Is Disney Springs free?
Yes, entrance into Disney Springs is completely free for guests of all ages.
But once you get inside, there are numerous shops, restaurants, and entertainment options that will gladly take your money.
Whether if you’re looking to embark on a culinary journey, enjoy some live entertainment, or shop at one of the many popular stores like UNIQLO, Sephora, Zara, World of Disney, and Lululemon, just to name a few, there is literally something for everyone.
Jump to:
- How much does Disney Springs cost?
- How much is Disney Springs parking?
- Is food at Disney Springs expensive?
- Getting to and from Disney Springs
- How much does Aerophile cost at Disney Springs?
- How much does Drawn to Life by Cirque du Soleil cost?
- What’s free to do at Disney Springs? Here are 9 free things
- General Disney Springs FAQs
- Disney Springs Hours
How much does Disney Springs cost?
Entrance into Disney Springs is absolutely free, self-parking included.
Unlike the four Disney theme parks and two waterparks, admission into Disney Springs is complimentary. No tickets or reservations necessary.
To enter, you will need to first pass through an unobtrusive security checkpoint and bag-check.
How much is Disney Springs parking?
Self-parking at Disney Springs is free.
Complimentary self-parking is available at the following garages and surface lots:
- Orange Garage
- Lime Garage
- Grapefruit Garage
- Strawberry Parking Lot
- Watermelon Parking Lot
Valet parking costs $20. Hours of operation are from 3 pm to 11 pm (Monday through Thursday), 11 am to 11:30 pm (Friday through Saturday), and 11 am to 11 pm (Sunday).
Preferred parking in the Mango Lot costs $10. The Mango Lot is located in between the Orange Garage and Watermelon Parking Lot.
Check out this map for all parking locations.
Is food at Disney Springs expensive?
Yes and no.
The food and restaurants at Disney Springs are similarly priced to those you’ll find at all the parks and Disney Resorts. So it truly depends on what kind of food you are craving, if you want an alcoholic drink, or if you have an expensive palate.
Every restaurant at Disney Springs falls into 3 different categories: fast-casual, casual, and fine-dining. Here’s a quick price breakdown of each category.
Fast-Casual
The fast-casual restaurants at Disney Springs are by far the most budget-friendly options available.
Example locations include Blaze Fast Fired Pizza, Chicken Guy, Disney Food Trucks, Pizza Ponte, The Daily Poutine, Gideon’s Bakehouse, Sprinkles, and Salt & Straw.
On average, you can expect to pay around $12 per entree, not including drinks.
Casual
The casual restaurants at Disney Springs are the most popular options available.
Example locations include Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming, Raglan Road, Splitsville Luxury Lanes, The Polite Pig, Planet Hollywood, AMC Dine-In, and T-Rex.
On average, you can expect to pay between $27 to $37 per person.
Fine-Dining
These fine, signature dining options are probably the most expensive options at Disney Springs. These are necessarily restaurants that you need to seriously dress up for, but these do typically have pricey menu options.
Example locations include STK Orlando, The Boathouse, Paddlefish, Wine Bar George, Jaleo by Jose Andres, Maria & Enzo’s, Enzo’s Hideaway, and Morimoto Asia.
On average, you can expect to pay anywhere between $45 to $65 per person.
However, since these restaurants have such large menus that feature expensive options like steaks, sushi, and tasting menus, the average prices above are more than like not as accurate as I would like.
Note: If you need some help finding some delicious options to try at Disney Springs, check out some of my recommendations.
Getting to and from Disney Springs
There are five ways that you can get to and from Disney Springs: car, bus, boat, walking, and rideshare.
1. If you decided to drive, there are three complimentary self-parking garages available, as well as 2 surface parking lots. You can also opt to pay $20 (not including gratuities) for valet.
2. There is complimentary bus transportation between Disney Resorts and Disney Springs. Off-property and non-Disney resorts also tend to have their own shuttles as well. This also includes Shades of Green.
3. There is complimentary boat transportation between Disney Springs and the following Disney resorts – Saratoga Springs Resort, Old Key West Resort, Port Orleans Riverside, and Port Orleans French Quarter.
4. You can also get dropped off or get picked up using Uber, Lyft, and Minnie Vans. For a complete list of all the details regarding using rideshare at Disney Springs, check out this guide.
If you plan on going to Disney Springs directly from a park, like Epcot, you will first have to connect at a nearby Disney Resort. I go into more detail about this in this guide.
How much does Aerophile cost at Disney Springs?
The “hot air balloon” at Disney Springs, officially named Aerophile, costs $25 for adults (ages 10 and older) and $20 for children (ages 3 to 9). Children 2 and younger are free.
Some things to note about Aerophile:
- 8-minute ride
- you’ll reach heights up to 400 feet
- the basket holds 29 people plus one Aerophile certified pilot
- the ballon is actually filed with helium, not hot air
- Aerophile will not fly during a storm or if winds exceed 22 mph
- bags, beverages, food, smoking, and strollers are not permitted in the balloon’s basket
How much does Drawn to Life by Cirque du Soleil cost?
Tickets to Drawn to Life start at $80 per person. You can purchase tickets only to the 5:30 pm or 8 pm showing online here.
- Category 4 = $80
- Category 3 = $93
- Category 2 = $112
- Category 1 = $140
- Golden Circle = $174
Note: Cirque du Soleil sometimes offer Florida Resident discounts where you’ll save $6 to $8 per ticket for Category 2 and Category 3 seats.
What’s free to do at Disney Springs? Here are 9 free things
There are some cool, free things that you can do at Disney Springs:
1. Window Shop
This is by far the most popular option. Currently, there are over 100 shopping options located at Disney Springs. From Lululemon and Zara to Uniqlo and Anthropologie, there are so many popular stores located throughout Disney Springs. Not to mention the numerous official Disney stores scattered throughout the property.
2. Enjoy some performing arts
At the Waterside Stage and the Sunshine Highline Stage, you can enjoy some dance troupes and live tunes, nightly.
3. Photo Op inside of DisneyStyle.
Inside of the store, DisneyStyle, you can pop into for a fun photo opportunity where you cab sit inside a stationery tea cup.
4. Wash your hands at Basin
You can experience some amazing soaps and scrubs at Basin’s hand washing station.
5. Christmas Tree Trail
During the holidays, you can go through the Christmas Tree Trail which is an official Disney experience that allows you to see many Disney-themed trees on display. You can also grab a Scavenger Hunt map and go through the tree trail. And yes, the map is also free!
6. Free ice cream samples from Salt & Straw
Although you’ll probably want to buy a scoop of their delicious ice creams, you can get as many samples as you’d like from Salt and Spoon.
7. Watch the Rainforest Cafe volcano erupt.
Every 30 minutes, the volcano at Rainforest Cafe will erupt at night.
8. Free Boat Ride
There is free boat transportation from Disney Springs that will take you down the Sassagoula River to Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside.
9. Kids can play at the Paleo Zone
Located in the T-Rex Cafe, kids can dig in the large shaded sandbox called the Paleo Zone.
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As you probably, can tell, besides strolling through Disney Springs, there really isn’t that many free activities that you can do. Ghirardelli used to give out free chocolate samples every day but that has unfortunately ended a while ago.
General Disney Springs FAQs
Garage and surface parking at Disney Springs is free.
There are three self-parking garages at Disney Springs: Orange, Lime, and Watermelon.
No, you do not need reservation to enter into Disney Springs.
No tickets are necessary for Disney Springs since it’s a complimentary shopping and entertainment area open to the public.
Yes, there is a Marvel-themed stores at Disney Springs called Super Hero Headquarters.
Disney Springs Hours
Disney Springs is open from 10:00 am to 11:30 pm every day. However, hours of operation of each shop and restaurant vary different and are subject to change.
The parking garages are open 24/7 but you car cannot be left overnight as it’s subject to being towed.
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Thanks for reading and hopefully this helped you plan out how much you should expect to spend when visiting Disney Springs.
Note: And if you’re looking to price out an entire Disney World vacation, I got you covered in this extensive, in-depth guide.
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