Today marks the beginning of the second Downtown Disney shopping event. Like the first, this three-day, reservation-only affair ran out of spots in about an hour. We caught word of the event through a Facebook post on the Disneyland Annual Passholders page made on September 7th.
https://www.facebook.com/DisneylandPassholders/photos/a.283932128300337/3943266002366913
But the post’s vague description of “very soon” left us checking the Disneyland Shopping Reservations page obsessively. Reservations didn’t open up until the next morning at 9:49am Pacific. At that point, hopeful shoppers were directed to a virtual queue-like screen and then eventually allowed to select their date and time to visit.
Was all that page-refreshing worth it? Well, let’s take a look. . .
The Set-Up
Like the last event, this shopping event is held in the former ESPN Zone building in Downtown Disney.
The place looks like they didn’t put a whole lot of effort into decorating or setting the mood. Very un-Disney-like, actually, but it did streamline the process as people wouldn’t feel the need to wander around.
The merchandise for the event is displayed on a table. Price sheets with pictures are also available. There is a purchase limit of two of each item.
Simply tell the cast member at the register what you want and they will grab it out of a box and ring it up. As you would expect, there are plexiglass dividers at the register between you and the cast member.
The lack of frills or ambiance is acceptable because the main objective wasn’t to provide the same environment as World of Disney. It was a simple in-and-out shopping experience and the first opportunity to buy the items.
The Goods
The event had five items for sale, all of which had a spooky vibe to them.
The first item is this Fidget Bat Pin ($17.99), which according to the description available on the event site, was created to celebrate Bat Day 2020. It’s not often that we see merchandise from The Great Mouse Detective!
Next up, is the Funko POP! figure of Victor Geist ($39.99), the ghostly organ player from the Haunted Mansion’s ballroom scene. The marbled texture used for Victor’s glow-in-the-dark body truly looks otherworldly.
Another item is an Oogie Boogie popcorn bucket. The design is the same as the one currently sold at Walt Disney World.
Like the Oogie Boogie bucket, this pair of light-up dice is the same as what is available at Walt Disney World (and both are actually similar to what was sold last year).
Finally, there is this sequined Mickey Pumpkin bag. You may have spotted this is World of Disney as their Purchase-with-Purchase promotion.
In Conclusion
All in all, this event seems disappointing. Yes, this time has a greater variety of merchandise compared to the first event, which consisted almost entirely of pins. However, the previous event had a total of 15 items available for purchase, as opposed to this one’s 5.
And to make matters worse, four of those items (the Funko POP! figure, the popcorn bucket, the dice, and the bag) are not exclusive to the event. In fact, the figure was sold on shopDisney just a few days ago (it is currently sold out).
The limited merchandise selection combined with the choice of the items sold add up to an event that feels rushed. Hopefully, if Disney chooses to continue to host these events, the next one will be more substantial and polished. OR perhaps let guests just shop safely from home.
Let’s Hear from You
Did you manage to snag a reservation for this Downtown Disney shopping event? Do you think Disney should announce the coming of these events in a different way? What do you think of the merchandise offered? And is it even necessary that these items be offered in person during a pandemic? Perhaps they should just be available online to everyone. Let us know in the comments!
