A nice shopping spree.

Disney World has everything you could possible need and want. I have written about the theme parks and water parks; now is time for another important part of Disney World, Disney Springs.

Disney Springs has 4 areas: West Side, Town Centre, The Landing, and Marketplace. Like the other blogs I will write about the different areas and what is available to do in each area.

Each area have a range of shops, dining experiences, and attractions and will be listed below.

Throughout Disney Springs there is areas and stages for performers that appear during the day, so keep your eyes and ears open.

There is a huge amount of parking around Disney Springs as well as buses from the Disney hotels.

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West Side

Starting in the most western point and working eastwards the first building houses Cirque du Soleil which mixes Disney magic and the acrobats that Cirque du Soleil is known for. Tickets are purchased through the Cirque du Soleil website and is recommended to be purchased before hand. Tickets cost from around $90.

Next, is the House of Blues restaurant and bar and offers dishes inspired by southern USA such as jambalaya, shrimp, and pulled pork. Hose of Blues also host a range of concerts including different genres from rock, country, R'n'B, Latin, Reggae, hip-hop, blues and others. After a show there is a live DJ and included in the tickets for the shows, these can be purchased through House of Blues website and prices do vary depending on the act. You can even pick up some House of Blues merchandise at the shop.

Across from House of Blues is Disney Springs' newest experience: The NBA Experience. A day ticket is from $34 and it is an immersive world with 13 unique experiences all based around the NBA. It is recommended to wear trainers to join in with some of the activities as some of the activities involve using or developing your basketball skills; there is also an arcade with a range of different NBA computer games. There is also a shop with NBA merchandise and souvenirs available.

There is a quick service (Pepe) and a table service (Jaleo) restaurant by Jose Andres with a Spanish theme in both, Pepe is around $15 or under where as Jaleo can cost from $9 (a mini burger plate) to $110 (Jose's way - a chefs tasting option) depending on what you order.

Want to go bowling? Disney Springs even offers that at Splitsville Luxury Lanes where there is 30 lanes over two floors. It has 5 bars, a range of food to offer while you are bowling, and even a table service restaurant called Spiltsville Dining room. This is an additional charge on top of your Disney tickets. There is also a shop to buy a range of branded items.

Maybe you want to catch a movie that is also an option at Disney Springs at AMC Disney Springs 24. 24 movie screens where 6 screens offer a dine-in where food is brought to your seats from an extensive menu including burgers, pizza and other finger food. Of course there is the usual cinema treats such as nacho, hot dogs and popcorn. This is also an additional cost on top of your Disney tickets ranging in price depending on your choices (3D or 2D film, meal or snacks).

Planet Hollywood is a popular restaurant where you can be surrounded by props and costumes from a range of different films. The price range for the restaurant is $15 to $40 dollars. Like the other restaurants at Disney Springs there is a bar and a gift shop.

Another quick service restaurant is Chicken Guys offering chicken fingers with different flavourings and sauces costing under $15 for a meal.

Wolfgang Puck bar and grill is a signature dining experience and like Jaleo can have a wide range of cost depending on what is ordered. The most expensive dish is $59 for the Filet Mignon but there is other dishes such as pizzas, pastas, or meatloaf under $30.

A standout building in the West End area is The Coca-Cola Store, it has a rooftop bar, a photo op with the Coca-Cola polar bear, and a range of Coca-Cola branded items for sale.

A unique experience in Disney Springs is Aerophile which is a 8 minute balloon ride with a difference. The balloon is tethered to the ground and rises to a height of 400 feet with a 360 degree view of landmarks up to 10 miles away. The cost is $20 for adults and $15 for children (3-9) to ride in a 19 foot diameter basket under the world's largest hand painted helium balloon. Because of the height of the balloon it is closed is winds exceed 22 mph and bags, food, drinks, smoking and strollers are not permitted on the ride. Children under 12 must be with someone over the age of 18.

Smaller food and drinks options are available in the West End area include a Starbucks, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, YeSake, and Wetzel's pretzels as well as different Disney food trucks.

There is a range of shops in the West End area selling a range of items, the stores in this area is: Fit2Run, Sosa Family Cigars, Pele Soccer, Sunglasses Icon, Disney's Candy Cauldron, Super Hero Headquarters, Star Wars Galactic Outpost, and DisneyStyle. These all sell merchandise based on the store's themes such as Fit2Run sells athletic clothes and footwear.

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Town Centre

Town Centre is very clear in it's design with it's white buildings.

There is a few restaurants in this area, Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, D-Luxe Burger, Frontera Cocina, Sprinkles, The Polite Pig, The Daily Poutine and Amorette's Patisserie.

Just to give a quick summary D-Luxe Burger is one of the highest rated quick service in all of Disney World so is worth a visit, Frontera Cocina is a Mexican dining experience and is highly recommended to get a booking before hand, Sprinkles is a bakery selling a range of cupcakes, The Polite Pig is a barbecue quick service restaurant, and The Daily Poutine sells a range of different poutines (and is extremely tasty).

There is a range of branded shops in this area, so many that it would take too long to list, but to quickly sum up if you are wanting anything you will most likely find it in this area of Disney Springs.

To give an idea of some of the stores there is - there is: an Under-Armour store, Lacoste, MAC cosmetics, Zara, UGG, Levi's, and Harley-Davidson shops these are just a selection of the 45 different shops.

Town Centre is also the home of Disney Spring's Welcome Centre, so if you are new to Disney this would need to be your first stop.

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The Landing

This part of Disney Springs is separated by water and you need to cross a bridge to get to it. As stated in the introduction this has a mixture of dining and shopping choices with some unique experiences.

There is quite a few different choices of restaurants in The Landing. Some choices including a range of Italian restaurants: Enzo's Hideaway, Pizza Ponte, Maria and Enzio's, Vivvoli il Gelato, and Terralina Crafted Italian, all of which are unique in their own way and sell a range of Italian dishes.

There is other choices such as the highly popular Morimoto Asia for Asian cuisine, The Edison, Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar, Wine Bar George and Chef Art Smith's Homecoming for American dishes, or for multiple different cuisines there is Paradiso 37 Tastes of Americas, and The Boathouse. You could even choose to visit the Irish pub and restaurant - Ragland Road, or step aboard the Paddleboat for some seafood options.

Again, as the same for the Italian restaurants, they each have their own theme, dishes, and decor giving you reasons to eat at each location.

The reason I am being vague about these locations is because I have not had the opportunity to visit them myself but only hear great things from friends, family, and other visitors.

As mentioned, there is shopping choices in this area, again like in West Side, some stores are attached to the restaurants for their own branded items, or there is individual shops and stands. They are: The Art of Shaving, Sanuk, The Ganachery, Savannah Bee Company, Oakley, Erwin Paul, Chapel Hats, Havaianas, Swings 'n' things, Rinse Bath + Co, Lovepop, eyCatchers. Together these stores sell clothes, shoes, cosmetics, hats, hammocks, and gifts.

A unique experience in The Landing is the Vintage Amphicar and Italian water taxi tours. For $125 per car (3 to 4 per car) you can be driven into the waters around Disney Springs and experience a 20 minute tour being lead by your Captain/Driver, you will see the sights and landmarks of Disney Springs from a completely different point of view.

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Marketplace

This area is where you will find more of the branded Disney items, as well as some unique dining options.

Two restaurants that stand out in this area is T-Rex and The Rainforest Cafe both have a similar idea where you travel back in time to when dinosaurs roamed or into the rainforest. Both restaurants are filled with eye popping animatronics either of animals or dinosaurs. They have a family friendly menu and theme, but be warned that at certain points a storm hits that causes the lights to flicker, lighting to strike and the animals respond to what is happening (It is difficult to explain without giving it away too much).

Other places to stop for a bite to eat is the Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express, or there is also Ghirardelli soda fountain and chocolate shop if you fancy something sweeter. Like the other areas there is some stands and shops like Starbucks, food trucks and stands, hot dogs, crepes, and pretzels.

One big draw for this area is the Lego store filled with a range of different Lego sets and Lego constructions around the shop. The other store is World of Disney which is "the largest Disney shop in the world" if you have ever visited a Disney store anywhere in the world then you know what they sell in here. Clothes, photo frames, ears, hats, kitchen items, cuddly toys if you want something Disney you will most likely find it in here or in the other specialised Disney shops.

The specialised Disney shops in this area are:

Disney's Wonderful World of Memories - Where you can buy personalised items (hats, souvenirs, even seasonal stuff)

The Art of Disney - selling artwork based on the Disney films, you might get to see an artist drawing your favourite characters.

Disney Days of Christmas - open all year round you can pick up your Disney Christmas items from this shop.

Mickey's Pantry - selling items for the kitchen or just around the house, you might be able to pick up some spirits as well.

Goofy's Candy Co. - sweet shop but with the Disney twist you can order your own design treats here (marshmallow, rice krispie bars).

Lefty's - The left hand store.

The Art Corner by Artistic Talent - More artwork but there is a pop up element that you can get hands on and create your own piece.

Star Wars' trading post - Sta wars merch.

Disney's Pin Traders - Badges (Pins) are a huge collectible in the Disney parks and this shop is selling just pins and accessories for your pins.

Once Upon a Toy - Huge Toy shop.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique - for $69.95 + tax children can become princesses and knights.

Tren-D - A place up accessories and more stylish items based on Disney characters.

Marketplace Co-Op - unique shops and concepts being tested so you never know what you might uncover.

Spice and Tea exchange - different flavours of tea and spices in some Disney branded items.

Arribas Brothers - Crystal works.

Basin - bath, shower, and smelly stuff.

There are some different things to do as well including a small train and carousel, the Photopass studios to collect pictures or have some taken, and The Void: Step Beyond Reality which is a VR interactive experience. You must be over 10 years old and over 48 inches to play the VR games. There is two choices at the moment a Star Wars 4 person experience on a mission to take down the Empire, or a Wreck it Ralph VR game where you have a food fight with characters from the films.

Tickets need to be purchased through The Void's website and can cost from $35 depending on the game you play.

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The map of Disney Springs