What am I missing but not shopping in the countries at Epcot?

[DisneyFive]

To be honest, in the last four years that we've been to Disney, the shops at Epcot are about the lowest priority on our list. We keep giving them second, third,... chances but they just don't hold the magic for us that the rest of Disney does.

One big exception is the "Pick a Pearl" at the Japan pavilion though. That was one of the highlights of our 2013 trip. It's around $20 and you get to pick your oyster and keep the pearl inside. The CM's make a good show of it too. My three kids and my Mom did it, and ended up with beautiful pearls. My Mom turned hers into a ring, and one of my daughters a pendant necklace. The settings cost extra. Both very beautiful.

Dan

 

[cajmom]

We didn't really shop too much because we spent most of the day in Future World, but we did do the pick-a-pearl. It was a fantastic experience for my son. He ended up with twins! He just picked a bottle out to store them in. Next time we go, we will stop in each a shop from each county, even if we don't buy anything. There is so much to see a do there that being a first timer, it was very overwhelming.

 

[ZoZo]

I love to buy bowls from Japan. I buy a few every trip to add to my collection.

I do the same thing! They have a great selection of ceramic bowls in a variety of sizes. I bought some with cats on them to use as cat food dishes - I use them daily! Such a nice reminder of the trip.

I also love the Hello Kitty selection at the Japan store. They have lots of great things to choose from.

And, strangely enough, one year there was an unexpected cold snap and I was desperately looking for warm socks. The only place that carried anything other than little "footie" socks was the Japan store. They sell the type of socks that you wear with traditional Japanese wooden shoes (the kind of socks with a divided toe). I was so happy to find some socks that actually covered most of my lower leg -- I was really cold!

 

[Flamingeaux]

DW sits most of the time while we are riding the rides. To make up for this she gets to shop and browse in the shops in EPCOT while I sit. DD loves to get shrimp udon and shop in Japan.

 

[OKW Lover]

I hate to admit this but I have never gone in the shops at Epcot! (other than the stores in Future World) I always assumed it would be expensive things I would not be interested in. So what I am missing? Should I venture in on my trip this year? My daughters are big Hello Kitty, My Melody fans, do they have items in Japan? What types of things do you find? What countries should I try for unique items that aren't super pricey?

Thanks : )

Yes there is a lot of Hello Kitty type stuff in Japan.

 

[Splashboat]

If you go to this link:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/ep-worldshowcase.htm
You can click on a country, scroll down to shopping and click on that link to see some pictures of things that are in each store. They are old pictures but a lot of the things are the same or similar.

 

[feezle]

I'm usually a looker, not a buyer. Love the shops though. Love the World Showcase as a whole.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

On the one hand folks are correct to say that many items may be available for less elsewhere. Not always. I've price checked some items from Japan and their prices were quite decent.

Also, I don't know about you, but I don't go to Norway all that often. Last spring I bought a necklace in Norway that was quite unique. I looked online, and I could not find another like it. Since then, the Norway gift shop has largely been remodeled. As the Laila room had been there as far back as I remember (maybe since park opening?) and I met the designer there in 2012, I though for certain it would always be there. Now it is gone.

Once upon a time the Norway bakery also had a wiser selection than it had on my last visit. I hope they revitalize it again, as they used to have some really excellent treats.

In the Japan gift shop, another special event is the pick-a-pearl. Maybe it's not worth $15, but it seems like that is not a bad price either considering the little show they do when a customer buys one. Settings, you can probably get elsewhere for less, but WILL you actually follow through?


Many of the gift shops have inexpensive treats. (slightly overpriced perhaps, but say, under $5 or $10)

Also, the gift shops have a few gems like hidden Mickeys. The France gift shop has, or at least had, a beautiful stained glass window of Beauty/Beast. It's been a couple years, but I think it is still there.

The world Showcase is also one of the best places in all of WDW to see spectacular landscaping. If your visit to WDW is during winter/spring...seeing all the beautiful flowers is a big treat!

 

[DisneyHardin]

Shopping through the countries is one of our favorite parts of Disney. I haven't bought tons of things, but a few. I have a pretty silver ring from Mexico, a blown glass Mickey Head ornament from Germany, a hair clip from China and lots of Murano glass things from Italy.

 

[tsme]

Our last trip I bought a candy from each country as souvenirs to bring back for our son. He's 21, just graduated college & has begun a new job so he couldn't go with us. He enjoyed trying different treats from each country.

 

[ktlm]

I hate to admit this but I have never gone in the shops at Epcot! (other than the stores in Future World) I always assumed it would be expensive things I would not be interested in. So what I am missing? Should I venture in on my trip this year? My daughters are big Hello Kitty, My Melody fans,
Thanks : )

I have a feeling from your post that what you are missing out on is spending a whole lot of money on Hello Kitty items!!

Seriously, there are a TON of Hello Kitty items in Japan. Pick a Pearl is terrific there too. They do a whole little ceremony about opening the pearl and make a big fuss over what you get. I think picking the pearl is about $15, and you can just stop there. If you want to get a setting, they range from another $10 to hundreds of dollars.

There are plenty of fun things in other stores too. DD really likes the fans in China, there are berets and little eiffel towers etc. in France; I've picked up a couple of unique T-shirts that I love in UK (like one with Mickey walking into one of the red phone booths); UK also has a lot of soccer merchandise if you have any soccer fans, and a tea store if you have any tea fans; Mexico has a blown glass store along with things like Sombreros etc., Germany has pretty Christmas ornaments etc. Pretty much the things in the shops range from cheap little souveniers to some pretty expensive stuff. Some of the stuff is Disney, but a lot is not.

 

[crusoe2]

We've not spent much time shopping in Epcot on previous trips either but this year was different. Both my daughters (14 and 10) had a ball in Japan and even made a couple of return trips to that shop. The older one is into anime and manga and bought a lot of things for herself and her friends there. Plenty of Hello Kitty to interest your dd too. The same dd is also obsessed with Doctor Who. We bought a bunch of Christmas gifts for her in England (including a dalek poster she also bought for herself while shopping with her cousins ).

Agree with the other poster about overpriced items available elsewhere. My kids are always checking Amazon before buying to see if they can get a better deal. Times have certainly changed!

There's Dr. Who stuff in the UK pavilion now? My kids will be thrilled. They both LOVE Dr. Who.

my girls always stop in Morocco for Henna Tattoos. last trip we had to stop in England for Jammie Dodgers(?) and Morocco for a fez for my whovian daughter

Do you recall how much the fez cost? As stated above, I have a couple of whovians myself. DD in particular really wants a fez. I could order her a cheap one off Amazon (altho not all of theirs are cheap). But she would probably love to get one at Disney.

 

[DummbGiRL]

You are definitely missing out! My SO isn't the hugest Disney fan, but knowing he gets to return to Japan to shop is a big sell factor! He LOVES that place. You're daughter will especially love it for the Hello Kitty. Someone else mentioned getting bowls there, and I have to say I completely agree. I think I'm going to plan to do most of my Christmas shopping there. Japan is awesome!

The other country we love shopping around in is Mexico! He tends to buy something "silly" for his friends there, while I just stare in amazement at the glass burners. They are really friendly and love talking about what they do. The merchandise isn't what I would "buy", but I do love looky-looing there.

Canada is my pass-by country. Not much worth looking at there unless you are looking for shirts with moose on them... or the Moose from Frozen! Which I regret not buying last time I was there.

England is a must do for me as well. Your daughter may love looking into the coat of arms and reading about her family crest... I know I do even though my last name isn't found, there are similar ones or maiden names to look up. There is also sometimes cool little trinkets or shirts that are just awesome and do not break the bank any more than anything you are looking at in Future World.

Apart from Japan, I usually "look" at everything before buying and go back at the end of my trip around the world once I've decided is must have. I always send everything to the resort to pick up the next afternoon, so I never have to carry any of my shoppings (this is only good if you are staying on property).

So, yes... totally worth it! Go have fun and explore the world!

 

[Planogirl]

The Japanese store has some interesting stuff and it definitely isn't all expensive. I also enjoy the stores in Morocco and Great Britain.

It's fun to wander through the stores just to see what's available. Why not take a quick look and if it doesn't interest you move on to the next store.

 

[Momoftwins+1]

Love looking through all the shops at Epcot!! I missed most of them the last trip due to 3 little boys who didn't want to and DH in a wheelchair for the trip but we did make our mandatory stop at Japan for pick a pearl and a new setting for me
This time I've already booked shopping time away from the little ones! You can find amazing little photo spots behind areas you'd never think to look if you weren't looking around the stores etc that are kind of hidden from the regular paths etc. I think its worth a look at least!

 

[Jennasis]

DH, who hates shopping, says it's 50% of the reason for visiting Epcot! The other 50% is the food of course! He and I love to browse the shops even if we just admire the pricey stuff. In fact, we love hunting for the priciest, oddest thing in each store...and then settling on some fun trinket!

 

[minnie1012]

If you go to this link:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/ep-worldshowcase.htm
You can click on a country, scroll down to shopping and click on that link to see some pictures of things that are in each store. They are old pictures but a lot of the things are the same or similar.

Thanks I never knew these links were there!

Thanks soooo much everyone! I'm so convinced that I have missed out on some cool stuff! I can't wait to go check them out! I have to make a list of all the stuff everyone has mentioned so I don't miss anything! No one has mentioned Italy, is there anything interesting there?

 

[Lyndarella]

The candy! Inexpensive chocolate pieces in Germ, France, Italy. Lots of choc bars in the UK with different names than what we have in the US. Used to be fudge to die for in Germany; now it is all caramel, but still good.

 

[disney1990]

Japan and China have always been our favorite places to shop. We have chop sticks, bowls, candy from Japan, flat shoes from China, teas from China and Japan. Oh and a collection of the little good luck kitties. All fairly inexpensive items.

 

[PoohsFan1]

Just be careful what you buy. We were at the German Pavilion a few years ago where my daughter found some carved resin animals she liked. They were fairly pricey and we didn't get them. I'm really glad we didn't because after we got home, we were at Walmart or Target (don't remember which) and saw the exact same things made by the same manufacturer for a fraction of the price. My best advice would be to buy things that are hand-made from the country of the pavilion. Some items that look mass produced will most likely be found elsewhere for cheaper. Have fun!!

I agree about the mass produced items, however one thing I have to get while in Epcot is Tea from the Twinings Tea shop in the UK (I also buy it for my mom and dad who are huge Tea drinkers). The funny thing is, I can find Twining's tea in my local grocery store but I refuse to buy it there, I'd much rather get it at my favorite shop in my favorite park .