One of the reasons many overseas tourists visit the USA is to find a bargain in the shops especially when the exchange rate is good. However, it’s worth noting sales tax is added to each purchase you make. Like VAT back in the UK this is a tax added to the sale of most goods. The general rate for most goods in Florida is 6% but it differs for certain types of products. BUT, BUT, BUT, unlike UK VAT, over in the US the tax is only added to the price of the goods at the checkout. So, the price you see on the shelf is WITHOUT the tax added. Factor this in when looking at something which seems like a bargain!
As you can imagine there are endless shops and outlet malls around the Orlando and WDW area. Keep reading for details on the all the major malls and shopping areas.
TMTO TIP: Never buy your theme park essentials like autograph books and pens, sun cream, towels and ponchos in the parks as these can be very expensive. Ensure you only buy them at the local shops or supermarkets like Target, Walmart, Publix or independent gift shops.
Highway 192
US State Road 192/W Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway is the main tourist ‘strip’ in the Disney area. This strip runs from Highway 27 in the west past the Disney area to downtown Kissimmee in the east and features all of America’s chain brand hotels, shops and restaurants, cafes and a few independent shops too.
Two shops people always mention when travelling along here are the gift shops with the large mermaid façade at the front and another with a wizard façade. Rolling Oaks Commons is a ground level retail park which has a large Target department store, TJ Max (US version of TK Max), Dollar Tree for real rock bottom prices and a few restaurants including an Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze.
Not far from here is Margaritaville with Sunset Walk shopping area. This is a new hotel resort and entertainment area which only opened in 2019. Also here is the Island H2O water park.
On the stretch east of the I-4, heading towards downtown Kissimmee is Kissimee Old Town
It has over 70 shops, a Wednesday Farmers Market and Classic Car and hot rod show at weekends. It also has a few rides including a Ferris wheel and various fair ground attractions with roller coasters and more at the Fun Spot just next door.
International Drive
On and just off I-Drive you’ll find lots of attractions like a Fun Spot theme park similar to the one on Hwy192 and helicopter tours. I-Drive is quite a few miles long but most of the action can be found on the northern strip from near Universal to Sea World. As well as attractions and hotels the rest of the space is taken up with shops, outlet malls, restaurants, cafes and convention centres. The very popular Orlando Premium Outlets has 2 sites, one near to Universal at the top end of I-Drive at the junction with West Oak Ridge Road. The other is just off the southern end of I-Drive on Vineland Avenue just a hop across the I-4 from Disney World.
Champions Gate
This is a newly developed area just off Exit 58 on the I-4, close to where the I-4 meets Highway 27, a few miles south of Walt Disney World. The area is famous for its golf courses but it also has expanded recently with many restaurants and bars and small take away eateries. You will find a Publix supermarket, a McDonald’s, a 7-Eleven and two of our favourite restaurants – Chilli’s, and Olive Garden.
Target
Target is just about our favourite shop. It is a one stop shop for everything you’ll need for your holiday. Need a Disney t-shirt or Mickey ears? An autograph book and Mickey Mouse pen? Buy it here. Milk, pizza and a loaf? Target is the place. Forgotten a tooth brush or shampoo? No problem. Want a Mountain bike or some sofa cushions? Yep.
Our kids love going to Target because each store has about 10 aisles just for toys and you will find some exclusive just to Target – look for the Only at Target sticker on the package! We often stock up for upcoming birthdays or Christmas pressies for the kids and relatives here. Another reason to keep space available in the suitcases!
You can also do your food shopping here to stock up your villa for a few days as it has a large grocery section.
Here you can get some of the Disney and Universal merchandise at a fraction of the price of the stuff in parks. True it’s not exactly the same as the official park merch (no Disney Parks/Universal tag) but it’s still good quality official Disney and Universal company items. So, if you want a Disney autograph book for the characters to sign or a Harry Potter t-shirt or a Donald Duck hat then get it in Target. You can also get matching Mickey Mouse t-shirts for the whole family! The Disney Parks logo merchandise is exclusively available in the park shops and because of this, you will pay a premium price for it. The same goes for the Universal Studios gear as well.
Just inside the entrance of all the Target stores near the Disney and I-Drive areas is where you’ll find most of their theme park souvenirs, with Disney and Universal merchandise and essentials well represented so keep a look out as you go through the automatic doors.
Target has a great range of kids clothes at reasonable prices too – the Cat and Jack branded stuff is very good value.
There are 2 very big Target stores on Hwy192. One is near the junction with the 429 toll road at Rolling Oaks Commons retail park. The other is further along the eastern stretch of Hwy192 towards Kissimmee just next to the conveniently named Target Boulevard. Another smaller store (but still huge in comparison to a large Tesco or Sainbury’s) is at Posner Park retail park just south of I-4 Exit 55 on Hwy27. Most will have a Starbucks inside so you can grab a coffee while you look around. All Target stores have a pharmacy should you need any help or advice during your hols. The areas newest Target is at Vineland Pointe retail park near Daryl Carter Parkway just off I-Drive near to the Vineland Premium Outlet mall.
Walmart
Similar to Target, Walmart has just about everything for the home and your holiday including food and clothing under one roof. Although they are typically a bit cheaper than Target and have some really good holiday items like a massive selection of ponchos and autograph books. The Walmart on the corner of Hwy192 and Old Lake Wilson Road has a petrol (gas) station with usually the cheapest fuel prices around.
Publix Supermarket
If you just want to get the villa food shopping or a few snacks for the parks then you will find Publix supermarkets all over Florida. They have a large in-store bakery with every kind of bread you could ever want, lots of cakes, a deli counter and you can find a few treats from home down the international food aisle. All have a pharmacy inside should you need one. They are situated all over Florida but you’ll find one on Hwy192 opposite Rolling Oaks Commons. If your villa is situated near Highway 27 then there is another at Berry Town Centre half way between the junction with Hwy192 and the I-4 and another at Champions Gate. They all have a small selection of souvenirs including t-shirts and towels.
Walgreens and CVS stores
Although rivals Walgreens and CVS are very similar. Both were originally conceived as a pharmacies but now are practically small supermarkets and also have a good selection of Disney and Universal souvenirs to choose from. Imagine them like a Tesco Metro and a Superdrug joined together. You’ll find several of these on all major highways in the Disney and Orlando area.
Shopping Malls
The Florida Mall and Mall At Millenia are central Florida’s biggest indoor shopping complexes and are close to downtown Orlando. They have all the usual American chains and designer shops including Abercrombie and Hollister. Each also have other large stores around the outside of the car parks like Target or Walmart. You will pass the Florida Mall on the way from the airport between the 528 Expressway and State Road 482 – Sand Lake Road. The Mall At Millenia is just off the I-4 at Exit 78.
Outlet Malls
The Orlando Premium Outlets are close to Universal at the northern end of I-Drive. It is a ground level mall with most parts outdoors. It has all the major designer and sports shops, a food court and Disney Character Warehouse outlet store which sells end of line Disney Store and Theme Park merchandise.
Vineland Premium Outlets is just off the I-Drive at the southern end and is almost a carbon copy of the Orlando Premium Outlets with similar shops and food court.
The free car park spaces at both Outlet Malls can be a bit frustrating to find unless you’re there really early. You can reserve these spaces using the My Park app or website. It costs a bit to reserve a space but you can usually use if for free the first time with a promo code. Look at the FAQs on the My Park website for the code.
TMTO TIP: At Vineland Outlets you will often find free car park spaces in the northern lot near to Gap and North Face and it’s just a short walk across the road to the main part of the mall.
The Lake Buena Vista outlet mall is a good size mall just off State Road 535 towards Kissimmee. It has factory stores by the likes of Levi’s, Gap, OshKosh, Nike and a theme park merchandise outlet too. Here they also have a hotel with a large pool and pirate ship feature.
The Orlando Marketplace Outlets has a good number of stores from Levi’s, Lacoste, Under Armour and Sketchers. You’ll find it on the northern end of I-Drive just around the corner from the larger Premium Outlet.
Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney)
This is WDW’s premium shopping and restaurant area. No park ticket is needed to visit Disney Springs but it sells most of the merchandise found in the theme parks. You can spot it from the I-4 as it has a balloon ride which can be seen for miles. It has a few premium brand high street shops especially since the expansion and change of name from Downtown Disney in 2015, an indoor Disney Virtual Reality centre and Cirque Du Soleil. There also is a large Coco-Cola shop with 3 floors. You get a great view from the top floor balcony!
Disney Springs has the biggest Disney shop in the world (although the Shanghi one may now be the biggest!) with most of the merchandise available in the parks sold here as well. Although some special items such as Star Wars or Avatar will only be found in those theme park lands. Anything with the ‘Disney Parks’ label is only available exclusively from Walt Disney World shops and so comes at a premium price.
TMTO TIP: If you’re looking for bargain Disney Springs isn’t the place. But you might find a similar product in Target, Walmart or one of the Disney Character Warehouse stores in the Outlet Malls.
The Disney Springs AMC cinema has several standard screens but, if you go round the corner, past the Harley Davidson store, you will find another AMC cinema opposite Planet Hollywood. This is the AMC Dine-In theatre which has a waiter service so you can eat dinner whilst watching a film – this is usually visited at least once each holiday by us as the food is good and the cinema seats are all comfy big recliners!
In the evening is when Disney Springs really comes alive as there is entertainment all the way along Disney Springs including live bands, singers and street performers.
There is also a large Lego shop with some impressive Disney related Lego models at the front next to World of Disney and a Lego Dragon popping out of the lake. Price check any Lego items in Target/Walmart as well!
Unlike Universal’s CityWalk it is free to park in Disney Springs all day and there are regular free bus services to and from the Walt Disney World resort hotels.
TMTO TIP: Parking at Orange and Lime multi-storey garages can get full even in the mornings so head across the road to Grapefruit where there is always spaces. You’ll need to take an elevated walkway to get into Disney Springs but it’s still quicker than waiting for a space in Orange or Lime and the walkway brings you in right behind the big World Of Disney shop.
Disney Springs typically opens from 10am to 2am.
CityWalk
Universal Orlando CityWalk is the shopping mall that is en route as you walk from the car parks to Universal Studios and Islands Of Adventure. Although much smaller than Disney Springs it features many shops, including 2 large Universal merchandise shops, lots of restaurants, a Starbucks (of course) and a cinema. It’s not free to park here because the car parks serve the 2 theme parks and Volcano Bay water park so, costs $27 a day. But parking is free after 6pm each day.
As mentioned there are 2 large Universal stores. The Universal Studios Store has the more contemporary themed merch from Harry Potter, Minions and Jurassic World. The Universal Legacy store is more retro themed with ET, Back to the Future and Jaws.
Panda Express at CityWalk is one of our favourite places to eat here (note: there’s also two other Panda Express’ with a drive-thru along Hwy192 near WDW) – it’s a Chinese fast food restaurant and is on the first floor next to Burger King and can be accessed via a lift next to the entrance to the Quiet Flight surf shop or up the zig zag to the right of the NBC Sports Bar and Grill. Also worth a visit at CityWalk is Cinnabon. They do cinnamon flavoured cakes to die for and is on the ground floor next to the surf board and right below Panda Express.
The stalls along the waterfront have not only Universal merchandise but there are a few independent retailers like the custom design baseball cap and t-shirt stall. These are worth looking around.
There’s a dancing fountain set into the pavement which our kids must of course, always run through on the way to IOA. November to January the spur along to Universal Studios has a small Christmas Market.
CityWalk is usually open from 8am to 2am depending on the time of year.
Take Me To ORLANDO! 