Disney Outside the Parks: Did I Get My List? And Other Tips From the Trip

Happy Spring!  Well, it should have been when I was at Walt Disney World a few weeks ago, but it seems that winter is still hanging on.   So as a follow up to my last post on what I was planning to buy, I had a 50% success rate with my list. 

1)  Mickey topiary- check.  We have him in all his growing glory, it was an interesting transport back home.  And surprisingly, we were not given any instructions to care for him.  But he seems to be growing since our return.

2)  Mickey with the palm tree- check.  Was not able to get the identical one, but did get another blown glass figurine that was similar.

3)  Beauty and the Beast tumbler- no check.  Could not find this, but did find something that will be saved for a future gift 😉

4)  Wall-E shirt for my friend’s son- no check.  Found next to nothing related to this movie anywhere in the World. 

5) Gift for a patient- no check.  After some debate, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see him again so didn’t want to buy anything else to clutter up my house.  However, much to my surprise, he did return but not for the reasons we’d hoped. 

There were several things I learned on this trip which I’d like to share so that you could learn from my mistakes. 

Cold in Florida is still cold, so make sure you pack hats/gloves/etc accordingly.  One of the nights we were there, Orlando set a record low of 30 degrees.  I ended up buying a pair of Mickey hands to use as gloves, because I refused to pay $10 for a pair of standard gloves that I could find at any store significantly cheaper. 

Also, make sure you try on every piece of clothing before you purchase or at the very least before you leave Disney property.  Disney seems to have resized their clothing, especially women’s, so even though I typically wear Small/Medium sized some of the Disney shirts just don’t seem to fit me properly.  If you happen to buy something that doesn’t fit, leave the tags on so it can be exchanged before you leave.  It was also suggested to me to inspect my fragile packages that I had shipped to our resort before we left.  That way items could be replaced if they were damaged by cast members.

If you are on the Dining Plan, make sure you double check that you have used all snacks, etc prior to leaving WDW.  Luckily, we kept track but still had 10 snacks left between 3 adults upon checking out (we were just too full to use them during the week).  Needless to say, we bought several Mickey shaped treats for our enjoyment later. 

We are already making plans for what we will be purchasing at our next trip (yes I’ve already started looking into our next trip), including a wine glass that I kept eyeing from Epcot. 

Until then…Have a Magical Day!

Do you have anything “Disney” in your home? Or plans to bring something “Disney” home with you from your next trip?

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Adrienne is originally from the Chicago area but lives outside of Indianapolis with her husband, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. She went to Disneyland when she was 7, which started her love of Disney. She even named one of her dogs after her favorite princess, Aurora. She and her husband celebrated their honeymoon at Walt Disney World in 2007 and have returned for every anniversary. They have stayed at variety of resorts on property and traveled with friends and family. Adrienne and her husband bought into DVC in May 2011 and rewarded themselves with their first fall trip for some of the special events. Adrienne and her husband consider WDW their “second home” and have become the go-to people for any Disney related questions and advice from friends, families, and acquaintances.

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14 thoughts on “Disney Outside the Parks: Did I Get My List? And Other Tips From the Trip

  • Pingback: Disney Outside the Parks: Did I Get My List? And Other Tips From the Trip | DisneyDigest

  • March 22, 2013 at 9:19 am
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    We have way too many Disney items to name/count! A couple things we plan to get our next trip are: Spinning lights at the parade. Our kids get one every trip…I would love to pick up a few of the Disney Kitchen items. We just redid our kitchen and its pretty much a blank canvas for decor. Also, it’s not really a “Disney” item but I would really like to have each of my kids “pick-a-pearl” and have them set into a necklace. It would be a nice Mother’s Day gift since we will be there for Mother’s Day!!

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  • March 22, 2013 at 9:27 am
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    I am totally NOT a “stuff” person! I don’t shop much – but we do always purchase an ornament for the Christmas tree and one or two small items to bring Disney back home. I’ve done earrings, a Mickey kitchen timer, pot holder, cutting board, and other small, useful items. We really pinch pennies to be able to have a nice Disney experience – for us that does not mean shopping.

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  • March 22, 2013 at 9:40 am
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    We have really just started our Disney home collection. My husband has already said though that on our May trip he is going to have to drag me out of the housewares store in DTD. I want to redo my entire kitchen in a Mickey and Minnie theme and he is not so sure about the idea. Let me just say that my dream reward dollars will be put to some good use on this trip because I love to shop for Disney merchandise 🙂

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  • March 22, 2013 at 9:49 am
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    I have never used the DDP but plan to this December. My main concern is that we are doing a “split stay” (although the rest of my family doesn’t know it…it’s a secret!) and my travel agent feels that it’d be a huge waste of money to use the DDP for the last three days. I’m thinking I may, just for convenience. I’m also a little concerned about keeping track of everything! Considering upgrading to Deluxe just to make sure we’ve got all our bases covered. Have to wait and see how it goes between now and then and if Disney offers any discounts.

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  • March 22, 2013 at 10:00 am
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    We only have a Disney picture frame (from our honeymoon trip) and some ornaments. We’ll see what comes home with us on the next trip this summer!

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  • March 22, 2013 at 1:08 pm
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    Pictures, coffee table books, magnets, keychains, Minny cell phone cover, Christmas ornaments, silhouettes from DTD, cup, glasses, movies, etc. Love Disney and love their souvenirs!

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  • March 22, 2013 at 1:13 pm
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    Looking at bringing a bunch of stuff back… More important stuff for our new home… Like figurines and posters and coffee mugs… Anything Disney is coming home with me…

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  • March 22, 2013 at 4:53 pm
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    We are slowly building a Disney stuffed animal shelf. We add a character or two per trip.

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  • March 22, 2013 at 5:39 pm
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    I have some T-shirts and baseball caps. I also bought a poncho there one trip when it rained almost the entire time. We had brought ponchos but they turned out to be less than quality and ripped easily. WDW’s ponchos were actually quite sturdy and I’ve worn it several times since.

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  • March 22, 2013 at 9:15 pm
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    Everyone has such great ideas and collections! There are a lot of us that have Disney homes. 🙂
    Julie- We’ve always used the DDP on our trips. It can be very beneficial, but it depends on your family’s eating habits. Feel free to post on our facebook page to get some other opinions.

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  • March 22, 2013 at 10:46 pm
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    We have Disney stuff all over our house 🙂 my mom loves the kitchen items. She had teapots, utensils, a mickey mouse cookie jar and some other things 🙂

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  • March 22, 2013 at 11:14 pm
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    Yes, we have Disney stuff everywhere! The key for me is to find items around the parks that match the scheme of a room in my house. That way it doesn’t scream “Disney World souvenir”, but it’s a little reminder for my family and I every time we see it.

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  • March 22, 2013 at 11:36 pm
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    We have some things all over the house. Christmas tree ornaments, stuffed animals, pins and figures and some other stuff.

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