Disney Leg 2: D'town Disney

I gotta be real about this one - We ADORED Downtown Disney. After Magic Kingdom, this was our favorite place to be. We went 3-4 times throughout the week. There is so much to do and see and play and shop and enjoy. The atmosphere alone was enough to make us happy. I take that back. A certain little play fountain right outside what turned out to be our favorite place to eat was what made us happy, but the relaxed, social, alive atmosphere really added a nice touch. Also, it's free to go - not counting what you spend on your own, of course. :)

There is a hot air balloon ride there called "Characters in Flight." It is tethered to the ground and goes up (400 ft) and down all day and night. Noah and I did it and it was an experience for sure. Loved it. I included some shots I took from way up in the air.






Little train ride and carousel footage. Can't miss those no matter where we go!



Some shots from our happy little bench by the play fountain where we enjoyed two different low-key dinnertimes from "Earl of Sandwich", which is so good! Oh my goodness - it was soooo good! I am not a sandwich-eatin' kinda girl...but this place (specializing in hot sandwiches) did me in. Duh-lish!






One of my favorite shots from the entire week...simply because it has all 4 of us, and we are all looking the same direction.


Noah fell in love with Buzz Lightyear over the course of the week. This is one shot he orchestrated all on his own and insisted we take. He and Brooklyn are all red-faced because all they did at the fountain just before this was run around and around and around. And around.


Other good stuff at Downtown Disney:

We loved the lego store - there was a playground in front and tons of little tables to play legos. And the Once Upon a Toy store by the fountain had Potato-head bars to play at.

Pooh Corner was another cute shop, too.

The water taxi is free and goes from one end to the other, so save yourself a little footwork with the kiddos if you know you just want to get to the complete other end from where you are - it can be a long walk.

There is a Rainforest Cafe that we skipped, but Emily's family and my parents really enjoyed it. When we go back, we will for sure hit the T-Rex restaurant (a dino version of Rainforest). There is also a build-a-dinosaur spot inside there. (dino division of build-a-bear). Planet Hollywood, Pleasure Island, Disney Quest, Cirque Du Soleil, House of Blues, and a Princess Diana museum are all there, too.

I didn't confirm this, but I believe you can rent the little boats and pontoons on the lake there. That's what it looked like was going on from the place I was watching.

There's a ton of other cool eats and shops - Something for everyone.

Our favorite shopping/souvenir spots were Once Upon A Toy and World of Disney. Be careful - you can get lost in there. Anna, as you can see, was not as impressed by all the goody shopping as we were.



Next stop - Magic Kingdom!!