Florida Guide > Disney General
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Whenever we spend some time at Downtown Disney we tend to do it in two halves. The first half the West Side and Pleasure Island and then later on in the trip we will park over by the Marketplace and browse around there.
It’s a long push if you are in a chair (and in the heat) to go from one side to the other-especially if you are the only driver it’s a long way back to the car.
Wherever we go it’s always lunchtime, coffee time or treat time and at Disney’s Marketplace it is no exception and we head straightaway to the world famous Ghirardelli’s Soda fountain and chocolate shop. Is there anything better on a hot day than an ice cream sundae with all your favourite toppings and flavours? At Ghirardelli’s you feel like you have died and ended up in ice cream heaven. Bliss. The hard bit is choosing just one.
From there we then head over to the Lego emporium with our little one. This area has recently been remodelled and is just superb. It’ is called the Imagination Center and it really does the trick-our little one loves the brick models and there are lots of fun photo opportunities from the man on the bench to the dinosaurs, the sea serpent in the lake, the giraffe and then there’s all the lego play tables and the new lego sets which with the good dollar rate are such a bargain right now but I won’t say any more-I’ll leave you to discover it for yourself.
If you decide to go for something a bit more substantial than an ice cream sundae then you might want to head for the Rainforest Café. Here amidst a tropical rainforest with live birds and animated animals you can enjoy scrumptious food accompanied by a tropical rainstorm. The café also sports a merchandise shop for those all important souvenirs.
There’s also a Wolfgang Puck Express with sandwiches, soups and delicious breads and salads. Open from noon till 10pm.
Sadly my favourite store-Pooh Corner closed in January 2006. It is now Disney World of Kids. Thankfully though the biggest Disney store in the world is still there-World of Disney is just everything and more-with 12 differently themed rooms it is just a child and child at heart paradise.
New for last year was the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Salon where your little princess can be a real princess for the day with the help of a godmother in training. There are different packages for little princesses aged 3 and up and for your little prince there is the ‘cool dude’ treatment. Booking is essential if you are not to be disappointed.
This is just a taster-there is also so much more –I will leave you to discover for yourselves.
All wheelchair accessible but it can get very busy down there on weekends and holidays. Adapted toilets are to be found in all the restaurants-McDonalds, Ghirardelli, Rainforest Cafe and so on.
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