On our first Walt Disney World vacation, we had no idea what to expect. My mother wanted to treat her grandkids to a Disney vacation, and paid for the resort room, park tickets as well as the Disney Dining Plan. The only thing that I had to cover was souvenir purchases. One thing that I was not prepared for the all the little “extras” that can get thrown into a week at Disney. Matching shirts, pressed pennies, autograph books, water bottle clips, Mickey ears… the list goes on and on. But, there was one thing that immediately caught my children’s attention; those lanyards around everyone’s necks full of shiny pins. If you are not familiar with pin trading, this is a very popular activity among guests. Pin trading is an activity where you can swap pins with others and build your collection. My kids would spend hours talking to cast members and fellow park goers, admiring their collections and making trades. You can find pins to purchase in just about every gift shop on Walt Disney World property as well as various kiosks and carts. There are single pins, multipacks, mystery packs, and more. In addition you will find pins that are only available for a particular season or event. You can find a complete list of Pin Trading Etiquette by visiting http://disney.go.com/eventservices/howtopintrade.pdf, but here are a few highlights. -Pins should be in good and undamaged condition -Ask first. Do not grab or touch someone’s pins. Allow them to remove the pin for trade -Trade one pin at a time, hand to hand -Keep you pin backs attached when trading -When trading with Cast Members do not offer a pin that they already have displayed Pin trading is a great way to meet others and interact with Cast Members. You may even stumble into a random pin-trading event inside the parks. Do you have pin collectors in your family? What are some of your favorite pins? Thank you for reading and here’s to happy trading!
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