How I almost got Stranded at Disney Springs

I had never been to Disney Springs and have always wanted to go. It was our final day in the parks and we were on our last ride at Epcot, having just eaten delicious Manicotti at Via Napoli. (Make reservations. There is always a wait.)

We decided to trek over to Disney Springs after talking with a woman in line who, having noticed my Disney/Lilly Pulitzer dress, told me there is a large selection of Disney pieces in the Lilly store at Disney Springs.

That sold me. I was on a mission. Also my son was having trouble finding an Eeyore T-shirt that he simply had to have.

We were trying to figure out the fastest way to get to Disney Springs, since our car was at the Four Seasons hotel where we were staying. We had taken a hotel shuttle to the parks.

I consulted the friendly greeter at Epcot who suggested we take the monorail from Epcot to the transportation center outside Magic Kingdom. From there we could walk over to Disney’s Polynesian Resort and take the bus out to Disney Springs.

That sounded simple enough. We even confirmed that information with the security guard at the Monorail station.

Everything was going according to plan when we boarded a bus at the Polynesian. Just to be safe, we told the bus driver that we weren’t staying at the Polynesian. But wanted to make sure sure it was OK to take this bus to Disney Springs. He said, “Sure, hop aboard!” So we did.

We thought the ride over to Disney Springs would be quick..Oh were we mistaken. We kept driving and driving. It took us more than 30 minutes to get to the mall. (Let’s call it that, because basically that is what it is.)

Realizing we had already wasted a lot of time on what we thought would be a quick shopping trip, we sped over to the World of Disney store to find out son’s Eeyore T-shirt. That store was nothing short of spectacular. If you are into Disney merch, you will be in seventh heaven.

I would say it was the size of a giant TJ Maxx only full of Disney wearables. If you couldn’t find what you were looking for, it probably doesn’t exist. I was in awe the moment we stepped into this place.

My son ended up buying two shirts. Now, onto the Lilly store at the other end of the mall! Upon entering the shop, (with my husband and son patient waiting for me) I breathlessly asked where the Disney apparel was located. I had expected an entire wall full of Disney/Lilly pieces. But no. They directed me to the very back of the store where there was one lonely rack of sale items.

I would not allow my initial disappointment to quell my enthusiasm. I found a Mickey T-shirt and matching skort in my size.

After hurriedly paying, we decided to skip Gideon’s Bakehouse and grab a sweet treat instead back at the hotel. So we headed to the bus. It only came once an hour and we didn’t want to miss be late.

That’s where things got dicey. Two women wearing badges stopped us and asked to see our hotel room key in order to board the bus. We explained that we weren’t staying at a Disney resort, but that the bus driver told us it wasn’t a problem.

The employee told us that the rules changed two months ago, and now, only Disney resort guests could take Disney busses. My husband was fuming. He maintained that the driver let us on and now we were stranded.

At this point I motioned for my son to call an Uber. My husband wasn’t having it. (He is great with handling conflict. I am a shrinking violet.). Hubby demanded to speak to a manager.

Finally after a few awkward moments, the manager called and told his employee to let us on the bus. Whew…That was a relief.

We then headed back to the Polynesian and walked from there to board our shuttle to the Four Seasons. Finally, we could relax.

Were our purchases worth all the hassle? No. Was I glad we made the trek? Yes. I thought Disney Springs was a site to behold…Definitely not your average mall. There were also a number of interesting eateries I wanted to try. But I doubt we will be back. My patient husband has had enough.