Welcome to the latest edition of The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! the longest running monthly look at the Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando. Today is October 31st, which means it is officially the last day of the theme parks’ three month Halloween celebration! Now while all of you are having fun bobbing for apples and trick or treating,  myself and Outlet Intern Julia Mascardo (when not relaxing on another ‘staycation’) got more than a few scares of our own covering the Outlets for you. This month we’re going to see a bunch of new items from the Disney Cruise Line, EPCOT’s 35th Anniversary, and – of course – Pandora: The World of Avatar: From the Genius Mind of James Cameron, BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! That’s right, this month we’re going to introduce our first ever Outlet Correspondent, straight from Disneyland (well, kinda sorta.)

Enough jibber jabber! Ready to see what we we found? Alright, let’s go!

You know Summer is officially over when the temperature in Florida drops down to 70 degrees and the locals in Orlando start dressing up like they are preparing for the Idiatrod dogsled race in Alaska. It also means a lot of  the “Summery” stuff makes its way to the Outlets, such as this colorful citrus based line. I reached out to Disney merchandise expert @BlogMinnie to track down when this line came out, and it actually made its debut in the March-May timeframe of 2017.

Here is the apron, originally $39.99, now $14.99. I like the “hidden Mickey” with the use of the grapefruit and tomatoes.

Next up is an drink dispenser (complete with plastic cups inside) along with a plate. The original prices for this items were not listed, but the was reduced to $7.99 while the plate was $6.99.

Another large plastic plate, this was reduced to $6.99.

Small bowl set. The original price of $29.99 seems a little steep for this, but it also comes with a nice container to keep them in. This was reduced to $12.99.

Plastic cutting board was reduced to $4.99. This was a pretty good sized cutting board…

…at least compared to the one given out to guests who visit EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival.

Lastly, beach towels.

It’s well known that I am obsessed with Disney Tsum Tsums, but this one is a little too weird for me. This is Goofy as a rocket ship. I think this was part of a Tomorrowland line where Donald Duck was themed to the Speedway, Stitch as “Experiment 626,” and Mickey dressed like an astronaut.  This was reduced to 99 cents, so of course I bought it.

EPCOT began it’s 35th anniversary celebration on October 1st of last year, so it’s no surprise that in October of this year a lot of that line made its way to the Outlets. Here are a couple shirts, both had an original price of $34.99, while the one of the left was reduced to $12.99, and the gaudy one on the right went even lower to $9.99.

Long sleeved shirt featuring Spaceship Earth. Originally $34.99, now $9.99.

Interesting old school EPCOT hat on the left, and a visor on the right. Both were reduced to $4.99.

Here Twitter user @JLap64 expresses the pain of seeing an item at the Outlet that has been heavily discounted while you are wearing the same item bought at full retail.

We’ll get to more pins later, but here’s one for EPCOT 35 featuring Figment. It was reduced to $5.99.

Our last EPCOT 35 item for this month is this stylish World Showcase bag. Originally $27.99, now $5.99. Would have been a fun nod to history if they would have included the flags of countries Disney has officially teased as joining World Showcase, but then never showed up (like the time Danny Kaye talked to Roots author Alex Haley about an Equatorial Africa Outpost that would join World Showcase “in about a year.”)

Readers of the SATURDAY SIX know that this past week I ventured into the “new and improved” World of Disney store in Disney Springs. One of the items Disney seems to be going “all in” on lately are elaborately themed bags/purses/wallets themed with Disney characters. This bag features Percy from Pocahontas. Originally $64, now $31.99.

Next up is a bag themed to Cinderella. It was originally $72, reduced to $35.99. Here’s my theory on why we’ll be seeing a lot more of these at the Outlets over the coming months. The bags are too expensive for young kids, but are way too “Disney” for adults to use in The Real World (in my opinion.) Carrying around a bag like this in Orlando won’t turn a single head, but the same bag anywhere else will probably get some looks.

Another bag, themed to Snow White. Also originally $72, brought down to $35.99.

It has been a banner year for cheapskates like me who have always wanted a monorail toy set up but never could justify paying full price for anything. Not only did we see The Contemporary accessory show up at the Outlets earlier this year (one of my favorite pieces of Resort Merchandise in all of WDW) but now we have Cinderella Castle. Now why Cinderella Castle counts as a “Monorail Toy Accessory” and the Tree of Life toy doesn’t is a question for the ages, because they both are nowhere near an actual monorail. Reduced to $24.99.

For the past few months I’ve posted some “high end” collectables that are normally sold on the shelves behind the registers at the Outlets. Previously we’ve seen some bonkers dolls from the Disney Showcase collection featuring Belle and Aurora. The artist behind these creations is Miss Mindy. This month another Miss Mindy creation arrived in the form of a Lumiere figurine. I’m not exactly sure of the price, as by this point in my Outlet Experience I was ready to run out of the store screaming, but Miss Mindy is selling it for $30.

Kid’s jacket with hood featuring Iron Man. The boys in our family are starting to finally become fans of superheroes over pirates, which fills my heart with joy. This jacket was originally $39.99, reduced to $14.99 and I bought one.

Staying on Marvel, several items from the Marvel Day at Sea sailing on the Disney Cruise Line arrived. First up are these two prints, which were originally $19.99, reduced to $7.99. They were pretty small for $20 a pop.

Here are some magnets basically featuring the same artwork as the prints. Originally $9.99, now $3.99. I think it speaks volumes that I love Marvel Superheroes and I love the Disney Cruise Line, but I had zero interest even at this price point. I guess at 99 cents I would have bought one but not because I thought, “wow, this looks cool.”

To say our next item is next level bananas does a disservice to the term bananas. Now, I think the idea of doing the Captain America shield logo using a ship’s anchor and rope is awesome. That’s the creativity that usually separates the cool merch found on a DCL ship and the half thought out junk we regularly see on land. However this thing originally cost $129.99. That’s right, $125, and its barely bigger than a coaster. I have to be missing something. I HAVE TO BE. I reached out to Captain Cruiseline @TheDCLBlog to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind, and he confirmed the item was just some small thing you’re supposed to hang on your wall. It was reduced to $24.99 and I still couldn’t justify it even though Captain America is my favorite character.

Let’s stay with Disney Cruise Line merchandise for a bit, including this woman’s shirt with a cute tagline. originally $36.99, now $14.99.

The item on the left is a shirt that I think is supposed to look like a bathrobe, which sounds completely INSANE but we are talking about a group of people who buy $125 Captain America coasters, so who am I to judge. It was originally $69.99, now $34.99. The DCL sweatshirt on the right was originally $54.99, now $25.99.

Just when you think the DCL items couldn’t get crazier comes this shirt that was originally $95.  It was reduced to $45.99.

A key thing to remember when it comes to buying Disney t-shirts is to Always Look At The Back Of The Shirt. Always. For example, I saw these two DCL shirts and was considering picking them up. Originally $24.99, now $6.99. Never hurts to have back up t-shirts down here on park going days, especially when the humidity is so high during the summer you can sweat through one before breakfast. So I was going to get one each of these. However, as I was putting them in my basket I saw there was stuff on the back…

Exactly who is that Sebastian shirt for? A person who is having a miserable time?

I was THIS CLOSE to picking up both to these DCL-themed plush. There was no Dale available, only Chip and Donald. Originally $17.99, now $9.99.

DCL Alaska sailing keychain. Originally $14.99, now $7.99.

Castaway Cay magnet. I’ve traveled to a lot of places, but Hawaii (specifically Maui) and Castaway Cay have been by far and away my favorites. We have a Royal Caribbean cruise sailing out of Puerto Rico next year with a Southern Caribbean itinerary, so we’ll see how those islands hold up compared to Castaway Cay.. Magnet was reduced to $3.99.

DCL-themed luggage. Originally $159, now $69.99.

Alaska sailing shot glass. Originally $9.99, now $4.99.

I keep forgetting to check if tumblers like this are official Tervis ones, but I think they are. This one for the DCL Marvel Day at Sea was originally $26.99, now $13.99.

While a similar tumbler for the DCL Star Wars Day at Sea was also the same price.

One thing a lot of guests like to do on DCL sailings is decorate their stateroom doors, which you can do with magnets. This magnet set was sold during the Star Wars Day at Sea sailing and was reduced to $9.99.

Funko Pop! figures for the move Solo: A Star Wars Story. Originally $14.99, now $6.99.

There were a TON of these Luke Skywalker MagicBands.

 

TIME OUT!

Many readers don’t quite understand what goes into these Outlet Reports. Hopefully each of you reading this has checked out the Disney Outlet Store FAQ we did, detailing what it’s really like. Here is a picture of guests waiting to “rope drop” the Vineland location in Orlando.

Vineland has two entrances, and here is a picture of the rope drop line at the other door. Then when you get in the store it can feel like trying to navigate World Showcase during a Saturday night at Food & Wine. If you are a person who has issues with “personal space,” don’t even think about going to the Outlets.

We get a lot of questions about other Disney Outlets, because despite all my warnings people desperately want to go to these stores.  There is a Character Warehouse located in Sunrise, Florida (in between Miami and Ft Lauderdale) and there are several other “Disney Outlet Stores” located across the United States, but none of them are like the ones down here. You may find small sections of those Outlets with discounted items from Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but it’s not like down here where just about every single item is directly from the parks or resorts.

So this month we are introducing a member to the team, Christela McC. Christela is our new Outlet Correspondent who is going to send us updates from a Disney Outlet Store close to Disneyland. The store is located in San Diego, and can be found off the last exit before the Mexico border at the Las Americas Premium Outlets.

Our first item is this sharp fleece throw featuring the monorail and Sleeping Beauty Castle. Originally $39.99, now $10.99. If this were in Florida I would have picked it up in a second as I’m a mark for great looking throws.

Here we have some Hawaiian-style shirts. The one on the left is from Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel, and was originally $54.95, reduced to $24.99. I’m not sure if we’re allowed to make John Lasseter jokes yet, so you’ll just have to imagine I wrote something witty about that hot mess of a “Route 66” shirt on the right. Same price as the Sam’s shirt.

Disneyland Resort sweatshirts. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the movie Lilo and Stitch, but I’m pretty sure the quote being attributed to Stitch was really said by Lilo. I guess this is maybe Disneyland’s version of that paper plate we have in Walt Disney World that misquotes Walt Disney. Both were originally $49.99, now $17.99.

Happiest Place on Earth sweatshirt was originally $49.99, reduced to $29.99 The Mickey pretzel t-shirt was originally $34.99, now $19.99.

Love this t-shirt featuring Rex from Toy Story appropriately in front of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. Originally $24.99, now $7.99.

Spanish speaking Buzz Lightyear shirt. Originally $24.99, now $7.99.

How about a group of four Christmas themed antenna toppers? Looks like gift box has Mickey ears, so maybe it’s from the original cut of SeVen. Originally $17.99, now $5.99.

I really like this Disneyland Resort coffee cup featuring the characters on some of the attractions. Originally $13.99, now $5.99.

This may be the oddest looking drinking glass I’ve ever seen, but I actually like it. Featuring the Little Mermaid. Originally $24.99, now $9.99.

Very cute Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree jigsaw puzzles. Originally $9.95, now $4.99. Hopefully you all saw that Disney released a digital collection of Happy Haul-o-ween songs for Carsland featuring Mater and Luigi. I bought it.

Well, thank you @ChristelaMcC! We’ll be looking forward to more of your Outlet finds in the coming months!

MEANWHILE, BACK IN FLORIDA…..

Ok, we’re back in the depths of Mordor the Orlando Outlets now, and first up is this adorable pair of Minnie Mouse ears. However the more I think about it, the more odd it is that her tail is coming out through the head. Originally $17.95, now $9.99.

Speaking of “ears,” the Magic Kingdom 45th anniversary ones have now been marked all the way down to 99 cents.

Mickey ‘graduation’ headband that has ears that glow. Reduced to $4.99.

Baymax ears. Originally $17.99, now $1.99.

This was an incredibly cheap foam crown. The sign said it was related to Beauty & the Beast. Price was 99 cents.

Tube of “zoo babies.” Originally $9.95, now $4.99. Bought one of these for the kiddos.

Giant stegosaurus toy. Originally $17.99, now $7.99. Also bought this for the kiddos because they love dinos and the stegosaurus has always been my personal favorite dinosaur.

Here’s one of the things from Avatar which no one knows the name of. Apparently it’s called a “Thanator.” Was reduced to $12.99. I know, I’m as shocked as you are that this didn’t sell in Pandora. Shocked.

A.C.E. branded phone case featuring the Shaman of Songs from the Na’vi River Journey. Reduced to $7.99.

Minnie and Mickey iPhone cases. Both were originally $39.99, now $7.99.

The official Bob Chapek Disney Cash Register toy. Tally all the up-charges “due to guest demand!” Originally $36.99, now $12.99.

Fun little Mickey and Roadster Racers toy set. Comes with Mickey and Pet roadsters. Originally $44.99 now $29.99. I would have pulled the trigger at $14.99.

Earlier in the year Disney released a bunch of cool looking movie posters for the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, it was discovered pretty quickly that the idea was just ripped off from a series of album covers. That has absolutely nothing to do with this blind box series of Solo pins, but it reminded me of them. Originally $19.99, now $8.99. I’m not even sure the MOVIE made $20 domestically, so I can only imagine how many of these sold at the original price.

Rogue One and Chewbacca pins, both reduced to $6.99.

Is the “limited edition” on these Imperial Patrol pins like some sort of inside joke at the Disney merchandise headquarters?

Stitch pin, also reduced to $6.99.

Clearly this EPCOT 35 pin should have gone up with the other EPCOT 35 stuff, but I’m too lazy to move it. No wait, too tired. Tired from putting every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that I have on the page for you, Dear Reader. Yeah, tired sounds much better than lazy.

If you ever needed a Tower of Terror keychain with the logo put on just ONE LETTER, than I have a keychain for you. Here is “O.” Reduced to $1.99.

You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into unsellable merchandise whose boundaries are that of absurdity. That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop, the Disney Outlet Store!

Disney’s Contemporary Resort keychain. Reduced to $3.99.

At first I thought this was a temporary tattoo. Okay, that kinda makes sense. NOPE. It’s nylons. This is beyond weird. Oh it comes from Shanghai Disney? That makes sense. Reduced to 99 cents.

So many Disney kites have “flown” into the Outlets this year! (Pardon my pun, I’m practicing writing for other theme park blogs, and having puns in your headlines is apparently Rule #1. Going to do a dining review for that new space-themed restaurant they are building in EPCOT. Headline will either be: Menu for new space-themed restaurant is out of this world! or Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, but EPCOT’s new space-themed restaurant is from Uranus! Oh, I forget to mention Rule #2: use plenty of exclamation points!!!)

Don’t buy many pillows at the Outlets, but came kinda close to this to picking up this Peter Pan one because of that map of Never Land on the other side. Originally $34.99, now $8.99.

However this Minnie Mouse bow pillow was not considered for even a millisecond. Originally $27.99, now $9.99.

Where have a seen this design before? I just can’t place it. Originally $19.99, now $4.99.

I always love the “first” of anything and this kid’s shirt is the first of any Toy Story Land merchandise to make it to the Outlets. It probably didn’t sell because I’m not sure that a single kid got into the land for a solid 4 months after its grand opening thanks to bloggers hogging up all the Fast Passes. Originally $24.99, now $7.99.

Toy Story shirt featuring the green aliens and The Claaaaaaaaaw! Originally $24.99, now $7.99.

This is a pretty adorable Nightmare Before Christmas shirt. Originally $14.99, now $7.99.

This shirt is sold in the Expedition Everest gift shop. Yeti on shirt moves as much as the one in the ride. Originally $32.95, now $10.99.

A couple Bambi-themed shirts. One on the right was originally $36.99, now $11.99 while the one featuring Thumper was originally $39.99, now $14.99.

Very rare to see Mulan-themed anything at the Outlets. This shirt was originally $39.99, reduced to $12.99. It’s hard to tell in the picture but those “black” lines on the shoulders were like a see-through mesh. Rather odd design.

Things like this I need to just take picture quick and move on as to not get put on any list. Originally $17.99, now $9.99.

We’ve seen many themed socks over the past few months and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing many more over the coming months and years. These we’re all originally $13.99 a pair, with the Mickey one reduced to $6.99 and the other three to $4.99. I kinda like the Cars-themed one, while the last one is just way too “busy.”

The cauldron on this one lights up.

Definitely did not expect to see an elephant glow sword on this trip.

Three pack of lollipops reduced to $6.19. I’d ask “why” but sometimes you don’t want to know the answer, so it’s better to remain silent.

This art canvas was originally $24.99, now $12.99. Interestingly enough, a couple days following my trip to the Outlets I saw this exact same piece of art at World of Disney in Disney Springs as well as the main gift shop in Saratoga Springs for full price. At times it is mystifying what goes to the Outlets and when.

Well, like I said, today is Halloween and tonight we give out candy. Here’s what happens when most of your outfits were purchased at the Disney Outlet Stores and can be seen in this very fine blog series over the past few months. Have a good one everybody!

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH!

There are actually two Disney outlet stores in Orlando. Both are in Orlando Premium Outlet shopping complexes, and they are called Disney’s Character Warehouse, presumably because The Land Of Misfit Toys was already trademarked. There is one Character Warehouse located on International Drive close to Universal Studios (4951 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819), and the other is on Vineland Avenue, right across I-4 near the exits to Disney World (8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, FL 32821). They do not ship. There are items at the Outlets that you can buy both in Disney stores along with the Shop Disney Parks app, but you will be paying full retail for the items.

I often get asked “which store is better?” That depends. Vineland is close to Walt Disney World, while the I-Drive location is a hop, skip, and jump away from the Universal Orlando Resort. The Vineland Disney Outlet Store is much, MUCH bigger than the I-Drive location. However, the Vineland outlets in general are much, MUCH busier than I-Drive. Each have their pros and cons, and ultimately they carry much of the same items. For a Disney Outlet Store FAQ, check out this SATURDAY SIX Presents: Everything You Wanted To Know About The Disney Outlet Stores (But Were Afraid To Ask)

Previous editions of Magic, Memories, and Merch: July 2013, August 2013, September 2013, October 2013, November 2013, December 2013, January 2014, February 2014, March 2014, April 2014, May 2014, June 2014, July 2014, August 2014, September 2014, October 2014, November 2014, December 2015, January 2015, February 2015, March 2015, April 2015, May 2015. June 2015, July 2015, August 2015, September 2015, October 2015, November 2015. December 2015, January 2016, February 2016, March 2016, April 2016, May 2016, June 2016, July 2016, August 2016, September 2016, October 2016, November 2016, December 2016, January 2017, February 2017, March 2017, April 2017, May 2017, June 2017, July 2017: The FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY special, August 2017, September 2017, October 2017 (tribute to the O.O.G.), November 2017, December 2017, January 2018, February 2018, March 2018, April 2018, May 2018, June 2018, July 2018 (FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY special with the introduction of the OUTLET HALL OF FAME), August 2018, and September 2018.

We also did an edition of Magic, Memories, and Junk for a non-Disney owned Outlet Store, and for you merch addicts like myself, you may also enjoy a look at the official Disney merchandise available on the Disney Cruise Line, Castaway Cay, and at the Orlando International Airport. Want to see our favorite WDW resort-specific merchandise? Well, CLICK HERE!

If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog and you can follow your humble author on Twitter (@derekbugan).