It’s been a while since the last Disneyland Merchandise Update and even though this is strictly Downtown Disney-related, this edition is still special. “Why” you might ask? Well, it’s a double feature! First, we’ll take a look at what new merchandise World of Disney has to offer. Then, after that is a report on the latest Downtown Disney reservation-only shopping event. I think you’ll find this update is both sweet and sour. Enjoy!
Parking Problems (and SOLUTION)
If you’ve visited Downtown Disney in the last few weeks, you know that parking and lines have gotten out of control. It is now common to arrive at the parking lot only to find it full. Guests are advised to just keep driving around until the lot opens. A sort of musical chairs that isn’t fair to guests or local residents. Once parked, you might find yourself in a massive switchback line behind the old AMC Theater waiting to get into the shopping district.
We reached out to our partners at The Anaheim Hotel on Harbor Blvd and worked out a deal for you. You can now get $10 parking (normally $25) for Monday through Thursday parking at the hotel (good all day as long pending limited available). On Friday through Sunday, you’ll still have to pay $25 at the hotel, but you can just cross the street and enter Disney through the gate on Harbor Blvd which hasn’t been busy at all. Little waiting, and no problem parking. It’s a great option for those of you who are tired of circling the resort for hours waiting to get in.
Just show this voucher at the front desk of the hotel to receive your parking pass for the day.
We don’t make any money on this folks. We were just looking for a solution for our readers. Hope this helps some of you!
Our World of Disney Excursion
World of Disney has become the place-to-be for finding Disney merchandise. And after braving the two-hour line to enter, the MiceChat team found several new items to share!
The line went all the way out to the Esplanade, just after opening on a Friday morning. Wow!
But once inside, it’s Halloween (a one minute loop from Dusty of the Halloween video wall)
Hot Coco Merchandise
Coco has been the well-deserving recipient of several lovely merchandise pieces lately. And here are a few more to add to the list.
Here, we see a men’s shirt with Ernesto de la Cruz’s guitar printed on it. The distressed look of the fabric looks great and works well when paired with the art of an old guitar.
I love the variety of colors used in this women’s tank top. The sugar skull and marigold imagery ties back to Dia de los Muertos, the holiday that is a key aspect of the film’s story.
These leggings would look great when paired with the women’s tank top. Within the print, you’ll spy Miguel, Hector, Ernesto de la Cruz, and even Dante in alebrije form.
Is it 2021 Yet?
After all that has happened this year, I can’t be the only one who wishes we could fast forward the three months and change (can you believe it?!) to 2021. That is not a possibility, sadly, but we do get these two nifty 2021 calendars as consolation prizes. One is dedicated strictly to the Disneyland Resort, while the other covers Disney Parks as a whole.
Odds & Ends
I like to call this Mickey plush the “Floofy Tie-Dye Mickey” because of its extra-fuzzy rainbow-hued fabric. For some reason, it also reminds me a little of an Easter egg.
I saved the best for last. This wonderfully whimsical Ear Headband takes its inspiration from the classic Disneyland welcome signage. Doesn’t it just put it a smile on your face? The phrase, “The Happiest Place on Earth,” is embroidered on the side of the headband portion.
There were a number of other items I was looking for, but they had sold out. Shopping at Disney is always a little hit or miss. So we’ll check back again soon.
Was the Latest Shopping Event Worth It or Is Disney Living in Fantasyland?
Disney’s third attempt at a Downtown Disney Shopping Event ran from September 28 to 30. These reservation-only events are insanely popular. The first and second events both sold out of spots within an hour. The reservation slots for this one lasted a tad longer. That might be because Disney opened up additional time slots… or maybe given the poor quality of the last event, people stopped caring.
Like the last one, we heard about the event on the Disneyland Annual Passholders Facebook Page on September 22. Disney then added in the comments section of the post that reservations for the event would start the next day at the dedicated page. And while reservations for the previous event opened up at 9:41am, this time, they became available starting at 8:41am. The even-earlier bird gets the worm, I guess.
The Set-Up
This shopping experience takes place in the old ESPN Zone building (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday).
Interestingly, the venue opened up about 30 minutes before the first time slot, which is 11am. The MiceChat team was there as it opened. The line was nearly empty with only five people in front of us and four behind us.
The purchase procedure is the same as previous events. It was covered in detail here:
First Look At Today’s Haunted Downtown Disney Shopping Event
Every item for sale this time was a trading pin or set, which you would hope would mean they were on display somewhere or at least available to see. Our experience was that the pins were stored in boxes and after asking to see several of them, the Cast Member started to get annoyed. But we didn’t want to buy expensive pins without seeing them first. Right?!
With all the lovely displays in World of Disney and other stores on property, it should not be hard to set up a pin board for these events. I mean, there are pin trading boards all over the Disneyland Resort of varying sizes used by Cast Members and guests all the time… It shouldn’t be too difficult to replicate. Instead, the event simply used a piece of paper with images of the pins printed on it, slipped into an Office Depot sheet protector. It is just a simple grid, without any extra Disney flourish. I was willing to forgive it for the first two events. But, after the third time, one would hope Disney would at least put more effort into that. This just doesn’t feel like a Disney-level of effort, especially considering the trouble of getting there and the high price for everything.
What’s Available
The theme for this event is “Fantasyland.” But this time, thankfully, there are more than five items for sale (which was the case last time). As in the past, there is a purchase limit of two of each item per reservation, while supplies last.
There are several standalone pins, consisting of a simplified version of a character and their corresponding Fantasyland attraction (or in Pinocchio’s case, Storybook Land with its Monstro-themed tunnel). Each set costs $19.99. The pins in this style are Dumbo, Peter Pan, Alice, and Pinocchio.
There are a pair of two-pin sets, with one pin being a character and the other a related landmark.
Here we see the Alice in Wonderland 8-Piece Mystery Pin Set. Inside is either Alice, the Mad Hatter, March Hare, or Cheshire Cat with the character riding in a tea cup.
This is a big ‘un. This pin with Princess Aurora and Prince Philip in front of the castle is dubbed a “Mini-Jumbo” but, with a measurement of 3 inches tall by 3 inches wide, I don’t know where the “Mini” part fits in. This monster-sized “Mini” pin costs $44.99.
There are three different boxed pin sets. The Villains Set ($115) includes four pins: Queen of Hearts, Maleficent, Evil Queen, and Hook. The Couples Set ($150) has eight: Snow White & her Prince, Cinderella & Prince Charming, Jasmine & Aladdin, Belle & the Beast, Ariel & Eric, Tiana & Naveen, Rapunzel & Flynn, and Aurora & Philip. And the Fantasyland Set ($140) contains the four standalone pins I mentioned earlier. This set bundles them all together along with a Snow White completer pin.
You can even go a step beyond the five-pin Fantasyland set and opt for this framed Fantasyland seven piece set ($325!). Not only does it include those five pins in the box set but also the “Mini-Jumbo” pin of Princess Aurora with her castle along with a Mr. Toad completer pin.
Looking Back on the Event
Overall, this event was as big a disappointment as the previous two. Disney needs to work on offering a greater variety of products (and definitely needs to display them better). If you weren’t a huge pin collector, this shopping event wasn’t one to bother with, but there was really no way of knowing what the final event merchandise mix was going to be until you showed up. I will give them credit that the offerings were Limited Edition, which makes it feel more worthwhile than if you could also find them elsewhere (as was the case last time). But as I mentioned in the coverage of the last shopping event, they should have offered an option for registered guests to shop from home, given the current health situation and pick them up or have them delivered (for an additional fee).
Let Us Help
Theme parks are reopening, and whether you are ready to travel yet or not, there’s no better time to lock in low rates on future travel. But waiting on hold and not knowing what questions to ask isn’t the magical part of a vacation. That’s why MiceChat has partnered with Get Away Today to handle all the difficult stuff for you . . . all for no extra cost. That’s right, they do all the work and it doesn’t cost you extra. Give your family something to look forward to:
- Visit Get Away Today HERE
- And if you need to talk to someone, we can do that too. As Disney resumes hotel bookings and ticket sales, we expect periodic high call volume. So, please fill out our request form and a vacation advisor will call you back: Vacation Information Request Form HERE
Let’s Hear from You
That wraps up this edition of the Disneyland Merchandise Update. See anything you can’t live without? And what’s your take on the Downtown Disney shopping events? Should Disney continue to host these bare-bones events? Or should they do away with the limited-reservation events in favor of the MerchPass system for The Main Attraction series? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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