Is construction keeping you away??

We aren't big fans of recreational shopping, so we've never spent a huge amount of time at Downtown Disney Springs. But thanks to the fabulous WDW bus system, the construction didn't keep us away in April, nor will it this fall. If we had to find a parking space, then maybe it would.

In a word. Yes. The traffic around there is enough to put you off. We didn't go there in June and no plans to in October. We may go if it's raining and we fancy a trip to the cinema but not bothered otherwise.

It doesn't bother me at all I actually love looking at construction and seeing what they are building plus with that new co-op opening at Disney springs I HAVE to see it!!!!

however if I was driving I think I would be finding a way around it because I wouldn't fancy driving there!

The only thing keeping me away is my job not paying enough
Honestly though,No it wouldn't keep me away as the buses are easy enough and staying at POR next year the boats should be fun...

The construction has definitely changed the way that we approach DTD/Disney Springs, but we haven't stopped going. We used to prefer to drive (unless staying at SSR, OKW, or Port Orleans in which case, we boat), but I will absolutely not drive there again until the parking garage opens. We drove last June when only one small lot had closed and it was already a nightmare. I can't even imagine trying to drive there in the evening right now. We did drive over in the afternoon in December, but it was a low-crowd time in the middle of the day and we were going to Disney Quest, where there was ample parking at the time.

Because the parking issue is making traffic in the area worse, I won't even ride the bus to DTD right now. If the same issues were at MK, I would be patient and go anyway, but at DTD, I don't need to make myself crazy just to go shop and eat. Basically the only way I'm going is if I am at a resort with boat access or a walking path. I will note that this is largely due to the fact that it took us an hour to get back to Boardwalk on the bus from DTD in April.

That being said, I love to see a work in progress, so I find the construction process fascinating and that actually makes me more inclined to WANT to go, but I'm only willing to take on a certain amount of transportation stress on vacation in order to see it!

As for other guests , while we've been there, I think it has seemed just as crowded as ever, but I think that some of that crowded feeling is because there are construction walls EVERYWHERE, so regular traffic patterns are all helter skelter!

We'll be taking the bus there on our first day in a few weeks! Alice has me scared now about the traffic...I didn't think we'd have any issues since we aren't driving.

Didn't stop us in January or May. If you are driving and you go at the right times, you have no problem. I always been able to snag a parking space right near the front.

My neighbor just returned.....she said downtown was a mess....walls up everywhere,they felt like rats in a maze.....people pushing and shoving, and hard to stay oriented where she was with the high walls...they go about once every five years...she said it was the worse part of her vacation.

Well, that doesn't sound like fun at all. For me, Downtown Disney isn't in the "must do" category each trip. If we go, it's usually to hit Raglan Road or the balloon. Plus with Disney Transportation, it's a long ride from the Boardwalk. Might have to skip it when we go in a few weeks.

Allie it was bad in April and I've heard reports that it's still getting worse. (I really don't understand why it's taking so long to build a parking garage...it doesn't have to be imagineered. we've had these things for awhile now. We should be able to slap one up.) In May, we were at OKW, so I have no idea what traffic was like. I was on the boat For the 3-day trip in August, we are steering clear of DTD and for the trip in September, we're only going to DTD on the days that we're staying at SSR so we don't have to deal with parking or busing.

Speaking of which, if you're doing DTD between parks, I think a reasonable strategy would be to bus to SSR/OKW/POFQ and take the boat to DTD. Then boat back to the resort and bus back to the park or take the bus back to . It might not actually be faster, but it may at least be more enjoyable that sitting on the bus. Another good strategy is to go early in the day when all of parks are open.

DTD lost all interest to me when they closed PI and in particular the Adventurers Club. Mrs. C likes to go have a shop. I wouldn't mind if we skipped it completely.

I honestly don't even know what they are even doing down there. Hyperion Wharf?

WE are one day shorter on this trip, so we did not allow for shopping there. DH maintains that if I want something Disney, I can find it in the parks or order it when I get home. He's probably right....

We usually hit DTD our first night and maybe one more night if we get the urge. Thinking of skipping it this year though. Last year we didn't have much of a problem but we did notice it took the buses much longer to navigate the area than in past years. Sounds like its just gotten worse. If we really wanna go this year, we'll probably just do what Alicemouse said and grab a bus to Port Orleans, Old Key West or Sarasota and boat over to save the headache.

It's a huge bummer. And there isn't much there right now at all! But we are still going to go on our next trip. My DH really enjoyed the running shop and we are looking forward to eating at Raglan Road and mage even bowling. But the traffic and bus stop situation is just a nightmare.

I don't have any plans to visit DTD this trip. Not because of the construction. I don't want to take any time away from the F&W Festival.

I don't go to DTD very often but when I went to see Maleficent, it was hard to find parking. I ended up parking at Team Disney and walking over to DTD. I go to church at the Holiday Inn on Hotel Plaza, and traffic was backed up badly from all the construction on Sunday. It's not really stopping me but I really don't have a reason to go to DTD anyway. If I were to go to DTD, I would park at a resort and then take a boat or something from the resort.

This is probably the thing I'm most anxious about for my trip next month, because I HAVE to go eat at Earl of Sandwich and to shop at the Co-Op but the traffic and parking sitch is not a good look.

However, we'll be going on our last day, probably around 11 am on a Friday morning. Surely it won't be too bad at that time of day??? And I'd much rather drive so we can just leave to go home from there instead of taking a bus back to the resort. Or maybe we'll go park at Port Orleans and boat over there. Hm.

You'll probably be ok first thing in the morning, but count on walking a long distance from the parking lot...especially if you're going to EoS. I THINK the only lot open right now is west end behind cirque. Can anyone confirm?

Ok, I've changed my answer. We've officially scrapped going to DTD on our trip and will instead be using it for park/resort time. I'm just too anxious about possibly spending half of our first day on a bus in traffic We'll go next year when things have cleared up and cleaned up a bit.

I have to admit I am a little nervous about going to DTD by bus. Every year HOB is our first dinner. It has always been a tradition but I debated switching it to somewhere else because I had heard it was hard to get to DTD. Last year it was not to bad and we breezed in and out. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we have a good experience.

If we decide to go to DTD this trip, it will be during the week, so hopefully won't be too bad.

I've taken it off of my list. The last time we went (before construction started) it was horrible to find parking. I can't imagine what it would be like now. I planned on it arrival day but the more I read here and on blogs, the bad seems to outweigh the good.

You have it so summed up. That is exactly how we felt. We walked in from SSR but everything we wanted was the other end. It was horrible. As we are staying at AKL this visit we will take the bus and stay that end of DTD.

Ok, so I have just returned from the World.
Construction is full on at DTD, so it is not as pretty/aesthetically pleasing as usual.
However, most of the shops and restaurants are still open and thriving.
The boat (from POFQ etc.) and buses are still running efficiently.
The only problem we had with DTD was that they have laid down boardwalks and put up construction boards each side of the boardwalks to navigate through the construction. There is no shade and it is beyond hot!
The heat doesn't bother me in the parks/water park/resorts even at the hottest time of day, but these walkways in DTD were almost unbearable.

Miss Mikki, Thank you for sharing the update with us

Thank you Miss Mikki for the update. The DH is set on going the first night so I think we will brave it. Good to know that the buses are running smoothly. I was a little worried.

Thanks for being our "boots on the ground", Miss Mikki!