Day 2 22/09/2017
After a day spent in one of the WDW water parks, I love nothing more than spending my evening at Disney Springs. With the water parks usually closing around 5pm (unless otherwise stated) I find that it gives you time to go back to your villa or resort and freshen up before spending a full evening checking out the springs!
I have covered Disney springs in a previous blog post at lifestylelisa.com so i’m conscious not to go over the same information as I’ve previously written about. So In a nutshell Disney springs is a live entertainment/leisure/shopping/restaurant complex formally known as Downtown Disney. It features top class restaurants and shops from Pandora to Kate Spade and everything in between! And of course Disney Springs is currently the home to the famous Cirque Du Soleil and their show La Nouba! A show I have seen and loved, if you haven’t seen it already you need to catch it before it ends on December 31st!!
I get asked a lot if Disney Springs is just another shopping Mall, and if it’s worth a visit or not whilst on Vacation…. My answer of course is always NO! it’s so much more than just another shopping Mall, and YES! its totally worth a visit!
Firstly I Love the atmosphere there it’s very lively and vibrant, and usually evenings are pretty busy. I love the live acts, from the saxophonist, to the guy playing the guitar and didgeridoo (now you don’t see that everyday). There are live singers and even street performers, there really is always something going on and something to watch.
If that doesn’t tempt you, then how about a cinema complex playing the newest releases or a bowling ally for a bit of good hearted family competition? or maybe why not watch the world go by with a glass of wine in your hand outside one of the many bars or restaurants?
Eating at disney Springs is probably one of my most favourite things to do, I love to eat (who doesn’t right) and at disney springs there is certainly no shortage of great places to eat at, in fact when making dinning reservations there are so many places to choose from with great reviews it makes it hard to pick!!
So to make it easier here are my personal recommendations
Number 3) Paradiso 37
Paradiso 37’s menu reflects the “Taste of the Americas,” featuring delicious selections from the best of the 37 countries of the Americas. P37 is also is famous for its tequila bar and 29º beer – the world’s coldest! I thought this restaurant was delicious, unfortunately I didn’t seem to take many pictures of this restaurant, however I did manage to snap my starter and main. We shared our starter (delicious but oh so calorific I assume, corn on the cob covered in cheese!) and for my my main, well I can’t remember what it was called but it was delicious. The atmosphere here is vibrant and loud, and is as great place to hang out for the whole family!!
Number 2) The Boathouse
This gets my number 2 spot, but This is actually Luke’s favourite restaurant.
The Boathouse is an upscale waterfront Restaurant complete with great views, and retro dream boats, from vintage American Amphicars to romantic Italian Water Taxis. Here you will find a much more relaxed atmosphere, I guess you could say more romantic. As for the food…. well it just has to be the lobster roll with a side of mac and cheese! With key lime pie for dessert! It’s kinda making me hungry just writing about it now!! Luke and I thoroughly enjoyed our time here, and would definitely book to come here again! A very reasonably priced restaurant. 
Number 1) Bongo’s Cuban Cafe
This get’s my number 1 spot because of how wonderfully different it is to anywhere I have eaten before. Bongos Cuban cafe is of course a Cuban themed restaurant owned by Latin singer Gloria Esterfan (my mum loves her). It’s very lively and busy and heavily themed throughout the whole place. There are Cuban dancers who do amazing routines whilst you eat and vibrant Latin music playing in the background. The food here is also delicious! I can’t rave enough about the black beans which they pretty much serve with everything! The food is pretty Cuban authentic but so good! I would personally say that I find this restaurant aimed more towards adults but that’s not to say that you can’t dine there with families.
As Luke and I were staying at the Port Orleans riverside resort we decided to take the boat directly from our resort to Disney springs. It took around 30 minutes to get there so factor this into your journey time if you have made a reservation. In all honestly driving is a quicker option.
So there we have it (in a nutshell) my take on Disney Springs! Definitely go check it out for yourself whilst your on vacation, and let me know what restaurant’s you would recommend, I’d love to know! Comments welcome below.