When I was last in Orlando, Downtown Disney, as it was known then, was undergoing some major renovations. As we don't make it a point to visit the Disney parks anymore, I was particularly excited to spend a day at the newly revamped Disney Springs, as it's now known. And boy, was it good!
I didn't let the fact that I wasn't going to any of the Disney parks this year discourage me from wearing my best Minnie Mouse get-up either. My Minnie ears were on all day and I paired them with my favourite Topshop jumpsuit. I think I did Minnie proud and got several compliments, mainly in the Kate Spade store where they kept saying how 'Kate Spade' I looked. Which is easily one of the greatest things that's ever been said about me.
So let's take a trip to Disney Springs;
Straight away Disney Springs was almost unrecognisable. We parked in the new lemon parking lot, which made it so much easier to get straight to the heart of Disney Springs, than it did when we last visited. Last time we had to park at the entrance next to the House Of Blues, which admittedly was a bit of trek away from World Of Disney, for example.
Even though it looked completely different, it was nice to be greeted by the familiar sight of one of Walt Disney World's most iconic sights; the Characters In Flight balloon.
After spending a few minutes simply marveling at all things new and exciting, I made a beeline for my favourite Disney Store in the entire world; aptly named World Of Disney.
Visit World Of Disney
World Of Disney truly is a little huge slice of heaven for any Disney fan. There's literally everything you could ever want or imagine, Disney-wise, under one roof.
I could have taken a million and one photos, like I almost very nearly did. But I did have a bit of a plan of action in place, as I knew I'd get a little distracted. Like I did in the Christmas section for example. I came away with several treats for myself and a good few Christmas presents for friends and family before meeting back up with my Mum.
Outside World Of Disney you'll find two of my favourite Disney princesses; Aurora and Cinderella. And as you can see, I made sure to get my photo taken with both. These really are a perfect photo opp, regardless of your age.
Shop 'til you drop!
Disney Springs has certainly cemented itself as a major shopping destination in Orlando, Florida with many of the biggest brands having stores there. And unlike at some of the other malls, they feel very much like boutiques instead of a traditional store at the mall. You'll find stores like Anthropologie, Kipling, Levi's, MAC Cosmetics, Pandora, UNIQLO and Zara. And then there are two stores that I couldn't quite contain my excitement about.
When I first heard that both Sephora and Kate Spade New York would be opening stand alone stores at Disney Springs I kind of lost my shit. I may or may not have done some serious damage in Sephora that day...
Who'd like to see a Sephora haul at some point in the not so distant future?
And whilst we're talking of haul posts, I'm definitely going to be doing one thanks to the sheer amount of Kate Spade stuff I bought in the States!
I was SO tempted to indulge in at least one piece from the Kate Spade New York x Minnie Mouse collection. But something even more exciting caught my eye moments later. All I can say is that it involves a cat. You might have even seen a glimpse of it on my Instagram when I was there.
If you'd like to see a full blog post on my shopping experience at Kate Spade New York Disney Springs, let me know. As I definitely got a bit snap happy in there.
Grab a cupcake from the Cupcake ATM
Despite this brilliant move towards incorporating more shopping, you simply can't miss some of the incredible restaurants, venues and special places that Disney Springs has to offer. And this now includes SPRINKLES!
For years I've been living vicariously through anyone who'd visited on Instagram. But this year I finally got to experience it for myself. I even got the chance to get one from their cupcake ATM!
It was all very exciting, as you might be able to tell from what I've written and my rather eager face above. That exciting that I completely forgot to take a snap of my actual cupcake. But I can confirm that it was just as good as I'd hoped it would be.
Explore all the different areas
The last time we visited, as I mentioned above, Disney Springs was a bit of a building site. A Disneyfied building site albeit. But a building site all the same. So we never ventured too far at the time. This visit I got a chance to really explore and there truly was something incredibly special to behold around every corner. I spent a solid ten minutes just taking in this lovely expanse of blue water. All whilst trying to savour every bite of my Sprinkles cupcake.
There were some grey clouds, as you might be able to see. But thankfully it stayed dry and sunny the whole time that we were there that day.
Embrace the nostalgia
I also loved discovering this fantastic amphicar area. We even got to see someone driving(?)/sailing(?) one out onto the lake. Which was something I hadn't expected on seeing. It also made my Dad smile like a Cheshire cat.
As you may remember, if you read my LEGOLAND Florida blog post, my Dad isn't the easiest to please when it comes to this sort of stuff. But he absolutely loved his day at Disney Springs. The last time we were there he basically moaned non-stop about how far we had to walk to get to World Of Disney. And at how many people were there. But this time he had an amazing time and even did some shopping too. Quite a turnaround, eh Disney?
Look out for hidden Mickeys
In addition to all that, you'll also spy some hidden Mickeys, like this one, which is always a fun thing to do on Disney property.
What do you think of Disney Springs? Would you ever like to visit one day? And would you like to see a blog post dedicated to my Kate Spade New York shopping experience?
0