New Shop Disney Parks app makes it easier to shop for souvenirs — or just shop

If you’ve ever found yourself running all over Magic Kingdom come looking for a certain t-shirt in a certain size, we have good news for you: Disney has launched a smart-phone app that makes shopping Disney World a lot easier — even from home.

Some items have to be  purchased in-store.

The Shop Disney Parks app allows you to browse thousands of items and buy most of them straight from the app. When you’re in the parks, it will help you find an item at a nearby store, or simply order it from your phone and have it shipped home.

The app will even apply discounts if you link your annual pass or DVC membership. (If you have a Disney account already your affiliations should show up automatically.)

The Disney Store online — and its corresponding app — have a lot of Disney Parks merchandise, but nothing like the selection you can find on the new app.

Some of the things we spotted that aren’t on the Disney Store online:

• Many items from Epcot’s international pavilions — sweaters from Norway; Beatles and “Doctor Who” gear from England; bear and hockey paraphenalia from Canada; various souvenirs from the resorts. (Browse the souvenirs section for a wacky assortment of items including pinatas and dreamcatchers and so much more.) 
• Pins — lots and lots of pins, including the Halloween 2015 pin and a Death Star lanyard medal, which debuted this year at Star Wars Weekends. 
• Another Star Wars Weekends leftover: Star Wars Dooney & Bourke bags. 

A few drawbacks to the app, for now:

• The app is only for Walt Disney World, for now. Disneyland fans will have to wait. 
• Some of the items don’t have a lot of product information. For instance, a Minnie & Mickey Christmas figurine selling for $150 only has one thing in the item info: Resin. We assume it’s a “big figure” that measure 12-15 inches tall, but can’t be sure. 
• Not all items are available on the app, but the app can help you find the item in a store near you.  

It remains to be seen what the selection will look like for special events like the upcoming Food & Wine Festival, but we are eager to see.

Alas, as we browsed the app, we discovered it won’t necessarily solve that problem of finding a certain t-shirt in a hard-to-find size. Some items simply didn’t have all the sizes listed.