Is The Disney Character Warehouse Worth Visiting?
If you’re a thrifty Disney fan or someone who loves a good bargain, you may have heard something about Disney outlet stores located nearby the Walt Disney World Resort. These outlet stores, called the Disney Character Warehouse, are a place where you can find Disney Parks merchandise for discounted prices. Yup! We’re talking about the same merchandise that is being sold at the Walt Disney World theme parks, on Disney Cruise Line and even at Disneyland.
Like I said, there are 2 of these Disney Character Warehouse locations in the vicinity of the Walt Disney World Resort. They are both located in outlet malls and within 15 to 40 minutes of the Walt Disney World Resort, depending on where your starting location is. The first is located at the Orlando Outlet Marketplace on International Drive and the other is at the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets on Vineland Ave.
Now, if you’re anything like me, there’s a good chance you’re very tempted to call a rideshare or pile into your rental car and visit one of these Character Warehouse locations on your next Walt Disney World vacation. I mean. . . a deal on Disney stuff? Who could resist!? However, there are some things you should be aware of before making your way out.
The Good Stuff
Disney Character Warehouse is an outlet store, but it’s not like other “Disney Outlets” that you might find outside the parks. Disney Character Warehouse locations are official Disney outlet store that sell official Disney Parks merchandise. This means that you’re not going to get generic Mickey Mouse and Florida merch. You’re getting official Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line stuff!
What you find at Disney Character Warehouse changes from week to week; sometimes day to day. However, you can expect to find a selection of the same type of merchandise you might find at any other Disney gift shop. This includes things like clothes, ear headbands, pins, plushies, home goods, artwork, handbags and much more. You may even find some things that wouldn’t be sold in gift shops, but were only available at carts throughout the parks. . . like popcorn buckets.
Of course, the major draw to Disney Character Warehouse are the discounts on the merchandise. Most [not all] of the merchandise sold at the Disney Character Warehouse locations is being sold at a discount. In a number of cases, these discounts slash prices quite a bit, which makes some otherwise pricey merchandise a bit more attainable for guests who are trying to pinch their pennies.
The Not So Great Stuff
Unfortunately, like everything in life, there are also some downsides to visiting the Disney Character Warehouse; most of which you won’t hear too many people talking about. . . . which is why we’re going to focus some attention on them today.
First and foremost, if you’re considering adding a trip to either [or both] of the Disney Character Warehouse locations to your itinerary, it’s important to be very well aware that these are outlet stores. I know that we mentioned this before and it should go without saying, but it’s something that needs to be said and emphasized again. Like any other outlet store that you may be familiar with, Disney Character Warehouse stocks merchandise that didn’t sell for one reason or another. This could mean that the shelves are stocked with Christmas merchandise in April or it could mean that most of the available pins are dated “2020”. It also means limited sizing on things like clothing, some merchandise from different parks altogether [like Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line branded merchandise] and other items that simple don’t appeal to anyone. . . even though they may now be a fraction of the original price. In other words, visiting the Disney Character Warehouse is very hit or miss and nothing is guaranteed.
Speaking of price. . . .
While there are a lot of great deals at the Disney Character Warehouse locations, it’s important to consider that while most of the items are going to be discounted, there are still quite a few that won’t fall into a bargain hunter or penny pincher’s budget. That said, while you will still find what we consider to be great deals on some otherwise pricey merchandise, you’re not going to find firesale style pricing. For example, you may find a $80 Spirit Jersey for $50 or a $40 t-shirt for $25. While these are still steep discounts, the price tag may still be too high for someone who is planning on a trip to the outlet to stretch their dollars as far as possible.
Last, but certainly not least, we have to talk about location. Both of the Disney Character Warehouse locations are somewhat close to the Walt Disney World Resort. Using the Magic Kingdom as a starting point, the closes it only 10 miles away and the second is 17 miles of so. This makes both of the outlets relatively easy to get to, whether you’re staying on property or somewhere else nearby. so why are we talking about location like it’s a bad thing? Well, there are 2 reasons for that: the specifics of where the Disney Character Warehouses are located and the process of getting there.
Neither the Vineland or International Drive locations of Disney Character Warehouse are standalone locations. They are both located in outlet malls. These outlet malls are good size, have a number of popular brand outlet stores and even some dining options. [Some even have on site COVID testing, which is great for those travelers who require tests to return back home.] As you might imagine, this makes them popular place to visit amongst tourists and locals alike. Add in the close proximity to both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. . . . Needless to say, it can get quite crowded and that presents a challenge when trying to park. In fact, depending on the time of day and year when you visit, it’s not uncommon to have a lengthy search for a parking spot.
It’s also worth mentioning the challenge that it might be for some visitors to get to the outlets in the first place. Of course, it won’t be a problem for everyone, but timid drivers and those who aren’t comfortable with city driving might want to consider whether or not navigating heavily trafficked roads surrounded by other unsure tourists is a situation they want to put themselves in.
Is It Worth Making The Trip
Honestly, this is a more complicated answer than either of us originally anticipated it would be. While we would love to give a solid “yes” or “no” answer to this question, like so many other topics we cover, this is one that falls into that wide expanse of “it really depends”.
Over the past week or so as we’ve discussed this topic at length, we continue to face these same roadblocks that are preventing us from recommending visitors plan a trip to Disney Character Warehouse next time they’re in Central Florida. It starts with the outlets being hit or miss and ends with the amount of unnecessary stress that is involved with making the trip. Combined with the time that it takes out of your vacation to make the trip, we have a hard time calling this a “must do” or considering it a good way to save money. Sure. . . it’s possible, but it’s just as possible that you’re going to eat up a bunch of time, get frustrated and walk out of the outlet empty handed.
Who Shouldn’t Consider A Trip & Who Should
Look, we never want to encourage someone not to do something. Especially if they feel strongly about it! You do you! Regardless how we feel, if you want to visit Disney Character Warehouse during your next Walt Disney World vacation, you should. That said, we know that some of you are on the fence about whether or not visiting a Disney Character Warehouse location is right for you and we have some opinions.
We don’t think you should consider a trip to Disney Character Warehouse if you’ll have to go out of your way to get there. While the deals might be good, they aren’t good enough to compete with the cost of renting or hiring a car. Prices change for both of these services all the time, but as of writing this, the cost for a Lyft [round trip] is around $40.00 before tip and renting a car from the Walt Disney World Car Care Center is around $90.00 total for the day. While this type of savings is possible in one haul at Disney Character Warehouse, assuming they have merchandise you’re interested in, it seems like a much better use of funds to save that money and buy something from the theme parks. On the other hand, if you already have access to a vehicle, a trip to Disney Character Warehouse won’t add any additional financial burden to your trip and it may be something you want to think about.
Expanding upon that point a bit, we don’t think you should consider a trip to Disney Character Warehouse if you’re working with a tight budget or a limited amount of time. Like we were saying earlier, there are some great deals at the Disney Character Warehouse, but they aren’t the type of deals that someone working on a very tight budget needs to make a trip worth their time. In fact, there are a lot of alternatives to visiting the Disney Character Warehouse that would better suit those working on a tight budget, including shopping the Twice Upon A Year Sales at shopDisney. Of course, we’ll talk more about that in the future, so be sure to keep checking back!
At the end of the day, while a trip to Disney Character Warehouse might be right for some, it’s not going to be worth everyone’s while. We hope that we’ve been able to give you a little bit of useful information and deciding if it’s the right choice for you!