If you ask my husband, I’m probably the WORST person to give you advice on how to save money on souvenirs at Disney World. My suitcase always comes home stuffed and my wallet feeling a tad empty! Not using myself as an example, there are a lot of way to save money Disney World souvenir shopping that you should check out!
1. Know before you go! There are things I buy on EVERY Disney trip we take – like a new Christmas ornament or a new Disney mug. Other times I’ll be looking online and find things I just have to have – a new Haunted Mansion skirt or even the newest Alex and Ani bracelet). Having an idea of what I want to bring home allows me to have a pretty good idea of how much I’m going to spend.
2. Set your budget – and try not to stay too far. This one sounds simple, right? And for the most, it is! And if you’re traveling with kiddos, set a budget for each of them to use however they’d like on the trip. This will (hopefully) help curb the “Can I have that??” question every time you walk into a store. It’s even worked for my 5 year old!
3. Use Disney Gift Cards. This is probably my biggest piece of advice. When we visit Disney World I bring all of my spending money (except for Mousekeeping/Baggage Services gratuity and maybe $50) in the form of Disney gift cards. This way I’m not overly tempted with a crazy impulse buy – $40K Cinderella Castle, anyone? This also makes me look at my purchases and make sure I really, really want what I’m buying. This is also a great way to allow children to manage their souvenir budget!
4. Remember, you don’t have to buy everything on property. This tip is two-fold. First, I like to grab things in the weeks/months leading up to a Disney trip that I can bring with me and give to our boys along the way. Little items from the Dollar Spot at Target or other similar places work really well. We also always bring glow stick from home to use at the nighttime entertainment (a package of 5 is like $0.98 at our Walmart and my kids love handing them out to other kids as we’re waiting for the fun to begin). The second part is to check out the Disney Character Warehouse, located off property but offering authentic Disney merchandise at a discounted price. Certainly worth visiting, especially if you have a car or don’t mind taking an Uber or taxi!
5. Just say no! I won’t lie – I often have trouble with this one! The tips above have helped though and I have learned to say “pass” on a lot of items when visiting Walt Disney World. I know this can be especially hard with young children, but remember there are plenty of things you can do or get for free while at Disney World so make sure you check those out too!
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