DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
There are so many wonderful gift shops to browse around Walt Disney World that shopping naturally becomes part of the Disney experience. It’s almost impossible to leave a Disney vacation without having bought at least one souvenir. No matter your age or interests, there is a piece of Disney merchandise for everybody.
Here at Disney Tips, we’re a sucker for any piece of Disney merchandise. From pens and pins to Christmas ornaments and apparel. And that’s before you consider the more expensive items such as Spirit Jerseys, Pandora jewelry, and luxury bags from LoungeFly and Dooney & Bourke. A pressed penny is also a Guest favorite collected in the Disney Parks and beyond. A new Disney mug is another great Disney World souvenir to take home.
When you’re lucky enough to visit the Walt Disney World Resort regularly, so much so that it feels like home, it can sometimes be difficult to find a piece of merchandise that feels unique for each Disney trip. Here are our favorite pieces of merchandise to purchase that help us remember and celebrate each Disney World vacation.
Pins
We love to collect limited edition, dated Disney Pins. Not only is a Disney pin a great way to remember each year you have visited the Disney Parks, but it can also be a small investment. Dated Disney Pins are released in limited quantities. This justifies the larger price tag that limited edition pins come with.
Look out for Christmas Resort pins to mark the year that you stayed in a Disney Resort during the Christmas Season. Pins released at Disney events, such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, come in exclusive designs and sometimes feature unusual Disney characters. We never leave a Magic Kingdom Party without a pin!
If your vacation coincides with other special dates throughout the year, we definitely recommend purchasing the commemorative dated pin. These include: Fourth of July, Earth Day, Happy Easter, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.
Credit: V Mills
Christmas Ornaments
Disney Christmas ornaments are works of art. The detail that goes into them means that you could easily spend some money on “Mickey’s Days of Christmas” in Disney Springs or “Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe” in Liberty Square. What’s even more remarkable is the option to have your chosen Disney Christmas ornament personalized.
Credit: V Mills
It has become a tradition for us to pick a Christmas ornament and get it personalized during every visit to Walt Disney World. We love to look at each one as we hang it on the Christmas tree each year and remember the magical memories made during each Disney vacation.
A Unique Souvenir
We know that either of the two suggestions above may cost a small fortune. So we tried something else on a Disney vacation that has become a favorite tradition of ours during every Walt Disney World Resort visit. You’ll never guess what it is – a Disney postcard!
Yes, those things that may be a blast from the past, which you sent to your grandparents when you were younger to tell them about your vacation pre- FaceTime or video calling. The thing that you had to send at the beginning of your vacation so that it hopefully arrived before you returned home! Postcards can now be a cheap Walt Disney World souvenir that is so unique that no one else will be able to get their hands on them. Something to share with the whole family for years to come.
We decided to send ourselves several postcards during our honeymoon in Walt Disney World, or as we liked to call it, a Disneymoon. We were also cruising with Disney Cruise Line during this trip and wanted to send a postcard from Disney Castaway Cay. When we returned from our Disney vacation, receiving our postcards sure helped with the Disney blues. They are stored away in our memories box to reflect on when we need a little reminder of the Disney magic. Why not give it a go on your next Disney vacation?
Credit: Pinterest
A Postcard to Yourselves
Make your Disney postcard work for you. It could remind you of a particularly magical day in a Disney Park. Write down all the things you did during a visit to EPCOT or Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Why not get your favorite Disney character to fill a postcard with a message or collect several Disney character autographs on one postcard? If you’re planning on staying in a Disney Resort hotel for the first time, document your visit on a postcard and send it from the lobby. You can relive the wonderful time you had when reading your postcard once it arrives. The possibilities are endless for this unique yet cheap Disney souvenir.
Credit: V Mills
Where to Send your Postcard
When purchasing your Disney postcard, ask the Cast Members if they have postage stamps. You should be able to get stamps from the gift shop at each Disney Resort hotel. If not, you are sure to get them from the following locations:
- Camera Center, EPCOT
- Oscar’s Super Service, Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- The Outpost, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Garden Gate Gifts, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- World of Disney, Disney Springs
Once your mail has a stamp, you are ready to post it. You can send mail from the Front Desk of each Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Look out for Resorts that have a mailbox; you’ll find a mailbox inside the lobby of Disney’s Beach Club and Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resorts.
Credit: V Mills
Alternatively, there are several mailboxes located in the Disney Parks. These include:
- Magic Kingdom – Main Street, U.S.A., Town Hall, Trading Post building near the Country Bear Jamboree, and underneath the Main Street, U.S.A. Train Station
- EPCOT – Entrance Plaza and inside the Mexico Pavilion
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Harambe, Africa, and Garden Gate Gifts
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Oscar’s Super Service
Another great location to send yourself a postcard is Disney’s Vero Beach. If you’re visiting for a beach break, pick up your postcard and postage stamp from the Island Grove Packing Company. Once it’s good to go, post it in the mailbox located in the lobby of this stunning Disney Vacation Club Resort.
Credit: V Mills
Send a Postcard from Disney Castaway Cay
If you’re cruising with Disney Cruise Line on an itinerary that stops at Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay, then sending a postcard from here is a must. Purchase your postcard before leaving the ship for the day, or purchase one from the island gift shops. Stop by the Castaway Cay Post Office to send your mail. Your postcard will receive a fun postmark and Bahamian stamps. It’s a perfect souvenir to remember the fantastic day you had in the sunshine overlooking crystal clear waters from a white sanded beach surrounded by palm trees!
Credit: V Mills
Keep your Postcards Safe
When you’re back home and receive your first postcard souvenir, make sure you have somewhere to store them. A memory box or photo album is the perfect way to store your postcards so you can look at them when you need a reminder of the Disney magic.
What a perfect tradition this would be to start on a memorable Disney vacation. If you plan to get engaged at Walt Disney World, why not start then? A honeymoon or babymoon could be another excellent opportunity to begin this tradition. Alternatively, start doing this on your first Disney vacation with a new addition to your family.
Regardless of when you start, your postcard souvenirs are the perfect way to document those lifelong memories you’ll have made in the Most Magical Place on Earth! You’ll also enjoy saving some money with a cheaper souvenir than some of the usual Walt Disney World merchandise.
