A recent Disney Springs outing designed to taste-test the Halloween offerings at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar came with a few newsy little distractions, resulting in updates from Starbucks, Cirque du Soleil and the incoming LEVEL99 attraction that was announced earlier this year.

Over 99

The prime visible progress on LEVEL99 is a jumbo video screen above the future entrance to the former home of the NBA Experience. It features fast-paced glimpses of LEVEL99 attractions, including the swinging Axe Run. (That looks fun and also gives off “Tangled” float vibes from Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy parade.)

The PR team for the company said this screen is a way for folks to familiarize themselves with the LEVEL99 concept, and that there could be updates concerning the two-story, 45,000-square-foot space in the coming months.

When the attraction was announced in February, CEO Matthew DuPlessie told the Orlando Sentinel that the experience was built around unique games presenting mental and physical challenges with teamwork. Its current locations have about 60 games that take between one and four minutes.

“It’s a wide variety of challenges where you don’t know what to expect in the next one,” DuPlessie said. “You might be in a ninja-training dojo in one room and then move into a hall of mirrors art installation in a different room and then you’re up in outer space in the next room.”

A video display touts the coming of LEVEL99 attraction, which will be in the West Side neighborhood of Disney Springs, in the building that previously was home to NBA Experience. (Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel)

There will also be food and drink options in there, including Detroit-style pizza and, according to the Disney Springs website, a two-story bar.

Current LEVEL99 locations are in Natick, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Tysons, Virginia.

Disney Springs: LEVEL99 taking former NBA Experience location

The Disney Springs location in the West Side neighborhood of the complex was home to NBA Experience, which closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. The area is also where DisneyQuest stood, although that building was demolished in 2017.

No timeline has ever been announced for the next LEVEL, so it’s OK to be anxious – but less OK to be angry.

The interior of the large Starbucks store at Disney Springs has been given a new look. (Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel)

Starbucks redux

Disney Springs’ West Side Starbucks has reopened, reinvigorating a nice, air-conditioned place to revive.

Its basic layout remains. There’s a large room with the ordering queue and products, a big sitting room with tables, plus a smallish patio that faces the lake and balloon attraction.

Fresh additions include a wildlife mural in the first room featuring birds and a large tiger head. The mobile order pick-up station has been moved and enlarged. The seating configuration in the second room has been changed, and the long group table in the corner is gone. A jungle-driven mural surrounds the wall of windows.

Long gone is the touch-screen connection to the Starbucks at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. The pandemic made that too touchy years ago.

Sign of Cirque

Cirque du Soleil has added a sign for its “Drawn to Life” show on the West Side. It’s blue and blends in with the styling of the tent-inspired roof. But it stands out from the walkway, and that’s its job, right? Architectural purists probably are displeased, but at least the sign isn’t very visible from the roadway.

The theatrical production has started selling tickets for 2026 dates through Oct. 3. The show goes on twice daily, Tuesdays through Saturdays, plus two Sunday matinees. The Page to Stage Signature Experience, which includes a backstage tour, will continue to be an option five nights a week after the second show.

For tickets and more information, go to cirquedusoleil/com/drawn-to-life.

Phantom Dumplings are part of the seasonal menu of Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar at Disney Springs. (Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel)

Jock-o’-lantern alert

Finally, we had the Halloween experience at Jock Lindsey’s. The interior decor is retro, but shiny, and maybe a blend of Christmas vibe with Mardi Gras. Let’s just call it black-cat festive.

Along with its regular menu, there are a handful of seasonal, themed offerings on the food and beverage side. The Cauldron Cooler (gin, ginger liqueur, simple syrup) is served in a beaker. Customers get to do the last bit of mixing themselves, which prompts the drink to change color.

Less flashy is the Spike Trap (rum, vodka, coconut, Sprite), which has a floating ghost marshmallow on top. Mine eventually was doing the backstroke, which seems appropriate for a rum and vodka combo.

Some of the food choices come in spooky containers like a casket. Our Phantom Dumplings were on a stick and wrapped in rice paper for another floating effect. Zombie Eye Bites – a form of deviled eggs – were messy but in a way that you want to lick the bowl.

Spoiler alert: If you order the Alien Invader Sliders, do not tell the cook to hold the olives and pickles. They’re part of the visual fun (and easily removed, too).

Be aware: It’s a hot Halloween ticket, and the Hangar Bar doesn’t take reservations. We arrived at 5:30 p.m. on a weekday and all tables were taken, so we decamped to the outdoor bar. When we left an hour later, there were six parties queued up outside.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/03/disney-springs-notes-1003/