Walt Disney World® Resort has unveiled a new vision for the Downtown Disney® area, with extraordinary new shopping, dining and other experiences including a completely re-imagined Pleasure Island. Also planned are numerous enhancements to popular Downtown Disney locations, as well as additional theming and storytelling brought to life by Walt Disney Imagineers.

“We are committed to offering Guests new and exciting experiences they can only have at Walt Disney World® Resort,” said Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry. “Our bold new vision for Downtown Disney reflects the feedback we receive from our Guests each and every day and will enable us to continue to offer the high-quality entertainment that is our hallmark.”

Over the next year, the 120-acre entertainment-shopping-dining complex will add a number of one-of-a-kind, immersive experiences for you to enjoy. Downtown Disney will even get its own iconic attraction, in the form of a giant, tethered balloon that will take Guests 300 feet into the air to view the amazing vistas of Walt Disney World Resort.

Other new experiences include:

  • In fall 2008, you will enter a world of prehistoric creatures at T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure. The dinosaur-themed family eatery will serve up pizzas, pastas, seafood and more, and will feature life-size animated dinosaurs that dwell among bubbling geysers, waterfalls and a fossil dig site.
  • Also this fall, a design-your-own t-shirt store from Hanes will add to the growing collection of merchandise you can personalize.
  • E-brands Restaurants, an Orlando-based, multi-concept restaurant group, will premier its newest concept in spring 2009. The high-energy, casual eatery will feature authentic Central and South American cuisine, specialty drinks and live music along the waterfront.

You also will enjoy a brand new mix of shopping and dining experiences at Pleasure Island as it is transformed over the next two years.

“Our Guests tell us they want additional shopping and dining experiences at Downtown Disney,” added Lansberry. “We are currently considering a number of unique concepts from around the globe as we re-imagine Pleasure Island and look forward to sharing our progress over the coming months.”

To make way for the new offerings, all of the clubs currently on Pleasure Island will close on Sept. 27, 2008. Other locations on Pleasure Island, including Raglan Road, Fuego by Sosa Cigars, Curl by Sammy Duval, Orlando Harley-Davidson and outdoor food and beverage locations will remain open during the transition.

To complement the new experiences, many popular Downtown Disney locations will undergo enhancements.

  • Beginning this summer, Portobello Yacht Club will be transformed into a Tuscan Country Trattoria, featuring family-style dishes and a re-designed interior and exterior, including additional outdoor seating.
  • This fall, Goofy’s Candy Company will add a special new room that will enable families to host one-of-a-kind birthday parties.
  • The Marketplace Stage will be completely replaced with a larger, covered stage this fall to welcome even more entertainment to Downtown Disney and serve as a new premier venue for Disney Magic Music Days.
  • Fulton’s Crab House will update its interior fixtures and furnishings and exterior in spring 2009.
  • Next year, Wolfgang Puck Café will update its interior fixtures and furnishings and enclose its patio with glass to enable guests to enjoy the outdoors year-round.

These efforts come on the heels of recent enhancements at World of Disney, Wolfgang Puck Express, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, Earl of Sandwich and Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant.