Everyone knows that Walt Disney World is an amazing place to come & experience world-famous theme park attractions and create unforgettable memories with your family. But it can also be a pretty cool place to shop as well! I’m not just talking about the typical Disney souvenirs that you would expect to find. Besides the larger well-known gift shops – like the World of Disney Store in Disney Springs and the Emporium in Magic Kingdom – there are actually quite a few specialized shops with some unique items, cute jewelry, fun home decor, trendy clothing, and more. This also includes plenty of items that aren’t specifically “Disney,” just in case you might want to buy something on your vacation that doesn’t have a character on it. You won’t want to overlook these places and miss the chance to find the object of your desire! So here you will find my list of the Top 10 Best Gift Shops in Walt Disney World that are often overlooked:
#10 – Once Upon a Time at Hollywood Studios: This gift shop located on Sunset Blvd., next to the Beauty and the Beast show, focuses on clothing and accessories and has items for all ages. It’s so easy to miss, that I’m sure most people walk right on by not realizing it’s there, on their way to ride the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or the Tower of Terror or to go see Fantasmic. But if you take the time to venture inside, it’s worth it! The apparel you will find here will be mostly Disney-themed, but more on the trendy side. Think more like for the discerning Disney Fashionista than for the casual tourist.
#9 – Uptown Jewelers in the Magic Kingdom – With all of the hustle and bustle going on around Main Street USA, it’s so easy to overlook this gem. Most guests filter through the Emporium on the opposite side of the street or visit the Confectionery, or the new Starbucks. But this wonderful shop has a beautiful selection of fine jewelry including an entire room devoted to Pandora, upscale handbags such as Dooney & Bourke, watches, collectible figurines, and artwork. Gentlemen, this is an excellent place to find a very special indulgent gift for the Disney-loving woman in your life, for occasions such as Valentine’s Day, a birthday or anniversary, Mother’s Day, or Christmas.
#8 – Once Upon a Toy in Disney Springs Marketplace – Located near Earl of Sandwich and Pin Traders, this ginormous toy store is definitely the best place to buy Disney gifts for children, with the largest assortment of toys and games on Disney property. You will find every type of toy imaginable here, and it’s a great place to keep your kids entertained, especially on a rainy day, with interactive play stations available. For older kids, there are video game stations to play at, including Disney Infinity, and for younger guests, the build-your-own Mr. Potato Head station is awesome!
#7 – Disney’s Days of Christmas in Disney Springs Marketplace – Not too far away from the Once Upon a Toy store, is the largest Disney Christmas decor shop in all of Disney World. They have tons of gorgeous ornaments in all styles, and several different collections of themed decor, including tree skirts and such. You can also find amazing Disney Christmas items in 2 other shops, the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square and the It’s a Wonderful Shop in Hollywood Studios (next to Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano), although these 2 locations are significantly smaller in size. All 3 shops carry Christmas merchandise year-round and feature Disney artists on hand to personalize your ornament purchase in order to truly commemorate your vacation memories, or make that Xmas gift extra-special, with hand-painted details.
#6 – Mitsukoshi Department Store in Epcot’s Japan pavilion – While all of the shops in the Epcot World Showcase are really cool and offer items that are totally unique to each country, including imported goods, my most favorite one of all is this incredible gift shop in the Japan pavilion. It’s super big, with lots of different rooms and a very wide variety of things to purchase and explore, so it truly is a department store. There’s so much to look at and it’s all really fun! It always makes me feel like I’ve been transported all the way to Japan, and I’ve definitely learned a little more about the culture through surveying all the neat stuff I’ve found there. You can find plenty of Hello Kitty merchandise, both modern and traditional apparel (they even have an entire room devoted to colorful, beautiful kimonos!), accessories, stationery, imported candy and snacks, kitchenware, model kits, and all sorts of great items. Some of the best things to do that you won’t want to miss are the sake tasting bar (in the very back of the shop) and the pick-a-pearl experience – where you get to select an oyster and crack it open to reveal your very own one-of-a-kind pearl inside. There are several different jewelry settings available for purchase in order to showcase your new pearl in your own individual style!
#5 – Plaza del Sol Caribe Bazaar in the Magic Kingdom – This is the gift shop that you will find yourself in after exiting the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and it’s a treasure trove! If you’re a fan of pirates, of the ride and/or the movies or just pirates in general, this is the shop for you. The focus is mostly on pirate-themed clothing (including costume gear), toys, books and souvenirs, but there’s also a good amount of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise here too for Jack Skellington fans. I personally love the women’s section with great items from the Loungefly brand and cute sugar skull tees. Some of the stuff you see here can’t be found anywhere else on Disney property!
#4 – Tatooine Traders in Hollywood Studios – Themed as the desert planet Luke Skywalker calls home, this is the gift shop you will enter after debarking from a Star Tours ride. Although you can currently find Star Wars merchandise in several locations all over Disney World, thanks to the wildly popular new movie release of The Force Awakens and the recent expansion of Star Wars attractions at Hollywood Studios, this is the original Star Wars-themed Disney gift shop and is still one of the best places to shop for your favorite Star Wars gifts. There’s lots of fun clothing, collectibles, & toys celebrating the epic saga, but the best parts of the shop are the build-your-own custom lightsaber and droid factories. Just FYI, these same custom lightsaber and droid stations can also be found in the Once Upon a Toy store mentioned above, if you’re looking for Star Wars fun in the Disney Springs area. And also in Disney Springs, over in the West Side area, is the brand new Galactic Outpost, another store dedicated exclusively to the movie franchise. Another more specialized Star Wars shop is the Launch Bay Cargo store in Hollywood Studios, where you can buy autographed memorabilia, movie prop replicas, and visit the D-Tech On Demand station to design, personalize, and print your own phone case featuring Star Wars art.
#3 – Tren-D in the Disney Springs Marketplace – Tren-D is by far my personal top favorite gift shop in all of Walt Disney World! If you’ve never been, you have gotta check it out. It is the ultimate paradise for every Disney Fashionista – an ultra-chic young adult women’s boutique with a fantastic selection of super stylish Disney clothing, jewelry, and accessories. It’s got a really cute funky, eclectic vibe and whimsical decor. Many of the adorable trends on display can only be found at Tren-D, and you can also find a few non-Disney fashions here, too. It’s located right next door to the Once Upon a Toy store, and shares the same building as the next shop on my countdown….the Marketplace Co-Op.
#2 – The Marketplace Co-Op in Disney Springs – It’s a fairly recent new addition that replaced the Team Mickey sports-themed store which formerly occupied the space. This place has it all! It’s a varied collection of mini shops, each with a unique theme, so there’s something for everyone. Here are descriptions of the delightful mini shops you will discover:
- Twenty-Eight & Main: Vintage-inspired Disney items cater exclusively to gentlemen.
- Cherry Tree Lane: Inspired by Mary Poppins, this shop is for the sophisticated woman with a passion for designer accessories like Dooney & Bourke and Vera Bradley bags, shoes, scarves, and jewelry, including Pandora and Alex + Ani.
- D-Tech on Demand: As described previously, you can personalize a smart phone case with your name and favorite Disney character and it’s created right there while you wait.
- Disney Centerpiece: This shop features all kinds of home decor & housewares, largely kitchen items, that feature designs inspired by the Disney theme parks and their most popular attractions.
- Zoey and Pickles: This is the spot for the young girl in her tween years to find all the hippest Disney fashion.
- WonderGround Gallery: Original, limited-edition Disney-inspired artwork for collectors.
#1 – Memento Mori in Magic Kingdom – Calling all Haunted Mansion fans! The Memento Mori shop is a fairly new gift shop in Liberty Square, right outside the Haunted Mansion, that is 100% devoted to this beloved attraction. The totally unique items you find here are pure awesome and can’t be found elsewhere in Disney World. There’s everything from ghostly fashion for both men & women to collectible souvenirs to housewares. One of my favorite buys from here is a metal die-cast replica of the hearse pulled by a ghost horse, which is showcased right in front of the mansion as you enter the queue. It looks great on my mantle when I decorate for Halloween! But the reason this shop tops all the others on my list as #1 is the totally amazing experience they offer – you can get your photograph taken in an old-fashioned portrait sitting room, and one of the happy haunts from the mansion will possess you to turn your photo into a lenticular portrait featuring you as a gruesome spirit! Each one is different and a special one-of-a-kind print created just for you! The cost is only around $20 and very well worth it for such a spectacular souvenir and fun memory. All your friends will surely be jealous when they see it on display at your home! See photos below.
What’s your favorite shop in Disney World? Let us know in the comments section below!
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