Disney Adds Shops, Restaurants to Complex

LAKE BUENA VISTA (Orlando Sentinel) – No matter what Walt Disney does with its bar scene, shopping is driving most of the changes at Downtown Disney. And Disney's not limiting changes to Pleasure Island. The idea is to seduce people into spending extra time – and more money – at Downtown Disney by creat-ing more things for them to do, making it easier for them to get around and adding restaurants that keep them there longer. "Shopping is still our No. 1," said Djuan Rivers, vice president for Downtown Disney. "The majority of people here still come to shop."

• To enliven the shopping experience, Pleasure Island has been opened up to shorten the walk between the main shopping districts – Marketplace and West Side – on either end of Downtown Dis-ney. Disney also will add more water taxis and a dock at Pleasure Island, so people can travel by ferry. Yet, even with foot traffic going through Pleasure Island instead of around it, Downtown Disney is a long walk, more than a half-mile from end to end – all outdoors.
• A broader mix of goods and activities is being rolled out, including the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, aimed at transforming little girls into fantasy princesses, and a new T-Rex restaurant – both at Mar-ketplace. "The more of an experience you create for a guest, the more time they will spend," Down-town Disney brand manager Richard Gregorie said.
• Shopping still focuses on Disney-brand merchandise, Gregorie said, but selections are growing for non-Disney items from outlets such as Team Mickey, the Virgin Megastore and Orlando Harley-Davidson.

Garry and Elaine Thompson, who were visiting recently from Gloucestershire, England, with their 15-year-old daughter and her friend, loved Downtown Disney but found the shopping thin. "The only thing was, we had to leave Disney to do any clothing shopping for the girls," Elaine Thompson said. "If you don't want something with Mickey Mouse on it, there's really not much here for them to choose."