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Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide

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Shopping at Epcot

Epcot has a handful of shops in Future World. If you want to purchase Epcot themed products, this is the best place to do so. Mousegear, formerly the Centorium, for example, is a multi-floored store that sells products with the Epcot logo as well as Character products.  Also in Future world, The Art of Disney provides a place to purchase Disney collectibles and Ice Station Cool is the venue for buying Coca- Cola- themed items (and getting free samples of Coke products that are available around the world. )

The inventory at the bazaar at the International Gateway is much like that of Mousegear, since It's considered to be your "last stop" for Epcot-themed items if you leave the park via the gateway.

Some of the Future World pavilions have small shops, too. A boutique inside The Living Seas, for example, sells jewelry and gift items with a nautical theme. A shop on the food court level of The Land, the Green Thumb Emporium, sells gardening books, seeds, tools, and kitchen tools and trinkets. A large supply of refrigerator magnets is among my favorites here. Incidentally, the walking tour of the Land's greenhouses start this location, too.

However, Epcot's best shopping venues, in my opinion, are located back in the various international pavilions surrounding World Showcase Lagoon. Each and every one of the nations have goods, originating from that country, for sale. They are (working clockwise):

• The marketplace inside the Mexican pavilion sells many items hand-crafted in Mexico.

• The shop in Norway sells Lego blocks (odd, since Lego's are made in Denmark), Norwegian food items, and sweaters and other warm-weather clothing.

• The left hand side of the China pavilion, behind the restaurants, is the shopping district for this pavilion. Believe it or not, this is a store that, until our 1996 trip, Barb and I had never been into. What a blunder! This store has many wonderful items from China. Besides the usual trinkets, some lovely furniture, silk gown and shirts, and many other treasures are for sale here.

• The shops in Germany sell wonderful German chocolates. They also have a great collection of dolls, and steins.

• Italy's shops offer crystal and glass ware and other beautiful examples of Italian workmanship and artistry. Also, I found that the Mocha chocolate bar I once bought in Germany -- but which is no longer available at the German pavilion, can be replaced by a cappuccino bar in Italy...and it's not a bad trade off.

• The shop in the American Adventure is one of the most disappointing, in my experience. It sells trinkets based on US history, for the most part.

• Japan's store features kimonos, pearl jewelry (and oysters that you can open to find your own pearl), bonsai trees and supplies, origami (paper folding) kits, and other items. Just a warning here -- my wife the bonsai expert says that you shouldn't ever buy a bonsai from this store. The trees are not cared for, and are probably already dead in the store. Even though they look green, since they are evergreens after all, they will look ok for awhile but will clearly be brown soon after your return home.

• Morocco's shop sells hand-crafted items from Morocco. Woven baskets, leather craft, and many wonderful rugs are among the most common items that are available.

• The French pavilion sells perfumes, art reproductions, and French trinkets.

• Great Britain's shops sell Royal Daulton china, shortbread and teas, Coats of Arms (for those of us with British, Irish, or Scottish heritage), Lavender and Rose perfumes and appointments, and English-made toys as well as other items produced in the United Kingdom.

• Canada's shops emphasize the hand-crafted items of the Native Americans of the northwest territories as well very fancy items from the eastern provinces.

• A couple of shops are located just below Canada and Mexico in the area that connects World Showcase with Future World. These shops sell Epcot themed items and trinkets from around the world. The inventory changes seasonally, so when it's close to Christmas time, look for ornaments, lights, wreaths, and other such decorations.

Unless you feel strongly about Epcot-themed items, I'd recommend you skip the Mousegear and International Gateway shops. There are many more unique and interesting items in the international shops around the lagoon.

Resort Delivery

Don't forget, if you're staying at a Disney resort, you can have packages delivered to the front desk of your hotel. Take advantage of the service. It's definitely worth while.

Package Pick-Up at the Park

You can also have your package delivered to the front of the park, where you can pick it up later in the day (on the way back to your resort, perhaps).   In Epcot, packages are delivered to "Lost and Found" next to the gift shop located just OUTSIDE the gates and immediately to the left of the turnstiles as you're exiting the park.

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