Disney Springs vs extra World Showcase/Boardwalk time

[mrcase77]

I'm going on a trip with a friend the first week of February (I was originally going solo, but found someone to go with). We're going to be there 8 nights and are staying at Boardwalk. She's never been to a Disney property at all (no Disney World, no Disneyland, nothing). I've never been to HS and haven't been to Epcot since the early 90's. I've got one full day planned at Epcot and was planning on sort of using spare moments there as well (arrival and departure days and if we finish AK or HS early)

I had a day in the middle of our trip earmarked as a low key day. My thought was to sleep in and hang around in the hotel in the morning and then in the morning and in the afternoon doing one of the following:

1. Hang around the World Showcase or the Festival of the Arts some more and maybe see if there's fun stuff to do on the Boardwalk at night (I've heard mixed reviews on Jelly Rolls and Abracadabar).
2. Go over to Disney Springs and maybe eat at Daily Poutine or Morimoto Asia for lunch. Shop a bit or check out The Void (if it's there, but I'm completely unclear if it will be) and check out Ragland Road for dinner.

I'm not a big shopper, but my friend is. I am a huge Star Wars nerd. Is the Disney Springs itinerary worth doing in our situation or are we better off trying to leverage our hotel location and spend extra time at Epcot and in the Boardwalk area?

 

[a1tinkfans]

Big shopper reads Disney springs to me. Now, if you ask my hubby he ll tell you I can shop daily, and I can. However I truly no longer enjoy disney springs which has turned into an outdoor air mall with many of the same stores near me, overpriced and not original.
It’s fun for a one time thing, perhaps a few hours to just walk and see things.. which I too greatly enjoy. I’d use my extra time at a park in a heartbeat.
Whatever you decide, enjoy!

 

[georgina]

Just wanted to say we really enjoyed Jellyrolls last year. There is a cover charge, but we stayed a lot longer than we had planned because it was so much fun. I do enjoy Raglan Road also, and hope to check out the Void if it is there in November.

 

[NH-to-FL]

DW and I have stayed at the Boardwalk many times. It is a beautiful resort and the location can't be beat. We found ourselves wandering over to the World Showcase many evenings. We are not into shopping so we didn't make many trips to Disney Springs. If your friend is into shopping than it is certainly worth at least one visit. Depending on your park plans I might suggest a visit to Disney Springs for lunch one day. A bit less expensive, depending on where you might eat, and certainly less crowded than in the evening.

But I suspect that you will find that you will find wandering over to Epcot (or perhaps HS) will be what you will want to do with your "spare" time.
Wishing you a visit!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Plenty of shopping at Epcot...just saying.

 

[DisneyFive]

Normally I would say more Boardwalk time but since you are already staying there I would probably say Disney Springs, just so that you have done it.

Dan

 

[Tksolomom]

I would do the Void and eat and shop at DS for lunch, then maybe go to Jellyrolls after dinner.

 

[rlk]

We love staying at the Epcot resorts. I think you will find that you'll want to spend more time exploring World Showcase. I would seep in and enter Epcot close to 11:00 am. From Epcot, I would head to Disney Springs to do The Void. We experienced The Void this past April and loved it. The Boardwalk area is fun in the evening, but you will get to experience it just by staying at The Boardwalk resort.

 

[CAS239]

If you have a little extra time on your Epcot day or a little extra time around the hotel, I'd check out the boardwalk then. I wouldn't set aside more than about an hour for the Boardwalk to check it out.

I'd much more recommend checking out Disney Springs as it has a ton of shopping, even if you're window shopping, and way more restaurants that I think are some of the best on all of property.

 

[CynBeth]

I would do extra time at Epcot with a few hours at DS for dinner and shopping.

 

[Cowgirl_Jessie]

Planning a few hours at Disney Springs sounds like it would work well for you and your friend. With so many top notch restaurants it is worth the visit! Plus you can do some window shopping for an hour or so too! Check out the dress shop if you go; their Disney dresses are so fun!

 

[vacamom4]

I would leave it open and decide what you want to do that day.

 

[mrcase77]

I would leave it open and decide what you want to do that day.

You have a point. It doesn’t look like the restaurants we’d be looking at are super hard to get reservations for.