Lego Buzz Lightyear Set 60% Off

I was trolling Amazon.com again (while I should have been writing lesson plans), and I found this fun Lego set. Who wouldn't love this combination--Legos and Buzz Lightyear? At $22, it's priced at 60% off (and eligible for free Super Saver shipping), so I couldn't resist posting, especially since I often overlook fun gifts for boys since we're swimming in a sea of princesses at our house. Still, I think this would make an excellent birthday gift, or maybe even a Disney vacation souvenir, for any Lego-loving Disney fan. Check it out:

Thursday's Tip

This is a tip I'm sure I've shared before--but it's such a good one! Here it is (oh-so-basic!): buy it before you go. What is "it"? Anything and everything you think you might need: sunscreen, water bottles, snacks, even souvenirs. By waiting until you're in the airport or even on Disney property, you will pay a premium for basic items that you can find in your local discount store or online. Buying before you go leaves you with more cash for items that are uniquely-Disney and can only be purchased at the Parks.

That said, there are a number of Disney souvenir items that can be purchased outside of the Parks. Ironically, DisneyStore.com has a whole section of "Disney Parks Exclusive" merchandise (which always bothers me, since it's obviously NOT exclusive to the Parks if you can purchase it online...but whatever). In addition, cheaper licensed items can be found anywhere from your local Target to Dollar Tree stores. And, of course, there are hundreds of unique items to be found online. Here are a few of my favorite online finds from Amazon:

Thursday's Tip

One of the fastest ways to watch the vacation spending add up is to buy every souvenir your kids see and want (which, let's admit, will be a lot). And who can blame them? I usually see a ton of stuff that I want too! One way to head off the "gimmes" is today's Thursday's Tip: buy a few inexpensive sourvenir gifts before your trip and dole them out during vacation week. A great place to start is your local dollar store. Other retail stores have licensed Disney products at reasonable prices too. And here are a few of my favorites that you can order and have shipped right to your door (you can also get free shipping with a free trial of Amazon Prime):

Thursday's Tip

If you've ever been to Walt Disney World, you know that there are opportunities to buy souvenirs on, literally, every corner. From the establishments lining Main Street to the shops that one conveniently must walk through in order to exit an attraction, there are ample opportunities to spend your cash. Today's tip: shop around and make souvenir purchases near the end of your trip. Why? Because there will always be one more shop...and that shop may just have the one thing you haven't seen yet and simply must have.

Here's the thing...about 75% of the items you'll find in any given souvenir shop will be essentially the same stuff you find at other shops. But the other 25% will be different. And, there are actually a few items that you may only find in one obscure shop. If you're a real Disney aficionado, or if you're a collector of the obscure, this sort of shopping just might pay off with a rare find.



So, except for, perhaps, apparel ('cause you wanna wear those Mickey ears while you're there, right?), save your pennies until the end of your trip. Lots of window shopping first=no buyer's remorse!

Tangled Merchandise

Look what we found at Target this past weekend:





We also saw a Rapunzel doll in our local Kroger store! Though the movie won't be out until November 24, Tangled is making its mark on stores already. My girls were thrilled to see a new princess adorning the shelves of their favorite toy section. My oldest, especially, was entranced by this Rapunzel wig:



She's planning to save the dimes she gets for feeding and taking out the puppy! (At $19.99, she'll be saving for a while.) I hope to report back next week with some Disney Parks exclusive merchandise!

Tink's Treasures Going Away?

WDWMagic is reporting that Tink's Treasures, the Neverland-themed gift shop in Fantasyland (Magic Kingdom), is closed for remodeling. When it reopens later this month, it will be a PhotoPass location for guests of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to have their transformation photographed. Merchandise from the store will be incorporated into Castle Couture store next door.

Hearing this makes me extra glad that I let both my girls stop in at Tink's Treasures on our last visit and ring the bell to summon Tink. And, of course, I'm ecstatic that we were able to get these photos:



But that leaves me with one final question: Where will tiny Tink hang out now? Maybe she'll have her own digs in the new Fantasyland expansion.

Is the World Ready for Alice 2.0?

Get ready to experience Alice in Wonderland as never before. With the twisted mind of Tim Burton putting his spin on the film, we are certainly in for a veritable feast of the unusual and bizarre. Admittedly, I am not a huge Burton fan. While the trailers are visually stunning, I have to wonder if the actual movie will be as captivating as I am hoping. But I will, nonetheless, be standing in line with the rest of the Disneyphiles, waiting for a ticket on opening weekend. And although both my children are huge Alice fans, at 3 and 6 they will NOT be seeing this until my husband and I preview it. (Honestly, I don't expect them to get to see it for a few more years.)

      

With the opening just days away, Disney is in the midst of a full-on marketing blitz. Products are popping up all over. Not a great conouseur of couture, I'm not rushing out to purchase any of the designer items that are showing up in Bloomingdale's. But I do love quirky, unique gifts and apparel, so I just might look for some of the items featured here. They can be found at Disney Vault 28 in Downtown Disney in California for now. I'm guessing that by our next trip to WDW, the TrenD store in Downtown Disney Marketplace will be stocked with plenty of fun and exotic Alice creations.

Friday Photo

I call it "First Ears." This was our youngest daughter Presley's first trip to WDW, so of course we had to purchase her first ear hat with her name embroidered on the back. Sure, it was a little big. But nothing says, "I went to Disney World!" like a classic ear hat! It's still, IMHO, the perfect first-trip souvenir.

(BTW, you can purchase a variety of ear hats throughout the parks, but there are only a few shops that can embroider them while you wait. We purchased this one in Toontown.)

New Apparel at Mouse Gear

Two new lines of apparel have appeared at the Mouse Gear store in Epcot. The first set of T-shirts features fun and inspiring quotes from the man himself, Walt Disney. Some of my favorites: "Why do we have to grow up?" and "Today we are the shapers of the world tomorrow."

In addition to the Walt quote shirts, a line of Muppet VoluntEar shirts is also now available. One of Kermit's shirts reads: "Hop to it! Do good today!" Piggy has this to say: "Moi can do it! You can too!"  These are sure to be a hit with the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" crowd.

Thursday's Tip

My family loves Disney! (Duh.) And we like to bring back a few souvenirs as reminders of each trip. The problem is, we're already overrun with Disney merchandise! Not only that, but the various knick-knacks sold at the hundreds of gift shops throughout the World can set you back some serious cash. So, other than a special T-shirt, a set of Mickey ears, or other items that we can't resist, our souvenirs usually consist of free items we pick up along the way and our favorite cheap memento: the pressed penny!

Yes, these lovely little items cost just 51 cents, and you can get them everywhere in WDW! (You can also get pressed quarters, but they're obviously more expensive.) Many are character-specific for the area where the machines can be found. We have a huge assortment, and we enjoy collecting them. Best of all, they don't take up much space!

Before our trip, we start collecting shiny new pennies. Then, we put the pennies, along with enough quarters to feed the machines, in an empty M&M Minis tube (a used film container also works, but who uses film anymore?). Tuck the container into your backpack or purse, and you're ready whenever you come across a machine.

Kids especially enjoy collecting all their favorite characters!

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/.

DisneyShopping.com Morphs into DisneyStore.com

image copyright Disney

DisneyShopping.com has undergone a redesign and is now DisneyStore.com. At a glance, the changes seem minimal. In fact, if I hadn't received an email alerting me to the change, I might not have even noticed it. See it for yourself here.

And here's the important news: DisneyOutlet.com hasn't changed! For those of us who never pay full price, this is THE site for Disney merchandise. Sign up for email alerts, and you'll get first notice of deals like free shipping and seasonal sales. Sure, the merchandise isn't always the "latest & greatest" Disney has to offer, but most items are the very same ones you would have paid 25-50% more for at DisneyStore.com just a few weeks or months before. I especially like shopping for kids costumes here, since they are deeply discounted throughout the year.

Speaking of costumes, there's a whole new line of princess costumes for 2009. You can see them all by clicking here. Happy shopping!