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Downtown Disney

Touring Walt Disney World's entertainment village

by David Sokol
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The idea for Downtown Disney kicked around for at least five years before it opened in November 1997: Create a shopping, dining and entertainment scene in a relaxed, contemporary environment for people of all ages. But this is no stuffy mall with the usual chain stores, and there is no trace of big-city congestion or smog.

Long before the open-air 120-acre waterfront village appeared on the Walt Disney World map, Downtown Disney's foundation was in place. The Marketplace has been drawing resort guests and locals to its shops and open-terrace dining for years and, with its smorgasbord of nightclubs and restaurants, Pleasure Island has been home to club-hoppers since 1989. The biggest news at Downtown Disney is the West Side, a flashy family of custom-designed specialty stores, restaurants and leisure spots where you can watch movies in high-tech comfort and, compete in interactive games, Disney style.

Open day and night, the Marketplace, Pleasure Island and the West Side are connected by walkways. (An adjacent parking lot is free to Disney guests and the general public.) Here's a look, from west to east, at the West Side and the other new Downtown Disney attractions.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated June 2005.

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