The Shop Disney Parks App is a new app that you can download for free in iTunes. It's amazing! The app allows you to find Disney theme park merchandise and see where you can purchase it at Walt Disney World. You can also purchase items using the app and have them sent to your home - even if you're not at the World. If you are at Walt Disney World, you can do this by scanning the product's bar code.
I decided to use the app to search for Duffy merchandise, as this year I will be taking him to Walt Disney World with me. I found a super cute Sorcerer Mickey outfit, which I had seen before, and decided that I absolutely had to have it. I thought it would save time (and spending money while I'm there!) to order it and have it sent to my home. Now Duffy is all set for his trip to Hollywood Studios!
I didn't have to pay sales tax (yippee!) so while it did cost $4.95 to ship, since I didn't pay tax that only cost $3.50 more than it would have cost if I had bought it at Disney instead. I was interested to know how they calculated the tax, whether it was by the number of items you bought (weight of the package), or by the amount you spent, so I played around with adding items to my basket after I was done with my order. It seems to be based on the amount you spend, with the next tier costing $7.95, the next tier costing $12.95, and so on.
You need an account to purchase from the app, it seems that this is linked to your My Disney Experience credentials as I used the same username (my email) and password and it worked. If you don't have one, it will let you create on in the app. It was SUPER easy to use! Just add it to your bag, log in, and check out.
I received an email confirmation which said it would take 7-10 business days. You have the option for pay for quicker shipping if you prefer. I received another email 2 days later to say that my package had shipped and it also provided a tracking number. My package arrived 4 business days later, 5 total days from the ship date.
The exterior box was nothing special, but the packaging inside was so cool! The Duffy outfit was wrapped in Walt Disney World tissue paper and sealed with a Walt Disney World sticker featuring Mickey, the same wrapping they use when you purchase something at Disney. There was also a note from the merchandise team. (Click the picture to make it bigger). It felt just like I'd bought it at Disney!
I really love the Duffy outfit, it's super cute and until I opened it I had no idea that the Sorcerer Hat lights up!!! I was pretty excited about that, it was a nice surprise. Duffy is very excited to wear it next month!
I would highly recommend using the Shop Disney Parks App! It's super easy, you find all kinds of items and it's great for preparing for your trip, buying things at the World when you don't have room left in your suitcase, and for picking up those souvenirs you didn't get to buy on your vacation once you get home.
Receiving my item didn't take as long as I thought it would either. It took 6 calendar days from the date I made my order, to the date I received my item, which is less than the 7-10 business days they state. I've had some seriously slow Disney Store orders so I was prepared for this order to take a lot longer than it did.
To end, I have a couple tips for you if you're using this app:
1) Not everything at Walt Disney World is available on the app. Maybe because the app is new, or maybe it's too difficult to make everything available, but I do know that sometimes this is due to low stock. When you view low stock items on the app it will say "low stock, in-store purchase only". It's great that you can still see pictures, locations and the price, but it will not let you buy it.
2) Sometimes the search function is very specific and sometimes it's very vague. If you type in "Tower of Terror" for example, it will not show you any "Hollywood Tower Hotel" merchandise. It doesn't make that connection. You will have to type those exact words. However, if you type in "Peter Pan" you will get items like "Panchito" too because it includes some of what you typed, so you may want to narrow down your search.
3) New items are added every week and you can see what's new by clicking on "New Arrivals" when you open the app.
4) Some of these items are already available at the DisneyStore.com so if they have promo codes you might be better off ordering from there instead.
By no means am I an expert, but I wanted to share my insight and experience with this new app!
