Yep, I'm a month late posting my July fourth weekend travels. It seems my calendar has been booked solid this last month plus some weekend trips here and there which I'll get to - eventually. Anyhoo, Fourth of July weekend at Disney World is always busy because most families take a long weekend to visit Orlando.
What is Disney Springs?
Disney Springs, if you've never been, is the giant outdoor mall of Disney World. There are a lot of high-end brands (Tommy Bahama, Anthropologie, Coach, Lily Pullitzer, and more) and some trendy brands (Corkcicle, Everything But Water, and more). You can find lots of restaurants and food stalls. Amorette's Patisserie is highly recommended for their Disney-themed cakes and their cake-decorating classes. Everglazed™ Donuts and Cold Brew has fun donut flavors in addition to more normal flavors and a cool prop for photos outside. And of course you can find lots of Disney-themed stores and the World of Disney store is the biggest Disney store in the world. Uniqlo is a fun Japanese casual wear store which offers Disney-themed merchandise only here. San Francisco-based Gheradelli's is here and they have the same menu items (nothing special for Orlando or Disney). They used to have free chocolate candy samples in their store which wasn't the case the last time I visited due to the remodel but they might have brought it back. You can also get free cups of water here without waiting in the order queue.
How do I get to Disney Springs?
You can get dropped off (by bus, Disney bus if you're a paid guest, uber/lyft, etc) or you can park in one of their massive parking garages (named, appropriately for Florida, as Lime, Orange or Grapefruit). You will see signs letting you know if a particular garage is full (then just go to the next garage). Inside each garage is a board letting you know which floors have spaces available and each floor has parking available lights at the ends of the rows and above each parking spot (red means not available and green means available). There is also surface-level parking but it fills up really quickly especially if there's a Cirque du Soleil show.
Everyone goes through the security line to get into the shopping area. I recommend keeping umbrellas and phone chargers out because those always set off the alarm for extra checking.
You can bring strollers. You can bring food and drinks.
Will I see Fireworks?
This year there were no drone shows or fireworks or other displays.
You may be able to see small bits of the nightly EPCOT fireworks show from a really high spot at Disney Springs such as Aerophile - The World in Balloon ride (if you time it right), the top level of the parking garages, the top level of the Coca Cola store.
The AMC movie theatre at Disney Springs plays the latest movies and there's a special Star Wars Galactic ID Maker machine inside to try before heading to watch your movie. The fun part, in my kids' opinions, is having food delivered to your theatre seat. Of course it's fun when someone else is buying.
Do they have special treats for Fourth of July?
Absolutely! You can find special treats and drinks at many of the vendors. Because this year was also America's 250th birthday, they also had products and deals to coincide with that. So for next year, keep your eyes out for special Fourth of July cakes and cocktails.
If you're planning a trip soon, they already have Halloween-themed treats and drinks for sale.
Should I bring the kids to Disney Springs?
I always do. Keep in mind two things - if you're on a budget, inform your kids up front because there will be a lot of "I want this" type of whines. And the second thing will be the amount of walking. I always bring a stroller for the younger kids even if they insist on walking. There are some experiences you can purchase like the carousel and the train. There are also a lot of entertainment that is free especially in the evenings. If you visit during the holidays you can get a scavenger hunt type map and stickers to keep kids entertained while you browse the shops.
One place I always take my kids is the Lego Store. There's a queue to get into the store which in the evenings can run long. But once you're inside, there is some hands-on minifig building and on the way out they have brought back the car build and race ramps. If you're kids are real Lego fanatics, you might not be able to leave empty handed so consider that before getting in line. They do have a great wall of parts where you can fill a box with any part you want from the wall display and then pay a set price. That's how my family has ended up with hundreds of Lego pink heart pieces.
Level 99 is the newest entertainment venue at Disney Springs which caters to teens (aged 12+) and adults. It took over the spot formerly occupied by Disney Quest and then the NBA Experience. Young kids will not be admitted and I've seen plenty crying outside because their parents didn't know. The games are challenging and timed so it makes sense. The premise is hands-on puzzles you work through as a team of 2-6 players. Each puzzle takes about 1-4 minutes. My older kids really enjoyed it. There are two options for length of play - 1.5 hours or 2.5 hours. The site has dynamic pricing so tickets for 1.5 hours starts at $29.99 and goes up. For 2.5 hours it starts at $39.99 and goes up. There is also food and drinks available for sale which is great for a rainy day so you can stay inside.
Also if you visit during the Christmas holiday, be sure to check out the decorated trees, plants and photo-ops.
Visiting Disney Springs Tip - bring your umbrella. Almost every time we visit there is a drizzle or what locals call a five-minute-downpour. If it's not raining, you can always use your umbrella to make your own shade on a hot and humid afternoon.
Overall, Disney Springs is a nice break from the amusement parks and a good opportunity to "chill" for a few hours.
If you need more information, check out https://www.disneysprings.com/
More info on Level 99 can be found here: https://www.level99.com/?loc=disney-springs-fl
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