Review: Using the Shop Disney Parks app

If you can’t get enough of shopping all things Disney, there’s a new way to get your fix — if you’re patient and flexible.

The Shop Disney Parks app was introduced in August to help shoppers in the parks find items more easily and to give those of us at home another way to shop Disney.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve used the app at home and at Disney World and have tested many of its features to get a good sense of how reliable it is. My verdict: This is a great way to shop Disney Parks at home, but don’t get your heart set on anything until you have it in your hands. That’s because inventory runs quite far behind, and if your order is canceled, the only way you’ll find out is if you go back into the app and check your order history. To me, the lack of notification when an order is cancelled is a major hiccup. If Disney can send an automatic order confirmation email, they can certainly find a way to send an automatic cancellation email, too.

We were told the app is about 48 hours behind store inventory, but based on my experience, I suspect it’s twice that long. So don’t get your heart set on getting that hard-to-find item until you have it in your hands.

Still, this is an exciting development for those of us who are dedicated Disney Parks shoppers. There are many items available in the app — including the newest Star Wars Dooney & Bourke bags — that are not yet sold at the Disney Store online. And there is a vast array of merchandise that will likely never show up at the Disney Store online — including non-Disney things like “Doctor Who” merchandise and snacks from around the world.

Here’s how I did with some of the key features:

• Order from anywhere and have the item shipped home: I’ve tried this twice with mixed results. The first time worked very smoothly; I ordered a t-shirt I couldn’t find in the parks and it arrived about a week later, easy-peasy. The second time, I placed an order only to find out later — when it hadn’t arrived in the mail — that the order had been canceled without any notice.  
• Order at the parks and have the item sent to your resort: I tried this as well, but when I went to the resort gift shop to pick up the package, it wasn’t there. It wasn’t until then that I looked at the app and saw that the order had been cancelled. 
• Scan an item to find it in the parks: Say you see a t-shirt you like but the shop doesn’t have your size. You can scan the bar code on the price tag and see where you can find it in the park. This worked great in theory, but I didn’t test the inventory. Knowing the 48-hour lag, I’m suspicious that it won’t be very helpful, especially if you are looking for a hot item or wear a hard-to-find size. 

Not every item in the parks is included in the app, preserving some of the delight of turning up super cute souvenirs as you shop the Parks. And not every item that is included in the app is available by mail — including, amusingly, the Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar, which is helpfully listed as “in-store purchase only.”

One of the best things about the app is that once you’ve signed in, your annual pass or DVC membership discount is automatically applied to your purchases. This certainly beats having to fish your pass and ID out of your wallet at the point of sale.

So far the app only includes Disney World products, not Disneyland. But products that aren’t park-specific — like, say, a Mickey Mouse t-shirt — may be available through the app if they’re sold in both parks. This worked for me when I saw someone wearing a t-shirt I liked at Disneyland but couldn’t find it in the parks. Voila — there it was in the app, and before long it arrived in my mailbox.

If you’re interested in trying out the app, shipping is free on orders made until Jan. 2.