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Disney Articles > Disney Floral and Gifts Including Disney Gifts Secrets from Former Cast Members

Are you planning a Disney vacation? There is so much to research and plan for a Disney trip. Plus, the costs for park admission and resort stays go up each year. How can you save money for your trip to Disney? One of the best ways to save money on a vacation to Disney to is pre-purchase your Disney souvenirs. Especially if you have kids! Plus, you can make your experience even more magical by using Disney Floral and Gifts when you stay at a Disney Resort!

Buying Disney Gifts before you arrive will cost less and help keep you on budget because you won’t be making spur of the moment purchases.

You don’t have to use up (waste) time to go shopping in the Disney Parks. Plus with the recent logistics challenges across the US, pre-purchasing your Disney souvenirs will help guarantee you’ll have what you want in hand.

In addition, there are often more choices and they are more cost-friendly than the options in the Disney Parks, like Disney Floral and Gifts!

Not sure what to get? Don’t worry, We’ve got you covered! This list has popular Disney souvenirs AND must-haves that will help make your visit even more magical! As former cast members and annual disney passholders, we know the ins and outs of visiting the Disney Parks.

Disney Floral and Gifts

Disney Floral and Gifts is a service that delivers flowers, balloons, gift baskets, and more to your Disney resort or hotel room.

If you want to surprise your loved ones with a special delivery of Disney magic, you can order from Disney Floral and Gifts online or by phone. They offer a variety of products, such as themed bouquets, birthday cakes, in-room celebrations, and personalized gifts. You can choose from their ready-made options or customize your own. You can also schedule your delivery in advance, so you don't have to worry about it during your trip. Disney Floral and Gifts is a great way to add some extra sparkle to your Disney vacation.

If you find this service to be too expensive, check out Magical Floral and Gifts or even Amazon’s Disney Gifts Selection (most affordable).

The best Disney Souvenirs to pre-buy

• Disney Pins - When pin trading was first introduced, I didn’t think it would be a lasting fad. Here we are many years later, and it’s still a popular activity! It’s a great way to keep kids - and adults - engaged while exploring the parks. But purchasing pins at Disney can add up fast. Get a starter pack here, and then you can work on trading your way to rarer pins by keeping your eyes out for an Cast Member wearing a pin lanyard, or registers with a pin trading board.

• Mickey ears - There are so many patterns and varieties of mouse ears to choose from nowadays! You can still get the classic Mouseketeer hat type, but take a look at some of the styles here or ones on Etsy. The prices are often friendlier on the wallet too.

• Misting fan - Personally I would say this one isn’t absolutely necessary, but I tend to prefer warmer climates. It does get hot in the Disney Parks and a misting fan can help alleviate the heat. PRO TIP: Get a cup of ice cold water from any quick-service restaurant for FREE and use some of the cool water for your misting fan.

• Cooling towel - Another way to beat the heat is to use a cooling towel. It works best when you have cold water to pour on the towel, but it still works well with any water. Wave it around before putting it on your neck for best results.

• Disney lanyards - These are useful for quick access to your Disney gift cards, Park tickets, and even a place to hold your Disney Trading Pins.

• Magic bands - If you have a smart watch, you may not need a magic band anymore because you can link your ticket to your watch. But they are cute accessories and are useful for kids. This one doesn’t save you money if you pre-purchase, but it just makes things easier for when you visit WDW. If you decide to pre-purchase, make sure it is coming from Disney because only the official Disney ones will link to your account.

• Matching t-shirts - There are so many benefits to having matching shirts at Disney. They are fun to wear, they look great in photos, and if you have kids it can be easier to keep track of them. But the prices at the parks add up fast. So get some cute shirts before you go and then you’ll get to wear them while on vacation and have them as souvenirs!

• Light-up souvenirs - You know yourself and your kids best. If you’re going to want a fun light-up toy, wand, rose, etc. to carry around at night and use in photos - get them before you go to save some moola. They are great to have at nighttime shows like Fantasmic! or nighttime parades.

• Bubble wand - What is it about bubbles that seem so magical? Even as an adult it’s difficult to resist the urge to reach out and pop a bubble floating by. No? Just me? Okay. Either way, the bubble wands in the parks cost about $10 more so you can save money by getting one like this instead. Bonus: you may end up creating magic for other guests in the park when you send bubbles floating out while waiting in lines, taking a break, waiting for parades, etc.

• Autograph book - Guess what? You don’t need to purchase the autograph books in the parks. Disney Characters will sign any autograph books you have – even ones you make yourself. Just remember to bring a thick pen like these - it makes it easier for them to sign, plus the retractable pens mean that there’s no pen cap to lose! I like to bring a variety of colors so each character can sign in a color that matches them.

• Plush/toys - Yes, you can even pre-purchase toys and plushies! One of the benefits of pre-purchasing toys is that you will already know how much room it takes up in your suitcase. That’s in addition to the savings you’ll have from purchasing outside of the parks.

How to give pre-bought Disney Souvenirs to kids

But my kids won’t get the experience of going shopping at Disney! How can I make it magical for them?

If you’ve joined any travel with kids facebook groups or read any blog tips on traveling with kids, there are many recommendations to purchase small Disney gifts, wrap them, and then give them out to your child(ren) throughout the flight/car ride to keep them entertained.

Guess what? You can use some of your pre-bought Disney souvenirs for this!

You can also get these Disney-themed activity books for travel.

Another way to create a magical experience is to wrap the gifts and leave them under your child’s pillow or at the foot of the bed for them to find in the morning. You can even sprinkle some pixie dust to give it some extra magic. PRO TIP: If you are staying at a Disney Resort, you can call the front desk and ask to speak to a character or have a character call the room. The availability of the characters change, but for example you might have a welcome call from Goofy or a celebration call from Mickey.

Leave a comment below if you have other ways to make gifting the Disney souvenirs a more magical experience!

For more tips on saving money, keep reading!

Bonus: Must-haves when visiting Disney parks

Hooray! Here are even more items that are ESSENTIAL to purchase for your Disney trip. If you forget any of them, you can purchase them in the gift shops at the resorts or within the parks but there will be a markup. Convenience has a price!

So if you’re on a budget, I’d recommend stocking up on these items BEFORE you arrive at Disney.

• Sunscreen - It’s so important to protect your skin! I know the spray ones are easier to apply, but I don’t like to breathe in little sunscreen particles. I like this one because it goes on smooth and doesn’t feel sticky after application.

• Aloe Vera - Just in case you forget to re-apply your sunscreen or you accidentally miss a spot. I stick mine in the fridge to keep it cool and it feels amazing on sunburnt skin. This one also has vitamin E.

• Hat - Portable, hands-free shade. You can even get hats with mickey ears if you want to add a bit of fun!

• Sunglasses - Protect your eyes! My husband and I both wear these - they’re lightweight, comfortable, and don’t slip off.

• Ponchos - MUST HAVE! Bring the ponchos. You can get these pocket-sized ones to easily carry around. If you’re going to Walt Disney World in Florida, you’ll be so glad you have one when there’s a torrential downpour in the middle of the day. But they’re also useful for water rides like Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure Park, or Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Of course if it’s a really hot day and you want to get soaked, then you don’t need to wear the poncho but since they pack up so small it’s always good to have on hand.

• Instant coffee/tea/juice/sports drink - You may have noticed a theme of staying cool and protecting yourself from the sun. This includes hydration! Remember, you can get FREE water from any quick-service restaurant or water fountain station. Then you can add some hydration packets with electrolytes to replenish your body. As a former Cast Member, I’ve seen guests pass out from dehydration or heat stroke. Don’t let that be you. Please remember to hydrate often.

• Phone charger - Phones nowadays tend to have longer lasting batteries, but if you’re in the parks from rope drop to the end of the night fireworks, an external battery pack is necessary. You’ll likely be using your phone more often than normal with all the photo opportunities, making and checking reservations for Genie+, Lightning Lane, and dining, plus interactive experiences on the Play Disney Parks app. We like this one because it’s pocket sized and has the cords already attached. But if you’re looking for something even smaller, try this one instead. Another good option is to get these batteries that you can swap out at stations around the Disney Parks.

One last tip

Here’s a tip that I learned after living in Japan. Pre-purchase some of your take home Disney souvenirs too. I went on a Japanese tour to France, and at the airport before we departed on our trip, the tour company brought us to a conference room. In the airport! Then they handed out brochures of all kinds of French souvenirs – cookies, wine, jams, accessories, etc.

They were offering the opportunity to purchase your souvenirs before leaving for your trip and have it sent to your house to arrive on the day you returned!

To be fair, Japan is HUGE on gift giving as a culture. So when you go on vacation, you’re expected to bring back omiyage (souvenirs) for friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc. But who has space for all of that in their luggage? Not to mention having to worry about things getting crushed or broken.

So learn from the Japanese and pre-buy your Disney souvenirs. Even if it’s just for you.

Of course if you want to purchase it on-site, go for it! But if you’re worried about luggage space or weight requirements or the added fees for baggage – save your time, money, and sanity by purchasing things like mugs, decorations, shirts, waffle makers, etc before (or after) your trip online!

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