Eeyore's Pal
Trading pins since before there were rubber backs
- Joined
- Nov 14, 1999
- Messages
- 3,779
Overall, I had a great time. I would do it again.
A few thoughts . . .
Meeting and trading with so many DIS friends was the absolute best part. Many times over the four days, I looked through a DIS friend's pin book, found no trade, but had a great chat.
The Great Pin Adventure made the event twice as much fun. The heat, rain, and exhaustion kept us from many of the WiWis, but we'll try harder next time!
The weather was definitely a key factor. There's a reason we don't visit WDW in August -- it's too darn hot. We got really lucky on Thursday, late afternoon. After the thunderstorm, the temperature dropped to about 80 degrees and a breeze picked up. We set out to do the map, and because of the beautiful weather break, we did the whole map in about 90 minutes. A change of season would be a lovely improvement for the whole event.
I didn't attend the earlier events, but I know I am passed the point where I want to sleep in my car to get pins. The RSP system worked great for me. Every pin I wanted appeared at least once on one of our forms at some time during the event.
We stood in line more than I like, but the lines were indoors and moved quickly. One suggestion would be to combine the RSP pickup with the pin purchase. You could stand in one line for your last initial, get your sheet and make your purchase. If you want to walk away with your sheet, think about it and come back to purchase -- no problem. All in all, one less line.
As others have said, I too was intimidated by many of the traders. I handled that in a couple of ways. I looked for people I knew or lime-green DIS ribbons or Great Pin Adventure lanyards, and tried to sit with them. Anyone who looked like a dealer, I just bypassed completely. Maybe because I was so picky, I didn't have any really nasty trading encounters. However, I still enjoyed the 'safety' and comraderie of the Great Pin Adventure meet over the crowded traders' lounge.
I didn't mind not doing any "park" stuff. This trip was for pin trading. Maybe we could stay an extra day next time.
A few thoughts . . .
Meeting and trading with so many DIS friends was the absolute best part. Many times over the four days, I looked through a DIS friend's pin book, found no trade, but had a great chat.
The Great Pin Adventure made the event twice as much fun. The heat, rain, and exhaustion kept us from many of the WiWis, but we'll try harder next time!
The weather was definitely a key factor. There's a reason we don't visit WDW in August -- it's too darn hot. We got really lucky on Thursday, late afternoon. After the thunderstorm, the temperature dropped to about 80 degrees and a breeze picked up. We set out to do the map, and because of the beautiful weather break, we did the whole map in about 90 minutes. A change of season would be a lovely improvement for the whole event.
I didn't attend the earlier events, but I know I am passed the point where I want to sleep in my car to get pins. The RSP system worked great for me. Every pin I wanted appeared at least once on one of our forms at some time during the event.
We stood in line more than I like, but the lines were indoors and moved quickly. One suggestion would be to combine the RSP pickup with the pin purchase. You could stand in one line for your last initial, get your sheet and make your purchase. If you want to walk away with your sheet, think about it and come back to purchase -- no problem. All in all, one less line.
As others have said, I too was intimidated by many of the traders. I handled that in a couple of ways. I looked for people I knew or lime-green DIS ribbons or Great Pin Adventure lanyards, and tried to sit with them. Anyone who looked like a dealer, I just bypassed completely. Maybe because I was so picky, I didn't have any really nasty trading encounters. However, I still enjoyed the 'safety' and comraderie of the Great Pin Adventure meet over the crowded traders' lounge.
I didn't mind not doing any "park" stuff. This trip was for pin trading. Maybe we could stay an extra day next time.
