[garada3]

I have read conflicting advice in guidebooks and need all of your expert advice.

If I see somehting I want to purchase, is it best to buy it right then and there? Or can I wait and find all the same things at World of Disney and get my shopping done all in one place?

Not that I could really contain my shopping to one day, but I just thought it might be more efficient use of time if I stayed out of the stores while the parks were open!

Thanks.

[mickaholic4077]

Are you an Ap'er? If you are,when you see something in the parks you want,ask the CM if he/she can call over to World of Disney for you to see if they carry it there and then buy it there,taking advantage of the AP'er 10 percent discount.

[Belle's Momma]

I'm not sure if this will help but maybe it will.
I've never tried it, but if you forget something or don't find it again, Disney Merchandise can get it for you and mail it to you at home. I'm not sure exactly how this works or what the shipping costs are, but I've read posts where others have done this very successfully. I think Disneyteacher used this service after her last trip so you may want to PM her. If I'm correct, all you need to know is a description of the item and some other basic info to help the CM find it in the computer.

[MickeyMamma]

Are you staying in a Disney hotel? If you are you can buy what you want and then have it sent back to your hotel so that you don't have to carry it around with you. If you are not at a Disney hotel, sometimes they can have your purchase sent to the front of the park and you can pick it up at the end of the day.

As for merchandise selection, most things can be found in Downtown Disney, but not all. If there is something special that you really want, get it when you see it and save yourself some aggravation.

[Dana]

Shopping is half the fun of visiting the park. It's a nice way to get away from lines and crowds for a bit. It breaks up the day and is half the fun for me. If you see something you really want, just buy it. You can have it waiting for you at the front gate when you leave. I think all the parks still will send your packages to the front for pick-up at the end of the day. (correct me please if I'm wrong). What me and my DD do is if we spy something we want, we keep it in mind. After we have dinner, we go to all the shops and grab what we want. Sometimes you may see something you like in one shop and find something better in another. That is why we wait till the end. It's not a bad way to digest that dinner either..lol:)

[RMJKS05]

...when you see something in the parks you want, ask the CM if he/she can call over to World of Disney for you to see if they carry it there and then buy it there...

...That's what we did.

This strategy also allowed for more time doing and seeing in the parks.

[DisneyTeacher]

Shopping is one of my favorite things to do at WDW. We spend a few hours at DD a couple of times during our trip. I tend to buy as I see something I want. It is so nice to be able to have things sent to our resort and not worry about carrying bags around all afternoon. WDW was sure smart with that idea!!

I noticed World of Disney had many many Disney items but not all. If there is a must have buy it when you see it if possible. WoD can be very crowded and overwhelming to some and I can fully understand that.

If you get home and find you are still wanting something you didn't buy call and order it. I looked all week for a certain sweatshirt in a small but could never find it. I called and ordered it when I got home. I wrote the item number down off a tag from another size so I would have something to start with. We also decided that my DS just didn't have enough monorail track and ordered more. I ordered dish towels, 2 boxes of monorail track, a picture frame and a sweatshirt and the shipping was right at $15 for my order.