Coffee, Shopping & More – Check Out the Newest Reasons to Visit Downtown Disney

If you’ve visited the Downtown Disney Area lately, you know that significant enhancements are in progress. We’re introducing new venues and offerings, with two that are especially buzz-inducing!

Read on to see the latest additions I’m most excited about:

• Starbucks: This one needs no explanation. With two Downtown Disney locations, I can already feel the caffeine kick in. I’ll be a regular at the Marketplace walk-up in front of World of Disney; it opened early last week and is great for grab ‘n’ go options. (My first beverage from this spot – a light, no whip, Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino – was flawless!) The West Side location, on track to open within the week, will be a full-sized store featuring the complete line of Starbucks offerings as well as a Clover Bar with special reserve coffees brewed to order. With a covered patio overlooking Village Lake and an outside fireplace, I’m already planning coffee-fueled morning meetings there!

• Marketplace Co Op: No caffeine needed to get fans excited about this first-of-its-kind store, Steven Miller has already started to share details about the six new boutique shops opening this summer. I love the idea of a ‘testing space’ for new products, and based on the initial response, you do, too! Disney Centerpiece, which will feature home décor and more, is especially high on my list. I can’t wait to add a few subtle Disney touches to my condo, including something (anything!) featuring Orange Bird. Look for Steven to share more details in early June.

While Starbucks and the Marketplace Co Op will be the newest Downtown Disney hot spots to open their doors, there are a few more fresh venues worth mentioning:

• Häagen-Dazs and Wetzel’s Pretzels, located between DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park and Cirque du Soleil, began serving sweet and salty treats earlier this month. I’ll be grabbing a fresh Wetzel Dog after my next House of Blues concert. And with temperatures rising fast, a Classic Haagen-Dazs sundae is in my future, for sure.

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• United World Soccer: In less than a month, a certain soccer tournament will kick off in Brazil. Here at Downtown Disney West Side, guests will have the chance to score big themselves, with gear, accessories, and the latest ‘fútbol’ must-haves. If you’re a fan, you’ll want to make a play for this new pop-up shop which opened late last week. (Anyone up for matching USA jerseys?)

Of course, the summer also brings huge Disney blockbusters, including “Maleficent” (May 30) to the big screen, which I’ll see at AMC Downtown Disney 24.

Let us not forget Car Masters Weekend taking place June 14-15, 2014. With over 100 cars on display, Disney•Pixar “Cars” characters including Lightning McQueen, celebrity automotive personalities, and more, you may want to go ahead and pencil that in for Father’s Day weekend now.

And, further on the horizon, you’ll see Disney Springs come to life. The first of two parking garages is being built, the widening of Buena Vista Drive recently kicked off and a new pedestrian bridge in the Marketplace is in development. Those are among the most noticeable, and there’s much, much more happening behind the scenes. We’re certainly in exciting times.

So? I’m curious … which of these Downtown Disney additions are you looking forward to the most?

Coffee, Shopping & More – Check Out the Newest Reasons to Visit Downtown Disney by Darcy Clark: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog