed and hawed over whether or not we really wanted to spend $500 to take the whole family … Continue reading →

Entertainment in Downtown Disney!

Yesterday, I wrote about how Downtown Disney is a fantastic place for the whole family but is not that well known yet. The family crowd tends to stick to the other four major theme parks leaving Downtown Disney unexplored. Don’t get me wrong. . .it can get pretty crowded on any given afternoon. But because it has been touted as the place to experience nightlife ‘Disney style’, it is often overlooked by the family set. I do have to say that since it is the place to experience Disney nightlife, not every thing is appropriate for the family with young … Continue reading →

Why We Love Downtown Disney!

It seems to me that everyone knows to do the four major theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot. Actually if you do all four parks your week will be filled. If you have time left you can check out one of Disney’s water parks to satisfy your swimming aficionados not to mention a whole slew of other attractions near Disney World; like Sea World to name one. But Downtown Disney is one of the ‘hidden’ gems of the Disney World experience. I say ‘hidden’ because it’s not entirely unknown, but it’s not nearly as popular as … Continue reading →