Disney Springs: Dining, Shopping and Entertainment
Disney Springs is a sprawling complex in Walt Disney World filled with dining, shopping and entertainment. You can get away from the stress of the parks to relax over a meal, see a show or movie, and do a little shopping.
Getting to Disney Springs
For resort guests staying at a hotel on Disney's Sassagoula river, you can take a short boat ride to and from Disney Springs. Guests at other resorts can take a Disney bus to get there. If you have a car, the Disney Springs parking garages are the most organized parking spaces I've ever seen.
There are sensors over each parking space, which lets a computer system know how many open spaces are available on each floor of the garage. As you approach, you'll see a sign displaying the number of available spaces on the floor. Once you get to a floor, there are signs on each lane to show how many available spaces remain. Finally, there is a light over each space to help you spot an open parking space.
It's convenient and effective parking!
Dining Options: Quick Service Snacks, Food Trucks and Fine Dining
One of our favorite places to eat is at House of Blues Orlando at Disney Springs. There's something for everyone in our family. We love the atmosphere, music and character of this restaurant. It's also one of the restaurants where we have never had bad service.
The Express at Wolfgang Puck Grande Cafe is one of our favorite counter service restaurants. You order at the register, find a seat and the servers bring out your meal.  You may want to check out this place if you're on the Disney Dining Plan to get the most out of your counter service credits.
There are plenty of other dining options, including two that mix with entertainment. AMC Disney Springs is a dine-in movie theater and Splitsville has some nice meals while you bowl.
Shopping from Boutiques to Megastores
If you're looking for Disney merchandise, head over to World of Disney. It has a larger selection than most of the gift shops inside the parks.
There are plenty of other stores at Disney Springs, from small boutiques to massive corporate swag stores from Coca Cola, Harley Davidson and others.
The change from Downtown Disney to Disney Springs seems to put more emphasis on shopping, including a lot of high end shops that you can find in malls all over the country. I really appreciate the architecture and landscaping of the new shopping areas, but it's still just another outdoor mall to me.
Related Links
House of Blues
Earl of Sandwich
D-Luxe Burgers
The Boathouse
The Express at Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe
AMC Disney Springs
Splitsville Luxury Lanes
Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba