Just got back. What do you collect from each trip?

[AB'sDad]

Howdy all,

Just returned from a quick trip with the family - had a great time.
DD is 3 and DS is 6m.


Crowds were OK - if you do it right, we never had a wait longer than 20 minutes.
If you don't have much of a plan - Peter Pan was 60+ minutes, Dumbo was 50+ minutes, etc...

With Small World and Snow White closed, it clogged up much of Fantasyland.

Space and Splash mountains were never more than 30 minutes.

But my real questions is wondering if anyone collects momentos (other than pins) from each trip?
especially for their kids?

We allow our daughter to pick out a snow globe after each trip - just the little ones. After a major milestone, we'll buy one big one, then back to the smaller ones.
We write the date on the bottom and she has them displayed proudly in her room.

My wife and I have been having the hardest time trying to figure out what to collect for our 6m son. He just took his 1st trip and we're not sure what to get him. (too late now, but we'll make up for it)

Snow Globes seem to be perfect
- they are always around
- you can find them in most every shop
- they seem to always have new ones
- you can get "bigger" ones for special occasions


We just can't figure out what to collect for our son
pens?
keychains?
golf balls?
???


Thanks in advance for any ideas

 

[WDSearcher]

For a boy ... keychains are good. Baseball caps. Wind-up toys. Statues. Pens. Cups or mugs.

 

[MelessaG]

My daughter collects the wind-up toys, I collect pressed pennies.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by AB'sDad
My wife and I have been having the hardest time trying to figure out what to collect for our 6m son. He just took his 1st trip and we're not sure what to get him.

I totally understand what you are asking, but keep in mind that true collecting is a very personal endeavor. There's a good chance that whatever you collect may not have much significance to him when he's old enough to care.

So here's my suggestion. Collect memories rather than stuff. Take photos, video and keep a travel log or scrapbook. We have a photo of our daughter with Tigger from every trip since she was 5-1/2 months old. When we visit now (she's 8), we tell her stories about her early trips, what she liked, what she didn't like, how she reacted when she did various things for the first time, etc. That has a lot more meaning to her than some trinket that she doesn't remember buying. And it also has more meaning to my wife and me.

 

[crusoe2]

I tend to agree with Steve on this one. But if you really want to go ahead and start a collection for him, what about the little cast metal ride vehicles. Maybe you could choose one from the ride that he seemed to enjoy the most so when he is older there will be a story to go along with the memento. For special occasions perhaps start with the monorail set and gradually add models of Spaceship Earth, the castle, etc. I think the models and miniature ride vehicles would make a neat collection.

Just thought I'd add that we did something similar when we took our DD for her first trip last year. She was 6 mo. at the time and the thing that got the biggest reaction from her was meeting Cinderella! I bought a Cinderella doll for and put it up for later. I'm thinking we might make that a vacation tradition since she seems to love dolls and now that we don't have a Disney Store close by it is more difficult to find the dolls in our area.

 

[MagEpcDisAni Voyager]

I buy those little trinkets of disney chracters made of porcelein. I have gotten a bunch of those each of our trip, they are like $6.00 each.

 

[js]

For Disney and any other vacation, we collect Christmas Tree Ornaments. We buy 3. One for my husband and me and one each for the kids.
I put their initial on every ornament I buy, whatever vacation. When they are older, move out and get married, I will give them their ornaments for their tree and it will be all ornaments from vacations that we have taken during their lives. I started doing this when I got married 14 years ago and went to Maui. I still have the ornament and put it on my tree every year along with all the other vacation ornaments. Its really nice every year putting the ornaments on the tree with the kids (10 and 6) since we reminisce about each one They now fill the tree completely

 

[HollyJoy]

What a great question! We don't collect anything....YET. DH and I have only been there together once, and we didn't think about this. We used to collect Shot Glasses, but don't think that I want to do that with the kids. I'm interested in what everyone says!

 

[dmonroe]

We get Christmas ornaments too! I always get 1 or 2 for dh and me, plus 1 or 2 for ds. This year we'll get to buy ornaments for ds #2's 1st Christmas!

I also get magnets. I like to get the ones that you can put a photo in, so that we can put a picture from our trip in it.

 

[wannabee princess]

Besides the pins we buy, every trip we get at least one Christmas ornament with the year and theme for that year on it. I get at least one new coffee mug every trip. Dh buys something at ESPN that has WDW included. Ds's buy lots of hats - including baseball caps and visors.

We also get souvenirs that mean something for that particular trip. For example, the first year we watched Fantasmic we got a Sorcerer Mickey hat for ds, the first year he rode TOT he got a Goofy bellhop hat, the first December we went he got a Santa Mickey hat.

I like the idea of a collectible, but have to admit that boys are a little harder - most boys/men don't have a cool collection unless it is tools!

 

[Cinderellee]

I too collect Christmas Ornaments. No matter where we go, I get one and put the date on it. I have got TONS from WDW. It's always nice at Christmas when you are decorating your tree to look back at all the things you have done and places you have gone. I didn't realize there were other people that did this too. My DH thinks I'm weird for always needing to find the perfect ornament. Now I can tell him that it is a very normal thing to do!

 

[Boo]

originally posted by js

For Disney and any other vacation, we collect Christmas Tree Ornaments. We buy 3. One for my husband and me and one each for the kids.

We must have been separated at birth! I do the exact same thing. I know a lot of people also collect ornaments, but I've been collecting them for the kids too so that when they get married they already have a decent amount of tree decorations with memories. I think ornament collecting while on vacation is getting more and more popular. Years ago, you really had to search at vacation towns to find ornaments- now there are bunches.

 

[MinnieGi]

DD (3 1/2) asked to collect the pressed pennies about two trips ago. She loves to look at them and show new ones off. Last trip she asked to start collecting autographs. She was thrilled to collect the autographs from the characters. We really waited until she asked to start any collecting. She of course got new souveniers each trip but nothing was of the same type until the pressed pennies and autographs.

I collect "photos and videos" of all our trips! I do buy a new Disney photo album each trip so I guess you could say I collect them! Actually I have a wall in our living room with shelves full of framed photos from each trip we have taken with DD.

 

[sconnell]

A friend of mine just got back from WDW today! He is 29 and is a Minister to Preschoolers and Children. He's a kid at heart! Anyway, he collects bobble-heads! That's right, like the little dogs in people's cars, but he doesn't have any cheesy ones like that. He has some sports figures and believe it or not, bible character bobble-heads! Moses, Sampson and someone else. Every trip he takes to Disney he buys a new Disney bobble. He is a DVC member. He just got Goofy & Minnie. He had Mickey and some of the Finding Nemo Characters. I can't keep track of them all, but he can!
They do make a really neat display around his office.

 

[RLewis]

we collect Visa bills and shin splints

 

[TwingleMum]

Another collector of Christmas ornaments. Every trip we get one. We love Christmas soo much we got married then and had a real Christmas wedding. Santa even came to waltz me around and read "the night before Christmas" to the children and distribute gifts.

 

[Micca]

I love the idea of collecting the die-cast metal models of the Disney vehicles. Of course he'll eventually want to play with them rather than keep this "MIB".

 

[LDV]

We also collect Christmas Ornaments.

I personally collect about 5 pounds. It is 2 months after our one week trip and I think they are gone. Why is it that in one week I can add on what takes two months to take off?! (Actually I know the answer to this and take full responsibility - it is the amazing FUDGE that I can't stop eating...)

 

[msteddom]

I collect fancy pencils. I especially like the ones that have the tops twisted in to shapes. I like them because they are inexpensive, easy to transport, and they look great in my Cinderella Castle pencil holder, which will someday be the centerpeice of my classroom. They have to be pencils though. No pens for me!



Melissa

 

[Tiziminchac]

I like to collect fridge magnets. Every trip I make I have to buy a magnet. But I will not buy the soft rubber ones, they only seem to last a couple of years and the start to warp. I stick to the hard ones. My fridge is covered and sometimes I take some ribbing from friends, but who cares?