Which outlet mall???

[the_princess]

I remember there being two big outlets in each end of I-drive. Which one would you recommend? Is it still safe to take the I-trolley there??

[KingofSwing3000]

Premium Outlets at I-Drive (formerly Prime Outlets).
Yes, the trolley is safe.
But truth be told: the outlets are overrated and overpriced.

[rluey29]

I agree. Also there was an article last year stating that most of the merchandise at the outlet malls were made just for the outlets and are lesser quality than what you would find at the regular stores.

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We love the Premium Outlets. We never fail to find a whole host of bargains on our trips (on quality items, too....name brand stuff that would cost us, in some cases, 4 times the amount if purchased at home in Canada).

On our trips, we usually end up going to both locations. The mall closest to Universal (Premium Outlets International Drive) has an Under Armour outlet store, while the one closest to SeaWorld (Premium Outlets Vineland Avenue)does not. The Vineland location has an American Eagle outlet, while the International Drive location does not.

We also always make the drive to the Nike Clearance Outlet in Kissimmee. We stumbled upon this little gem on our August trip, and were amazed at the prices. My DH got a pair of shoes here on our Christmas trip in a size 15 yes, he has big feet!!) for $25 that we saw later that week at the Florida Mall for $115. The exact same shoe.

At Christmas time, at the Vineland Premium Outlets location, we saw little girls' Minnie Mouse dresses at the Disney outlet for substantially less than what they were selling for at the World of Disney store in DTD. And again, it was the exact same dress.

[DOOM1001]

They're now both owned by the same company,have a similar look and design and both have a lot of stores,I think the International Drive location (the one on the north end of I-Drive)is a bit bigger.I think unless you're looking for a certain store visiting either one is fine,if you're looking for a store(s) in particular look up the directory online to see which mall you would prefer.I don't see why taking the trolley would not be safe so go for it.Down here in South Florida we have Sawgrass Mills mall which is the world's biggest outlet mall and is pretty much a bigger indoor version of the two Premium outlets in Orlando,as far as someone saying all these outlets are overrated and overpriced,I mean sure it's not like a flea market but you can definitely find deals if you look in some stores.The one thing missing from the Orlando ones that Sawgrass has are the bigger stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls where you can find tons of deals year round.The Vineland location closer to Disney will be getting an expansion now that they tore down the old Dixie Stampede building.

[the_princess]

Thanks all for your input. Last time I went, which was 4-5 years ago, I remember them being different, but I can't remember which one I liked the most. I remember one of them being outside with pink buildings, I think this one was the one with the best stores, but I guess it doesn't matter now. We will be staying at SW so we might just pick the one closest to that.
I know the prices might be higher then what to expect for an outlet, but if you knew the prices here in Denmark for a lot of these stores, you would understand why I'm excited

[swilshire]

Parking is crazy at both of them. You almost always have to drive around waiting for someone to leave to find a spot. I went to the one on the north end last week and spent a good 30 minutes lurking until I found someone leaving. The one on the south end has a garage which helps, but it's a pretty long walk from the stores.

The Disney Character Warehouses are the only stores I visit regularly. I don't usually find many bargains in the others.

Sheila

[ajrwdwgirl]

Is the Disney outlet store better in either location or are they about the same?

[swilshire]

The Character Warehouse at the north end of the mall is much larger than the other one. I didn't find anything I liked on my recent visit, but I saw some of the same merchandise that was in the other store when I was there about a month prior. I would say they carry a lot of the same stuff.

Sheila

[Bella the Ball 360]

The one near Sea World has a Vera Bradely and the one at the other end does not. NO matter what anyone says, this place TRULY is an outlet and has fantastic prices if you are into this stuff. I purchase gifts for Chirstmas (I have one near where I live) and if you sign up on their website, they will send you a gc on your birthday for 20 and one six months later for 20 NO STRINGS ATTACHED. If you shop at the outlet, buy from their clearance and get the additional discount (between 20 and 40 % depending on the day) you can sometimes walk out with two items for a total out of pocket 15.00! also when you sign up, you get a coupon for 20 off 75 which you can use in conjunction with the birthday coupon because there is no expiration date.

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by swilshire

Parking is crazy at both of them. You almost always have to drive around waiting for someone to leave to find a spot.

Parking has been a lot better at the Apopka-Vineland (south) one since they built a garage in back--however, you have to know to drive around behind the mall to find it, the signage could be bigger/clearer.

[jeff968]

The third outlet mall is the Lake Buena Vista outlet on 535. Not as fancy as the others but still deals to be had. My wife really likes the Victoria Secret outlet at the Northern I-drive outlet mall.

[ain0004]

We prefer the outlet near Universal area. The disney outlet actually had good items. I was much colder than predicted in our visit this past Nov. The WDW sweatshirts nicely priced at outlet store. I got a sweatshirt with tshirst for 25.00. The kids sweat shirts were only 8.99. Plus you can use your gift cards and disney rewards cards there!

[disneyshan]

I like both of them for different reasons. I'd pick International Drive for most things, however it is further away from Disney and it doesn't have a Gap Kids (which is important to me). It's hit or miss, really. Sometimes I find so much stuff I have to pick and choose to get it home. Sometimes I only find one or two things. If you have children, it's worth it to hit up the disney outlets and get some deals.

[the_princess]

Since we will be staying right next to SW, I think we will take the Premium on Vineland.