These Walt Disney World shopping tips will help you make the most of your time on your vacation.

Shopping is one of the many, many joys of a Disney World vacation. And ducking into a store that’s blaring AC to get out of the relentless Orlando heat and humidity is a well-known park trick. 🥵

But buying impulsively or — worse — walking around a Disney park all day long with a plastic shopping bag are definite mood-killers.

Yes, there are lockers available to stash your impromptu purchase, but they can be a long walk from wherever you are, and they’re also an unnecessary expense on an already extremely expensive vacation.

Our solution? Browse WDW stores for can’t-go-home-without items, or even T-shirts or hoodies you want to wear while there, but whenever possible, save your shopping for a Disney Springs trip.

Disney Springs balloon sticker.

Read on to learn why we swear by this pro tip and (almost) never carry souvenirs around on a Disney park day.

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There’s Tons of Disney Parks Merch

Disney sticker featuring a Disney parks shopping bag.

There are a lot of stores at Disney Springs. We rounded up our favorites here, and there are plenty to explore that aren’t on that list, too.

The biggest reason to save your Disney souvenir shopping for Disney Springs, though, is because you can find just about everything at World of Disney that you can in a park gift shop. Then, if you walk over to the Marketplace Co-op, you can find even more, including some exclusive items you’ll only be able to get there.

Add in The Art of Disney, Crystal Arts, Days of Christmas, Disney Ever After, DisneyStyle, Goofy’s Candy Company, Once Upon a Toy, and Star Wars and Marvel shops, and practically anything you spot in a park can be purchased at Disney Springs.

There’s even a multi-level Coca-Cola Store if you liked something you saw at Club Cool in Epcot.

You’ll Find Items You Didn’t See Anywhere Else

A product display at the Marketplace Co-Op.

We love saving our shopping for Disney Springs because we know we can find souvenirs we spotted in the park and souvenirs we haven’t laid our eyes on yet.

There are some Disney Springs shops that have products that aren’t available elsewhere, whether they’re sold out at other stores or never made it there in the first place. For example:

🎨 Every Art of Disney store seems to have a little something different in the collection, so you have to visit them all to see everything that’s sold.

🔮 The Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers store is much bigger at Disney Springs than in the parks, so the selection is bound to be larger, too.

🧩 When we wanted to buy a wooden, 3D Disney puzzle of the It’s a Small World facade, Once Upon a Toy was the only shop that carried it.

Wooden Disney puzzle of It's a Small World.

Days of Christmas has a big selection of ornaments and other holiday decor, and DisneyStyle often has items that are hard to find at other shops.

And that Coca-Cola Store we mentioned? It’s one of our absolute favorite shops in all of Disney World. The selection is enormous, and prices are better than in actual Disney shops, so you can do souvenir and gift shopping there for a bargain, at least by WDW standards.

It’s Way More Convenient

The Orange parking garage at Disney Springs as part of Walt Disney World shopping tips to save time.

As mentioned earlier in this article, shopping at Disney Springs is a lot more convenient than shopping in a Disney park. Here’s why:

  • Disney Springs days are shorter than park days, so you won’t have to carry around a bag for hours.
  • The walk to your car is usually shorter at Disney Springs than at most Disney parks — you can even unload your shopping midway through your Disney Springs day, if you want.
  • It can be a nuisance to carry a plastic shopping bag in the Florida heat, on rides, etc. Not worth it.
  • You have even more shopping options at Disney Springs and a larger selection of Disney and non-Disney stores, plus items you haven’t seen anywhere else.
  • Large, delicate or oddly shaped souvenirs are especially obnoxious to lug around a Disney park and through crowds.

Keep in mind that there aren’t lockers at Disney Springs, so if you’re heading there specifically to shop, try to park close to the main stores you plan on going to.

The Exception to the Rule: When To Ignore These Walt Disney World Shopping Tips

Bags at the Italy pavilion gift shop in the World Showcase in Epcot.
Bags at the gift shop in the Italy pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.

The Walt Disney World shopping tips we’ve gone over don’t always apply. There are definitely times when you’ll want to immediately scoop up that special souvenir you spotted in a Disney Park.

💡 Certain stores have rare finds that you’ll have a hard time locating anywhere else.

Memento Mori, the Haunted Mansion gift shop, is a great example of this. Rarely have we seen everything in this gift shop in other stores, Disney Springs shops or otherwise. Memento Mori is quite small and doesn’t have a huge selection, but if you spot something there that you can’t live without, buy it on the spot.

The same goes for limited items at Art of Disney stores and anything else that seems ride-specific, like the items at the Tower of Terror gift shop, the Pirates of the Caribbean gift shop, the Expedition Everest gift shop, etc.

Also, the geo-specific items that you’ll find at the World of Showcase shops in Epcot can only be purchased there — you won’t see them in other Disney World stores or online.

One more thing before we go: Are you looking for a unique Disney souvenir you can order before your trip or once you’re back home? Check out our Disney Parks Superfan Bundle of 7 waterproof vinyl stickers!