3. Bayview Gifts at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Image: DisneyOut of all the Disney hotels on the Orlando campus, the Contemporary is the most dangerous to my wallet. I love the food here, and it’s also home to two of my favorite Disney stores. Fantasia is a quick-hitter store with some unique goods that I mention primarily because it’s right beside Bayview Gifts aka BVG, the finest of all resort stores. You might as well check out both while you’re here.

At BVG, you’ll encounter some of the strangest shopping combinations possible. This store sells delicious baked goods and other snacks….and it also sells luggage. My family has purchased both here…at the same time.

As a resort locale, BVG runs the gamut with its merchandise. It caters to guests staying onsite who need basic goods like bathing suits, but it’s also a high-end Disney property. As such, you’ll find upscale purses and jewelry here along with some rare Disney movie-based lithographs that sell for $1,500 or more. How often do you shop at a non-electronics store where you can buy something for $5 or $1,500? That’s the incongruity of BVG, and I quite like disparity in goods.

2. World of Disney at Disney Springs

Image: DisneyThis selection is the common sense one listed here. It’s the other true Disney institution, along with Mouse Gear. Anyone who visits Disney Springs will enter the World of Disney at some point. I think that’s a defining law of nature. Describing it is simple. It’s a showroom for a large portion of the Disney Store’s online catalog.

World of Disney is broken into several sections such as apparel, toys and stuffed animals, jewelry, and home goods. It features 12 rooms worth of merchandise, all of which is delightfully Disney. From the moment you see the giant Stitch outside the building, you’ll know that you’re about to come face to face with the most tantalizing Disney gear on the planet. Before you break out your wallet and go nuts, however, you should know about the other option in the area…

1. Disney’s Character Warehouse

Some people reading this are nodding their heads knowingly while others are gazing in confusion. Anyone unfamiliar with the Character Warehouse locations has missed out on the holy grail of Disney shopping. This isn’t an exaggeration.

The greater Orlando area features two Character Warehouses, one at the Orlando International Premium Outlets and the other at the Orlando Vineyard Premium Outlets. Even guests who prefer to stay within the Disney bubble should grab an Uber and visit one of these stores. What you’ll discover will blow your mind.

Disney manufactures a lot of goods. Not all of them sell as well as projected. When Disney has overstocked products, the company ships these items to outlets like the Character Warehouses. In other words, it’s the same products that you just saw in the stores at Disney parks and resorts. The difference is in the pricing. You can watch the video linked above to see specific examples of the potential savings here.

Let me break this down into simplest terms. When you want to stretch your Disney merchandising budget, the Character Warehouse is the best place to go. You can get literally twice as many items for roughly the same price, possibly more if you’re a savvy buyer. It’s the place where Orlando residents go when they want to buy Disney stuff. Even as a tourist to the area, you should follow their example and buy a lot of wonderful Disney merchandise on the cheap!