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Category Archives: Pin Trading
New Hidden Mickey Disney Pins In 2013 At Disney Parks
As reported on the Disney Parks Blog, the arrival of the new Hidden Mickey Disney pins have come to Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort!
Cast members use these specially designed pins for trading with guests. There will be two different series of pins released in 2013: a series “A” (which is available now) and series “B” (which will be released closer to summertime).
Many of the Disney pin sets will be unique to Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. You can identify a Hidden Mickey pin by the small Mickey Mouse icon on the front and the stamp on the back. Pins released this year are sometimes continuation of sets for previous years, such as the Disney Villains parking lot signs from Magic Kingdom Park, The Duffy the Disney Bear and cast member costumes pins.
Disney DIY – Disney Pin Display Case
I don’t know about you, but after getting home from a great Walt Disney World vacation, I like to spend some time admiring my new souvenirs, including my great new Disney Pins. Of course my Disney Pin collection is far too big to fit on one lanyard, so I got to thinking – how can I display all those great pins in one place? I decided to make a shadow box display case for them, and it was so easy that you could do it too!
DIY Shadow Box Display Case
You Will Need:
-Foam Core – 1 sheet (Approximate cost – $3)
-Felt – 2 8 x 11 sheets in the color of your choice (Approximate cost – $1)
-Double sided tape or glue (Use whatever you have around the house)
-Shadow box frame – they come in a variety of sizes and can be purchased at your local craft store (Approximate cost with coupon – $10-$15)
**Don’t forget your COUPON – many craft stores have weekly ads with coupons for 40% or 50% off a single item, this
is a perfect item to use those coupons on, and some stores like Joann Fabrics even have a mobile app where you can access
coupons via your smartphone – no paper coupon needed!)
-Your Disney Pin Collection to fill the box!
*Total cost = Under $20 (not including pins, of course!)
Which WDW Souvenirs Should I Buy?
One of the best things about vacationing at Walt Disney World is souvenir shopping – they have so many stores with so many different items that it can be hard to pick just a select few to bring home with you. So if you aren’t sure what kind of souvenirs you should buy, then here are a few questions you should ask yourself:
Will you actually use it at home? Many things seem cool when at the Parks, but be practical – think hard and be realistic about if it will be useful once you get home
Is it too big? size is a factor when purchasing souvenirs, and while those giant stuffed animals or balloons are fun, they may not fit too well into your suitcase. Size is especially important to consider when flying, as you may have to pay a fee for an extra bag or overweight luggage
Is it worth the cost? This kind of goes along with “will you use it at home”, an item is ‘worth it’ if it’s useful, practical, or even if you just love it. Some of the items sold at WDW can be pretty pricey, and if you are like me, you set a souvenir budget, so if one item is going to blow your whole budget, you will definitely want to consider if it’s worth it to you, cost wise
Sometimes You Just Want a Night In Away from the Walt Disney World Parks
A trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth, aka Walt Disney World Resort, awesome as it is, can wear even the most seasoned traveler to the bone. Walking miles a day, waiting in crowded lines, eating delicious meals (ok, that’s not really a problem), basically pushing yourself physically, trying to “do it all,” can really fry the nerves and put a damper on an out-of-this-World vacation.
My family has found that if we don’t spend at least one evening in during our trip, we will have one totally Grumpy day where noone’s happy and everyone’s one edge. It actually took us two or three trips to figure the pattern out. We were always trying too hard to take it all in, to do as much Disney stuff as we possibly could without missing a thing that we just kept on going and going and going…and we’d end up regretting that choice.
But now we are older and wiser and more experienced at “Doing Disney.” Once we accepted the fact that we will never be able to see or do all there is to do at Walt Disney World, we were able to relax and enjoy whatever we could get to. And whatever we missed would wait till our return—and we will return.
Spending the evening in at your resort doesn’t have to be boring. You don’t have to go to bed at 7:00 (unless you really want to!). There are plenty of activities to slow the pace that will not only help everyone in your party to relax but will also rejuvenate their Disney spirit.
So, check your game plan, double-check the Park guides, and make sure there’s no place you need to be, and then…
- Take advantage of the fine eateries onsite. Too often we bypass the fabulous food that’s right around the corner in favor of Park fare, but don’t forget about your resort restaurants. They’re on the Disney Dining Plan!
- Take a dip in the resort pools. Most resorts have small, “quiet” pools in addition to the large main pools for a more relaxing time away from crowds. All are kept at 80º F yearround.
How to Do Mouse Gear and Not Go Home Broke
Photo via Disney Parks
I know what you’re thinking. That title is misleading; that is just not possible! Especially if you’re at Epcot with kids, right? I used to agree. However, I’ve been visiting the World since my youngest was an infant, and I’ve learned some ways around all the “I want!!!” (That’s my husband I’m quoting there, by the way, wink-wink!)
- Set a budget. It’s one of the hardest things for us to do, but if we know we have only so much money to spend, it makes it easier to say NO to those non-essentials.
- Pre-purchase Disney gift cards. You can get one for each member of your group. Parents can hold onto the ones for kids who are not ready for the responsibility, of course. But, this goes along with the budget point. If you have only so much to spend, when you run out of funds, you have to stop spending.
- Make a wish list. Before your trip, have each family member write down the things they’d like to buy at Walt Disney World. If you’ve been before, you probably have a rough idea of each item’s cost. If not, look them up at the Disney Store online. Refer back to your budget to determine how many of those items, if any, you’ll be able to purchase.
