I’m going to tell you a little story about how I was basically raised to be a sucker for Disney pins, and it is through no fault of my own that I am now a pin collector.

My first trip to Disney World happened when I was two years old. Aww, a junior Disney fan in the making! Naturally, I loved the princesses, the characters, and the souvenirs. In fact, I took Disney pins seriously from a young age. I traded for a Snow White pin that I still have to this day. I bought some Disney princess pins in the gift shops. I was hooked. It’s not my fault that Disney got to me at a young age! Well…years later, I’m still buying and trading pins. My collection has grown over time, and (unfortunately) the prices have grown, too.

Why do I like Disney pins so much? Well, first, they’re cute. But there’s a pin for just about everything. Staying at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort for the first time? You can get a little pin to keep as a souvenir! Visiting Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party? Celebrate with a 2024 party pin! Basically, I collect pins as a way to remember all the special things I’ve done and places I’ve been in Disney World.

I try to buy only one or two pins per vacation since pins these days aren’t cheap. Hey, here’s a tip from a Disney pin collector: if you’re gonna buy pins, STAY AWAY from the mystery pin sets. Why? It’s a trap. Once you buy a few, you want to collect them ALL — gotta finish the set, right? WRONG. In some cases, you will wind up paying hundreds just to get that one last pin you’re missing. It’s like an addiction. I fell victim to the Tiny Kingdom series a few years ago. They were just so cute! (Don’t worry — I didn’t buy them allll, though.)

When I say it’s easy to wind up spending hundreds on pins, I’m not kidding. These days, a mystery set of five pins is $44.99. If you want to collect them ALL or are hoping to get ahold of one specific pin in the set, you could find yourself buying two or three bags of mystery pins! At $44.99 times three bags, that’s $134.97 BEFORE tax. I’m not saying I’ve purchased three bags of pins all on the same vacation, but over time, I have come back to try and collect more pins from the same set…and it adds up.

Let me back up for a moment, though, because I don’t want to dissuade you from the world of pin collecting altogether. Once you accumulate a handful of pins, you can start trading them for FREE with Disney Cast Members all over the parks and resorts. And, if you’re lucky, you can find some GREAT pins along the way! In some cases, you might be able to trade for a missing pin in your collection.

My best recommendation when it comes to pin trading is to check the hotels! I love to ask the front desk Cast Members if they have a pin board — I’ve found some of my best pins at the resorts. But it’s all about the luck of the draw, so check as many Cast Member pin lanyards and pin boards as possible.

Look, if you want to start a collection, you might be tempted by the mystery blind bags sold at Disney gift shops. But don’t forget to trade for free pins, too! It’s a great way to enhance your collection without spending a small fortune on pins. Plus, it feels pretty good to find that final missing pin after you’ve been searching for it for years.

Disney Announces Major CHANGE to Pin Trading!

Is this the cheapest hobby a person could have? No. But at least I don’t collect designer watches or Hermès scarves, right? If you collect pins (or anything Disney-related!), I’d love to hear about it in the comments! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.

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Do you collect Disney pins? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Sneaky Way Disney World Forced Me To Spend 4.97 on Souvenirs (I Had NO Choice! 😉) first appeared on the disney food blog.