What’s new in Disney Springs

There has been a lot of construction going on in Downtown Disney, especially in Pleasure Island. Since the announcement that Downtown Disney would be transformed into Disney Springs, many changes have occurred. So, let’s talk about what’s new in Disney Springs.

Several stores have opening in what will soon be called The Landing, currently Pleasure Island. The Art of Shaving, Apex by Sunglass Hut, Chapel Hats, Sanuk, Havaianas and Sound Lion have already opened their doors to guests.

Guests are also already being entertained by live music. Near Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, there is a small stage set up where guests can enjoy live music. We even saw one of the talented Raglan Road dancers out near the walkway entertaining the guests as they travel through to the Marketplace side.

Erin McKenna’s Bakery, formerly BabyCakes NYC, opened next door to Portobello’s. The bakery features sweet treats for those with food allergies, including gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan and sugar-free. The products are NOT nut-free. They use coconut oil for their frosting and their flours are packaged on the same equipment as hazelnut and almond flour. Even though the flour company tries not to cross contaminate, it’s possible.

What’s on the menu? Some of the tasty treats include thin mints, cookie sandwiches, cupcakes, cake tops, coconut mounds, doughnuts, biscuit, breads and coffee cakes. For guests who want to make cookies and cakes at home, mixes are available for purchase. Erin McKenna’s Bakery sells vanilla cake and chocolate chip cookie mixes.

While we were there we tried the cookie sandwich. It looked really good with bright pink frosting sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies. The cookies themselves were great! However, for those who don’t have to eat dairy-free, you’ll be able to tell that the frosting isn’t the same. Since it’s mostly coconut oil, it has a different texture and consistency. Overall, it’s pretty good and a great alternative for those needing their sugar fix.

Kiosks have opened at the end of the new pedestrian bridge that ends at Rainforest Cafe. One of these is Florida Inspired Cookies. All of the cookies have been inspired by the delicious produce from Florida, and not just their names, but their ingredients as well.

The cookies are $18 for half dozen or $3.50 each. The flavors include Celebration (chocolate pecan), Siesta Key (key lime s’more), Plant City (strawberry blend shortbread), Naples (cinnamon pecan), South Beach (toasted coconut and key lime), Wekiwa (chocolate hazelnut s’more) and Hollywood (PB & J). Unfortunately for us, we had just finished having dinner (and a cookie sandwich we didn’t have room for) and were too full to think about getting a cookie.

We must apologize for the bugs. It was already dark and the sweet smell, combined with the light on the kiosk draws them in. The Cast Member said that cookies are so well packaged that the bugs can’t get in. We were glad to hear that! However, it will only get worse once the mosquitoes are out and about. The cookies look delicious so we recommend stopping by and trying them during the day when the display looks much better.

Have you experienced any of these new snack locations in Disney Springs? We’d love to hear what you think of these!