I believe there are a million different souvenirs (probably
more!) you can buy at Disney World; however, I tried to gathered a few
that separate themselves as unique.
Mr. Potato Head Parts
You can fill up a container of Mr. Potato Head parts (many of them exclusive to Disney parks) for a set cost.
Locations: Once Upon a Toy in Downtown Disney
Price: $20 for the box, $50 for the large potato head container
Tips:
- Be
sure to get several sets of extra arms as they’re the only ones that can
hold the Disney stuff – regular Mr. Potato Head arms don’t hold his:
Mickey ice cream bar, camera, autograph book, or Mickey balloon once you
get home.
- Buy
your actual Potato Heads at home. Space is at a premium and you don’t want
to waste it with something you can get for next-to-nothing back home.
- Pack
the big pieces first. Little pieces can be crammed wherever there’s room.
- Check
your pieces to see if they’re a left/right set: arms, pirate ears
w/earrings, Mickey gloves, etc. all have a left and right.
- Little
goes in big. Ticket fits inside the suitcase. Mickey gloves fit in the
bottom of Mickey’s shoes. Eyes fit in the underside of hats.
- Don’t
bother boxing the whopper pieces like the Dumbo ride elephant, Buzz
Lightyear Space Ranger Spin ride car, Ariel’s tail, or the open Mary
Poppins umbrella. They either won’t fit in your box or they’ll take up way
too much room. You can pay about $2/piece or be sprinkled with pixie dust
and get them for *Free.*
- Look
for sets like Tinkerbell (shoes, wig, wings, & wand), Darth Vadar
(mask, feet, arms, & body), Maleficent (hat, wand), Donald Duck (bill,
hat), Pirates of the Caribbean (hat, boots, parrot, scarf).
Super Secret Spy Tip:
you can ask a Cast Member for help to fill your box. Take a shopping
basket, go around the bin and choose one (or whatever #)
of every piece you'd like. Then ask a CM, with Tetris puzzle-solving skills, to help you fit all those pieces in.
Personalized Disney Ornaments
Remember
your family vacation by buying a Disney-themed ornament that you can even get
personalized if you’d like.
Locations: Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe at Magic Kingdom and
Disney’s Days of Christmas in Downtown Disney
Price: Varies
Tips: Go early in your trip in case it takes days to get the
personalized ornaments finished. The Downtown Disney location has a much wider
selection than the Magic Kingdom location.
Pick a Pearl
Pick
a Pearl allows you to pick an oyster from a tank, a CM will cut it open and
inside and then you’ll get a pearl, or 2!
The pearl is then measured and put into a baggie or you can choose to
have it set in jewelry right at the store to be picked up later.
Location: Mitsukoshi store in the Japan section of EPCOT’s
World Showcase
Price: $15 (settings are separate)
Tips: Pick the hairiest, ugliest oyster to increase your
chances of getting 2 pearls
Silhouettes
Have
a silhouette drawn to remember your trip.
The artists can do these in as
little as 60 seconds. Check out this video from Disneyland of how they do it.
http://www.viddler.com/v/d491ab0d
Locations: Downtown Disney, EPCOT near France, the Magic
Kingdom on Main Street (a cart in an alley about halfway down on the right as
you enter the park) and in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom
Price: $9/each (you can get it framed as well for an
additional cost)
