Souvenier prices???

[tbserena]

I know this is a stupid question, but not having gone to Disney, how much cheaper ARE the souveniers at home versus the parks??? Are the Disney Stores at home cheaper than the parks? Also, has anyone seem any Disney charm bracelets that you can add charms too at any local stores, like Target, etc??
THANKS!!! THANKS!!! THANKS!!!!

 

[clh2]

If there is a sale going on in your local Disney Store, it may be worthwhile to pick some things up in advance. We generally pick up souveniers for some nieces and nephews on vacations. For our trip last fall, we picked those up at the store, and I covered 4 nieces and nephews for about $20. Plus, we didn't have to figure out how to pack them in our luggage. And, this expense was payed for months before our trip!

Now, if you are looking specifically for DCL souveniers, or ones from Castaway Cay, you are a captive audience. I don't believe those are available anywhere except on the island or the ship.

 

[jilljill]

Kids Tshirts TDS $10.50 or on sale cheaper at times.
WDW/DCL $14.50 and up.

Adult T's TDS $16.50 or on sale cheaper at times.
WDW/DCL $19.00 and up.

Light chasers TDS $10.50-12.50
WDW/DCL $16.00

Magic towels TDS $2.50
WDW/DCL $3.00

Probably the easiest items to compare for you. Now the styles won't all be the same, but I thought this is what you were looking for, price comparisons.

 

[tbserena]

Yes that's exactly what I was looking for! It's not that I'm cheap....they are saving Disney Dollars to get something special there. I'm thinking about packing a bag for the car or a bag for the cruise that has a few little things in it. I read where one Mom put a little thing on there pillow at night that she had packed ahead! Some commented that was a bit much, but, hey, to each their own!! We'll probably only go once as it's hard to get the 5 of us on a vacation!

 

[crisi]

We've had good luck shopping the sale racks at WDW - much better quality than the Disney stores at comparable prices. DS quality is less than great - WDW has a bigger selection (including some low quality items). However, doing your shopping at WDW isn't an option if you want stuff for the car (how about Disney coloring books, you can get those at Target?)

I'm not a little gift kind of person, though. We always end up with a bouquet of Mickey suckers our first day, and those last most of the trip and are pretty cheap.

The cruise doesn't have a lot of space for shopping - and not a lot of sale racks. So if your vacation is cruise only, your shopping will be limited. (Disney is "missing the boat" not to have a store in the terminal as you leave).

 

[Madaboutthemouse2004]

Hi tbserena,

Prior to the cruise, I had read on this board about taking pillowcases on the cruise and leaving them with guest service for the characters to sign -- they were a HUGE HIT!

The ship stores have a variety of merchandise but very few sale items. Childrens Tshirts on Castaway Cay were upwards of $19. The collectible pins are reasonable $5 and up. I brought home a number of those and used my Disney Rewards points to offset the cost. Also big amongst the grade school set were the pens that had the tops shaped like character heads -- Sorcerer Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, etc -- those were $3.50 Teen girls also liked those.

 

[tbserena]

Wow! I didn't know you could leave the pillowcases with guest services!! I thought the kids had to follow the characters around for autographs!
BTW, are there any character breakfast's on the cruise? Do the characters just wander around or do you get a note saying where they will be and when?
Which characters are generally on the 7 day Magic?

 

[chrissyt27]

Getting the pillow signed is a cool idea. I do know that on our Western Cruise they had an autograph signing session with Alice, Hook, Mr. Smee and a few more. This is really smart because then it may lead to quicker lines. I know one night Formal Mickey and Minnie weren’t sighing autographs because the lines were so long. We also saw Donald, Daisy, Wendy, Queen Of Hearts, Lilo, Stitch, Goofy, Pluto, Max and probably a few more.
DCL should definitely have a store at the Port. I would have probably bought a few more things. The lines in the stores that night were crazy.

chrissy

 

[smchan]

I have seen DCL merchandise in the Disney outlet stores around Orlando, but it's rare.

Sam

 

[Michelemouse]

Originally posted by tbserena
Wow! I didn't know you could leave the pillowcases with guest services!! I thought the kids had to follow the characters around for autographs!
BTW, are there any character breakfast's on the cruise? Do the characters just wander around or do you get a note saying where they will be and when?
Which characters are generally on the 7 day Magic?

We did the pillowcase thing on our 7-day Western last year and they came out great! I'm not sure what we'll do this year...I'll have to think of something.

Yes, there is a character breakfast on the Magic. You are assigned a morning for the breakfast based on your dinner dining rotation. You will have your CB on the morning of the first sea day after your first Animator's Pallette experience. (Wow...that was a mouthful...confused yet?) Let's see...to make it easier...If you have the APL rotation your CB is on Sunday morning. If you have the LAP rotation your CB is on Monday morning and if you have the PLA rotation your CB is on Thursday morning. There are two shifts, just like with dinner. I believe the early seating is 8:15 and the late seating is 9:30 or 9:45.

As for characters, you'll see the main gang (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, etc.) along with Captain Hook, the Princesses and others. The main exception is the Pooh characters, which are not onboard.

Hope that helps.

 

[tbserena]

Thank you Thank You!! From myself and DD's! That's what we needed to know!
We're going to a few parks after the cruise and I didn't see the "need" to be trying to stay somewhere with a "character breakfast" if there's one on the ship!

Thanks again

 

[Madaboutthemouse2004]

Originally posted by tbserena
Wow! I didn't know you could leave the pillowcases with guest services!! I thought the kids had to follow the characters around for autographs!
BTW, are there any character breakfast's on the cruise? Do the characters just wander around or do you get a note saying where they will be and when?
Which characters are generally on the 7 day Magic?

The daily newsletter, The Navigator, lists character appearance times and who to expect. It will be left in your room at turndown so that you may plan the next day. It's really helpful to read it over so that you don't miss a thing.

I bought poster frames for the pillow cases to hang in the kids' rooms. I thought it might be neat to buy some of those glass painting sets to decorate the edges of the glass with DS & DD's favorite characters. The pillowcases eliminated the need to race around to meet everyone for autographs; you can pick and choose to have your favorite character sign your pad.

We had the LAP rotation; our character breakfast was Monday morning. We met Chip and Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and I think I am forgetting someone....

There are plenty of opportunities to meet characters -- no one will be disappointed. There are princesses, Pocahantas, the Head Mouse and crew, Alice and the Wonderland bunch, Stitch and more.

The Oceaneer Club also has character appearance which was great for DD (4yo). There is a Navigator for each age group (4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-12, teens) at the club; it is issued at sign up and covers the entire cruise. They are themed; a tea party for Alice, Luau for Stitch, etc.