It probably isn’t a huge surprise that Walt Disney World is often called The Souvenir Capital of the World. So planning for all of the imploring looks (and potential meltdowns) is hugely important on a Disney vacation with kids. With this in mind, I asked some frequent Disney World visitors if they had suggestions on how to avoid this problem. Following are 10 great tips for dealing with the souvenir madness, appropriate for various ages.
- Have your child earn his own spending money by doing household chores or for displaying good behavior. Let him know that he can lose his earnings just as easily. Offer to match his earnings if you can.
- Give your children their own money in the form of a gift card. They spend it how they choose and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
- If your child is too young to understand the concept of money, explain that she can have 1 item per day or per park.
- Wait until the last day to buy any souvenirs so the child has time to decide what he really wants and avoid impulse purchasing.
- Practice before going to Disney – take them to stores to just look at toys. Ooh and aah together over the items and talk about how you are just looking today, not buying.
- While at the parks, take pictures of items she asks for, the price tags, and their location in the park. At the end of the day, delete all the photos of souvenirs she doesn’t really want. At the end of the week, make her choose just one or two.
- Purchase souvenir-type toys before the trip at a cheaper price and have surprises for the child throughout the trip.
- Be consistent throughout the trip. Survive the tantrum by not giving in and reminding them of the expectations.
- Support your child’s decision making and independence at the same time by talking them about their choices… but ultimately let them decide. Ask questions like “if that was the only thing you could get, would you still want it?” “Should we wait and see if there’s something you like better?” Remind them how many days and how much money he or she has left.
- Finally, make a special point to buy at least one thing they weren’t able to purchase and save it as a birthday, Christmas or totally random surprise.
I love these tips and plan to put several of these strategies into practice. What are your favorite “souvenir madness” tips?
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Candice was raised in east Tennessee. While in college, her best friend dragged her to a Walt Disney World College Program recruiting session at the University of Tennessee and the rest is Disney history. In the Fall of 1999, Candice became a quick service food hostess for Sunset Ranch Market and Fantasmic at Disney-MGM Studios – or what is now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While soaking up her time as a cast member, she met Ryan, a neighbor and a fellow college programmer who worked as a custodial host at Epcot. Four years later, Candice moved to the Midwest and married that boy from across the hall. They now live in Greenwood, Indiana with their two boys.
