1. Pressed pennies and quarters
A long-standing souvenir idea that never goes out of style, I think pressed coins have been a staple of the Disney parks from nearly the very beginning. While some kids today might have no idea what these are, you can find penny and quarter pressing stations scattered through the Disney parks and resorts at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, featuring various characters and designs unique to their location. Some are even seasonal! Whether you chose to keep them in an official Disney Parks coin book or store them in your own way, these souvenirs are great because they're inexpensive ($0.51 for a pressed penny and $0.75 for a pressed quarter, most often) and also create an additional fun activity/game of trying to find as many stations as you can! 2. Magnets I feel like we all know at least one family that has a refrigerator magnet to commemorate each and every vacation, Disney or otherwise, that they took. Whether they live on the main kitchen fridge, on the rumpus room mini fridge, or in the garage, magnets are fairly inexpensive souvenirs that also act as great conversation starters. They can feature your favorite character, the year you visited, the park's icon - You name it! And what's great too is these can be found literally all around the Disney parks, including the resorts. 3. Buttons and stickers While I don't mean Disney's official trading pins (they will most definitely break the bank), you can find free buttons and stickers all around the Disney parks! And if you're still not sure what I mean when I say buttons, these are the over-sized pins that feature specific celebrations like a first visit, birthday, engagement, etc. You can oftentimes get them from Cast Members inside any gift shop, at hotel front desks, or at the parks' Guest Services locations. But there are some special ones that can be found if you look hard as well, like the 25th anniversary Marathon Weekend buttons we got in Disney Springs on a recent trip, or the Galactic Hero buttons you can get at Space Ranger Spin if you max out your score. And as for stickers, these are usually handed out by Cast Members around parade/show times or during other magical moments. I've seen all kinds of stickers in the past, including those featuring the ever-reverent Mickey Mouse! 4. FastPass and fortune cards This one is more specific to the Disneyland Resort, but I find saving paper FastPass cards and fortune cards are easy and fun ways to remember fun moments in the parks (The FastPass cards especially, as they note the day you actually visited). You could even put these into a photo album alongside your pictures, if you're one who still puts together physical photo albums. The fortune cards can be found on Main Street USA in the Penny Arcade, in Adventureland at the gift shop across from Jungle Cruise, and in New Orleans Square near the Pieces of Eight gift shop. Each fortune teller has their own fun personality and shtick, and their cards are a very inexpensive souvenir at only $0.25 each! 5. Character autographs and photos Photos with your favorite Disney characters are a must-do when visiting the parks! Whether you meet them during a special character meal, in a specific greeting setting like Town Square Theater, or out and about in an unscheduled meet and greet location, you can always get your photo taken for free with your own camera - No PhotoPass package required! And even if you don't use an official Disney Parks autograph book, the characters are usually more than willing to give you their autograph in your own book, on a special clothing item, etc. Check out my previous post on tips for meeting characters here: https://haleighsonceuponablog.weebly.com/blog-posts/meeting-disney-characters-tips-and-advice. And if the character you're meeting can't sign autographs for any reason, ask their Attendant or PhotoPass photographer if they have an autograph card they signed ahead of time - Again, totally free and a great souvenir to include with your picture in that photo album! 6. Postcards This one might date myself a little bit, but they're still sold in the parks! Postcards are another great, inexpensive way to remember a Disney vacation. You don't necessarily have to send them out, but rather you can collect them to include in a display at work, school, or home. These can also make great additions to photo albums with character photos and autographs. They're usually pretty easy to find too, most often in traditional gift shops around the parks and resorts. And while there are a few standard ones for Disneyland and Walt Disney World you'll see everywhere, you can usually find some specialty ones unique to your resort, favorite character, or the current season! 7. Seasonal maps and times guides And speaking of seasonality, specialty park maps and times guides are free and available around every corner if you're visiting the parks during a special time of year or for a special event. My favorites include the maps for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and times guides for Festival of the Holidays at Epcot. Additional tip: Grab a few copies when you see them, and designate one you're actually going to use for the day/night that can get crumpled and handled while keeping others tucked away to stay clean and unscathed as the souvenirs. Bonus tip: If you speak any additional languages, grab a map or times guide in that language if available! 8. Kids jewelry This one is more one for the ladies, but I find the jewelry that's specifically marketed for kids/placed in the kids section of gift shops is cuter and much more affordable than most of the adult jewelry. Some notable favorites: All of the birthstone earrings! I have two piercings in each of my ears and find the kids birthstone Mickey earrings are the perfect size (and price!) for my second hole on the smaller part of my earlobe. While my birthday is in May and I do have the corresponding emerald pair, I've also got a few other colors to go with different outfits. You can oftentimes find initial jewelry as well, and I think the customizable charm bracelets are fun when you want a less-sophisticated look than what a Pandora bracelet would provide. 9. Mickey straws In continuing with the kid theme, at most quick service dining locations you can find Mickey-shaped straws to bring a little bit of fun to your beverage! Available in a ton of colors, these are usually around $0.69-$0.99 when you add them to a fountain drink, and you can take them home to reuse when you need a Disney pick-me-up after your trip. And they're totally Instagrammable as well, especially if you can get a shot of your fun drink in front of one of Disney's famous walls (looking at you, Magic Kingdom Purple Wall!). 10. Graphic tees For this last one, I can just never say no to a cute graphic t-shirt. Usually on promo when you buy more than one, these are a staple of any Disney gift shop and can feature your favorite attraction, the year/season you visited, your favorite characters, and more. My go-to is the classic Mickey tee for Disneyland or Walt Disney World, in which you can often find in a few different colors and tie dye. Usually not very ornate or detailed, but easy to wear and much easier on your wallet. While a trip to the Disney parks can take some time to save up for, you don't want to forget budgeting for a few souvenirs to commemorate the experience. And while there are some big-ticket items that might cost more than we want to spend on them, there are tons of free or low-cost goodies to bring home that are just as fun! I hope this list of my favorites gave you a few new ideas and things to look out for on your next visit to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Have favorites of your own not mentioned here? Be sure to tell me in the comments below! Until the next post, see ya real soon!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About MeA twenty-something alumni of the Disney College Program looking to help others plan the Disney vacations of their dreams! Living that Disneyland AP dream in SoCal. Archives
February 2018
Categories
All
|