“Wanna Trade?”

written by Missy Tillman, one of our experts in Disney Vacation planning

This is a phrase that can be heard all over the Disney Parks.  Starting in the Fall of 1999, Disney came up with a way to slow down the fast moving pace of some of their daily visitors; a concept that made many of their guests stop and talk with Disney cast members.  What was truly amazing is all of this was done by something that might be as small as a quarter, the Disney Trading Pin!  Now instead of racing to your next location you might find yourself stopping to talk to cast members to see if they have the pin you have been searching for.  These pins come in all different shapes and sizes, from heroes to villains, from rides to aliens and searching for your favorite is part of the fun!  Disney also likes to create exclusive pins that represent special occasions that might be going on while you are visiting, however it is very unlikely you will find one of these while trading.  They are normally meant to be purchased as a souvenir and not for trading.

So here’s how it works…

You can start your collection by purchasing a starter kit from one of Disney’s many gift shops. Next, find a cast member with a lanyard of pins.  Check out what they have to offer and if you see something you like just ask them to trade for one of yours.  There is one catch though; each cast member can only trade two of their pins with you, so pick and choose wisely.  If you see a cast member with a green or teal lanyard those are for kids that are 3-9 years old only!

That’s it!  Happy hunting!

Hint: Get to know your cast members…

….while you are looking at their pins be sure to see where they are from, it might just be the town next to yours!  Also if you were wondering about the flags on their name badge?  Those represent the languages they speak.  This is a great way to meet and interact with people from all over the world!