shopping from anaheim - updated with question on DLR tours :)

[alicia1506]

hi all,

so i got my confirmation from my man today... we're definitely spending the bulk of our time in disneyland and will be using anaheim as a base while we're there.

i want to go shopping. real shopping. in a mall with outlets and such. and i have no idea where the good shopping is in anaheim. our last trip we shopped primarily in NYC and at the Florida Mall, but Anaheim? i'm clueless.

we won't be renting a car, so it will have to be someplace within a cab ride or bus/shuttle/town car ride distance...

any hints/tips/suggestions? any help is hugely appreciated. i'm sure we'll shop at the disney stores, but i'd like some regular clothes that haven't been disneyfied as well

so now that we have decided on SC plaza, and i'll research that... i'm looking to do a tour at DLR.. my post at the bottom of this thread gives prices etc, but has anyone done a DLR tour and would be willing to share info? the disneyland website is really skimpy on their description of what you get with the tour, and my TA just linked me back to the disneyland website

 

[aussietravellers]

Oh Alicia.... Shopping..... Shopping is the most important part of a trip for me

South Coast Plaza is fantastic and it's HUGE! There is a shuttle that goes from Anaheim hotels to the mall. It isn't free, but it isn't expensive, $14 return. Outside of South Coast Plaza is a Ross dress for less and a Marshalls I think and other discount stores. It's always a day trip for us when visiting Anaheim. There is also often also have a coupon book that you can get from the customer service in the centre (you walk past it from the bus drop off point), you print up a coupon for the book before you leave. It also has this great service... as you shop, you can drop your shopping and pick it up later in the day, so you don't have to lug shopping bags around if you do serious shopping (which I always seem to do ), it's a free service too.

There is also Citadel outlets, there is now a shuttle from anaheim hotels to the outlets, I'm not a massive fan of those. I often find with discounts and sales at the main shops, the prices are as good and a bigger range.

There is Brea Mall, which is ok. I prefer South Coast Plaza and it has most of the same stores. I just went there because there was something I was wanting and the SCPlaza store was out and they had it there.

There is the outlets at Orange which is not bad and is another one that I visit each trip. It's not far from DL.

My pick obviously is SCPlaza, for an awesome day out shopping, huge range of shops from bargain cheap to high end.

 

[alicia1506]

i know, right?? shopping = fun, or at least for me anyways

and i love seeing stuff that they have that we don't and vice versa.

i was having a look on the grayline anaheim site, and they offer an 8 hour shopping tour, takes you through the sights of LA (yay, free location tour) then into santee alley, then through the citadel outlets.

for 44 for 8 hours, it seemed like an ok bargain... problem is you're stuck with their timetable and if you're bored or finish your shopping early... you're stuck on the other hand, it gives you an opportunity to browse a little more and peace of mind knowing your transport is taken care of.

i did just google that place you recommended and it looks amazing... lots of high priced places which may be just a *wee* bit out of my budget but it seems huge... when we were at florida mall, we liked the variety but it seemed no bigger/different in reality than the westfield at chermside on the northside of brisbane. admittedly chermside westfield is huge.

i hate the idea of going to the usa and not having a shopping day so i want to make sure that if we only get a day... we go somewhere with a great range of womens/mens stores -- i am probably the biggest problem as i need a store/range of stores that carry plus size labels.

that severely limits my shopping possibilities. i also adore handbags and would kill for a great pair of shoes... my feet are really hard to fit, so if i can find good shoes, i'll buy like 10 pairs of them

for those that go on huge shopping trips... how do you get it back through customs? i thought there was like a $900 limit on items you could import & excess over that incurred duty & taxes & other horrible things

 

[ExcitedSam]

Alicia, easy fixed, take the tags off, ditch the bags & scuff the bottom of all the new shoes, they can't prove you didn't take it with you.

I'm a big shopper too, so thanks for asking the question will definitely be writing it down.

With the grayling tour I did read in reviews people thought there was not enough time spent at citadel. I would work out where you want to go and go straight there.

 

[Melbourne5]

We spent a day at south coast plaza at costa Mesa and agree with all the comments.

It has a Macy's ( our favorite ) where you can get some great everyday specials ( perfume was very well priced) . Plus you can get the international visitors card for another 11% off most goods.

It's well laid out and has lots of name brand shops from very high $$ to everyday like gap / old navy. We also got exceptionally good specials from the *********** shop.

This was in 2010.

Make sure you catch the bus mentioned as it cost us $100 return by cab ( probably paid for by all the savings we made). We didn't know about the bus back then !!

 

[PrincessInOz]

If you're after the mall, definitely hit SoCo Plaza. Yes, it does have the high end brand name labels but it also has Zara, Banana Republic, Gap, H&M and Ross. If you are there, definitely hit it even if you think it might be outside your price bracket. You never never know if you never never go.

There is also Main Place Plaza near Anaheim. On the freeway, it's about 3 or 4 exits from Harbour Boulevard and takes about 5 - 10 minutes to get to. Main Place is a Westfield.

The $900 limit is on certain items like electronic equipment, instruments etc. I've declared camera and lenses and drum kits and guitars (don't even ask!); but usually there is 2 or 3 of us travelling and while I've exceeded the individual limit, we've never hit the limit for the total allowed as a family. So, we've always been waived through.

Clothes and shoes has not really featured as part of this limit...besides, I always cut the tags off anyway.

 

[aussietravellers]

SCPlaza isn't all high end. It has very high end and then very low end. It has from Saks to Macy's to Sears. It is kind of in sections, they have Tiffany, Chanel, Gucci etc in one section, then you go down the aisle that has say ralph lauren, then you get into the cheaper sections with Gap, sporting stores etc. It is just huge, we always take the first bus of the day and are flat out making the 5 or 5.30 shuttle back (there is a later one but after 8 solid hours of shopping, I'm usually over it). SCPlaza is the largest shopping centre I've been to.

The Ross dress for less outside and Marshalls have designer labels really really cheap (like just a few $'s for Ralph Lauren) clothes and handbags, shoes, even some linen, homewares. I love Ross and Marshalls, but you have to be prepared to go rummaging. Ross for example is set out in size and category, so you go to jeans and your size, then rummage through the racks to find the $200 jeans for $20. It is a pretty crappy looking store, it doesn't look like some designer boutique, it's a massive outlet for designer labels of all shapes and sizes and styles and items. I bought a Ralph Lauren handbag for $12 at Ross in Hawaii once, I saw the bag here in Australia for over $300 Doing the happy dance with that purchase

 

[aussietravellers]

Oh and the Christmas decorations at SCPlaza are gorgeous. I love Christmas in the USA (and Europe too), so much more festive than here in Australia

 

[Sugarglider]

You could post back a few items if concerned. I was a tad worried about a huge collection of Tiffany and Pandora I brought back when shopping for friends. But I admit I didn't declare and customs didn't ask. I suspect they are really looking for the nasty stuff - like food, plants, drugs and commercial goods.

In Sol Cal you'll find plenty of Westfield Malls!

I'm another South Coast Plaza voter - but I didn't bother with the high end - it's like the Mall at Millenia - just don't go upstairs!

 

[aussietravellers]

for those that go on huge shopping trips... how do you get it back through customs? i thought there was like a $900 limit on items you could import & excess over that incurred duty & taxes & other horrible things

Clothing.... always remove all labels and tags (be careful as tops and jeans/shorts etc in the US often have a size strip on the outside down the top or jeans (so the size can be seen when folded without having to unfold to find your size) Make sure your remove those too. Crumple them a bit so they do not look neatly folded from the store and if you can wear them for a day (or more) then all the better.

Handbags.... Use it for a day at least, put some tissues, restaurant receipt in the bottom like it's been used (even bring an eftpos receipt or something from home in your suitcase to pop in. New Wallet, use it.

Jewellery/watches.... always wear it/them home.

Shoes, make sure you wear them or put them on and go outside the balcony and run back and forward on the spot to skuff the bottom.

Do not keep any receipts or shopping bags or shoe boxes.

I always buy jewellery from Tiffany (so much cheaper in the US) and always a Gucci handbag, always a new pair of Sunglasses and always use them, wear them, over there, so they don't look brand spanking new. There's no proving they are new or old.

The one thing that would be hard to disguise would be the half suitcase of MAC and perfume that I bring back Kind of hard to make a stockpile of make up and perfume look used

 

[aussietravellers]

It does apply to a few more things than electronic equipment and instruments etc. There actually isn't much that is exempt, aside from clothing and footwear (and my gallons of facial cleanser that are $6 in the USA and $45 in Australia , I still have some left from my Sept/Oct 2010 trip).

From the Australian Customs Website http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4352.asp

Most personal items such as new clothing, footwear, and articles for personal hygiene and grooming (excluding fur and perfume concentrates) may be brought into Australia in your accompanied baggage, free from duty and tax.

If you are aged 18 years or over, you can bring up to A$900 worth of general goods into Australia duty-free. If you are under 18 years of age there is a A$450 limit. General goods include gifts, souvenirs, cameras, electronic equipment, leather goods, perfume concentrates, jewellery, watches and sporting equipment.

So there's quite a lot that's not exempt. New handbags, wallets, perfumes, jewellery, all those disney souvenirs

 

[alicia1506]

since so many are voting for SC plaza, i guess we're going there. maybe we'll waive the shopping extravaganza tour... i had a look at their santee alley and it looks like an open air plaza full of knock off handbags and 99c jewellery...

i don't mind a good knock off or some costume jewellery, but i want it to look good and last. and i hate the stuff that makes your skin turn black... i can only wear sterling silver or at minimum 9k gold. all that 'plated' stuff turns my skin green so i think we'll be giving that a miss and spending our time at SC plaza.

sounds like we can get a few really good bargains, and maybe just walk around and pretend we can afford the good stuff

i love the tips about scuffing shoe bottoms and eftpos receipts from home/tissues/etc in the bottom of the handbag. we found that on our last trip, we bought a truckload of stuff, especially my sister who bought out most of wwohp stuff, and we only really had to declare the candy/drinks we brought back with us in our checked luggage, and even then the cutest little k9 doggies just sniffed us & sent us on our way, no checking...

but i like to be prepared.

so i guess i'll just have to make it all look like i brought it with me. we are planning on travelling light, so maybe i'll have to buy a new handbag + prada backpack + gucci duffel etc to carry it all home in

gonna go check out the SC plaza website. maybe i can hire a town care to drive/pick us up so we're not lugging our purchases on/off a shuttle.

you guys are a gem!!! where else can you get this kind of knowledge/smarts all in one location??

 

[Caroline NZ]

Hi,
Yes we enjoyed South Coast Plaza as well, and we are definitely not high end shoppers. We shopped at Sears, Gymboree, GAP, Lego store etc, and just window shopped at the flash places.
I also bought quite a bit of stuff ( admittedly mostly kids clothing) from the Citadel Outlets.
We have also been to the Block at Orange, and my husband has been to Brea Mall. But it you are only going to one place then I would also recommend South Coast

 

[alicia1506]

so now to start planning a trip to SC plaza in amongs the other disneyland stuff we're doing. i want to surprise carlo with one of the tours... they're relatively decently priced, from $25 for the disneyland resort to $59 for the discover the magic tour and $64 for the walk in walts footsteps tour...

has anyone done one of these tours and do you think it was worth it? the disneyland website is pretty skimpy on the information it provides about the tours

 

[cola]

I LOVE Nordstrom rack http://shop.nordstrom.com/ssr?q=CA&state=CA It's the discount outlet for the Nordstrom department stores, so most of the stuff is a season behind, perfect for bringing back to Australia. Usually huge reductions on clothes and shoes, amazing what you can find in there. I got some Vera Wang flat shoes for $30 reduced from $360, AND I have HUGE feet (sz 12), I don't even try to buy stuff in Australia, it doesn't exist except at those large shoe size places where it's all ridiculously priced and ridiculously dated, but luckily I fit into the largest size women's shoes size you can find with a bit of effort in USA.

I've never done a Disneyland tour, but most comments I've seen about them have been positive.

 

[Aust]

I was going to ask about shopping too, no need now! think we might take the shuttle to South Coast Plaza too.

On tours - I did the Walk In Walt's Footsteps tour last January - it was not bad, but I felt like I knew all the information from reading. The background info on the rides we went on (Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tki Room, one other I can't remember?) was interesting. And it was good to see the lobby of Club 33 which is otherwise off limits. The tour went for about 3 hours including lunch. I did it on my last day when my sister and niece had left already and I had already done pretty much everything I wanted to do in the parks.

I think you'll be at DL for both Halloween and Christmas? if I were you I'd be looking into the Halloween and/or Christmas tours. The Halloween one sounds like a lot of fun, and the Christmas one has perks like special parade seating.

 

[aussietravellers]

so now to start planning a trip to SC plaza in amongs the other disneyland stuff we're doing. i want to surprise carlo with one of the tours... they're relatively decently priced, from $25 for the disneyland resort to $59 for the discover the magic tour and $64 for the walk in walts footsteps tour...

has anyone done one of these tours and do you think it was worth it? the disneyland website is pretty skimpy on the information it provides about the tours

Alicia we did the holiday tour. I loved it. At the end we got a cute souvenir mug (filled with hot chocolate) and gingerbread, then had seating for the afternoon parade as the end of the tour. We had front row seats, just infront of small world. Worth every penny (and we had an AP so got the discount) . Actually if/when we go in December, we will do it again.

 

[welley]

One of the main reasons DH & I go to the US so much is because of the shopping.

As many people said wear the clothes/shoes, use the bags, cut the tags off. No way of proving that you bought the items there. DH & I usually pack a bag inside our bag as we do a heap of shopping.

Compared to the prices here, EVERYTHING is soooooooo cheap there. Your really notice it when you get home.

Another great place to go shopping is the Desert Hills Premium outlets. We went there a couple of years ago and we shopped till we dropped. We used:
http://www.anaheim411.com/Anaheim_Shopping.htm

I would recommend them.

 

[alicia1506]

there is a holiday tour??? my TA didn't even mention it -- the idea of preferred viewing for parades & a souvenir mug & gingerbread just sold me on it

i'm gonna go ask our TA to book us on the holiday tour. or maybe i'll just call disney myself and book it myself, since my TA (who has been fabulous in all ways til now) didn't seem to know about it, or be able to tell me anything.

my concern with the disneyland resort & walts footsteps tours was that it might end up being a waste as we might already know all the info from the dis and all our research... i can't imagine there would be much info out there that hasn't already been discussed here on the dis.

 

[aussietravellers]

there is a holiday tour???

Yes, there is a holiday tour. I think it's official name is the Holiday Time Tour. If you pop over to the Disneyland board and do a search for the holiday tour you will see the cute souvenir mugs and some of the viewing spots.

If you decide to do it there is a tip to getting the front seats at the parade. After you get your drink and gingerbread man (in toontown), you then walk back to small world to the reserved seating. From toontown, follow right behind the guide, so that you get to the seats first and can snag a front seat. The characters come right up to you (I read that tip here on Disboards) and it worked well It gets COLD, so make sure you take a jacket. It was warm in the afternoon when we left on the tour and by the time it ended it was freezing!

You also get a pin along with your mug and gingerbread man. We got an AP discount on the tour too which was good. We went on a weekday and only had a few other people in our group. We went on Haunted Mansion during the tour, got to skip the line, went straight in, it was great!

This is how close we were to the parade route. You can see people feet and how close they are to the floats and the characters come really close.

It is a tour we will do again as we loved it! (and I loved the mug). I booked direct with Disney. If we don't get an AP this time then I'll try to get the AAA discount with my RACQ card, I will check that they accept that when I book (if you have an RACQ card, you can get a discount on all DL tours)