Thursday's Tip

Today's tip is about purchasing souvenirs--and it's actually several tips rolled into one. First, the "before you go" tip: you can purchase a variety of Disney-related kiddie toys (and even Disney-themed snacks) at your local dollar store. Dollar Tree has jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, crayons, workbooks, and more with Disney Princess, Winnie-the-Pooh, and other Disney character theming. For my own kids, I usually purchase one little surprise per day of our trip. For around $10, the kids get a whole bundle of fun treats!

For bigger items upon arrival, there are several locations I recommend. The Kissimmee-area Wal-marts have a large selection of reasonably-priced Walt Disney World souvenirs. This is your best best for non-theme-park-but-still-Disney-themed T-shirts, mugs, etc. Another great source for this type of merchandise is the Character Outlet at the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores (15629 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd. in Kissimmee). You'll find a few more unique items here than at Wal-Mart, but not quite the variety or quantity.

But if you want Walt Disney World official theme park merchandise, you must visit Disney's Character Premiere at the Orlando Premium Outlets (8200 Vineland Drive, Kissimmee). This Disney-owned store is where you'll find heavily discounted merchandise that is slightly out of date. For example, I purchased a 2008 WDW T-shirt on our most recent trip for about $3. In its heyday, this shirt would have gone for around $25 in the parks. Character Premiere is also a bargain haven for pin traders. (I purchased a TinkerBell Fairies pin for my daughter for around $4, simply because it had the 2008 release date of the movie printed on it. Original retail was likely $15-20.)



Of course, even a cheap-o like me will shell out full price for the perfect iconic souvenir. Mickey ears are still available for purchase only on Disney property or through http://www.disneystore.com/.