Chairlift
Attraction Type: Theme ride
Perhaps this is my favorite ride in the whole park because I’m lazy. You can take the chairlift (three to a chair) to a point almost at the top of Mount Gushmore. When you get off, you’re only a climb away from many of the thrill rides, and right at the entrance to Teamboat Springs. I pick it as a Must Do! not only for the energy savings, but for the great view of Blizzard Beach and well beyond. Guests must be 32 inches or taller to enjoy this ride.
Runoff Rapids
Attraction Type: Thrill ride
Ride on one- or two-person inner tubes down open or enclosed slides.
Snow Stormers
Attraction Type: Thrill ride
Ride mats down slalom course slides that emphasize left-to-right movement more than overall velocity.
Kids Areas
Typhoon Lagoon has one large kids area, where Blizzard Beach has two, designed for different ages.
Ketchakiddee Creek (at Typhoon Lagoon)
Attraction Type: Experience area/playground
Little kids deserve some fun of their own at Typhoon Lagoon. Twoto six-year-olds have Ketchakiddee Creek, exclusively designed for them. They can ride down age-appropriate slides, build sand castles, and explore in the area’s playground. Water cannons and other fountains in the playground provide for fun while keeping them cool on hot summer days. Guests must be 48 inches or shorter to enjoy this area.
DID YOU KNOW?
Most parents consider Blizzard Beach the best water park choice for families with children. Two different areas reserved for different age groups of kids mean that the fun is custom tailored to their needs.
Tike’s Peak (at Blizzard Beach)
Attraction Type: Exploration area/playground
Reserved for ski bunnies 48 inches and shorter, this area is a great area for young children. The slides are built for them and include a wading area with a waterfall, lots of shaded seating (both with and without sand), kid-size chairs, sandboxes, and several different slides for just the wee ones. The staffing here is good, too, with plenty of lifeguards to help the kids so that while you want to attend to your child, you have a helper at the other end of the slide. This is a welldone area and is a blessing for families with the younger set.
Ski Patrol Training Camp (at Blizzard Beach)
Attraction Type: Exploration area/playground
This area is like Tike’s Peak but is designed for the preteen set. You’ll find lots of fun slides, basically tamed-down versions of the regular ones in the park. But Disney has made a lot of other specialized fun, including a hanging T-bar drop and an ice walk (a lattice-work net the kids can hold onto strung over a series of anchored floats in the pool—a kind of water obstacle course). This is also a great place for kids who aren’t quite ready for the faster rides, although the older ones may be fighting to go on the big-kid rides after a while.
Summary
Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are both a great distraction from the rush of your Disney vacation. Enjoy a day at the beach without the two-hour drive to the Florida coast. Use these parks as a great break from the theme parks sometime in the midst of your trip, and you’ll find yourself energized and ready for more.
Chapter 22
Downtown Disney and the BoardWalk
In This Chapter
• Prepare for your shopping and dining sprees at Downtown Disney
• Take an evening stroll on the planks of the BoardWalk
• Plan your nights out at Walt Disney World
Downtown Disney and the BoardWalk offer up some great nighttime diversions for those looking to get outside the theme parks. Shopping, dining, and entertainment are staples, offering both families and adult-only groups some places to go and things to do.
Downtown Disney is a large complex, built in three different zones. There is the Marketplace—primarily a shopping district. Then there is the Hyperion Wharf area (formerly known as Pleasure Island), which is a space under transition. This former night club area is now being morphed into a recreation and entertainment zone that is still focused on nightlife, but of a more family friendly variety. Then there is the West End, which is anchored by a permanent Cirque du Soleil theater and has a broad array of table-service dining.
The BoardWalk is Disney’s homage to the Atlantic Seaboard resorts of the late 1930s. This crescent-shaped wooden promenade hugs a lagoon that is also home to the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, as well as the BoardWalk Inn and Villas. Turn-of-the-twentieth-century buildings covered with bright lights line the promenade. Stores, nightclubs, and restaurants provide guests with just some of the fun that this family friendly night spot has to offer.
Are either of these worth your time? Which would be best for your group? Let’s take a look!
The layout of Downtown Disney.
HIDDEN MAGIC!
What are the Must Do! sights at Downtown Disney and BoardWalk? Let’s explore:
Downtown Disney:
• Cirque du Soleil
• World of Disney
BoardWalk:
• Surrey Rentals
• Jellyrolls
General Downtown Disney Information
Downtown Disney Layout
Downtown Disney is separated into three distinct areas: the Marketplace, a middle area under development known as Hyperion Wharf, and the West Side. As you move from east to west, which is the same direction the resort buses move, you go from the Marketplace, to Hyperion Wharf, then onto the West Side. I have organized all the shopping, entertainment, and dining options by type, and tell you which of these areas they are in as we go along.
Open Hours
Although technically there’s no opening time for Downtown Disney, you’ll find that few of the restaurants are open for lunch, making this more of a dinner destination. Most of the stores are open during the day, opening anywhere from 10 A.M. to noon.
DID YOU KNOW?
A great way to help your kids enjoy the trip and prepare them for dealing with all the great items for sale at the parks is to plan ahead. One such plan is to give them a budget for gifts. A good idea is to give them a “one shirt, one toy” budget. They can buy one of each, but once they’ve done so, that’s it. To make it more fun, you can give them homemade vouchers, or IOUs, that you (or they) make ahead of time.
Put the power in their hands, and you’ll find that they become smarter consumers and enjoy the experience!
Transportation to/from Downtown Disney
As the transfer hub of Walt Disney World, you’ll find that just about every point in the resort sends a bus this way. Just pick up the bus you need at either of the two stops, located at the east end of the Marketplace and between Hyperion Wharf and the West Side.
Boats are also available to select resorts, like Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans. Catch these at the dock in the marketplace over by Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant.
Dining at Downtown Disney
I said early on in this chapter that many Walt Disney World guests should consider a visit to Downtown Disney. If you are staying at a Moderate or Value resort, where dining options are less plentiful, Downtown Disney becomes even more important. Here you can quickly open up your dining options from fast food to high-end cuisine.
Dining at the Marketplace
The Marketplace has quite a few restaurants, which you can read more about in Chapter 15. You have several table-service choices, starting with the kid-friendly Rainforest Café. Other options include the more upscale Italian Portobello, the fun but expensive dining on the steamboat at Fulton’s Crab House, and the quieter nautical setting of Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant. Each has its own appeal, so read up on what is right for your budget and traveling party.
Counter-service restaurants are numerous, too. A new food court includes Pollo Campero, serving wonderful fried chicken; Fresh A-Peel, featuring fresh produce, and a NYC Babycakes cupcake store featuring vegan and gluten-free sweets. There is also a great sandwic
h place in the Earl of Sandwich, a Wolfgang Puck Express, and a Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop for snacks.
Dining at Hyperion Wharf
As this area develops, it is sure to add many great new dining options to the existing ones. What you have now includes a personal favorite, the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, as well as the kid-friendly T-REX Café and the Latin flavors at Paradiso 37.
Dining at the West Side
The West Side provides a nice assortment of table-service dining options, certainly more than one might expect. There’s the uniquely Southern cuisine at the House of Blues, the Cuban fare at Bongos Cuban Café, and the wonderfully contemporary fare at Wolfgang Puck’s. Finally, the popular Planet Hollywood chain has American foods and gobs of movie set scenery. Fast food is not so plentiful, although Wolfgang Puck has an express window and there is a Wetzel’s Pretzels. Go to Chapter 15 for more on these establishments.
Entertainment at Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney has some unique and evolving entertainment to offer. There are a few bar scenes that run the gamut from Irish pub to Miami chic. You’ll also find an open-air theater for seasonal performances in the Marketplace, and, of course, the marquee destination of the Cirque du Soleil theater.
Entertainment at the Marketplace
There’s a great deal of fun to be had at the Marketplace, mostly for kids. Disney has increased the level of public entertainment here, and the stores all try to get into the game as well. Consider this a place where you can walk around with kids and have enough distractions so they won’t be bored.
A covered lakeside platform in the middle of the Marketplace is the stage for fairly regular entertainment performances. These Disney-themed events offer pleasant, G-rated entertainment for kids.
If you’re looking for some more peppy fun, why not rent a boat at the marina? This is a great diversion for members of your party who aren’t that into shopping. They can have fun while the professional shoppers browse to their hearts’ content.
Entertainment at Hyperion Wharf
As this area is redeveloped, expect that new entertainment options will pop up rather regularly. A movie theater with in-theater dining is planned, as are some nightclubs.
Entertainment at the West Side
Not all the entertainment at Downtown Disney is nightclubs and bars. The West Side has more family friendly entertainment and some wonderful stage performances.
AMC Pleasure Island Movie Theaters
With 24 theaters, even a rainy-day crowd of theme park refugees won’t feel too crowded. Entrances are across from the entrance of the Virgin Megastore and at the Hyperion Wharf end of the West Side. Many theaters have been equipped with the newest HD and 3-D technologies.
Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba
Any fan of this troupe’s high-flying, new-age theatrics should be sure to visit this show. Anyone not familiar with Cirque du Soleil can find out more about this troupe, whose performances are a fusion of circus acrobatics, theater, art, and music, at www.cirquedusoleil.com. Certainly unique, they’ve made a name for themselves by creating esoteric and exotic performances that combine some impressive and innovative physical feats of skill. Prices range from $70 to $122 for adults, and $56 to $96 for kids 3 to 9. For tickets, you can buy online or call 407-939-1298.
The Cirque du Soleil theater at the West Side of Downtown Disney. Photo © Disney.
DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park
Disney created DisneyQuest as a way to bring the fun of a theme park to cities where the weather did not want to cooperate. Most of these indoor parks, like the one in downtown Chicago, have closed. Although this one is still open at the time of this writing, rumors abound that it will be replaced with an ESPN Zone restaurant and entertainment complex.
Assuming that it survives, this is a great place to go on a rainy day or in the evening with kids. This multifloor entertainment venue combines advanced computer technologies to guide guests through a variety of “rides,” including one in which you build your own roller coaster and then ride it via a virtual-reality simulator. The park also includes a fast-food restaurant. Prices are $42 for adults and $36 for kids 3 to 9. When purchasing tickets for the theme parks, consider adding the Water Park Fun and More option (see Chapter 4). DisneyQuest is usually open from 11:30 A.M. until 11 P.M.
Characters in Flight
This new entertainment option, added in 2009, gives you the chance to go up in a hot air balloon and scan the Orlando and Walt Disney World landscape. Rising to 400 feet, the tethered balloon takes guests up at a somewhat affordable hit to your pocket book, at under $20 per person.
House of Blues
Although this is a restaurant, it also has live entertainment Thursday through Sunday. The R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, and other musical performances are constantly changing and worth checking out. The Gospel Brunch entertainment is always fantastic as well.
Shopping at Downtown Disney
This is the mecca of Disney shopping. From the flagship World of Disney store that seems to have everything Mickey oriented, to the unique boutiques, you will find more than just your average suburban mall’s selection of standard goodies. We also look at what things cost.
Shopping at the Marketplace
This is what the Marketplace is all about. If there’s something made with a Disney icon sewn, printed, embossed, or ironed on it, it’s probably for sale here. There’s a lot more for sale here than just Mickey ears, so have some fun watching that credit card heat up! Let’s look at a few of the highlights in order, as you move from the bus depot to the Hyperion Wharf side of the Marketplace.
Design-A-Tee Shop
Sponsored by Hanes, this new store is the first you will encounter as you enter from the Marketplace bus stop. It lets you design a personalized Disney T-shirt, which can come in handy on your trip if you want that coordinated family look, or to get that special present for someone back home.
Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories
This store is a scrapbooker’s dream! It offers up an interesting array of scrapbook supplies, Disney-themed books, journals, DVDs, stickers, picture frames, and even high-end digital cameras. If you’re planning to turn your vacation pictures into a photo keepsake, you’ll find some great supplies here to spice it up a bit. This store is connected to the Art of Disney shop.
The Art of Disney
This higher-end art store has a great array of frame-ready art and sculptures, all with a Disney theme. Occasionally, a Disney illustrator is working here, so you can watch him or her create. Most of the art here is on the more expensive side, but some affordable alternatives might be perfect for your kid’s room, including movie posters.
Disney’s Days of Christmas
It’s the holiday season 365 days a year here. Ornaments, toys, and other holiday-themed items are for sale here year-round. Although there’s an obvious tilt toward Christmas, other items are available themed to Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and other seasonal festivities.
There’s also an embroidery station here, so if you forgot to get a pair of ears at the Magic Kingdom, you can get them here. They’re a bit more expensive and the lettering is not the same, but it may keep you out of trouble!
Disney Tails
With Pluto as his pet and Goofy as his best friend, it’s no surprise that Mickey has a store dedicated just to goodies for dogs. Items for cats and other pets are available as well, ranging from collars, food bowls, treats, clothes, and beds.
Goofy’s Candy Co.
As if your kids aren’t on enough of a sugar high already, here’s a store that can raise it just a bit more. At a select time of day, you can even watch some sweets being made. The selection is pretty wide, and there are a lot of stations where kids can make their own selections. This store also now has a party room that can be rented. They do some pretty fun candy-making activities, and you are sure to have all young guests hopped up on sugar by the time they leave. They can handle partie
s of up to 12 for around $350. Call 407-WDW-BDAY (939-2329) for pricing and reservations.
Mickey’s Pantry
This kitchen-themed store has Disney cookware, table settings, and some food items. While I have no need for a Mickey toaster, it’s a great place to pick up some cookie cutters shaped like Disney characters, as well as some great kitchen tools.
HIDDEN MAGIC!
For a fun treat when you get home, pick up one of the larger Mickey earshaped cookie cutters at Mickey’s Pantry. I use them as a pancake or egg mold when making breakfast for my nieces and nephews. Simple, cheap fun!
Once Upon a Toy
This gigantic toy store is a great place to visit, but know that it’s hard to leave without buying something. There’s everything from build-your-own Mr. Potato Head and My Little Pony stations to a working monorail model. Toy sections are dedicated to many different themes, including Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Disney Princesses. This is also the best place in the Marketplace to get Disney DVDs, especially those older movies. A newer feature is a Build Your Own Lightsaber area. Build a Star Wars weapon to your own specifications for about $20, and get a pin based on whether you made a Jedi or Sith variety.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World, 2012 Edition Page 29