Thinking of going to Disney World or Disneyland? Or maybe you already have your visit booked. It can be a fun trip but also an expensive one, especially if your family is anything like mine, purchasing trinkets and bobbles and mementos to remember the experience. Well, here are a few FREE Disney souvenirs (or inexpensive ones) giving you a way of taking a little bit of Disney back home with you (legal ways of course):
- Customized theme park maps (FREE): Through the Disney World website you can create custom maps to include rides, attractions and dining stops for each theme park you plan on visiting. You can print them off or have them mailed to you in a keepsake envelop (US addresses only).
- Celebration Buttons (FREE): Visit the Town Hall in Magic Kingdom (Disney World) or within Disneyland and pick-up a free celebration button. They have ones for birthdays, anniversaries, first visits or just plane celebrating.
- Pressed Pennies (small cost): Most hotels and themeparks and even some specific attractions have pressed penny machines for $0.51. My kids have a whole collection of these from their favourite spots.
- Photo Pass Photographers (FREE): Throughout all the parks you’ll find photopass employees who will take your picture on their camera and transfer it to your photopass card. But you can also get them to take a picture for you on your own camera instead of paying for the photopass images at the end of your trip. This ensures even photographer mom gets in the photo.
- Drivers License for Kids (FREE): When kids ride the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway in Magic Kingdom (Disney World) or Autopia within Disenyland, they’re given an official drivers license that they can add their name to. Also in Magic Kingdom (Disney World) and within Disneyland, the Jungle Cruise ride in Adventure Land has a boat operator license that is given out to a child sitting at the front of the boat and who is invitied to help steer.
- Stickers and Soap (FREE): Throughout all the parks you’ll find employees handing out various Disney and Mickey Mouse stickers. Sometimes they are specific to a spot, like the water craft stickers if you ride on any of the boats in Disney World. Some of the onsite hotels have themed soap in the shape of Mickey Mouse. The kids will love using this when they’re back home.
- Digital Photo Postcard (FREE): If your visiting Epcot (Disney World), stop by Innoventions where you can take a photo of yourself in a booth and email to friends, family or even your own email address.
- FASTPASS (FREE): If your child has a favourite ride, like my 6-year old son who loves Test Track (Epcot in Disney World), grab a FASTPASS for the ride, not to use but to keep. The ticket has the date and ride name on it and makes a great momentoe.
- Future Rider FASTPASS (FREE): Your child may may have their heart set on riding Tower of Terror or other rides that have height restrictions but they don’t quite qualify. If you ask, some rides have future rider fast passes. These are tickets that allow your child to ride (with up to 5 other people) in the FASTPASS lane on a future date, when they are big enough. There’s even a spot to write the date. We’ve never used our cards but instead have kept them as souvenirs of an important milestone.
- Room Key (FREE): These hard card keys are Disney branded with the park name, along with your child’s name and the dates from your trip. When you checkout you can keep these. During some holiday seasons, if you buy holiday party tickets, these keys can be printed with a holiday theme.
- MagicBands (FREE): Available only at Walt Disney World at the moment, these bands are your key to everything when visiting Walt Disney World and they make a great souvenir when you arrive home. (free to guests staying on site but they can be purchased for those just visiting the park).
If you’re planning on making the drive to Disney, you might want to checkout out our road trip survival video:
These are just a few of the free Disney souvenirs we’ve taken advantage of when planning a trip to Disney World or Disneyland. Now I’m not saying you won’t be spending extra cash when on your trip, but maybe these souvenirs will keep more money in your pocket. And if you’ve discovered other great FREE Disney souvenirs not included on this list, please share!