Episode 39: Downtown Disney -

Welcome to the MouseQuest Podcast- Your guide in the quest for the perfect Disney vacation. This is episode number 39. On this week’s show we will be answering questions about Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort. This large waterfront complex features some incredible outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment for the entire family. Today we’ll share some of our favorite things to experience here with you.

In 1975 Disney opened the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village; an outdoor entertainment area with shopping and dining that was originally planned for residents of the area. Later on it became the Walt Disney World Village, focusing more on the guests of WDW. Then, in 1989 when Pleasure Island was added the area was again renamed to the Disney Village Marketplace. In 1997 the Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island were combined into Downtown Disney and the West Side was added. Since then, Pleasure Island has closed and there have been other changes throughout the years. Downtown Disney is now scheduled for a major overhaul that was announced earlier this year, and by 2016 we will have the new Disney Springs. For the purpose of this particular show we will be discussing what Downtown Disney has to offer right now as it is. Questions this week include:

Just to give someone an overview who may have not visited Downtown Disney before, can you tell us what it is?
There is a LOT of shopping available in the Downtown Disney area. We don’t have time to discuss all of the options, but could you tell us what are your top 5 shops to visit?
There are times throughout the year that Downtown Disney offers special events and entertainment. Could you give us an idea of what may be available in the coming months?
We all love to eat and Downtown Disney definitely has a lot to offer in the way of dining. What restaurants have you tried in Downtown Disney? Are there any you’d really like to try? Any that should be avoided?
If you were going to spend a day in Downtown Disney, what things are on your must do list?

Appearing this week are Kelly Collins, Dawn Gosdin, Rich Grady, Amy Leto, and Marci Smith.

To submit a question for the show, please go to the MouseQuest Podcast website, or send an email to question@mqpodcast.com.