What I don't understand is why Disney is continuing to outsource interests in Disney Springs?įor one, the Disney culinary department has a diverse and successful portfolio of restaurants across WDW. I'm sure locals love it, because it makes Orlando more like other major US cities and injects some level of class into an area that's more known for strip malls and discount stores but from a purely objective perspective of a guest that lives just outside a major US city, Disney Springs, while nicer and more convenient to visit than Downtown Disney was over the past 5-10 years, is really nothing special. However, to say that anything major has changed, aside from the logistics of getting in and getting out, is a huge exaggeration. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, because after all, tourists come to Orlando to spend money, and what better place to separate people from their money than a shopping mall, especially if it's got Disney's seal of approval. I promised TH an honest review of Disney Springs, and for me it just doesn't measure up, and the glossy veneer of a "theme" doesn't change the fact that the renamed complex is nothing more than a glorified outdoor shopping mall. While some of the newer restaurants offer some unique themes and celebrity chefs, again, it's not a huge departure from what most people living in a major metropolitan area can get at home. Sure, I may have to visit 3 or 4 different malls to replicate the full lineup of Disney Springs offerings, but there's very little there I cannot find at home, which is a bit of a departure from what Downtown Disney tried to be. Perhaps guests who live in smaller, less affluent places around the country/world will be drawn to some of the upscale retailers they don't see at home, but for me, Disney Springs doesn't provide anything I can't get within a 5-minute walk of my downtown DC office or within a 30-minute drive from my Northern Virginia home at any of the handful of upscale malls in the DC Metro Area. The complex is still more of a shopping mall than an entertainment destination, and while it's nice to have some diverse restaurant and bar options available for adults, like Pleasure Island used to be, Disney Springs should not be receiving more publicity than the theme parks that actually support tourism to Central Florida.Ĭertainly, the conversion to Disney Springs is a huge improvement over the mess that Downtown Disney became after Pleasure Island shut down, but it's not all that it's cracked up to be. No more specific opening date was announced.Īfter seeing the new Downtown Disney, ahem, "Disney Springs" first hand last week, it's really just more of the same. Patina also runs Tutto Italia Ristorante and Morimoto Asia at the Walt Disney World Resort.Īll three restaurants are expected to open sometime this winter. Patina Group also runs Via Napoli in Epcot, so the TL DR on Pizza Ponte might be the quick-service version of that popular table service pizzeria. Savory items include signature Triangolo (stuffed pizza bread) sandwiches, Porchetta (roast pork) and Pizza al Taglio, Sicilian-style pizza by the slice. Pastry specialties include Bomboloni (Italian doughnuts), Sfoglia di Riso (pastry with rice cream) and Tiramisu. Pizza Ponte will be a "fast casual" concept. Inspired by Florida’s true history of rum running, Enzo’s Hideaway will pour Prohibition-era cocktails at its Tunnel Bar and serve a casual menu of hearty Roman dishes, such as the city’s legendary Bucatini alla Carbonara and Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe. (A trattoria, TIL, is less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria.) Here's how Disney describes the Hideaway:Ī speakeasy inspired by Roman aperitivo bars, located in the storied rum-runner tunnels that adjoin Maria & Enzo’s. Enzo's Hideaway and Pizza Ponte will be sibling restaurants to Maria & Enzo's, which will be a table service Italian trattoria.
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