Disney Souvenir Strategy: How to Avoid Souvenir FOMO
You may feel like the Disney Theme Parks are working against you when you realize they’ve placed a gift shop at the end of almost every ride. So how do you avoid Disney souvenir FOMO (fear of missing out) in your kiddos or yourself? Below are some of the best tips I’ve found (and used!) during our family trips to the Disney Parks!
Make a Disney souvenir Wish List
Nine out of ten times, the thought of wanting something is fleeting. You know the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” is true! So for my own kids, we use the “wish list” idea on a regular basis (not just at Disney). When they find a Disney Souvenir they want, take a photo of it and put their wish list items in a separate album on your phone. Personally, I do this for myself all the time too. Otherwise, we’d need a semi-truck to bring home all the Disney souvenirs my kids (and I) want.
Personal Gift Cards + Budgets
Our kids know we go to Disney almost every year, so they don’t hesitate to ask their grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends for Disney Gift Cards. This helps them learn to budget in the parks and gives them the freedom to buy something mom might otherwise say “no” to. We’ve purchased each child a “fancy” gift card with their favorite character and use disneygiftcard.com to transfer the balances on any Disney giftcards they receive. (Pro tip: This also helps teach your kiddos to budget their own money! Win win for you!)
Make a Disney souvenir limit
Honestly, this is my favorite tip because I use it in our household. If you have the finances to buy whatever you want, make an “amount” budget instead. Example: Each child can pick one stuffed Disney souvenir, one toy, one tshirt or jacket and one water bottle/mug. Then the only thing you have to worry about is if you can fit all of that in your suitcase.
Buy “souvenirs” before visiting the parks
Sometimes it’s not even about the item being from Disney. We’ve bought water bottles, t-shirts, towels, etc. from Target/Walmart/Amazon ahead of time and packed them in our bags. We dole them out during the day and the kids don’t even care that they weren’t purchased from Disney. They just enjoy the feeling of having something “new”. I’ve also seen people send these boxes to the room prior to arrival, which can be a real treat for your kids, and they’ll love taking their “souvenirs” to the park on their first day.
Avoid browsing
When we’re leaving a ride, we try to avoid browsing unless we’re looking for something specific. Usually, this is because we’re running to the next ride, but it can also be crowded in the stores. So grab your kiddos hands and head off to the next ride with a joyous “We’re headed to (insert ride here)! Aren’t you excited?!” Chances are they won’t even ask to browse or buy anything.
Have a designated Disney souvenir shopping day
We do this EVERY Disney trip. While I don’t keep our kids from buying on other days, we do remind them that the last day is our shopping day. The only time this doesn’t apply is if it’s our last day in that specific park. While we were in Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, Gracie fell in love with the Banshees in Pandora. Since this particular souvenir is ONLY sold in Animal Kingdom, we went ahead and let her purchase it. Another item we purchase outside of our shopping day is the “you are here” mugs and ornaments I personally collect. Each park has their own that you can only find in that park. Otherwise, souvenir shopping is left for our shopping day.
ShopDisney.com
Last but most definitely not least, check shopdisney.com to see if you can buy it later. Sometimes, I’ll buy things in the park from shopdisney.com knowing it will arrive in my mailbox about the same time I get home from my trip. It also helps you walk away knowing you can buy the Disney souvenir from the comfort of home.
No matter what strategy you choose, rest assured knowing you can always buy another suitcase and ship it home if necessary. You definitely wouldn’t be the first to do this… or the last. Contact me to book your magical vacation today.
