Disney Outlets, Transportation??????

[englishrose47]

On our next trip we plan to visit the Disney Outlet at the Mall. We areflying so will not have a car unless we rent one for the day!! Would that be the best or would a cab or bus be better. We will be staying at Pop! Ideas of distance , time and cost appreciated!!

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

IMO it would be easiest if you rented a car for one day and made that your shop till you drop day. Keep in mind that with most rental companies you get a 24-hour day, meaning you could (for example) rent it at 5pm and not have to return it until 5pm the next day. With a car you could hit all the malls plus use it to go to lunch and dinner away from Disney.

If you insist on public transportation, the recommended way seems to be to take a Disney bus to either the TTC or DTD and then catch a Lynx bus (Route #50) to Sea World. There you buy a pass for the I-Ride Trolley. From Sea World the trolley can take you south to the Orlando Premium Outlets and north to Prime Outlets International. Both outlet malls have Disney outlet stores.

BobK/Orlando

 

[Dancemom03]

We rent a car for a day or two sometimes to go shopping and eat at Race Rock (I sure do miss that place) if we don't have a rental for the whole trip. We use the rental car pickup and drop-off at the WDW Dolphin.

They've been really great to us, especially about return hours. The rental booth often closes before our time is up and a few times we've been told to just leave it with the valet whenever as long as it was there by morning.
That small kindness meant we could close down Sea World or the outlets that last night without the stress of worrying about racing back.

To get to the outlets by Sea World is maybe a 15-20 minute drive in traffic from the Dolphin or DTD. It took us maybe 20 minutes to get to that nice new WalMart (the girls LOVE their garden dept - really reasonable prices on all those beautiful flowering plants we see around the resorts - we're probably the only folks on the plane with plants in our carryons but the temptation is just too great to resist).

The one thing we avoid at all costs is getting on I-4 or 192W anytime close to a park opening/closing or rush hour. Ask the CMs for directions thru DTD and hotel blvd to I-drive or wherever and avoid the bumper to bumper gridlock whenever possible. It can take forever at park closing to make it back down 192 towards Old Town...

The Dolphin is a good location to pick up and drop off also as there's always transportation to MGM/Epcot to easily get a bus to wherever you're staying.
POP is located so far out though that we'd likely want to keep a car handy the whole trip for convienence. I took a cab from POP once to Coronado Springs when we missed a bus in a storm figuring it couldn't be too much but the fare was like $18 for that small distance. I shudder to think what it'd cost to actually go somewhere with the meter running these days...

 

[Charleyann]

In down town Disney go to the Buena Vista Palace hotel. They have a free shopping shuttle to the Lake Buena Vista Outlet Mall. There is a Disney outlet there. There is also a super Walmart across the road and up a bit (within walking distant) they sell Disney clothes and Disney products quite cheap. I usually walk over and take a cap back to outlet for about $5 and then catch shuttle back to Down town Disney.

There is a website for The Lake Buena Vista Outlet Mall and that will give you the hotels at downtown Disney that they service and times for shuttle....


Charleyann

 

[dmunsil]

Just FYI, the Lake Buena Vista Outlet Mall's Character Corner shop isn't really a Disney outlet store; it's an independent store that specializes in character merchandise closeouts (including Disney). I found it much less interesting than either Disney's Character Premiere (in Orlando Premium Outlets) or Disney's Character Warehouse (in Prime Outlets International). I'm sure you could find some good deals at the Character Corner, but it is a little less appealing than the other two, which are Disney-owned.

If I had to pick one Disney outlet to go to, it'd be Disney's Character Warehouse. It's the largest, it's run by Disney (with actual Disney CM's), and the Prime Outlets Intl has a K-B Toys as well, where I found some good deals on Pixar Cars merchandise.

Not that I'm recommending against the shuttle from the Buena Vista Palace; free is free.

Don

 

[Dancemom03]

If I had to pick one Disney outlet to go to, it'd be Disney's Character Warehouse. It's the largest, it's run by Disney (with actual Disney CM's), and the Prime Outlets Intl has a K-B Toys as well, where I found some good deals on Pixar Cars merchandise.

Not that I'm recommending against the shuttle from the Buena Vista Palace; free is free.

Don

Don't forget the Coach outlet store too.
One store is never enough, they're all filled with treasures just waiting for us to fill up our bags - Do you think they put something in the water that makes you just have to buy mouse-related things you wouldn't look twice at if you were shopping near home?
We do prefer the Character Warehouse closest to WDW though, the store does seem bigger and I've been told they get more volume.

The CW near Universal was getting ready to close and move into a new larger location shortly after we were there last summer. I do have to say that they had more of the larger boxed pins/pin sets that our favorite CW store had sold out of but we usually don't find as much there, making the extra drive time less appealing if it's a shorter trip.

I didn't know about the shuttle - Thanks So Much! What a terrific option for a rainy afternoon!

I have to admit that I can't wait to check out the new CW location next trip. More space has to equal more goodies, right? For budget harmony we just won't point that small impression out to DH...

 

[LSchrow]

Don't forget the Coach outlet store too.

also, there's a dooney & bourke in prime (D&B outlets are harder to find, so i always visit that one ). nowadays, i buy all my "WDW souveneirs" at coach or D&B, & just a few small items (ornament, shot glasses, etc), and/or maybe an interesting watch or collectible at CW or CP.
imho, Prime is a beautiful outlet, & so close to DTD that it is definately worth the trip.

& i agree about the LBV "disney" outlet. we greatly prefer the others b/c of the variety of actual park merchandise.

laurie s

 

[Magical JenK]

also, there's a dooney & bourke in prime (D&B outlets are harder to find, so i always visit that one ). nowadays, i buy all my "WDW souveneirs" at coach or D&B, & just a few small items (ornament, shot glasses, etc), and/or maybe an interesting watch or collectible at CW or CP.
imho, Prime is a beautiful outlet, & so close to DTD that it is definately worth the trip.

& i agree about the LBV "disney" outlet. we greatly prefer the others b/c of the variety of actual park merchandise.

laurie s

I get the same kind of WDW souveneirs as you!

Let's not leave out the Burberry store either!! That's where I'm hoping to stop by in April!