I'm not much for souvenirs, convert me!

[Dallas_Lady]

No need to be converted. Enjoy the money you're saving.

Ditto.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Eh, I really wouldn't ask to be converted. In 4 trips, I've gotten two souveniers for myself...a keychain (that broke the first week home) and a coffee mug. I prefer pictures over stuff.

 

[angierae]

I buy things I can use, rather than decorative things. Pens, I bought a watch, DD bought a cute Aerosmith-themed skirt, we've bought dishes, etc. I'm not one for trinkets.

 

[kaylasmom07]

Growing up we never bought souvenirs in the parks. My parents kind of instilled in me that it was all too expensive and almost silly to buy it there when you can get the same type of things at a discount store like a Walmart for way less.

It wasn't until I went on a trip to Disney with my bestfriend and her family as a teenager that I saw that people actually do buy things from the theme park gifts shops...and they bought ALOT!

Now as an adult I still feel a little guilty if I buy something over priced in the gift shops. I rationalize it that the things I do buy are usually only found at the park and/or of better quality than I could find at Walmart. I usually get a photo frame (I get one on every trip I take) and I let the kids pick one thing each they want to buy. My husband isn't much for spending money, so more than likely he won't get anything.

 

[DaisyD3]

I tend to be very conservative with souvenir purchases as I don't like filling my house full of "stuff", but I definitely do like spending time picking something out that is meaningful and will remind me of our trip when we come home. When I travel somewhere, including Disney, I try to think if there is something that I need that is somewhat practical, but also would remind me of where we are traveling. For example, I purchased a nice wood cutting board several years back at Disney and use it to this day! If I can't think of anything practical, I think about whether I might like some new earrings or scarf or something that I would use or wear on a regular basis. I generally stay away from buying souvenirs that I'm not sure I'd care about once we leave Disney, like t-shirts as I'm just not a t-shirt person. Admittedly, I DO own a Mickey hat and will wear it again once back in Disney! In our family, we also collect refrigerator magnets from the various place we visit. They are small, inexpensive and part of a thoughtful tradition. Not as regularly, but we also do the same with Christmas ornaments.

 

[sharadoc]

We buy a fridge magnet with the year on it, DD collects vinylmations and always gets new ears. We'll look at the "purchase with purchase" stuff, we've gotten good tote bags and a Christmas Icicle lights castle blanket. Beach towels too, we use them for our trips.

That's pretty much it for us.

 

[brown2mj]

We get a Christmas ornament every vacation we go on (even non-Disney ones) and it's so much fun to decorate our tree and talk about our vacations

 

[f15robyn]

We both work in places where we often wear golf shirts (short sleeve collared shirts). So that's what we get as souvenirs. I got back Monday night and am having a hard time moving back into the real world. So I've worn a different Disney golf shirt for the last three days.

As for pins, we try to be good about only buying pins for special events. So it was F&W this trip and I managed to keep it to one. But I bought all of the F&G pins last May. And last October we did both MNSSHP and MHP in Disneyland and we bought way too many pins.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

My souvenir buying breaks into a couple of categories - for me, for family, and for friends.

Things I buy for me are pins because I like to trade, so I pick up usually 2 each trip, 1 as a souvenir and 1 to trade. Next trip I may trade the one I kept, but that keeps my collection growing. The other things I get for myself are the Mickey anntenna toppers - I rotate them out during the year, and I've had a few of them "disappear" mysteriously. And beach towels - I use them for bath towels and beach towels. They help remind me of the trips and places I've been, and last a lot longer than t-shirts. The "dust catcher" collection I have is refridgerator magnets - I try to find one that has where I am visiting with a thermometer on it. Those tend to be common enough to be found, yet rare enough I have to look.

For family, I try to pick them up 1 thing that I feel they will like - for my nephew on the drum line, I got him a set of Expedition Everest drum sticks. They don't get something every trip, but when I do find something I try to make it memorable and useful.

For friends, if I spend more than $2 on you, it's because you sent money and asked for something specific. I try for the utility gifts, though, so I'll get a pack of Disney pens and share them out among everyone.

That's just me, you may like your friends more than I like mine.

It seems like Disney has gotten wise to this. the last time I looked to buy inexpensive stuff to bring home, there was FAR less than there used to be.
Items that SHOULD be in the $2 range are now more often $5-10. Like a simple toothbrush, bar of soap, pencil, erasers.

We have cut WAY back on the items we buy. The items offered nowadays just aren't any where near as nice or as interesting as what WDW offered ten years ago.

I see no reason to try to convert you. Once upon a time, there were many great choices, now, not so much.

The best remaining choices are inexpensive items in the World Showcase...then again...look carefully. No matter what country you are in, the merchandise often says, "Made in China." Our best bet has always been Japan. They have interesting items that are actually educational and/or useful.

Another small category we still cling to is food. We often bring home a small box of cookies or candy. Japan has some fun candy/food treats. If you are on DDP, you an use snack credits.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

The only souvenir we always get on vacation is a Christmas ornament. Then, every year when we decorate the trees (one is entirely a Disney tree) and pull out the ornaments, we reminisce about all the places we've been together and talk about all the places we want to go. We always find one or two ornaments we've totally forgotten that we bought and they always bring a smile to our faces.

 

[Nature Mom]

We aren't much for souvenirs either and have come home without buying anything before, where other times we find a lot of things we like. We don't like a lot of 'kitschy' things and I have more dust collectors than I need, so we try to look for things we can use. I have never let my kids buy anything in the beginning and now it has become our routine to spend our last night or morning shopping if there was something we saw earlier that we know we MUST take home. This has helped the kids (and my wallet) so much by thinking over it instead of buying it then and there but finding out at home we could have lived without it afterall.

There have been a few exceptions to this rule, though. Once in AK, I was browsing in the Yak & Yeti gift shop and came across a pair of large, cement Asian figures, a man and a woman. They had been marked down from $40 each to $9. They were big and heavy and I was very thankful for resort delivery but I had to have them then and there because I knew how good they would go in my house and there were only three pair (and I had picked the ones I thought looked the best, lol). Because my purchase was over a certain amount, I was able to buy a small one person tea cup and pot set for $4. The Asian figures sit on my hearth, I see them every day and that teapot gets used daily. They both fit into my home and life but also remind me of my favorite park. Those are the kind of souvenirs I go for.

 

[mumzie2three]

The best thing I ever bought while at Disney was my stitch pillow pet! I love him! He goes on every long car ride and trip.. Including Disney a couple of times I also use him every night.

My son loves Stitch. Do you remember where and how much for the pillow pet?

 

[Woodmnky]

I'm not big on souvenirs either. I buy a magnet at each new destination we travel to and those decorate my fridge. I occaisionally will buy something to decorate our mantle, but these are things that call to me rather than just something I bought to say that I bought it. On our honeymoon to WDW I bought a nice Princess/Wedding Cake snowglobe that sits on our piano. I do take a lot of pictures, so on our cruises I have bought photo albums to keep the pics in.

For DS I generally pick him up a new t-shirt and then I keep them when he outgrows them to eventually make into a t-shirt quilt.

 

[f15robyn]

Once in AK, I was browsing in the Yak & Yeti gift shop

Umm - what Yak & Yeti gift shop? This is one of our favorite restaurants. And if they sell golf shirts, I want one.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

Every trip we buy the big, glass Mickey shaped Christmas ornaments and have them personalized for our children. We usually get a light up toy of some sort for the parades at night. We always buy a pin from the resort we stay at and at new rides we ride. If there are any cool Limited Edition pins, we buy those, too. I love a great big beach towel, so if I come across any of those, I will buy 2. I also love the bath products at Basin (do they still have that store?) and at the Polynesian gift shop. The last two times we have gone to WDW, we buy one of those reusable shopping bags that cost about $2-3. All of our purchases can go in there plus snacks, etc. and it saves the over use of the plastic bags in the stores.

LOL, when I started thinking about this, I didn't think we bought much. After starting this list, clearly we do! Oh well--we love everything we bring home with us!!

 

[southernprincess1]

I buy a charm for my Pandora bracelet. I wear my bracelet everyday and I love to look down and see Mickey and Minnie. They are not pandora brand, but they fit. Camilia brand think?

We also buy a dated Christmas ornament. My boys usually pick out a t shirt. I also buy a pin from the resort where we stay. I use them as pushpins on our bulletin board in our classroom.

 

[me23xx]

Oh my goodness...........

erm... I think I may have a problem,
right now im already planning what souvenirs im buying
balloons, soft toys, pens, clothes, cups, jewellery...... I want it all

My last trip to Disneyland Paris I thought I did amazing, I only got
a teapot, a plate, a teddy, a snow globe (I collect them), a photo, a tshirt, a balloon, pens, teatowels, necklace....

im beginning to realise I may have a problem looking through this board!

 

[fabulousfive]

Oh my goodness...........

erm... I think I may have a problem,
right now im already planning what souvenirs im buying
balloons, soft toys, pens, clothes, cups, jewellery...... I want it all

My last trip to Disneyland Paris I thought I did amazing, I only got
a teapot, a plate, a teddy, a snow globe (I collect them), a photo, a tshirt, a balloon, pens, teatowels, necklace....

im beginning to realise I may have a problem looking through this board!

Speaking of balloons....do you need cash on Main Street to get those? How much are they? Seems fun, but also like a pain to carry around. Interested though...

 

[me23xx]

Ive only bought them in paris and there yes you need cash I think they were around 8euros, so maybe $10, id buy it towards the end of the day and keep it in the hotel room for the holiday

 

[fabulousfive]

Ive only bought them in paris and there yes you need cash I think they were around 8euros, so maybe $10, id buy it towards the end of the day and keep it in the hotel room for the holiday

Thanks for the info & tip!