Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents
Downtown Disney/Disney Springs | Disney’s BoardWalk
Budget a few hours to explore Disney’s “other” places. Several are no-admission-required charmers; one is a high-tech, high-cover-charge gaming wonderland.
Downtown Disney/Disney Springs
Exploring
Epcot and close to Interstate 4 along a large lake, this shopping, dining, and entertainment complex formerly known as Downtown Disney now has four areas: the Marketplace, West Side, The Landing, and Town Center. Major changes are under way for the build-out expected by sometime in 2016 as new shops, restaurants, and promenades are completed. A much-needed, huge parking garage has opened, and another is under construction. You can rent lockers, strollers, or wheelchairs, and there are two Guest Relations centers.
DisneyQuest.
In a five-story virtual-reality mini-theme park at Disney Springs West Side, DisneyQuest lets you pay a hefty cover to participate in high-tech virtual adventures and play video games. To be fair, you can play all day, and there are cutting-edge games and interactive adventures that make the admission worthwhile. It’s also a great place for teens and older tweens (children under 14 must be accompanied by a guest age 14 or older).
In Explore Zone, fly through the streets of Agrabah with the help of a virtual-reality helmet on Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride. Take a Virtual Jungle Cruise down the roiling rapids of a prehistoric world, and paddle (yes, really paddle) to adventure amid volcanoes, dinosaurs, and other cretaceous threats. At Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold, you and the gang must brave the high seas and sink pirate ships to acquire treasure.
In the Score Zone, battle supervillains while flying, headset firmly intact, through a 3-D comic world in Ride the Comix. Escape evil aliens and rescue colonists during Invasion! An ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. Or hip-check your friends in a life-size Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam game.
In the Create Zone learn the secrets of Disney animation at the Animation Academy. Create your own twisted masterpiece at Sid’s Create-A-Toy, based on the popular animated film Toy Story. Or, at Living Easels, make a living painting on a giant electronic screen. Thrills await at Cyberspace Mountain, where you can design your own roller coaster on a computer screen, then climb aboard a 360-degree pitch-and-roll simulator for the ride of your dreams. At Radio Disney SongMaker, produce your own hit.
Classic free-play machines like Pac Man reside in the Replay Zone. You can also sit with a partner in an asteroid cannon–equipped bumper car and blast others to make their cars do a 360-degree spin in Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster.
All attractions are wheelchair accessible, but most require transfer from wheelchair to the attraction itself. You can, however, wheel right onto Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold, Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride, and Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam. Rent wheelchairs at the DisneyQuest Emporium or at Disney Springs Marketplace Guest Relations ($12 per day for hand operated, plus $100 refundable credit-card deposit); electric chairs are $50 plus deposit at the Marketplace location only. Guide dogs are permitted in all areas but aren’t allowed to ride several attractions. Strollers are not permitted.
Four attractions have height requirements: Cyberspace Mountain (51 inches), Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster (51 inches), Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam (48 inches), and Pirates of the Caribbean (35 inches). Little ones 2–7 can enjoy a Kids’ Area on the fourth floor, where they can play smaller versions of video and other games like air hockey, basketball, and bowling.
Lost and Found is at the Guest Relations window and cash is available at ATMs inside the House of Blues merchandise shop not far from the DisneyQuest entrance. | West Side | 407/828–4600 | $45 adults, $39 children 3–9, excluding sales tax | Sun.–Thurs. 11:30 am–10 pm, Fri. and Sat. 11:30 am–11 pm.
The Landing.
When it was a hopping nightlife destination called Pleasure Island, this area offered a mix of bars, comedy clubs, and dance spots. But the nightclubs are long closed, and the Island, renamed The Landing as part of the Disney Springs redevelopment, is more of a family-oriented dining and entertainment district. Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant celebrates more than a decade in this location offering great food by Raglan Road’s Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon, indoor and patio dining, live Irish music, and traditional Irish step-dance performances every night and during weekend brunch. Paradiso 37 also welcomes diners indoors and alfresco. New to this area are Morimoto Asia, The BOATHOUSE, and other dining experiences. | Disney Springs.
Marketplace.
In the Marketplace, the easternmost Disney Springs area, you can meander along winding sidewalks and explore hidden alcoves. Children love to splash in fountains that spring from the pavement and ride the miniature train and old-time carousel ($2). Toy stores entice with creation-stations and too many treasures to comprehend. There are plenty of spots to grab a bite or sip a cappuccino along the lakefront. Most Marketplace shops, boutiques, and eateries begin opening at 9:30 am and stay open through 11 pm to midnight. | Disney Springs.
West Side.
The main attractions in the hip West Side are the House of Blues music hall, Cirque du Soleil, Splitsville Luxury Lanes, DisneyQuest virtual indoor theme park and arcade, and a new Starbucks with covered patio overlooking the waterfront. You can also take a ride in the Characters in Flight helium balloon tethered here ($18 ages 10 and up, $12 ages 3–9), shop in boutiques, or dine in such restaurants as the Wolfgang Puck Café and Planet Hollywood. Shops open at 9:30 or 10:30 am, and closing time is between 11 pm and 2 am. The Splitsville entertainment center offers plenty of fresh fun with 30 bowling lanes on two floors, weekend DJs, and upscale eats like filet sliders and sushi at indoor and outdoor tables. | Disney Springs.
Nightlife
Bongos Cuban Café.
Latin rhythms provide the beat at this restaurant and bar with a pre-Castro theme owned by pop singer Gloria Estefan. Four bars are especially busy on weekends, when a Latin band kicks it up a notch with muy caliente music. Samba, tango, salsa, and merengue rhythms roll throughout the week. | West Side, Disney Springs | 407/828–0999 | Sun.–Thurs. 11–10:30; Fri. and Sat. 11 am–2 am.
House of Blues.
The restaurant serves up live blues performances and rib-sticking Mississippi Delta cooking all week long. The attached concert hall has showcased such artists as Aretha Franklin, David Byrne, Steve Miller, Willie Nelson, and Journey. Many swear by the “World Famous Gospel Brunch” each Sunday. | West Side, Disney Springs | 407/934–2583 | Covers vary | Restaurant open 11:30–11 Sun.–Thurs; 11:30–1 am Fri. and Sat. Concert times vary.
La Nouba.
If you’ve seen rave media reviews of this production, believe them. The surreal show by the world-famous Cirque du Soleil company starts at 100 mph and accelerates through 90 mesmerizing minutes of acrobatics, avant-garde costumes and staging, and captivating choreography. So much happens that even those who’ve seen the show once return to see what they missed last time.
The story of La Nouba—derived from the French phrase faire la nouba (live it up)—is alternately mysterious, dreamlike, comical, and sensual. A cast of 67 international performers—including two vocalists and six musicians who play 22 instruments from tower platforms—takes the stage in a 1,671-seat showroom of a big-top-style theater.
World-renowned jugglers manipulate balls, hoops, and clubs with breathtaking precision and speed. Another fresh act—Skipping Ropes—combines dance and acrobatics to elevate child’s play to a seemingly impossible level.
The interplay is charming as the Cleaning Lady sweeps her way into a dreamworld of Technicolor characters who dance, tumble, and fly through the air on ribbons of red silk. Two silly clowns provide comic relief at intervals, and four adorable Chinese girls steal applause with their astonishing diabolo (Chinese yo-yo) performance. The jaw-dropping last act is a masterpiece of acrobatics and gymnastics synched to uplifting music.
Call ahead for good seats (there are three categories of seating), and hire a babysitter if necessary—you wouldn’t want to miss one minute of this class act. | West Side, Disney Springs | 407/939–7600 reservations | www.cirquedusoleil.com | $63–$150 adults, $52–$125 children 3–9; higher holiday rates | Performances Tues.–Sat. 6 and 9.
Disney’s BoardWalk
In the good ol’ days, Americans escaped their city routines for breezy seaside boardwalks. Disney’s BoardWalk is within walking distance of Epcot, across Crescent Lake from Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, and fronting a hotel of the same name. You may be drawn to its good restaurants, bars, shops, surreys, and performers. After sunset, the mood is festive. TIP If you’re here when Epcot is ready to close, you can watch the park fireworks from the bridge that connects BoardWalk to the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts.
Nightlife
Atlantic Dance Hall.
This high-energy dance club plays music from the ’80s onward, with a huge screen showing videos requested by the crowd. The parquet dance floor is set off by furnishings of deep blue, maroon, and gold, and the ceiling glows with gold stars and twinkling lights. Signature cocktails are in demand, and you can sip a cognac or choose from a selection of popular beers to inspire your dance floor moves. | BoardWalk, Epcot Resort Area | 407/939–2444 | No cover | Tues.–Sat. 9 pm–1:45 am.
Big River Grille & Brewing Works.
Disney World’s only brewpub has intimate tables where brew masters tend to their potions. You can order an $8 sampler with five to seven 3-ounce pours of whatever’s on tap that day, usually including Red Rocket, Southern Flyer Light Lager, Gadzooks Pilsner, and Steamboat Pale Ale. Upscale pub grub and sandwiches pair well. There’s also a sidewalk café. | BoardWalk, Epcot Resort Area | 407/560–0253 | No cover | Daily 11–11.
ESPN Club.
The sports motif here is carried into every nook and cranny—the main dining area looks like a sports arena, with a basketball-court hardwood floor and a giant scoreboard that projects the day’s big game. While you watch, you can munch on wings, nachos, and linebacker-size burgers. There are more than 100 TVs throughout (even in the restrooms). The place is packed for big games; call ahead to see if special seating rules are in effect. | BoardWalk, Epcot Resort Area | 407/939–1177 | No cover | Daily 11:30 am–1 am.
Jellyrolls.
In this rockin’, boisterous piano bar, comedians act as emcees and play dueling grand pianos nonstop. The steady stream of conventions at Disney makes this the place to catch CEOs doing the conga to Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana”—if that’s your idea of a good time. | BoardWalk, Epcot Resort Area | 407/560–8770 | $12 cover | Daily 7 pm–2 am.