Shop 'Til You Drop

[MrBrady]

Hello! :wavey:

Not driving in Orlando this year, but still want to do some shopping. Considering booking an excursion with FloridaTix (called 'Shop 'Til You Drop')that will take in Walmart, Premium Outlet Factory Stores and Mall at Millennia over the course of a day.

Not been to any of these stores/malls in Orlando before, typically it's only been the Florida Mall and Belz.

Have any of you done this excursion? Do you recommend the stores/malls that are included?

Interested in any comments. Thanks!

[igoefamily]

hi, i have never done the excursion your talking about as we take a car. But i have been to the premium outlets and the mall at millenia both of which are great for different reasons.
The premium outlets are great for a bargain, really good prices and a great variety of shops to choose from.
The mall at millenia is a gorgeous place to shop although is a bit more pricey than the outlets. But a nice place to shop.
Its a lot to take in all on one day though... you would need plenty of stamina and comfy shoes to do all 3 places.
Good luck though you will have a great time... hope you get some bargains.

[Dopeygirl]

We have never done the excursion but we love the Premium Outlet Stores. You can get some real bargains. We also love Walmart (in fact my husband would spend hours in there if I would let him).

[FLGirl-UKNow]

What about renting a car for just one day? I'd rather go at my own pace and be able to call it a day on my own terms. Shopping can really take it out of you. :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

The Lake Buena Vista outlets have a shuttle service to some of the hotels. Worth checking out if you want to do that outlet.

[MrBrady]

Thanks for all the replies.

We both drive a lot every day so we want to try and avoid it at all costs whilst on holiday, so this seemed the most sensible option. We've talked about how intensive it would be to do this but we just think of it like another theme park, and we both LOVE shopping. My only concern about doing it as an excursion is the time available to us, but we'll just have to make lists and adapt!

[bbabe]

We did a shopping excursion last year with Virgin and we thoroughly enjoyed it :) , it took all the stress out of the day however it is not for you if you do not enjoy being told how long you have in a certain place.
We will definately be doing it again when we go back :grin:

:mickeybou :pd :mickeybou

[janny]

We r planning doing one in September.
It (apparantly) takes in P.O., Florida Mall, Walmart and somewhere else, i forget now!
IMO, it will save us both time and money on getting buses and taxis all over the place.

[MrBrady]

We r planning doing one in September.
It (apparantly) takes in P.O., Florida Mall, Walmart and somewhere else, i forget now!
IMO, it will save us both time and money on getting buses and taxis all over the place.

Who are you booking this with? Please share! Although I've never liked Pointe Orlando! :grin:

[FLGirl-UKNow]

I think PO might be Premium Outlets.

[janny]

Who are you booking this with? Please share! Although I've never liked Pointe Orlando! :grin:

Its Premium Outlets, sorry i shouldve clarified!
Im booking it with Gator Tours. They have loads of pick-up points, but if your hotel isnt one of them, they will fetch you from yours for $10 extra.

[MrBrady]

Well I booked this and we had a great time! It was the most tiring day of our holiday but we bought LOADS - actually we considered we had "won" 'cos of all the people on the coach who had hardly bought anything. Everyone was laughing when we tried to struggle off the coach with all our booty. Premium Outlets was great!

I have to say though that FloridaTix let me down a bit. The listing for this tour on their website was a bit non-specific, so before I booked I sent them an email to ask if there would be a problem picking us up from the Royal Pacific and they said no, pickup is never a problem. So I booked it.

Got the voucher and when we arrived at the RPR I called the office to confirm it all, only to be told that they couldn't possibly pick us up from there - they only pick up from International Drive hotels. I told them that this contradicted what I had been told, and to their credit they did sort it out - after about 20 minutes debating with them they agreed to cover the costs of a taxi to and from the nearest pick up point (the Holiday Inn International on I-Drive).

I emailed FloridaTix to let them know that this had happened and they replied with a very dismissive email that basically said "sorry but you're not getting your money back". I hadn't even asked for any compensation. I told them that I had specifically asked them to let me know if pickup was going to be a problem and they hadn't given me the correct information. They replied again and apologised more formally and agreed to update their website accordingly.

The trip was advertised as an all-you-can-eat breakfast, trip to Premium Outlets, Wal-Mart and the Mall at Millennia.

When we got on the bus the itinerary was World of Denim, Premium Outlets (with a counter-service breakfast included), Lake Buena Vista Outlets or Wal-Mart (your choice) and then the Florida Mall!

So not what I was expecting but the day worked out very well anyway. :D

[smythy21]

were're hiring a cart when we go. my dgf wants to go to florida mall, premium outlets and the prime outlets. i'm dreddin these 3days of shoppin!!!