Best Gift Shop Purchases?

[tnd]

I usually buy a mug each year. I love the really big ones and I use them daily. For my kids, the best purchase is a stuffed animal. They get one on each trip and they are all very well-loved.

 

[kia5711]

Our favourites are things we use to remind us all the time of our fun

The kids all have towels we use
We have mickey plates in the camper
Christmas tree ornaments
Mugs from Germany

 

[elleavon]

I could spend hours in the Japanese Department Store in Epcot. I LOVE their floral hair clips. And the toys. And the pearls. And rice bowls. And the candy section, oh my! I have increased my Japan budget for this year.

 

[disneydude365]

its an interesting topic because everyone has many different unique views and best items

mine would have to be a jacket i bought in wow hollywood studios its got 1971 on it and some disney crests on the sleeve on the inside it as a quote from walt disney. (it has been lost for some time if found a replacement on eBay so please keep fingers crossed i can still wear a small lol)

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Love this thread!

We love our Mickey dishes and silverware that remind us of Disney several times each day. Various mugs...my favorite is an animal print one from Animal Kingdom Lodge. Mickey kitchen towels and hand towels for the bathroom. Prints from resorts we framed for our bedroom. Christmas ornaments and Christmas tree skirt for our Disney tree. I love the t-shirts we have for my husband and our kids...so many cute t-shirts for girls on our last trip. Red button down Mickey Mouse pajamas for the boys. My daughter would also say stuffed animals and pins, my sons would add pins and dinosaur figures from AK, and my husband would add pins. Souvenirs are one of my favorite parts of WDW!

 

[seelyt2]

I really love shopping the World Showcase because the stuff there isn't mass produced and is hard(er) to find out and about. I love the two Owen Barry purses I got in "England", the $12 tote bag I got in "Paris", the necklace and earring set I got in "Italy", the bottle of Leila perfume I got in "Norway"....you get the picture. Sadly I thought the variety of World Showcase items was down the last time I was there so I was quite bummed.

This last trip my favorite souvenir was a Chef Mickey's cookbook.

 

[Moonwolf]

Not the most exciting answer but I love the mickey straws. I use them all the time at home. And they're really inexpensive (around $0.60 each) so getting several was no problem so if one was accidentally run through the dishwasher or bent out of shape it's no big deal.

 

[Luckysix]

Wow! Thanks everyone for threat suggestions and ideas. I love this site and the many friendly people out there!

I forgot to mention that I love the Disney mugs as well. They have lasted many years without any major wear, and a delightful memory of our trip each day when I use them. Also nice that I haven't seen them sold at the Disney store back at home.

Are the XMas ornaments year round?

Please keep your posts coming. I love reading them!

3 more sleeps until we go the "Happiest Place" in the world!

 

[dredick]

my MUST list: that years scrapbook, snowglobe, Christmas ornament, & Fridge magnet.
If I have extra $$, Bottle of wine from Epcot, scarf, picture frame.
DREAM LIST: Dooney & Burke purse!

 

[dzneelvr]

My black 2000 WDW packback. It's super comfortable. Holds a ton with its many hidden compartments, wears well--still looks new. True story about a reaction to it: we were in line last month and a small child said "...look at that mom, do you think it really came from so long ago?"

 

[siskaren]

Are the XMas ornaments year round?

Absolutely. DTD, MK and DHS all have Christmas shops.

 

[mwmom]

I have several things that I love! These are from 3-5 years ago since we haven't been to Disney in 3 years. (I am on the boards again getting the itch to go again this Thanksgiving!) I don't know how many are still available, but I imagine you can find something similar now. Some were very inexpensive and others moderately priced. The nutcracker was the only expensive item.

1. Wine stopper from store in Italy that has a marble top with Mickey ears--I relive our Disney trips every time I cork a bottle!

2. At the back of one of the stores on Main St., we had a glass blown ornament made. My daughter picked the colors and watched them make it. Such a special memory to remember each Christmas!

3. 2 throws we got that were a purchase with a purchase, castle on one and Mickey on the other. We now have one from our Disney Alaskan cruise, too. They are light weight so we use them almost year round.

4. Pick a pearl necklace and earrings we got in Japan (both for my daughter)

5. My daughter likes her fan she got in Japan, too. They will write your name in Japanese!

6. I splurged last year and bought a Steinbach nutcracker in Germany knowing that it is something that could easily be passed down through generations.

 

[DisneyHardin]

My favorite things are probably my purses. I have 2 Dooney's and Vera Bradley. I just love them and get so many compliments when I am out and about with them.

DH really likes the oversized coffee mugs. He picks out a new one each year.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

I could spend hours in the Japanese Department Store in Epcot. I LOVE their floral hair clips. And the toys. And the pearls. And rice bowls. And the candy section, oh my! I have increased my Japan budget for this year.

This is my DD! We did most of our Christmas shopping for her in the Japan store! We bought a lot of the candy for her stocking, fans, hair clips, and really cute 'toe socks'.

Me, I love my Vera Bradley hipster purse, "You're Wicked Awesome" Villain mug and Disney air fresheners for my car (MMM Dole Whip scent in my car).

Next trip I think I will buy some great souvenirs in the new store by Haunted Mansion!

 

[louey]

Ornaments

 

[ilovebassets]

1. Kitchen stuff--castle dish towels, apron, and oven mitt
2. Silver mickey head wine stopper
3. Beach towels
4. Vera Bradley stuff. I use my "Where's Mickey?" design Vera Bag every day for all my work stuff. And I have the duffel bag in the same design for travel.
5. My pins! This is the one exception to the "I like practical stuff that can actually be used" rule.

 

[fbarker]

My wife and i are bit different. We decided that we did not want to buy things that screamed Disney to our non Disney friends so in our last two trips we got a metal rainbow rhinoccerous(SP) that we got from Africa in AK. The next trip we got a Tomb Soldier from China in Epcot. Both very subtle but wife and I know where they are from and we have received many compliments about them.

 

[CAL2]

We like to collect the Disney cook books. we have cooked several recipes from them, our favourite is Boma's coconut chicken curry stew.

This year my DD and I will be treating ourselves to a Disney Pandora charm.

CAL

 

[crazycatlady]

I love my DW zip hooded sweatshirt. It has a whole bunch of characters on the back of it and I love when I am out and about and little kids notice it and talk to me about it. My favorite part of it is the monorail on the front.

My dad bought me a black and gray bag on our last trip. It has a swirly pattern and Mickey's head on one side. I take it to work every day and can carry it Mickey head out or against my body, depending on whether I may encounter clients.

Our Christmas ornaments are my favorite Disney souvenirs, though. They always remind me of the fun we had on those family trips.

 

[IndianaRRT]

The dedicated coffee drinker in me gets a mug. My favorite was one with Tink lighting the "Wishes" show that I got on our 2007 trip. Sorry to say that mug was a victim of the kids doing dishes, and I never found another. The Donald mug from 2010 is still with us! And I have the most adorable mug from the Disney Store in Chicago with Mickey clinging to a street lamp that says "The Windy City".

Other than mugs, I love Christmas ornaments and photo albums. I'm sentimental, so photos and momentos I can look at often are my favorite things.