Souvenir Buying... What Are Your Automatic Must-Purchases / Plans?

[Overexcited]

Usually a sweatshirt or hoodie and hats for the kids and husband. I tend to steer clear of anything with the year on it.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

I usually purchase some lounge pants and a Disney Pandora charm. On my upcoming trip I may splurge on the Vera Bradley Disney bag - the black and white one. Can't decide on whether I should get the crossbody or the tote.

 

[linzbear]

Always get an ornament, t-shirt, and pin. Sometimes get more than one, sometimes get a Vera or D&B, and last trip I got a scarf and earrings and I think I'll do that again - subtlety Disney

 

[bookgirl]

"Tragic car wash experience." lol.

My parent's borrowed my car and my mom went to wash it since it was very dusty/muddy. Next thing you know Mickey in the yellow slicker is no where to be found. She actually got them to go LOOK for it, in the carwash channels. At least he was prepared for wet weather.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

My parent's borrowed my car and my mom went to wash it since it was very dusty/muddy. Next thing you know Mickey in the yellow slicker is no where to be found. She actually got them to go LOOK for it, in the carwash channels. At least he was prepared for wet weather.

lol.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Hmm. I'm not a big shopper, even at Disney. I buy at least one new set of Minnie Mouse ears every trip. That's really my only "auto-must."

My personal Disney vacation auto-musts are more experiences than things... I'd rather splurge on silly stuff like facepainting and cocktails. If they let 34-year-olds do the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I'd be all over that.

But all that being said, I do buy a few things to bring home as momentos too! I'm usually drawn to jewelry, but the inexpensive stuff. I'm not a Pandora girl or anything. (I did buy a gorgeous tiara at Arribas Bros last year, though!) I usually buy myself a nice picture frame or two, also. On this upcoming trip, I might spend a little extra time in Art of Disney, as I have an empty wall in my living room that needs some love. I might pay a bit closer attention to the dishes and other kitchenware this time, too.

To be honest, I really enjoy just "window shopping." I love to just browse and look at all the neat STUFF. I don't often pull the trigger, though. It's not that I'm super frugal while on vacation, but if I can't think of practical use for it once I get home, I'm hard-pressed to make a purchase. My kitchen is full of mugs and water bottles, I'm not a hat person, I'm happy with my current keychain, I already have a Minnie Mouse antenna topper, I'm a bit too Pooh-sized for their t-shirts, I adore Disney plushies but I just don't have room or use for them in my apartment, I live alone and I don't mess with the hassle of a Christmas tree just for myself, I'm not a collector of trading pins or pressed pennies, etc.

But none of that prevents me from having fun with admiring these things in the stores and going "Ooooh, that's niiiice!" ...Then leaving to buy a Dole Whip.

Oh, I understand you completely Elevationist!

I agree that there are certain experiences that are a must for me. First is that I must do MK as my first park. Then once there my entry ritual is a MUST:
I must go to CITY HALL first for Disney Dollars and then I must do the railroad. Once off of the train I start at The Emporium and very slowly window shop up Main Street. There is nothing like my slow Window Shopping tour up Main Street, USA. So I understand you completely!
Then I veer right to Tomorrowland to get on Space Mountain. Space Mountain may not be happening first this year because Disney has me locked into fastpass times. But I will still go to Space Mountain and if the line is not long it will still be my first ride!

I Gotcha here!

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Usually a sweatshirt or hoodie and hats for the kids and husband. I tend to steer clear of anything with the year on it.

No dated stuff! Gasp! You are utterly humble. I like to show off my year! God Love ya!

 

[HWKI2]

We always get a Pin with the year on it. Normally one with Mickey Mouse. We started that 12 years ago and haven't missed a year since

Hello Fellow Disney Nerds!:

Just wondering about the habits of other people. What are your Auto Musts with regard to souvenirs for your trip? Your Automatic Purchases sight unseen that you know you always pick up when you go to WDW.

I am one of those people who likes to watch the Disney Haul Videos on You Tube to see what people purchased and how much it costs. It was via those videos that I found out about the Disney Outlet Store (you can catch a bus from DTD that will take you there. There are two of them). I am not sure if I am going or not - but at least I have notes on how to get there. It's my understanding that the prices are considerably less than at the parks.

Anyway my Auto Musts for for Disney (or other vacation spots) are:

Resort Baseball Cap (Presuming they have one) I'm at POP for this first time.
Disney Parks 2015 Baseball Cap
Disney Parks 2015 Tee
Resort Coffee Mug
Resort Water Bottle
Resort Tee
Resort and Park Trinkets like Magnets, Key Chains, Disney (Post-it type)Note Pads
New Mini Ears
Disney Dollars
Post Cards (just as a souvenir - not to use)
Pressed Pennies

Other plans for:
A Tote bag.
A music box (if I find one that really moves me)
A nice picture frame
Pearl from Japan / Epcot to make into a solitaire ring.
Something for the kitchen.
ChopSticks from Japan / Epcot.

From there I will be careful as I see items that really grab me. If there are stocks and stocks of them I will wait it out until the end of the day and call another location to make sure they have it. Meaning - if I see it at WORLD OF DISNEY... I will call EMPORIUM to see if they have it. I know that items can suddenly be gone and that the rule is to pick it up when you see it. So if I know my wallet is really awesome... I'm going to grab it and have it delivered to my room. The reason for not always buying TOO quickly is to make sure I shop around at other stores because in my travels there may be something else that may be far more appealing to me. I'd rather at least wait until the end of the day, and / or if it isn't that pricey I will just purchase it when I see it.

Just wondering what the Auto purchases are for others! Please Share! (*_*)

 

[Satchmo128]

I get a new coffee mug every trip and this year I am looking forward to picking up one of the Disney Starbucks You Are Here mugs when we are in Disneyland. Also, love the Disney parks Alex & Ani bracelets. I have CA Adventure and Hollywood Studios. Going to pick up Disneyland park this year, too. Sometimes I will pick up a new keychain or car accessory. DH usually gets a t-shirt or a sweatshirt.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Always get an ornament, t-shirt, and pin. Sometimes get more than one, sometimes get a Vera or D&B, and last trip I got a scarf and earrings and I think I'll do that again - subtlety Disney

Man, those ornaments are the hands down winner! I would have thought it would be T-Shirts.

 

[ldymcbth]

We always get an ornament, a magnet, and usually an antenna topper. Other than that, the kids usually have Disney gift cards and buy themselves something - you never know what it's going to be! This is my first time going with a Pandora bracelet, so I'm interested in looking at my options even though I am generally more likely to buy the cheap Kohls version!

 

[LadyDiznee123]

We always get an ornament, a magnet, and usually an antenna topper. Other than that, the kids usually have Disney gift cards and buy themselves something - you never know what it's going to be! This is my first time going with a Pandora bracelet, so I'm interested in looking at my options even though I am generally more likely to buy the cheap Kohls version!

Those ornaments again.

When I was thinking about the charms I too was going to do the cheaper version. but the thing is that in general this was going to be a hobby / collection for and I went with the cheaper collection hobbie..... The Pressed Pennies.

 

[bookgirl]

I get a new coffee mug every trip and this year I am looking forward to picking up one of the Disney Starbucks You Are Here mugs when we are in Disneyland. Also, love the Disney parks Alex & Ani bracelets. I have CA Adventure and Hollywood Studios. Going to pick up Disneyland park this year, too. Sometimes I will pick up a new keychain or car accessory. DH usually gets a t-shirt or a sweatshirt.

Oh forgot the Starbucks mugs.

I have the two originals from MK and Epcot and picked up DL and CA. Adventure in May so DHS and AK will be a must buy.

 

[Agent 86]

Cool thread.

My must haves, if I can find them, are:

- baseball cap or another hat (preferably with Mickey Ears on them);
- park-specific t-shirt (preferably with a plain/simple design);
- park-specific snow globe (still missing one for Tokyo Disney as they just don't seem to make snow globes);
- some kind of functional or purpose-specific home ware item, whether a photo frame, dinner plates, drinking glasses, throw pillow or something else.

That's about it.

 

[nanalisa]

I usually get a Disney Pandora charm and personalized Christmas ornaments. I scour the watch counters in every store. I lost my favorite Minnie watch at WDW in 2010 and I keep hoping I'll find one like it some day. That will be an on-the-spot purchase.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Hmm. I'm not a big shopper, even at Disney. I buy at least one new set of Minnie Mouse ears every trip. That's really my only "auto-must."

My personal Disney vacation auto-musts are more experiences than things... I'd rather splurge on silly stuff like facepainting and cocktails. If they let 34-year-olds do the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I'd be all over that.

But all that being said, I do buy a few things to bring home as momentos too! I'm usually drawn to jewelry, but the inexpensive stuff. I'm not a Pandora girl or anything. (I did buy a gorgeous tiara at Arribas Bros last year, though!) I usually buy myself a nice picture frame or two, also. On this upcoming trip, I might spend a little extra time in Art of Disney, as I have an empty wall in my living room that needs some love. I might pay a bit closer attention to the dishes and other kitchenware this time, too.

To be honest, I really enjoy just "window shopping." I love to just browse and look at all the neat STUFF. I don't often pull the trigger, though. It's not that I'm super frugal while on vacation, but if I can't think of practical use for it once I get home, I'm hard-pressed to make a purchase. My kitchen is full of mugs and water bottles, I'm not a hat person, I'm happy with my current keychain, I already have a Minnie Mouse antenna topper, I'm a bit too Pooh-sized for their t-shirts, I adore Disney plushies but I just don't have room or use for them in my apartment, I live alone and I don't mess with the hassle of a Christmas tree just for myself, I'm not a collector of trading pins or pressed pennies, etc.

But none of that prevents me from having fun with admiring these things in the stores and going "Ooooh, that's niiiice!" ...Then leaving to buy a Dole Whip.

I agree. For myself, I'd rather spend on experiences (maybe a spa trip or an extra day or a nice dinner) than stuff since I've been trying to KonMari our apartment and don't need more things! But last trip was DS's bday and this upcoming trip is Xmas, so some shopping is bound to happen. Likely a plush or two for DS and I like to get him melamine plates and cups since that's an everyday useful thing. My mom will probably love strolling around the shops in World Showcase (while we ply DS with toys and snacks), and I'm hoping to find some kitchen stuff there, like maybe a tagine pot in Morocco.

 

[tjcrabb]

I bought so much on our last trip in October I'm going to be more picky this time. I also look at Youtube hauls for ideas. So far, I'm interested in the Pandora princess ring, Starbuck mugs, Chip mug and maybe a Winnie the Pooh large tsum tsum but I can also get it at the local Disney store, so it's not a must.

I have never heard of the pandora princess ring, I had to look it up. It is very pretty, I will have to check it out

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

A usually get a souvenir cup (I'm a bit obsessed) and a PJ shirt.

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

Must haves:

We buy several ornaments for our Disney tree.
We also buy pins for me to trade and limited edition pins to save (hubby seems to like finding these).
Ummm, pretty much anything else that catches the eye

My husband doesn't really buy much for himself, but he treats me very well (he's a keeper). I hope he buys a sword from Japan this time. He always looks and comments, but never gets one.

 

[kpearl]

my DF and I always buy an ornament and have it personalized. we also like to pick up other christmas themed items. last year we purchased one and had the date we were engaged written on it (engaged in june & trip was in november) and we also got a tree skirt. this year we didn't get to go with our family, but they still brought back a personalized ornament for us i swear, i'm going to eventually have a WDW christmas tree the way we're going!

i also like to get an alex and ani when i'm down there. so far i have jack skellington, cinderella's glass slipper, and the lion king hakuna mutata.