Taking a trip to Disney World should be fun for you and your family. Yes, there will probably be a few things here and there to cause stress, but you can relax knowing that for the most part, you can return items you bought at Disney World.
What to do if you need to return an item you bought at Disney World?
One of the main things that you need to know is that Disney World’s return policies differ depending on the circumstances. For example, returning an item to the park while you’re still at the park is different than if you went home and then tried to return it later. So let’s breakdown a few of these scenarios:
- Can You Return an Item Once You’ve Bought It?
- Can You Return an Item Once You Leave the Park?
- Can You Return an Item From Out of State?
- Can You Return a Broken Item?
- Can You Return Items to a Different Location Than I Bought Them?
Can You Return an Item Once You’ve Bought It?
According to Disney World’s policies, items bought through the Shop Disney Parks can be returned only if they still have all of their tags and are new and remain unopened. Usually, this means that if you have it in your bags at the park and decide to return it before you leave the park that is fine. If you or your kids have already opened the item or have gotten into it, or lost the tags, unfortunately, you are out of luck here.
There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule. The exceptions are:
- Jewelry. If it’s over $150 you can’t return it at all.
- Defective DVDs, blue-rays, audio, video, or games that don’t work are allowed to be returned only for the same exact DVD, blue-ray, audio, video, or game.
Can You Return an Item Once You Leave the Park?
To return an item after you leave the park you need to contact a Disney Cast Member at 1-877-560-6477 or email them at Merchandise.Guest.Services@DisneyParks.com. They will be happy to discuss options on what you would like to do with the item. You also want to have your receipt since those are both needed to return your item.
There is a 30-day return policy which means even worse news than that: if you have had the item for over thirty days, they also will not allow you to return it.
Can You Return an Item From Out of State?
The same number above can be used whether you had it shipped to a Walt Disney World Resort hotel or you’ve gone home already. The cast member can figure out the options based on the type of item, how long it has been and where you purchased the item. Again, make sure to have the receipt handy.
Can You Return a Broken Item?
Unfortunately, their policies say nothing about if an item is broken or damaged for any reason. The assumption is that their first rule still applies; if you have an item for thirty days, it cannot be returned and it can only be returned within that thirty days if it was bought on-site and if it remains unopened. So what do you do if the item you bought from Disney World breaks for any number of reasons? It’s a common problem that happens, so you aren’t alone.
In the event of a broken item, the recommendation is to contact a Disney Cast member using the contact info mentioned above and figure out the options. They are usually really good about fixing broken items and making the best Disney experience.
Can I Return Items to a Different Location Than I Bought Them?
So, can you return items at a different Disney World location than when you bought it? Usually, the answer is no. Shop Disney, for instance, doesn’t accept returns for stuff bought at Disney World as you can see here.
Disney World Parks have unique systems and therefore, you would have to return the item to the Park only or call the numbers associated with that store to assist you in your return or exchange.
Naturally, all of these rules are allowed to be changed by Disney and its employees for any reason they see fit and they have the right to deny anyone any return or exchange for any reason they want. It may not quite be fair, but those are the rules of their return policy.
All in all, the best thing to do when you buy items from Disney World is to make sure its an item you want to have and an item you’re certain you want to purchase.
Can I Specifically Return Shop Disney Items to Disney Store
In general, the answer is no. Shop Disney will, however, take back anything from Shop Disney.
shopDisney.com will gladly exchange, credit or refund the purchase directly from shopDisney.com if returned within 30 days of the shipping date, unless otherwise stated herein
shopdisney.com
What is the Disney Store Return Policy
According to the Disney store website
disneystore.com
Merchandise Returns with ORIGINAL RECEIPT
A full refund will be provided in the same form that was used for the purchase within 30 days of the date of purchase, except as provided below, with cash purchases of Buy In-Store/Ship to Home merchandise.
In Summary
Obviously, you want to try your best to make sure you don’t need to hassle with returns. Especially if you are from out of state and it tricky to get back to the Disney store.
However, in the event that you do need to deal with a return, there are options and usually, all it takes is a phone call.