Hints for CM Lanyard series?

[lindamg]

Hi folks,

I have a small collection of pins, and I've never traded with a person besides my best friend! Keeping that in mind, I'd really like to find some of the CM lanyard pins when I go to WDW in a couple of weeks. (My best friend has offered me several of them, but I keep telling her I want them because I found them MYSELF!) Do you have any hints for a newbie on where is the best place to find these pins? Can you find them outside of the parks? I'm staying in the Epcot resort area. Should I look on people like boat captains too? Any clues would be appreciated.

 

[GotAnyPins]

We have been to all of the parks in the past week, and pins have been available..I am working on my second set...excpet that they keep bringing out new ones.....
If you happen to be flying i would make a trip to the Disney store in the airport the CM's there have them also..

Good hunting...

Donna

 

[djs113]

I seem to have the best luck when I am in the Magic Kingdom at the Exposition Hall, its on your right as you enter Main Street.

Within Expo hall, the CM's around the corner on the right seem always to be loaded with fresh pins.

Good Luck

- David

 

[lindamg]

Thanks folks!

I appreciate you taking the time to answer, and I look forward to putting your suggestions in to practice in a week or so!

 

[jojo_ct]

I had success at Animal Kingdom, All Star Resort Gift Shops, and Boardwalk.

 

[ivanova]

The store employees in the airport didn't even know what a lanyard exclusive pin was when we checked out their lanyards on 4/19!!

We had great luck at all four parks. By the end of our vacation the girls (ages 9 and 12) were hunting CMs like Elmer Fudd hunted rabbits!! It was a riot.

Best bet is to check out as many CMs as quickly as possible as early as possible in the day. They literally keep these pins in safes, and the pins usually go quickly. We got THREE within 5 minutes of a CM going on duty!!

Also look for CMs that have a "mystery pin" -- it is on the lanyard backwards (with the rubber or metal pin back on the front of the lanyard). If you want it, you have to trade sight unseen. My 12 year old didn't have the guts, she wanted to know what she was getting first. Since I had some $6.50 pins for the sole purpose of trading, I was willing to give up one of them just to see what they mystery pin was ... it was the tweedle de-tweedle dum lanyard only pin. When my DD saw that I got a "good trade" she grabbed the next CM (about 12 feet away) that had a mystery pin and traded ... she ended up with Minnie Topiary. Note: mystery pins are not guaranteed to be lanyard only pins. I noticed that the pins we traded became mystery pins in place of the ones we'd gotten. So the next guest would've gotten decent pins, but nothing to jump up & down about.

Besides the obvious CMs at pin kiosks, look for lanyard-wearing CMs (and don't forget the suit & tie managers wearing lanyards!!) in stores, bathrooms (janitorial CM had a lanyard), restaurants (over 1/2 of the CMs at 50's Primetime Cafe in MGM had them), and GUEST RELATIONS (we started going into GR just to scope out the CMs behind the counter, if they had anything worthwhile then we'd get in line). Ride attraction CMs do NOT have lanyards.

 

[lindamg]

Whoa!!! Lots more GREAT tips!!

Thanks again folks!!!

(Just talked to the best friend - she's going to the parks this weekend and wanted to know which pins I wanted. I told her to just hold her horses. I am going to get some of these pins myself! I'm really looking forward to trying. And for a person who won't trade because I'm not good at talking to new people, that's saying something!)

I'll let you know how a timid newbie does when I get back!

 

[ivanova]

Also, before cementing a pin with a CM ... other than "mystery pins" you can ask to see the back of the pins, and they should be stamped "lanyard series pin."

And CMs can only trade for other Disney pins ... and they cannot accept a pin in trade that they already have on their lanyard.