When You Need A Break From The Parks Downtown Disney AwaitsBelow is a brief overview of Downtown Disney with links to pages of more detailed information on each individual section. There is no charge to enter Downtown but you will pay for entry to the clubs on Pleasure Island, and some entertainment venues on the Westside.( Cirque du Soleil, Disney Quest, and AMC Movie theaters). The Marketplace has the most obvious Disney theme of the three sections that comprise Downtown Disney. It is mostly a shopping and dining destination and is made up of an interesting assortment of table service and counter service restaurants,food and drink carts(for quick snacks cups of coffee or tea,and adult beverages), kiosks that offer hair wraps and souvenirs,caricature artists, and stores that appeal to both the Disney and non Disney shopper alike. Table service restaurants include the Rainforest Café, Fulton's Crab House, Cap'n Jacks Restaurant and the Portobello Yacht Club. Shopping in the Marketplace offers something for almost everyone and is a very different experience than you would get visiting your local mall. Pleasure Island is in the middle of Downtown Disney and is connected at one end to the Marketplace and at the other to the West Side. Pleasure Island is a collection of five dance clubs, a comedy club, and one club which really defies description called the Adventures Club. There are also a number of specialty shops and one restaurant, the Raglan Road Pub. This traditional Irish establishment has great food, an excellent selection of draft beers, and terrific atmosphere thanks largely to the free entertainment at night in the shape of a live band and an Irish dancer. There is no cover charge to enjoy this lively spot. For those looking for more food choices there are plenty of options available at the nearby Market Place and West Side. Pleasure Island is primarily a night time destination, as the clubs and many of the shops do not open their doors until 7pm or later. While children are welcome on Pleasure Island, it is really geared towards an adult clientele and no one under the age of 21 will be admitted into the dance clubs. Note: There is no longer a charge to enter Pleasure Island but you still have to pay admission if
you wish to enter any of the clubs. The West Side is made up of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues but with much less of a Disney emphasis than the Marketplace. The line up of restaurants include The House of Blues, Planet Hollywood, Gloria Estefan's Bongos Café , and Wolfgang Pucks Café. Shops include a huge Virgin Mega Store and many unusual and entertaining speciality stores. Entertainment options come in the shape of a 24 screen AMC Movie theater, Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba, The House of Blues, and Disney Quest, a multi level state of the art indoor theme park complex where you can try cutting edge interactive and virtual reality video games.
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