Downtown Disney District
Categories: Nightlife, Local Flavor, Arts & Entertainment, Restaurants, Shopping [Edit]
Disneyland Resort1313 S Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802 (714) 781-4565
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Music: Live
- Best Nights: Fri, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
- Coat Check: No
79 reviews
Costa Mesa, CA
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56 Reviews for Downtown Disney District
Downtown Disney is a great place to go with a group of friends or love ones. They have lots of good restaurants, like Catal Restaurant and Bar, Rainforest Cafe, House of Blues, ESPN Zone, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop and The Jazz Kitchen. They usually have a music venue that comes out and play to promote their CDs, and it's always a pleasure to listen. They also have a few of my favorite stores, like Sephora, Illuminations, and Build A Bear. Yes, you read it right...Build A Bear. FYI, I have a Build A Bear in a USC jersey (I'm a USC Alum) =P. The first 3 hours of parking is FREE! They also have a huge movie theatre, to catch the latest flicks. Great place to take the kids so they can go to the biggest Disney Store in California! So many Disney stuff animals, toys, and souvenirs! Downtown Disney....is the happiest place on earth! =)
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I really like Downtown Disney, and I think it's a great addition to the Disneyland resort. The selection and variety of the restaurants is great, and there is almost always a lot of live entertainment. I love all the little vendors, and I appreciate the stores here too.
I think Basin is a really cool store, with their shampoo bars and their loofah soaps. Sure, you can find some of the other stores, such as Sephora or Quiksilver, elsewhere, but the fact that they're here too is awesome when you come to Disneyland without a car and are relying solely on the shuttle to and from your hotel.
Downtown Disney is a great place to explore when visiting Disneyland. It's very close to the Disneyland hotels (Grand Californian Resort connects to the middle of the strip, only a 5 minute walk from Paradise Pier, and right in front of Disneyland hotel).
There are plenty of great restaurants to choose from. An all time favorite is The Rainforest Cafe because they never disappoint me. The ESPN Zone is cool for families that enjoy watching sports while they eat. The Jamba Juice there is the best Jamba Juice ever. They always have the perfect blends, not sour, not chunky with ice, it's just perfect.
Pin traders there can head over to the pin store around 3-5pm to check out what other pin traders have. There's hella books and albums full of pins, and if you're not interested in other people's collection, you can buy some from the store!
ALSO, please keep a look out for a man named Tom. He always wears white (white pants, white shirt, white bucket hat) and carries a broom and pan (because he cleans up Downtown Disney). Gosh, I love this man. He is the friendliest, happiest man I've met during my several stays at Disneyland. He enjoys his job, and come on, that is not an easy job to enjoy. I'm a pin trader myself, and he always comes up to me and asks if I want to trade. Every time I see him he has different pins and I always end up trading. He is the nicest man you will meet there, trust me. Personally, I think he should be the CEO of Downtown Disney because he truly cares about that place and for the people visiting it. (I should start a petition).
The Disney Store is HUGE. There are so many things you will want to buy (even though you know you can't buy all of it). It's pretty unorganized but that's only towards the late afternoon. Don't buy your disney ears from there, just go to the ones in the park since there's more selection (The Mad Hatter store, near the tea cups). You'll probably end up spending an hour and a half or so in this store if you're a first timer.
Downtown Disney is a very entertaining place and you can never get bored there. There are an ample amount of things to do and families will surely enjoy.
Downtown Disney made me want to gauge my eyes out. Coming from a Florida girl, of course I'm expecting a certain level of corporate schilling in downtown Disney but I saw this place as pointless and marveled why Socal locals would go here.
Downtown Disney offers the same chain restaurants and shops that SoCal's local malls do nearly. Sephora? Check. Illuminaire? Check. You can get almost everything back home (if you don't live in a small town). I can see its appeal to tourists but was baffled by my local cousin's love for this place. I can see how its a free place to kill time but I wouldn't call its date-night dinner offerings gourmet...I'd figure there's gots to be more fun date-night things to do in Orange County then this place. Then again, I could be wrong.
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Blow me down. Shimmer me timbers!
Give yourself some time to pause and think before you are committing to coming here. Unless you have a kid or you have some relatives that wants to spent time in Disneyland and go sightseeing, this is not a place you want to be in.
It's frustrating because parking situations are not good. Traffic in and out of this area will be slow. Patience will be needed if the place is crowded when the tourist season picks up.
Even though it's Downtown "Disney", many of the shops you will be able to find at most mall or outlets. The Disney's plush toys and souvenirs can be easily purchased at a Disney store in a mall near you. So in all actuality, you are walking around aimlessly just to appease the people you are bringing here to sightsee.
Everything in here will cost you an arm and a leg. I don't really have a go-to place to dine and there is not really a shop that I would highly recommend.
The only highlight for me was that I was able to find a place that serve funnel cakes. Other than this revelation, somebody was able to coax me into going every single time. It's worse than chaperoning at Chuck E. Cheese.
However, the great joy is that whenever there is an obligatory sightseeing place, I would be able to get them here. I don't do it voluntarily, but it never fails for people in wanting to come here whenever I'm not in the mood for it.
Bring a lot of patience with you. Seriously, the parking is a nightmare, long line at the cashier lines at most shops, and the wait time for a table in many of the better restaurant can extend to hour(s) of waiting.
I usually reserve an entire day for coming here because the pain doesn't go away that quickly.
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Parking is free for the first three hours (I would waste 30 minutes finding a spot), but you get two additional hours if you are watching a movie there or dine in one of the restaurants for validation.
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What an awesome place to hang out in! There are tons of fun shops to run around and a bunch of great restaurants to try. Plus, it's so close to the hotels that you can explore those, too. It's got a monorail line that goes directly into Disneyland. There's even pin trading!
I still have to see a movie here because that's the one thing that I haven't done yet. I do wish the place had a bit more Disney to it, but it's still kept impeccably clean. I feel totally safe here at any time of the day.
I really liked downtown Disney. They have a lot of restaurants, shops, and other entertainment venues.
Downtown Disney. The hold that Disneyland has is both good and bad. Of course the whole corporate thing is that, there's no mom and pop shops in this outdoor "mall".
The upside, most of the stores you'll recognize, be it you'll be paying probably a lot more here for things than the regular mall.
It's a good spot to just walk around on a lazy afternoon and take in the atomsphere. This isn't a place if you don't like kids (lots of them running around) and crowds. Of course, what do you think, it is a tourist trap. A decent one at that.
The whole parking situation I don't really get, but if you're lucky, you'll be able to find spots close to the entrance of Downtown Disney. Otherwise, it's a nightmare!
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the only thing i have to suggest, is that the district is in DIRE need of a Coffee bean, Starbucks, or It's a Grind. The nearest coffee shop is all the way at the opposite end of the park...pretty far from the entrances and tram parking. Plus, the selection isn't that vast...
also, you can enter the park by the rain forest cafe, but i dint recommend doing that without asking how long the wait is (ours was 45 Min's)
things i do like is the wonderful world of Disney store, the wattles pretzels, SEPHIRA, HOB and the kettle corn cart! i can almost smell it - its that good.
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Reasons anyone would go to Downtown Disney:
1. Craving a Disney fix w/o actually going to Disney
2. Overpriced Disney-esque memorabilia
3. You'd like chain restaurants
4. You'd like to p/u on tourists
Okay, so a movie ticket will cost you more than the average place anywhere else in the world -- but you are being robbed blind at the "happiest place on earth" so who the heck cares, right? Okay, so it's a tourist trap but it's really not that bad. There are bars and restaurants and can make a nice night out if you're craving for a lively place. It's cute for dates and people watching ... there are performers and nice little shops. You can definitely make a decent night of it.
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Now, who can go wrong for this? You can look everywhere and there's something that you can get that you need. Sephora, Build a bear, Rainforest cafe, etc. Plus Haagen Daze. It's a good palce to go for dates, especially since there's an AMC there.
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This area is cool to get some grub after a long day at Disneyland or California Adventure.
However, if you happen to get a hankering for some cotton candy, DO NOT buy it here!
Buy it inside the parks for $3, instead of $5.25.
WTF was I thinking?? $5.25 for some spun sugar and food coloring?? But, how can I say no to a 7 year old's pleading eyes... sigh.
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Oh ya, the wait for dinner at most of the restaurants was about 1 hr long around 7 pm. We gave up and drove home instead. Shiet, I can get home in 1 hr, so we called for take out and picked it up on the way. Much better than standing around freezing our asses off while being inundated with loud ass music of all kinds.
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What sets this place apart from another OC shopping center, other than it has a Disney label (and thus well maintained) are the following reasons:
1. World of Disney - Wide arrangement of Disney gifts without having to go into the Park, perfect for that out-of-town guest. If you're looking for a full Snow White or Cinderella dress, you'll find that and more here!
2. LEGO Imagination Center - Everything LEGOs! "Nerdgasm" is what Tyler C. would say.
3. House of Blues - I can't comment on the food, but the concert venue here is excellent! Very Intimate even though it is standing only. I feel like I can almost touch the artist (I would strongly go against that unless you want to be tackled by Goofy and friends through walls)!
Like what Amy K said, parking up to 3hrs is free. After that, the prices can be steep. Remember to have your ticket validated!
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After the parks close, this is a happening place to go.
Normally after the parks, we like to relax at Catal Uva Bar. Brad likes to get their Long Island Iced Tea and an order of calamari. There is two parts to this place. There is an outside bar with a totally independent menu from the restaurant with inside seating, so the restaurants have completely different menus. The nice thing about the outdoor seating is there is outside heating lamps that will keep you warm after you get off splash mountain. I was soaked man. Yikes.
Other menu items
Ribeye and fries,
Hummus and pita appetizer
Cheeseburger
half chicken and fries
Caesar salad.
The inside restaurant has
Seared scallops
Filet Mignon with creamed spinach
and various desserts such as creme brulee, cheesecake, or molten lava cake.
Decent place for dates.
Go to the bar at the middle of the area. Have a glass of wine and a sandwich with garlic fries. I forgot to note the name of the bar in the middle, but the garlic fries were pretty good. House Cab was not bad either.
Watched fireworks at night (9:30pm) , right before the movie started.
Then grabbed some caramel kettle corn to take into the theatre. Kettle corn was good.
Parking is 5 hours free with validation.
I've never really liked Downtown Disney. I mean they do have some great places; Rainforest Cafe, ESPN Zone, House of Blues, and Sephora, but the place in general is EH.
Parking is stupid and if you don't want to go to any of those 4 places above, you will be bored to tears. What else do you do there?
o. There's also this bar in the middle of the center which is pretty cool, but I do not recall the name. I think everything is just spread out too much or something. Hella touristy and too many kids. Don't get me wrong. I love kids, but not when I am coming out of ESPN zone all drunk. haha :)
Good for families. Maybe I raise it to 4 stars when I have kids.
OH! The Lego store and the Build a Bear shop is cute too!
:D
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I like the fact that they have alot of bars here and its so conveniently located inbetween disneyland, ca adventure and the hotels. Other than that, it's just ok.
I guess it's kindy touristy, but it's way better than the LA equivalents to this place-- University ShittyWalk and Hollywood and Lameland.
The Disney cleanliness and upkeep continues throughout this place. You'll never see graffiti or even a rough crowd, sure, some "rebellious" OC teens with studded belts and mohawks, but they're harmless.
The restaurants are O-K-- most are owned by the Patina Group, which means they all maintain the same standards-- I've never been very impressed with any place except House of Blues and ESPN Zone, which aren't Patina Group businesses.
The shopping isn't spectacular, but what IS here is done well-- this Sephora is the best, friendliest one in OC, Something Silver has a great selection of affordable silver jewelry with a lot of style, and Vault 28 has that high-end couture Disney merch that all your Paris Hilton types crave. Heck, I've spent many a night here after a shift at the ol' D-land. Can't hate it. Especially with the sandwiches at ESPN Zone bein' so good! Mm!
Only downside-- the barf-inducing stench of caramel kettle corn that stinks up the place. Ew.
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Cute Place~ a great shopping district and fun family hemisphere for all ages~
- for kids, hands down, tons of toy shops~
- for ladies, well, tons of Sweets~ and that covers from Hagen-Dazs to Sephora to Something Silver~ remember to bring the man who is willing to pay for all.
- for men~ you outta check out the arcade@ESPN Zone. It's a great way to show off your athletic talent in front of ladies. STOP going to the Chucky Cheezes~ ! with an open bar, I am sure you can be just as precise as Tony Romo~
Warm landscaping design~ romance-in-the-air~ great icing on the top for DATES and ANNIVERSARIES~ Always remember to check out "House of Blue" for live concerts~ great food~ great music~ great way to score a "home-run" at the end.
Awesome friendly services~ even at the parking lot, the staff is still very Disney friendly, willing to take time out to take photos for you.
**but if you REALLY wanna get the hardcore Disney magical feel, you better check out Disneyland right next door~ you won't see that at the downtown.
***don't come here for the New Year's Eve~
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I love coming down here whenever I'm at disneyland or DCA! So many restaurants to choose from, along with gift shops, dessert shops, movie theaters, etc....
I love the ambiance of walking down this mini strip...even though a lot of the times it may be crowded!
A definite must for someone who has never been down here!!
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You would think kids would have fun here. But it's more of an adult place.
They have restaurants, but they are all overpriced for what you get. The nice thing is that parking is free for a few hours.
Be prepared for lots of walking. Kids get hungry here so buy them some candy as soon as you walk in, the pizza place further down looks promising but will milk your wallet.
There are restaurants around the area once you hop in your car and drive for 2 minutes. Better value elsewhere. You'll leave downtown disney thinking "Eh that was 1/20 of the joy I get at Disneyland".
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Maybe if you're a tourist and have never been surrounded by this sort of stuff, you may find it intriguing and totally cool. This place is not all that different to Irvine Spectrum. In fact, apart from the Disney-themed stores, I'd say it's much lamer than the Spectrum in terms of the stores and the restaurants.
As soCal residents, we have so many choices in terms of similar areas to hang out at. Universal Walk is far cooler than Downtown Disney and if I really wanted to go to a similar place, The Grove is FAR nicer.
We were in and out of there in less than an hour and this included going into stores to window shop. No, we didn't eat there. Who wants to eat at Rainforest Cafe? Not even lil guy.
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Yes, I am a Disney fan, but I am not a shopper. For me, Downtown Disney (DD) was useful tonight for walking before I headed back to LA after a wonderful evening at the Napa Rose. (Since I have already reviewed there, the winner of this drunk review is DD. Disclaimer: for those that saw my post on the talk threads from there: I didn't drive home intoxicated, I have had more wine since I got home.)
Summer nights in DD are crowded but full of people to entertain you ... and I am not talking about the artists that are their to sell their CDs. You can just sit on a bench and watch all the families and couples go by you; tired from a day at the park, out for an evening, or just hanging out. Beware of the teens: they will seem to multiply before your eyes, even if there is no alcohol involved.
I am always amazed at the success of the Build-a-bear store at DD. Their bears seem to rate over Disney Plush just based on the number of boxes I see.
If you are there to shop, I recommend doing so at a different time (not Saturday evening in the Summer) especially if you are a local. But my favorite place to people watch in in the lobby of the Grand Californian: comfy chairs and a live piano to entertain you.
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Boring, Boring, Boring. It's nothing like Downtown Disney in Orlando. It was really disappointing, it was just food and disney kitch.
Things are more expensive here...hhahah JAMBA JUICE IS LIKE a dollar more than every where else.
DAMN...
BUT THEY DO SERVE ALCOHOL AND THE DISNEY HOTELS HAVE BABY SITTING SERVICES!!!!
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My main complaint with Downtown Disney is the parking. If you're there for less than three hours, the parking is free. But after that, they charge a lot. We even got our parking ticket validated at the restaurant where we ate dinner, but even then we had to pay $4 for parking. I don't get it. It would have been $16 for the approximately 5 hours were were there today, and they took off $12 for the validation. I'm sure glad we remembered to get the card stamped!
It was blazing hot today, so it wasn't as crowded at Downtown Disney as I've seen it before. The have an okay selection of shops, but nothing I'd go out of my way for. We were there today because we had to go to the Expo for the Disneyland Half Marathon, so we decided to walk around afterward and have dinner at Naples Ristorante. The only other time I really come here is for concerts at the House of Blues.
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The place is good before/after your big trip to the parks, but there's just something... Wrong with the place...
It just doesn't seem big enough, and not full enough of other little shops and attractions to visit.
It's a smaller and not-as-cooler version of Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney.
though, Not to say that it offers some interesting shops and experiences.
From the Lego Imagination Center, to the ESPN Zone.
It's just many of what you can find here are a little more expensive than that of what you can find outside.
but, To the regular tourist, this is just another spot to visit, conveniently placed between the parks and the Disney hotels.
And to tourists, the prices here could tend to seem just-right, at least on Disney property...
(tip: GET THE KETTLE CORN! no, really... every visit down here ends with a quick visit to the little stand on the bridge. and we always get 2 bags. TWO. plus, lines can tend to get long, just for this little kiosk! tells you how good this is..._
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Don't have enough money to go to disneyland, so you want to hit Downtown Disney? Big mistake!
You'll end up spending as much.
If you don't care, then go have a blast!
There are so many little shops that will milk your wallet, and many o.k restaurants that will leave you wanting more.
The kids seem to enjoy the atmosphere, and why not, it's a nice place to take a stroll on an evening date.
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Despite my bad experience at Rainforest Cafe, Downtown Disney can still be pretty enjoyable. It was really crowded when I was here, and kinda hard to get around, but we still managed to have a good time.
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it's a great place to come during the hot days from disneyland.. and cool off in the movie theater.. or enjoy the volcano in the rainforest cafe.
This place was pretty cool. The Disney store was cool. I had fun running around, but we didn't get to stay and look at the fireworks. It was too late.
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Always overcrowded w/ tourists from all over the countries.
I live in Anaheim, just few blocks from here.
But I don't wanna feel like 'I'm one of the tourists'.
It's a great place to entertain and sit somewhere watching the tourists wearing Mickey mouse hats and world famous fireworks too.
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Downtown Disney is alright, it tends to be overcrowded because of the tourists and all the park attendees. We've at a Tortilla Jo's and it was ok, but was nothing exceptional. Most the food around there seems overpriced because they want to make some extra money off the tourists that don't want to travel outside of Disneyland-land. I've heard good things about ESPN the Zone, but I've never actually ate there, it is fun to play games there if you got a couple spare $20s. As for the Rainforest Cafe, I don't feel it's worth the ridiculous line you have to wait in just to eat there (especially if the food is anything like the food at the one in South Coast Plaza).
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A decent shopping/ mingling place, but everything is overpriced.
PROS:
-- 2nd largest Disney store in the world (World of Disney)
-- Build-a-Bear workshop is cute, but crowded
-- The Lego Store!
-- lovelovelovelove SEPHORA lovelovelovelove
-- Fireworks viewing from the bridge over Disneyland Drive is the best
-- ESPN Zone is a cool place to catch the game and eat a burger
-- Parking is free for 3 hours, 5 hours if you eat/watch a movie
CONS:
-- CLUB F****** LIBBY LU. Singlehandedly turning our 5 year old daughters into whores, for only $20!
-- Only a 12 screen movie theatre (that usually plays family-friendly films)
-- All of the Patina restaurants suck (Tortilla Jo's, Catal, and Naples). The Uva Bar at Catal is ridiculously overpriced.
-- Vault 28. Do we really need MORE expensive Disney merchandise?
Overall, a nice place to hang out with, but spend your money elsewhere.
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Okay, let's get one thing straight...
This is a tourist trap. They are very upfront about the fact that the entire point of their existence is to seperate you from your money.
Also, it's a hangout spot. Local teens, wearing anything from trendiness to not much of anything, and a good chunk of the OC Goths that don't have day passes to Disneyland or Eisner's Folly....err, California Adventure.
That being said, it's STILL fun.
The Lego Store rocks. So does the Rainforest Cafe.
Build a Bear is also fun. The Jazz Kitchen. And, last but not least, The World of Disney Store, AKA the "last chance to get the stuff in the park before you go back to your hotel / home."
Parking is free for three hours. Great place to people watch
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I rarely buy anything while I'm shopping around Downtown Disney. Everything is super expensive.
But I enjoy just walking around and "window shopping." I enjoy the busy nightlife, and it's my kind of "hangout"
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Downtown Disney has a terriffic atmosphere where you can either sit back, relax, and watch the crowds of people who are in their extremes (Extremely happy. Extremely tired. Apparently vacations do that to you.) or you can join the masses and dance to the live music that are scattered through out the district, get glittered up at Libby Lu, and enjoy the magic.
Just a note... Marceline's Confectionary has the best caramel apples EVER! Kid you not. EVER! I'm drooling just thinking about it.
EVER!!
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There's really nothing here except food and the movie theatre. The shopping is more geared to tourists who want their own piece of California. The tourists are an interesting crowd - after plowing around the park all day in their sweaty clothes and gym socks - they think its perfectly acceptable to go to dinner at Downtown Disney wearing the same thing. Ewww.
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Its a nice place to walk around, relax, but can become a little boring because everything is oh so expensive... I had dinner at the house of blues, had a couple of mojitos and then stuffed my koala at the buil a bear workshop (yeap $50 bucks for a koala dressed like a bride... remember I had some mojitos in my system)
Also been to Rainforest Cafe, the food is no biggie and kinda pricey for what it is...
If you're an intelligent person, you can make Downtown Disney work for you, but there is something seriously wrong with half of the places here.
Like Annie said, a free view of the fireworks and 3 hours of free parking are great! If you're going to D-land for a quick spin as a passholder, this is wonderful! Sephora is great. Something Silver is amazing for jewelry. House of Blues is great for shows and you can get a good meal to share without breaking the bank. The Beignets at the Jazz Cafe are awesome. And I could be wrong, but I recall a pretty decent happy hour at ESPN Zone. The people watching is A+. Grab a Haagen Daas and sit back at the glory that is tourism.
Here's what not to do:
- DO NOT EAT AT THE RAINFOREST CAFE. Forget it! WAY too overpriced and left little to be desired. Not a fan? Can you tell?
- Expect great service at the Jazz Kitchen. Not gonna happen.
- try to take your camera into HOB for a show. They will turn you around and make you take it back to your car.
- Let the people at the picture place lure you in by "trying it out". You will get so excited about the picture that you'll pay the $35 to get it. (See my pictures)
If you've got the money to spend, great! It's clean and there are all sorts of things to do. But if you're on a budget- it's not the place to be.
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