West Side

The Downtown Disney West Side is a wonderful combination of unique shopping outlets, fun entertainment venues, great restaurants, and the most innovative theme park you will find anywhere. It would be quite simple to spend a good part of your vacation here.

The dining options include the Southern style House of Blues Restaurant, the eclectic Wolfgang Puck Café, the tropical charm of Bongos Cuban Café, or the celebrity-themed fun of Planet Hollywood. Add to that the delightful pretzels and ice cream at Wetzel’s Pretzels or the nice café overlooking the promenade at the Virgin Megastore.

Shopping opportunities abound on the West Side. You can find artwork, celebrity memorabilia, magic works, Caribbean cigars, high-end sunglasses, Disney-themed candies, sweets, and pastries, an amazing selection of magnets, general Disney and Disney character souvenirs, and a massive movies and music pop culture outlet.

Entertainment includes the comfort of the 24 screen AMC Theatres and the Blues at House of Blues. You don’t want to miss the La Nouba show at Cirque du Soleil, with its fantastic artistry, choreography, and acrobatics.

If you have pre-teens and teens, you might want to save DisneyQuest for near the end of your vacation. Otherwise, you may not be able to pry them away from it. DisneyQuest is a truly amazing indoor, interactive theme park, and while it is huge hit in the 8 to 18 age group, it is far more than that. From the sheer thrills of CyberSpace Mountain, where you create your own roller coaster and then ride it, to the plain fun of playing arcade games from the 1980s that you haven’t seen in twenty years to the hands-on opportunities at Animation Academy and Sid’s Create-A-Toy, there is something at DisneyQuest for everyone.

Downtown Disney’s West Side is a destination unto itself. Make sure you plan to spend some time here.