Disney Springs’ Chapel Hats

Posted on March 6, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Construction walls may still be up all around, but excitement is in the air as Downtown Disney’s transformation into Disney Springs is well underway. New stores are springing up while old favorites continue to thrive. We recently spent a very enjoyable evening in Downtown Disney/Disney Springs and there’s a new shop I’ve just got to tell you about!

After a leisurely dinner at one of our most favorite dining locations in the World, Raglan Road, we decided to take our time walking back to the bus stop. Okay, that’s a lie. We had to walk slowly on account of being inordinately stuffed from the appetizer, salad, entrées, and desserts we’d just consumed. My only excuse for overindulgence is that watching those famous Irish Dancers burn off all those calories makes me hungry. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Anyway, we were strolling along and noticed a new shop had opened that we both wanted to explore!

I know, right? What are the chances that Raymond and I both wanted to shop in the very same store when it’s not full of Disney merchandise? It just so happens that we are both wild about hats! The new Chapel Hat store was irresistible. We waddled on inside and stayed for quite a visit.

Simple and well-stocked, Chapel hats is easy to shop – it’s like a gigantic closet of hats!Shelves and shelves stacked high with just about any and every style imaginable. Men’s hats on the left and women’s on the right with the checkout counter in the middle, Chapel Hats is a lid-lover’s dream come true. Charmed by the variety of hats ranging in style from whimsical to utilitarian, we made use of the shop’s many mirrors…and had a ball!

What started out as a fun diversion soon became a serious quest for the perfect hat for each of us. We enjoyed picking out different styles for each other to try. We took turns modeling different types and colors, narrowing our selection down to the two or three we liked the best then helping each other decide on the ONE. No matter what kind of chapeau you prefer, Chapel Hats has a topper for you! After about 30 minutes of fun, we purchased our selections. Shopping bag in hand, we made our way to the buses and on to the Magic Kingdom for Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade. A perfect souvenir for a truly magical day, our new hats will be a happy reminder of a great Disney vacation for years to come.

Are you much of a hat wearer? Be sure to check out Chapel Hats on your next visit to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs! Chapel Hats on the web.

Memento Mori – Mansion Merchandise

Posted on November 20, 2014 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Earlier this year we heard some exciting news. The Yankee Trader store in Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square would be closing and undergoing a complete transformation. An entirely new shopping experience would be taking its place – the new store would be called Memento Mori and would be strictly a Haunted Mansion gift shop. Long overdue, in my opinion, Haunted Mansion fans have needed a place to shop for Haunted Mansion merch! To me it seemed a bit sad that so many great rides and attractions exited into a gift shop (where I seldom made a purchase) but I’d have to scour store after store throughout Walt Disney World to find Haunted Mansion items here and there.

Memento Mori (Latin, “remember you have to die”) opened just in time for our October visit to Walt Disney World and checking it out was high on my must-do list. The first interesting thing I noticed was how we were directed to enter the store – not through the front door. There’s a “back door” near the rear of the building on the right side – that’s the entrance we were told to use. We exited onto the front porch.I expected the store to be crowded since it has just opened and I was right! The stock also seemed a little picked over, but that was not surprising given the number of people packed into the somewhat limited space.

Imagine a sort of general store for Haunted Mansion fans. Merchandise ranged from framed pictures and mirrors to trinkets and treats, to clever Haunted Mansion home goods and even a selection of clothing. A variety of price points made it easy to find an affordable token or souvenir – there were also some pretty high dollar items for the super-fans among us. I fell in love with the Christmas ornaments that are a collection of Haunted Mansion busts and had to have them for my own.

If you’re a Haunted Mansion fan, Memento Mori is the place for you! If you’re not headed to Walt Disney World and you’ve got a Mansion fan on your holiday gift list, you can shop online here from a limited selection of Haunted Mansion themed items (I personally own a few of them and can attest to their awesomeness.).

Have you been to Memento Mori yet?

Who Goes to Walt Disney World to Shop? I DO!

Posted on June 18, 2014 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Who else is excited about the new Disney Market Place Co-Op in Downtown Disney? I cannot wait to shop there – I’ve been browsing some of their merchandise on their online store and whoa! Great stuff – especially the home goods in Disney Centerpiece! I just missed being able to shop in the Co-Op by a couple of days – it opened at the beginning of this month, just a few days after our WDW vacation ended. Well, I’ll be back in October and I’ll save some pennies between now and then just for that particular store – because one of the things I like to do at Walt Disney World is shop.

There are many stores and shops at Disney World that I love. Many I just browse, but seldom buy make a purchase in – I just think the stuff is great, with no real need to have any of it for my own. This would include the giftshops at many of the ride’s exits – like Expedition Everest and Tower of Terror – those giftshops are really neat and offer cute and clever attraction-related merchandise. The one on the way out of Pirates of the Caribbean is a particular favorite as well. I also love to browse the shops in Disney’s Hollywood Studios – I just seldom find anything there I can’t live without.

Now, let’s talk about where my money goes. There are four places I go to shop (as in like-an-Olympic-sport shopping) – The Fam is used to this and they know they can either help or get out of the way – I’m good with either of those opptions as long as I have some completely uninterrupted time to carefully select what will be going home with me.

Mouse Gear in Epcot

I love Mouse Gear because of its size, but also the way the store is merchandised. The place is always bright, clean, well organized and neat as a pin. Part of what’s so great about it is how open it is – one huge room all on display for my shopping pleasure. Most recently, Megan and I added to our Shoe Ornament collection with the purchase of three new shoes from Mouse Gear. If you saw my post on another Epcot store (Mitsukoshi in the Japan Pavilion), it deserves a shout-out here, but unlike Mouse Gear, I don’t always buy something from there.

Disney’s Days of Christmas (Downtown Disney)

Disney Christmas ornaments are a must-buy souvenir for me. The nice folks at Disney’s Days of Christmas will carefully pack my ornament purchases and ship them straight to my house where they will arrive safely unbroken. Yes, I pay about $25 extra for that, but it’s totally worth it to me not to have to fret over what may happen if I tried to carry all the ornaments with me on the plane home. As long as there’s room on my 9-foot Disney Christmas tree, I’ll be buying ornaments at this happy holiday shop.

World of Disney (Downtown Disney)

This store is, with regard to presentation, the exact opposite of Mouse Gear. It’s a little darker and messier inside and divided into many rooms and sections – you could look around in World of Disney for a couple of days, I think, and still not see it all. Clothing, watches, and souvenirs are the kinds of things I buy here. It can be really crowded, though, so if you’re serious about shopping here, a little patience and crowd tollerance helps. Most recently, I bought a tee shirt (for our dog, Junior) from the boys’ section, some Haunted Mansion ornaments (the singing busts) that were not at the Christmas Store, and some small souvenirs for friends back home. I also bought my new, one-and-only, perfect-for-me Earhat! (See me wearing it on our Facebook Page – oh, and if you press “Like” while your there, I’d be ever so appreciative since I’m only 20 shy of 1000!)

The Main Street Emporium (Magic Kingdom)

All the stores on Main Street’s left side are connected. So, you can enter the Emporium and shop your way (in cool comfort) down to Casey’s Corner! It’s the atmosphere of The Main Street Emporium that draws me in. It’s got great Victorian details and I can find camera batteries, gift cards, and one of my favorite things to buy there, Disney Pins (for collecting and trading). Yeah, I know they sell pins literally everywhere, but it has become tradition for me to at least attempt to find a pin or two from the Emporium to take with me.

Now it’s your turn – which of Walt Disney World’s stores are your favorite? What are your favorite souvenirs to buy on every visit?