Conference koolit::disney

    While reading an  article  in the Sunday News edition of the Manchester
    NH Union Leader on  the  Disney-MGM Studio Tour, they had a side bar on
    coming attractions, of which they mention  that  the  Dolphin  and Swan
    hotles will be part of the new  shopping/convention area called 'Disney
    Boardwalk'.    This is the first time that I've heard of the  Boardwalk
    idea for the Swan/Dolphin hotel area and there wasn't much details, but
    it made  it  sound like there will be a mini mall similar to the one in
    WDW Village, lining a boardwalk ala Atlantic City along a lake/canal?
    
    Does any of the recent WDW visitors have more details?
    
    Claude

    Here  a  tip  for  first  time  visitors  wishing  to  purchase  Disney
    memorabilia (t-shirts etc.)

    When you first spot something at WDW  that  you  like  (Mickey T-shirt,
    Snow white music box etc) buy it, you won't  find it any cheaper at any
    of  the  other  shops  on  WDW property, since Disney prices  the  same
    article for the same price at all the shops (even in  the Disney Stores
    across the US).  

    The only exception to this rule is if your are in one of the Parks  and
    you spotted  the  same  article at the shop at your resort, then buy it
    there, or if you'll be  going  to be passing the same shop later in the
    day then wait since you may not  want to lug around a lot of junk while
    trying to visit the various rides etc.
    
    Sure you can alway's  go  to  T-Shirt  World on I-drive and the various
    other shops located there in Orlando or along route 192 in Kissemee/St.
    Cloud area, for lesser $'s.  Chances are thought that they may not have
    the same article or it may  not  be  the  real  thing  (cheap imitation
    wihtout the Walt Disney Production copyright etc.    so beware) most of
    the shops carry the same Mickey picture that  has  been  available  for
    years.
    
    I found out when researching thru the Disney Store at the Pheasant Lane
    Mall  (how  I can purchase another Mickey Golfing cap I had purchase at
    the Disney  Inn back in '87), that a lot of the clothing etc.  found at
    WDW are special  order  just  for  WDW  for a limited time and can't be
    found outside WDW even  in  the  Disney  Stores (The Disney Stores also
    have clothing custom made just for them).        
    
    Also if  you  end up going home and remember that you forgot to pick up
    and  item that  you  wanted,  you  can  also  try  the  WDW  MAil-order
    department by writing
    
        Mail Order Department
        Walt Disney World
        Box 40
        Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
    
    or you could also call (407) 824-4718.
    
    CLaude

    When shoping  in  the  parks  ask  the saleperson if your can have your
    purchased  held  for pickup  later  in  the  day,  therby  saving  your
    arm/shoulder from all that weight.
    
    In Epcot it's possible to have purchases sent to package pickup located
    on the west side of the  Entrance  Plaza  free of charge, and I beleive
    (althought not sure) that there is a  simialr  service available at the
    MK.  Not having been to the Disney-MGM  Studio  Tours  I don't know the
    situation there.
    
    Claude

    .-1
    
    In April, MK shops expained that they didn't have 'package pickup'
    service.
    

    Re: .2

>   When you first spot something at WDW  that  you  like  (Mickey T-shirt,
>   Snow white music box etc.) buy it, you won't  find it any cheaper at any
>   of  the  other  shops  on  WDW property, since Disney prices  the  same
>   article for the same price at all the shops (even in  the Disney Stores
>   across the US).  
>
>   The only exception to this rule is if your are in one of the Parks  and
>   you spotted  the  same  article at the shop at your resort, then buy it
>   there, or if you'll be  going  to be passing the same shop later in the
>   day then wait since you may not  want to lug around a lot of junk while
>   trying to visit the various rides etc.

    
    Claude,
    
    I have to disagree with you somewhat on these two points.
    
    You are correct that the prices for merchandise is the same all
    over WDW, and many items can only be found in certain shops. However,
    you can save time AND money by saving all your souvenir shopping for a
    single trip to the Disney Village Marketplace (formerly the WDW
    Shopping Village). 
    
    Almost anything you see in the resorts or the parks can be found in
    the shops in the marketplace, (except many of the international
    items from the Epcot World Showcase), and there are many items I
    have found nowhere else.  Plus there is the advantage of a 10% discount
    on purchases over $10 by showing your MKC membership card. By
    getting it done all at once, you save a lot of lugging. 
    
    We make this the last stop on the last day of our visit.  We grab
    supper in a restaurant there and then head home.
    
    Your suggestion about waiting till the end of the day to buy souvenirs
    is a good one, unfortunately, almost everyone else has the same idea,
    and the shops on Main St. tend to be crazy around park closing time.
    A better suggestion for shopping in the MK is to get it done early,
    rent a locker under the train station for your stuff, and pick it
    up on the way out of the park.  In Epcot, use the package pick-up
    service, especially for large items, and items from the far reaches
    of the World Showcase. (It is a looong walk back to the gate.)

rep to < Note 100.5 by INDMKT::GOLDBERG "Len Goldberg...-184" >
    
>    You are correct that the prices for merchandise is the same all
>    over WDW, and many items can only be found in certain shops. However,
>    you can save time AND money by saving all your souvenir shopping for a
>    single trip to the Disney Village Marketplace (formerly the WDW
>    Shopping Village). 
>    Plus there is the advantage of a 10% discount
>    on purchases over $10 by showing your MKC membership card. By
>    getting it done all at once, you save a lot of lugging. 

    Len, your right on this,  but how many off-site guest actually know the
    Disney Village Marketplace (another name change)  exists  or  takes the
    time to find it?  remember most people think  of our favorite place now
    as WDW(known  as  the MK)/Epcot/Disney-MGM and don't think of the shops
    in the Resorts  or  the  Village,  plus I keep forgetting about the 10%
    discount as well.
        
>    Your suggestion about waiting till the end of the day to buy souvenirs
>    is a good one, unfortunately, almost everyone else has the same idea,
>    and the shops on Main St. tend to be crazy around park closing time.
>    A better suggestion for shopping in the MK is to get it done early,
>    rent a locker under the train station for your stuff, and pick it
>    up on the way out of the park.  
    
    Gee, I forgot to mention the lockers, my mind is getting to be mush ;^(
    Even though I  enjoy the shops on main street, The wife and I also like
    the shops in Liberty Square area as well.

    Claude

    I personally thought the shops in WDW were a bit overpriced. There
    are other shops in Orlando that sell WDW merchandize that are a
    little more affordable.  

    Hi,
    
    Does anyone have an idea how I could go about purchasing an article of
    clothing that was only available (as far as I know) at the Tropic
    Topper shop in Adventure land?  They have tropical mickey mouse short
    and shirt sets and I need the shorts (Disney stores don't have 'em).
    
    Do you suppose I could send a letter to the attention of that shop
    asking how I could do this?
    
    TX,
    
    Peggy

    You'll find the phone number for WDW mail order in note 55.8.  They
    should be able to sell you anything you can buy in the World.  Anything
    that can be shipped, that is.

    When I was at the Disney/MGM Studio park a year and a half ago, I
    picked up a print at the Animation Gallery (which is just as you exit
    the Animation Tour).  The print is of a scene from "Lady and the
    Tramp".  And they had several others, which are also available from an
    order form I picked up at the same time.
    
    I'd like to get a couple more of these so my questions are simple. 
    Have any recent visitors noticed if these prints are still for sale in
    the Animation Gallery??  And if so, do you think the order form I have
    is still valid??
    
    - Skip
    
    P.S.  The prints I'm specifically looking for are from "Pinocchio",
    "Sleeping Beauty", and "101 Dalmatians".  And maybe "The Jungle Book"
    too.

    According to  the  latest  Unofficial  Guide  they recommend buying the
    souvenirs at 'The  Character  Wharehouse  in Mall 2 of the Belz Factory
    outlet World on I  Drive  for  quality and Value.  They claim they have
    discounted merchandise from WDW.
    
    Has any of you been  there?    
    
    Is the Quality really the same  as  WDW  or  more  like the rest of the
    shops off I-Drive and RT192? ie 100% cotton vs 50/50 Cotton/Polyester
    
    Do they carry the latest designs or  are  they used as a dumping ground
    when WDW changes their designs on T-Shirts/Sweatshirt/etc?
    
    Claude

    I've been meaning to post a note about this place since our last trip 
    in September.  Perhaps now that my opus about the backstage tour is 
    complete, I'll find some time to post some notes about the rest of our 
    trip.
    
    Anyway, The Character Warehouse is the best place around for cheap 
    Disney character merchandise.  I'm just disappointed that the 
    Unofficial Guide let the secret out.  Another reason to hate that book 
    I suppose.
    
    TCW is located in the Belz Outlet Mall II (the one with the carousel).  
    Get on International Drive and head north.  The road terminates in the 
    parking lot of the Belz complex.
    
    The store carries close-out Disney stuff.  The same merchandise you 
    would have found in the park, complete with the Disney price tags still 
    on much of it, but at about � price.  If it is last year's style or 
    mis-sized or something it ends up here.  I asked the clerk if they were 
    owned by Disney and she claimed they were not, but I'm still not 
    convinced.
    
    The bad news is the selection is limited.  They don't have everything, 
    and they may not have all the sizes you are looking for.  I fell in 
    love with a bathing suit that looked like a regular suit, but became 
    covered in a Mickey pattern when it got wet.  All the suits on the rack 
    were marked medium (my size), but I couldn't fit into any of them.  I 
    was truly disappointed.
    
    But there are still bargains to be found.  We bought several tee-shirts 
    for the boys for about $5 each, and I found a Mickey shirt that was 
    actually long enough for me for $19 (regularly $39, and probably too 
    long for normal height people).  We also got some plain white 
    non-imprinted tee-shirts with colored neck and arm bands for $.99 (no 
    typo).  We saw the same shirts at EPCOT the next day with an World 
    Showcase design on them selling for about $18.
    
    The place is definitely worth the trip.  The savings here helped 
    justify the cost of a rental car.

    
    RE : - 1
    
    	Len's right about the Character Warehouse stock being kind of
    limited -- but I found that persistance paid off. Last December -- when
    I was down at WDW -- I visited this store at the Belz Outlet. And --
    while I found a lot of intriguing Disney stuff there -- I didn't find
    anything I really wanted to buy.
    	However -- five days later ( On my way back to WDW from a day trip
    to Universal ) -- I decided to take another peek at the place ... This
    time around, there was a lot of stuff worth snagging :
    
    	* WDW 20th Anniversary sweatshirt -- regularly $ 24.00 at the park
    --  for $ 7.95
    
    	* Disneyland 35th Birthday commemorative coffee mug -- usually $ 7.95
    -- now just $ 1.99
    
    	* Disney - MGM " Director Mickey Silouette " glassware -- on sale
    at the studio for $ 4.95 - $ 7.95 each -- for 99 cents !
    
    	NONE of this stuff had been in the store during my previous trip.
    ( And -- believe me -- the feed frenzy around the rack where they were
    keeping the 20th anniversary WDW sweatshirts was * NOT * pretty ! I
    nearly lost a hand trying to pull a second shirt off the rack ! ) My
    advice is -- if you're down there for a couple of days -- make a point
    of visiting the Character Warehouse during the early part of your trip,
    then try to swing by there again on your last day or two -- before you
    do all that " Gotta-buy-souvenirs-for-the-folks-at-home " shopping.
    You can save some large bucks on park paraphernalia by doing this. 

    OK Mr Moderator, Please move this if it's in the wrong place! 
    (Hey, Thats me!)
    
    Whilst staying in the CBR last year, I was passed on several 
    occasions by a jogger wearing a Fred Flintstone T from the 
    'Bedrock Health Club' with the motto "Pumping Granite". I scoured 
    Universal looking for one, and looked in several of the cheap T 
    Shirt places, but no joy.
    
    Does the place in Belz stock non-Disney stuff, or can anyone point 
    me to where I could get this particular T?
    
    Mike B.

I guess this is as good a place as any for this question:  Does anyone know
whether tapes of the Voices of Liberty are available for sale anywhere besides
the American Adventure in EPCOT? (e.g. at the Village, etc.?)

							-- Nina

    Nina,
    
    As a big fan of the Voices of Liberty I can tell you I've searched high
    and low for tapes and/or CD's by these folks. Jim Pappas told me one
    time that one of these singers mentioned that they sang under a
    different moniker "Liberty Voices" and could probably be found in
    religious book/record stores.
    
    There's a store in Londonderry, N.H. called The Good News Book Store.
    They just might carry their music.
    
    Mike
     

    I just want to comment on note 100.14.  I bought a similar T-Shirt for my
    husband last October.  It had Flinstone characters Fred and Barnie on
    it in a Florida type scene.  It read "LAID BACK IN BEDROCK."  I found
    the T-Shirt with other various Flinstone shirts in a Caldor in
    Connecticut.  Perhaps you could try there.  
    
    Just a thought. 
    
    Rose 
      

    	A quick update for those going to WDW in the near term.  I was down 
    in Orlando due to business requirements and just happened to get lost
    on I-4 and took exit 26B to the shopping village near Pleasure Island
    and Planet Hollywood (;-)
    
    	Most of the shops are being renovated at this time, as such most
    are closed.  I talked to a cast member who informed me that this area
    is being expanded greatly!  Once completed it will touch the Disney
    vacation timeshare villas!  He said many new and unqiue shops will be
    added which will more than double the size!
    
    	I also went to my favorate "off price" disney store, the character
    warehouse.  Foe those who don't know it's at the end of International
    Drive, on the right side (if going east/north) within the Beltz factory
    outlet strip mall, in building II.  Exit 30a off I-4.
    
    	They had a HUGE selection of Pocahantos items... for example some
    adult polo shirts that I recall being priced at $19.99 from an original
    price in the $30's.  Another item that that caught my eye was some
    pinpoint oxford dress shirts for $14.99!  They had all the sizes and
    various colors (primarly white) with a MM embroided on the left pocket.
    They also had a large quantity of madris plaid short sleeve shity with
    a Disney crest on the left pocket for $9.99.
    
    	I bought an all silk tie with a mickey golfing motif for $14.99. 
    It was the same one that I nearly bought the week before at the Disney
    store for $35.00!
    
    	Luckily for my credit card my plane was leaving soon so I had to
    leave this place after spending only a few minutes there.
    
    	Happy shopping,
    
    Tony

More on Tony's note about the Disney Village Marketplace... that 
construction is part of the expansion project mentioned somewhere
in here before.  It should be done by next August for the 25th 
anniversary.  There shouldn't be any construction in the section located 
from the docks back toward hotel plaza.  That area has been redone
to include new water fountains (the kind kids play in) and a new bus
stop.

Bill

    Thanks Bill for adding the info.  The fountains and bus stop are done. 
    In fact I was distracted while walking in that area ( by the scenery!)
    and got a little wet by one of the fountains...
    
    Tony