Travel Report: Visiting Disney Store in Times Square
Guests will find Disney merchandise aplenty at the Disney Store in Times Square, but the shop is just that: a store, not an attraction.
The Disney Store is located at 1540 Broadway, in the heart of Times Square in New York City. This location opened in 2010 and sells merchandise connected to all things Disney, from movies to theme parks.
If you visited NYC several decades ago and remember a Disney retail location as part of your travels, that was World of Disney on Fifth Avenue, which closed in 2009. Disney Store in Times Square is more of a straightforward store compared to the defunct World of Disney’s experiential offerings.
What Merch Does Disney Store in NYC Sell?
Most major Disney brands are represented across various types of merchandise in Times Square’s Disney Store with Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters featured on apparel, toys, home décor, costumes, and collectors’ items.
You’ll find merch representing classic characters, like Mickey and the gang or the Disney Princesses, as well as items and displays hailing the newest Disney releases (which during my visit was the animated film “Wish”).
Glancing around the store, it seemed to me that most of the location’s inventory draws from the same merchandise lines found elsewhere at Disney theme parks and through Disney Store at large (formerly shopDisney). These include special collections, like the Disney100 Unified Characters collection and the live-action “Little Mermaid” collection.
Notably, this means many of these items can also be found in Disney Store’s online catalog, so if you see something you want to purchase, check online before needing to buy more luggage to accommodate your souvenirs.
I was surprised to see not just generic character items that the theme parks happen to sell (like, say, a Mirabel doll or a Stormtrooper mug), but specific theme park-branded merchandise. During my October visit, guests entering the store were immediately greeted by a huge display of Walt Disney World’s Halloween merchandise collection, including many items that clearly displayed the words “Walt Disney World.”
On one hand, this means visitors “homesick” for Disney World can get a quick fix in New York; on the other hand, this also means there are very few exclusive items at this location.
The only-in-NYC selection of merchandise, while sparse, is cute. Most of the exclusives feature Mickey or Minnie (the latter usually dressed as the Statue of Liberty). Some, but not all, of these items are available online (like a sweatshirt, t-shirt, and Loungefly mini-backpack).
The variety and scope of characters and items throughout Disney Store in Times Square is similar to what you might find in any Disney resort hotel gift shop. Take a look at our video from the newly-opened “Stor•E” gift shop at Pixar Place Hotel in California and you’ll get the idea.
Is There Anything to Do At The Disney Store in Times Square?
The Disney Store in Time Square favors the muted, semi-minimalist vibe of its nationwide counterparts of the 2010s decade more than the loud, unashamedly “DISNEY!” vibe of the Disney Stores of the ’90s. That being said, this is still Disney, so the shop’s aesthetic is decidedly whimsical, on par with other tourist-focused locations nearby (like the M&M’s store up the street, for instance).
Lanterns reminiscent of “Tangled” hang from the ceiling above the escalator and a castle-like gazebo upstairs is certainly an ideal place to try on a princess tiara.
Disney music plays in the background, and the playlist includes some deep cuts. I laughed upon entering the store to the tune of “Hellfire” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” a seasonally appropriate song for my Halloween weekend visit, but likely confusing to guests with no context.
The now-defunct World of Disney location on Fifth Avenue featured daily appearances by Disney characters (like, as in, the legitimate walk-around stars from the parks) and princess training, among other experiences that added reasons to seek it out. Conversely, Disney Store in Times Square is a store, plain and simple, with no theme park-like experiences to speak of.
Is This the Last Disney Store?
Disney Store in NYC is not the final operating location of the Disney Store brand, but it’s among a few survivors of what was once a thriving enterprise of 747 stores at its peak in 1999.
Today, there are 21 Disney Store locations in the United States (most of them outlets) and a few others in countries like Japan and the United Kingdom, totaling 64 worldwide locations, according to Forbes. This, of course, does not include gift shops inside Disney theme parks or resorts.
Is Disney Store in NYC Worth Visiting?
Ultimately, if you’re a Disney fan and you’re already in Times Square, it’s worth popping into the Disney Store for the novelty of it all. However, since most of the merchandise is available online, and there’s not much else to do inside, I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to prioritize a visit.
More New York City Attractions
Planning a trip to New York City? Check out our previous coverage of other activities in the Big Apple, including tips for getting “Saturday Night Live” tickets (plus a peek inside Studio 8H), a review of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway, and a report from Top of the Rock.
As for more Disney attractions in the city: “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” continue to perform on Broadway stages, while “Good Morning America” broadcasts from ABC’s studio in Times Square. Disney Cruise Line ships also occasionally make port in New York City (most recently November 2023), but none currently do so at the time of this writing.
Learn more about a map of top New York City attractions here.
