Monday, February 21, 2011

Minnie Moms: Must-Buys at WDW Part 1


Today the Minnie Moms discuss the items we just can't resist at Walt Disney World, whether they are for ourselves or gifts for others.  Check back later today for part 2.




Amy: The first must-buy item that comes to mind is Dole Whip. I adore this refreshing frozen pineapple treat. A new addition to that list is carrot cake cookies from Writer’s Stop at the Studios. And each trip, I seem to have learned about a new treat I just have to try, usually from Lou Mongello or disneyfoodblog.com.

I really need to start buying ornaments again. I started getting those each year when I was on college program but stopped somewhere along the way and I don’t really know why.

I don’t like too many things to dust or store, so I tend to buy practical souvenirs. I love the kitchen items and really wanted a Food and Wine Festival oven mitt last trip, but Disney didn’t make me one.

My Disney wedding was over five years ago, but I still always check out the latest Disney wedding merchandise. The frames, mugs, and other goodies always catch my eye, but rarely my wallet. The one exception to this was the Precious Moments wedding couple wearing ear hats. That was a must have splurge several years ago. Now I really want more of the Disney Precious Moments figures but so far, I’ve been able to hold out.

No girl can have too many bags and it’s not uncommon for me to come home from WDW with a new tote or purse. I’m really considering finally breaking down and getting a Disney Dooney now that the 40th anniversary print is out. Now to convince Ridge to make the purchase… I’ll send money!!

While I love the convenience of buying lots of items at World of Disney, I miss the days when park merchandise was more diverse. Now, if you see a t-shirt or hat, you can probably find it in 10 other stores before the end of your vacation. I’ve enjoyed getting items over the years from specific attractions. I have a cool Space Mountain hat and wore out a Tower of Terror t-shirt during my gym rat days.

The best gift purchase I made at WDW recently was Audrey’s Mickey and Minnie plush. She loves them and sleeps with them every night and naptime. It’s the cutest thing ever when she gives Mickey (or Minnie) a big hug.




Beth:  While we are in WDW, I can honestly say I could spend all our vacation money on the great souvenirs around the parks and resorts. But to contain ourselves, we have a set group of things we purchase. For the kids, they each get one ornament, one pin and then one item of their choice. The ornament and the pin have to represent something they experienced for the first time or just something they particularly loved on that trip. For example, on my son’s first trip to WDW, we ate at Cape May CafĂ©’s character breakfast. Chip and Dale spent a lot of time playing with Joey, who was just 14 months old at the time. It is one of my favorite memories from that trip. We purchased a Chip and Dale ornament that year. Now every time we put up our Christmas tree and take out that ornament, Joey asks us to tell us the story about when he met Chip and Dale. Our Disney tree is filled with ornaments representing many special moments over the years. It is such fun reminiscing as we decorate the tree.

For my husband and I, we purchase a Disney picture frame every trip, and when we get our pictures developed, our favorite trip picture goes in the frame. These frames are decorations all over our house and such a great way to keep our Disney memories alive between trips. I also always purchase the Disney scrapbook with that particular year’s logo on it. Now with my kids getting a little older, our scrapbooks are becoming more of a family project than just mine, which makes them even more special. By keeping our souvenirs meaningful, I find that they are less likely to be thrown into a tote or found at the bottom of a toy box. Besides, I would rather spend our money on character meals and dinner shows to create some wonderful memories that last us a lifetime, instead of a few little trinkets that are forgotten within a week or two of being back home.


Corby:  For me, my “must buys” pretty much all involve food/beverages! Yes, as always, it’s all about the food with me. My family has a tradition of going to the Japan pavilion at Epcot and purchasing Ramune drinks each visit. My son gets a kick out of hitting the marble in the top of the bottle. We also stock up on candy at this pavilion. Clearly, we have no idea what the candy’s name is because it’s in Japanese but I can tell you it’s yummy! Our favorite is a sweet tart looking candy that comes in a long perforated roll. They taste like sweet tarts, only they are less tart and dissolve in your mouth. I guarantee if you try them, you won’t be able to eat one! Other favorites I find myself continuously purchasing are cookies from Minnie’s Bake Shop (think huge cookie). Any of them will do as I’ve tried them all but I think my favorite would have to be the peanut butter. I also love the Mickey Mouse Shortbread Cookies. I get so excited when we have extra snack credits from the meal plan so I can grab a few of these yummy goodies at the resort to take home. Typically, they don’t make it past the Florida state line. I just started purchasing the refillable coffee mug and will be doing that from now on in the future so I don’t use up a snack credit for a coffee and I get a take home souvenir. Other treats I’ve had that I won’t be able to resist on future trips: Mickey Ice Cream Bar, Dole Whip, Key Lime Pie from Sunshine Seasons in Epcot, and Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls in Hollywood Studios. My mouth is watering just thinking of these things!

One tradition that I plan on starting which I’ve been kicking myself for not getting during our last trip is purchasing a Christmas ornament. I think this will make a great must buy to add to my list. I’m going to have our family pick out one that represents our trip the best each visit. I think it will be fun way to look back and reflect on our Disney vacations.




Visit us later today for more fun ideas from the rest of the Minnie Moms.  If you have a question we could answer or a topic you'd like us to discuss, please add it to the comments or email Amy at growingupdisney@gmail.com.    


Please check the Minnie Moms page for our past articles and more information about these fabulous ladies.  

2 comments:

  1. Every year we always buy an ornament for that year, a picture frame and a photo album!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to go shopping now ... Disney Store online better watch out lol :-)

    ReplyDelete

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