The company that's made Disney's soap for last 16 years is closing — how to stock up before it's gone
When I think back to certain places my family and I have visited, the sights flood my memory first, but sometimes the smells associated with the place are right behind. This could be scents of the food, the plants, the ocean breeze or even ... more artificial sources like signature lobby scents and soaps.
Speaking of soap, if you've stayed at a Disney hotel or gone on a Disney Cruise anytime since 2006, you've probably used H2O+ branded soaps, lotions and assorted toiletries, whether you knew it or not.
They even have a special line made for Disney's Star Wars hotel. From land to sea (and beyond) over the last 16 years, for countless families — mine included — that very identifiable fresh and relaxing scent has become synonymous with a Disney vacation.
The smell so strongly evokes thoughts of a carefree vacation day, that many a family has either tucked some extras into their luggage to use back at home or even purchased full-sized bottles to use when the 'freebies' from the parks ran dry.
Now, in a move first reported by Michael Aaron from Michael Does Diz that has caught many Disney aficionados off-guard, the H2O+ company has announced that they are shutting down after a 33-year run at the end of the year.
Not only that, but sales on its website are actually already suspended; the website instead points customers to other sites to purchase the remaining inventory.
However, if you want one more round of H2O+, don't worry that you've missed your chance. A Disney spokesperson told TPG that there will be no immediate change of products in the Disney resorts, cruise ships, etc. Plus, there's still a way you can buy some for yourself.
Speaking for my family, during the pandemic, my youngest child started to use this soap at home because it reminded her of Disney. We visit Disney frequently enough that we had some travel-sized soaps and lotions to go through. However, I just panic-bought multiple larger bottles directly from ShopDisney so she will be able to continue to enjoy the soap for quite a bit longer.
Of course, as some of the Disney resorts moved away from single-use toiletries to larger mounted ones, we probably needed to do that anyway; today, though, it became a now-or-maybe-never situation.
We are admittedly a little crazy, so perhaps for casual Disney visitors, this is as interesting as the toilet paper supplier changing (actually, that might be a good thing, come to think of it).
How to purchase Disney H2O+ soap at a discount
For those who associate this particular smell with happy park days, you may want to take advantage of the current 30%-off sale for various H2O+ products on ShopDisney, while supplies last. If you fill a cart with $75 worth of goods, you can use the code SHIPMAGIC for free shipping.
To give a flavor for pricing, a 12-ounce bottle of the body wash used in the resorts is available on sale right now for $17.49.
There's also a travel set with the Disney Cruise Line soaps — which includes shampoo, conditioner, lotion and body wash— available for $17.49.
If you do decide to make a purchase, know that there's also a deal to save 10% on ShopDisney purchases available via Chase Offers on multiple Chase cards (up to a maximum amount). Also, you can start your purchase at Rakuten to get another 10% cash back on ShopDisney.com.
No matter how you get your hands on the Disney versions of H2O+, know that this may very well be the beginning of the end for the line for products that so many of us have integrated into our homes to smile and remember fun vacation days.
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