Disney Springs Day Trip

Wifey and I ventured over to Disney Springs from the Sarasota area this past Tuesday. We left home around 7:45 and journeyed to DS via I-4. The trip was relatively short as half the trip was getting to the Tampa area and the remainder to DS. We arrived shortly after 10 a.m. in gorgeous weather. Parking in the Orange garage we went to level 2 to the temperature screening area. Disney has the process smoothly running, at least for the small crowds we saw during the day.

Throughout our tour of Disney Springs I realized that this was the smallest crowd I had ever seen in DS to include past times when I visited in cold weather. We grabbed a bite to eat at the Earl of Sandwich and began to tour stores in the Marketplace. There were no lines to get into any of the stores throughout our stay.

The M&M store, Gideons Bakeshouse, and lunch at the Boathouse was on our agenda. Reservations are still needed for the popular restaurants. There were only 2 times left for the Boathouse when I made reservations the Sunday before we went. But there being any reservations left at all was a testimony to the impact of Covid on visitations to the area. We ate outside at the Boathouse and there was ample seating.

When we had passed by Gideon's we mistakenly thought the line outside was for those who just got in line. It wasn't until later that we found out there was a virtual que that you had to sign up for in advance. It wasn't publicized on the Disney Experience app as there being a need to sign up for the que and that there were no walk ins allowed. If we had known that we would have signed up when we first arrived at DS. After lunch we just rested in the rocking chairs around the Vacation Club building before going over to Girahadelliis for ice cream. No seating inside the building and the ice cream menu seemed limited. But it is still good. We did stop by the M&Ms store which has a good supply of items to purchase for gifts or for yourself in you are a big M&M fan. The NBA store was closed which I was surprised to see and the Experience itself still remains closed due to Covid. The stores in DS are all amply supplied with clothes and other items. The Leggo store area is very quiet, a big change from the hordes of kids that normally occupy the area building structures. We also ventured into the Coca Cola store walking up to the top floor to enjoy the view. We headed back home shortly after 4 p.m. and only met a short traffic jam on I-4 before getting past the traffic. It was a very enjoyable trip and we will definitely do it again, next time doing a day trip to a theme park.

Disney Springs crowds seem to be hit or miss. I think it does tend to get more crowded later in the day. We were last there a couple of weeks ago and found the line for temperature checks to be longer than we had previously experienced (but still shorter than when we went late one afternoon during spring break). Like you, on the day we were there, we did not experience any lines to get into any of the shops we wished to visit. We also lunched at The Boathouse which we had not visited for more than a year. Thanks for sharing your experience!!

Sounds like a wonderful day, with just enough "Disney" in it.

For Gideon's, if you're local, I'd just go to their original location ... way shorter lines!

Sounds like a great day other than the virtual queue mishap.

My parents are in Venice so like you - they can just pop over. Unfortunately for me - 5 hours from Hilton Head is a long pop over. I’ve done it for Disney events but my wife wouldn’t be up for a down and back. Lol.

Jealous. Would be nice to get a fix right now.