Are the Iconic Plastic Shopping Bags GONE from Disney World? Here’s What We Know

Back in mid-September 2022, we noticed that something strange was disappearing from Disney World…

No, it wasn’t a snack, a character, or a form of entertainment. It was…plastic bags! You know the ones we’re talking about — those (usually) blue Disney-themed plastic bags that you typically get with every purchase in the parks. You’ve probably got 30 of them stuffed in a plastic bag holder or kitchen drawer somewhere, just like we do! But soon, some of those could become collector’s items because the plastic bag situation is CHANGING.

Over the past several days, we’ve noticed that small Disney-themed plastic bags have been unavailable at many merchandise spots in Disney World. Here’s what we know so far:

Magic Kingdom

At Magic Kingdom, we spoke with a Cast Member at Uptown Jewelers who said they had removed all of the small plastic bags from the store. Instead of waiting until they had run out, these were actually just pulled and were no longer being made available to guests.

According to some Cast Members we spoke to, small plastic bags have actually been REMOVED throughout all of Magic Kingdom. They did not technically run out of the bags, but instead, it seems they were removed from all stores.

Does that mean there aren’t ANY bags available at all? Not quite. You can (if you want) purchase reusable bags at most of the stores, and they have been discounted slightly in price. The small bag is now $1 and the medium is $1.50.

At Bonjour! Village Gifts, we found that small plastic bags had also been removed from there and they only had reusable ones available.

One Cast Member we spoke to shared that they believe this change has been made throughout Disney World, so we went to investigate.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

At Animal Kingdom, we stopped by Discovery Trading and also found that Disney had pulled all small plastic shopping bags from that store as well.

But reusable bags were available.

The reusable plastic bags have similarly received a discount here.

So if you’ll be purchasing Disney items and want a small bag, this is an option you could look into when in the parks.

EPCOT

At the Creations Shop, we found that they were using the last of their small plastic bags for those who were utilizing Mobile Merchandise Checkout.

We also spotted plastic bags at the Treasures of Xandar gift shop (attached to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) at the Mobile Checkout stand.

Disney Resorts

At the Fantasia gift shop in Disney’s Contemporary Resort, a Cast Member said that they had been instructed to remove the small plastic bags and “return them.”

At Curiouser Clothiers at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, however, we found that there were some small plastic bags still available.

They also had reusable ones available with updated pricing on the signs.

So it seems that this situation can vary depending on the store, park, or resort.

Overall

From what we’re seeing, small plastic bags are generally being removed from many Disney merchandise spots. That means, if you go to buy a few items, you might not receive a small Disney-themed plastic bag to hold them in. But you may buy a reusable bag for $1 (or slightly more depending on the size you need/want).

If you want to avoid paying for a reusable bag in Disney, you could consider buying some reusable bags online and bringing them to the parks with you. Pricing can vary but you can get this pack of 6 for $15.19 on Amazon right now (which is more than what you’d pay for individual small or medium Disney bags, but the convenience of having them with you might be a bonus).

Disney has not yet made any kind of official announcement regarding the removal of these plastic bags, but this post reflects what we’re seeing in the parks and what Cast Members have discussed with us.

One of Disney’s sustainability goals is to reduce waste, and they’ve also been working to make lower-impact products with plastic-free packaging. We’ve seen plastic straws removed from most park locations, so the removal of small plastic bags could be another measure meant to further these goals.

We’ll keep an eye out for more details and let you know what we find.

For more Disney World updates, check out our posts below.

And stay tuned for more Disney news.

Would you buy a reusable Disney bag to hold your items? Tell us in the comments.

Comments (7)