Top 5 Favorite Disney Souvenirs

We love Disney, and we are the kind of family that loves to have special souvenirs to remember the uniqueness of each Disney trip. Of course we own all the “typical” souvenirs you think of when you think of Disney - a stuffed Mickey or Minnie, mouse ears, princess costumes, but we have started looking for some more special or meaningful souvenirs on our past trips. Here is a list of our top five favorite souvenirs (and a couple we are going to start collecting on our next trip) for you to consider!

1. Pressed Pennies 
This has become a very special souvenir for our family for a couple of reasons.  First, it is a special activity that my daughter loves to do with her Daddy!  They have a whole routine that they do when they find a penny press.  Sometimes I think it is more the experience of pressing the penny than the actual penny!  Second, they are so easy to collect.  It costs only $.51 to press pennies in the traditional machines (there are some new computerized machines that cost more, but I don't think they are as special) and there are so many options all over the resort!  You can purchase a special little book or folder that you can keep all your pennies in for a great compact collection!  We are now on our third collection book with no plans to stop this great Disney tradition!  Plus, this is a tradition we can keep going even between our Disney trips!  We are always collecting quarters and shiny pennies for our next vacation!  You can search Pinterest for some great ideas on how to store your pennies before they are pressed, but my favorite is using a mini m&m tube!

2. Coffee Mugs
This is my husband’s favorite souvenir.  He collects the Starbuck’s mugs from all over the world and was so excited to find that each park has a unique mug!  The only mug we lack is Animal Kingdom so you can bet it will the first thing we buy the next time we visit.  We were also able to get a special Christmas mug last year.  These mugs are available at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland!

3. Photos
This is my favorite souvenir!  I take tons of pictures on my personal camera, but I also always purchase the memory maker!  You can read my blog on why I love Memory Maker here.  I love to look back on the pictures and all the little moments we might have forgotten about during our trip.  Plus, is it so fun to see how your kids (or family) have grown from one trip to another!

4. Special or Limited Edition Merchandise
I have to admit, I am a sucker for anything that says “limited” at Disney!  We have purchased special merchandise that can only be purchased at parties (like Christmas or Halloween) or special anniversary merchandise.  For example, we bought the Minnie and Mickey plush that were out for Disneyland’s 60th anniversary.  We also love to buy special ornaments that either have the year on them or are made for special occasions like the Christmas or Halloween party.  We are doing our first RunDisney event soon, and you can bet we will come home with special runDisney merchandise! 

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5. Disney Art
The first time we took my daughter was for her third birthday.  While she was taking a nap in her stroller, my husband and I were touring the shops on Main Street.  We were in the art shop and discovered you can have a special Disney character hand-drawn.  We chose to have Cinderella drawn for her and they wrote “Happy Birthday Kinleigh” on it for us!  It is one of my favorite souvenirs we have purchased and hangs on her playroom wall with other special Disney pictures (see - pictures again!)
 
So there you have it - my top 5 favorite souvenirs!  Now, these five are souvenirs we have already purchased!  When we go back for our next trip, we actually have a couple of new souvenirs we want to start collecting (and by “we” I mean my daughter!)  She will be five years old when we go and wants to start pin collecting.  I am not sure how much trading she will do as she is like me and doesn't want to give up any of her Disney things!  The other souvenir she would like to start collecting is the “Charmed in the Parks” collection.  You purchase a bracelet and then can purchase different charms to hang and change on the bracelet.  These will be great souvenirs for her to purchase as this will be our first time flying and our space will be limited!  I am thinking about a Disney Pandora bracelet myself, so we will see!  Happy shopping!!

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About the Author

Morgan Scully, Travel Advisor
Morgan is passionate about all things Disney. From an early age she loved taking in the magic of Disney World, but its when she became a mom and she saw life through her daughter's eyes that she truly understood how amazing a Disney vacation can be for a family. Morgan is well versed in all things Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line. She also serves as Whitney World Travel's Military Vacation Specialist-- helping the brave men and women who serve our country and their families get the most out of their vacations. Morgan is a graduate of Texas A&M University.