(Article last updated: December 5, 2017)
There might be a million different souvenirs you can buy at Disney World (and I'm convinced 90% of those are located at the World of Disney store in Disney Springs) but for brevity's sake, I've pared it down to a list of 20 unique Disney World souvenir ideas I think you'll like.
Some general advice on souvenir shopping:
- buy it when you see it, you may not see it again. There are lots of items unique to a location and there's a chance you won't come across it later.
- If you're staying on-site, you can send gifts back to your hotel for free so be sure to take advantage of that if you buy too much to carry.
- If you think of something after you leave that you wish you'd picked up, check the Shop Disney Parks app (available for Android and iOS) which has many/most items from the parks
Now... on to the list.
In this article
Personalized Disney ornaments
Remember your family vacations by buying an ornament from each destination. Disney offers Disney-themed ornaments in a couple of locations and you can even get them personalized if you'd like.
Locations: Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe at Magic Kingdom and Disney's Days of Christmas in Disney Springs
Price: Varies
Tips: Go early in your trip in case it takes days (usually can be done same day though) to get the personalized ornaments finished. The Disney Springs location has a wider selection than the Magic Kingdom location.
Pick a Pearl
Pick a Pearl allows you to pick an oyster from a tank, the very enthusiastic Cast Member cuts it open, and then you'll see if you got 1 or 2 pearls. The pearl(s) is/are then measured and put into a baggie.
Location: Mitsukoshi store in the Japan section of Epcot's World Showcase
Price: $17 (settings are separate)
Tips: Pick the hairiest, ugliest oyster to increase your chances of getting 2 pearls
A haunted portrait
At the Memento Mori gift shop, you can get a haunted portrait made of yourself (and lots of other things - it's a fantastic shop where you might find lots of things to buy).
Location: Memento Mori, near Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom
Price: $19.95
Tip: Only 1 person per portrait is allowed and it's not part of Memory Maker or the PhotoPass system
Mr. Potato Head Parts
Note: as of 2017 it appears that the Mr. Potato Head parts are no longer available.
At a toy store in Disney Springs, you can fill up a container of Mr. Potato Head parts (many of them exclusive to Disney parks) for a set cost.
Locations: Once Upon a Toy in Disney Springs
Price: $20 for the box, $50 for the large potato head container
Tips: Buy Mr. Potato Head at home because it takes up too much space in your box ($5 usually), get plenty of arms as many of them are specific to Disney, pay for big pieces separately as they can take up too much room in your container, Cast Members will help you pack if you'd like
Other options for stuffing a container in Disney Springs:
- Fill your own LEGO cup at the LEGO store in Disney Springs. Small cups are $8.99, large cups are $15.99.
- Pirate Treasure Chest at the World of Disney store in Disney Springs
- Jewelry Box at the World of Disney Store in Disney Springs
Resort-specific Merchandise
A couple of years ago, Disney started doing away with resort-specific merchandise so the gift shops contained generic Disney World items. The resort-specific items have returned. I like getting beach towels but you'll find everything from cups to t-shirts to magnets.
Locations: all Disney resorts
Price: Varies
Source of resort merchandise images
Carved rings
At a few spots in Disney World, you can have a ring carved to your specifications with various symbols or initials. You can choose between different materials like gold or silver.
Locations: Cart in Disney Springs near Little Miss Matched (seasonal), cart near Pirates of the Caribbean, Mexico section of Epcot
Price: $20 and up
Monorail set
How awesome would it be to have THIS under your Christmas tree?
Locations: Emporium at Magic Kingdom, World of Disney at Disney Springs, Test Track Shop at Epcot, The Contemporary Resort, Mouse Gear at Epcot, DisneyStore.com
Price: $84.95
Tips: There are other pieces that can go with the monorail to form a larger playset. Other pieces include Cinderella's Castle and The Contemporary. Don't be afraid to ship it home from Disney World or buy it online if it's too large to transport.
Music CDs
You can buy the music from various events at Disney World. And, if you're like me, you get kind of teary-eyed at Wishes and need to have that music available to cry at home too! Most music isn't available through iTunes so CDs are still the best option.
Locations: Throughout Disney World
Price: Varies
Personalized Chinese Parasol
Pick up one of these beautiful parasols and they'll write your name in Chinese on it to make it even more personal.
Locations: Kiosk in the China section of Epcot
Price: $10-14
Star Wars Merchandise
Buy lots of unique made-for-Disney Star Wars merchandise including build-your-own light saber and Build Your Droid.
Locations: Tatooine Traders at Hollywood Studios (exit area for Star Tours) and Once Upon a Toy, Star Wars Galactic Outpost, and Star Wars Trading Post in Disney Springs
Price: Varies
Monogrammed Mickey Ears
What's better than classic Mickey ears? Classic Mickey ears with a monogram added to them.
Locations: The Chapeau on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, the Five and Dime at Hollywood Studios, Mouse Gear at Epcot and DisneyStore.com
Price: $13.95 and up
Tips: Depending on how busy the stores are, it can take a while to get your monogram completed. Arrive at the store earlier in your visit so you can pick your ears up before you leave (sometimes a few hours later).
Lego Mini Model
There are lots of great things to buy at the LEGO store, but once a month the store offers mini models for free.
Locations: The LEGO store in Disney Springs
Price: Free
Tips: Check the LEGO site for info on this event and register online ahead of time to reserve your spot
Silhouettes
Have a silhouette drawn to remember your child's age at the time of your trip or have one done for a special occasion like mother's/father's/grandparents day for a truly unique Disney World souvenir. The artists can do these in as little as 60 seconds. Check out this video of how they do it.
Locations: Disney Springs, Epcot near France, the Magic Kingdom on Main Street (a cart in an alley about halfway down on the right as you enter the park) and in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom
Price: Single sitting portraits are $12, doubles are $20, triples are $24, or you can get a family of four for $27. Each portrait comes with three copies and you can buy optional frames for $8.95/each.
Pressed Pennies
One of the cheapest souvenirs in all of Disney World are pressed coins which you can find just about everywhere and collect in pressed coin books.
Locations: All throughout Disney World
Price: 51 cents per pressed penny
Tips: Check out PressCoins.com for listings of all of the machines at Disney World.
Personalize any merchandise
Take items you've purchased elsewhere and have them monogrammed however you like.
Locations: Adrian and Edith's Head to Toe at Hollywood Studios
Price: under $10 per item
Cookbooks
What better way to remember your trip than to make some of your favorite dishes at home? There are several different cookbooks to choose from.
Locations: Best selection is at Mickey's Pantry in Disney Springs
Price: Varies
Engraved glass items
This outdoor store sells glass items (including beer steins) and you can have them engraved for a more personal touch.
Locations: Glaskunst store in Germany section of Epcot
Price: Varies
Passport
You can buy these passports at Epcot and then have them stamped in each country.
Locations: Gift shops at Epcot (easiest is probably Mouse Gear)
Price: $10
Pins
You can trade pins with other people (including Cast Members) but you can also buy pins that you want as a souvenir for your trip. For more info on how this works, see this pin trading guide.
Locations: Just about everywhere at Disney World but Disney's Pin Traders in Disney Springs is the largest. You can also purchase on DisneyStore.com.
Price: Varies
Personalized t-shirts
From DisneyWorld.com "Select your favorite T–shirt color, size and style, and choose from more than 400 pieces of character art. Add a pre–written phrase, or embellish your shirt with your own words. Then, watch your design as it's made!"
Location: Design a Tee in Disney Springs
Price: About $25
Tips: You get to try on shirts in the store so you know which size to buy (very large sizes are available here and not as easy to find in other stores). Depending on how busy the store is, it might take 30 minutes or an hour for your shirt to be finished. No profanity or sports team names are allowed on the shirts.
Unique Disney World souvenir idea honorable mentions:
- A signed art piece from The Art of Disney in Disney Springs
- Party and festival specific items, like those you can purchase during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot
- Trashcan salt & pepper shakers
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Do you have questions or other unique Disney World souvenir ideas? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
74 Comments
Pick a pearl is such a cute idea! I will definitely buy a passport from Epcot on our next visit – thank you for sharing!
My husband and I did the passports and we wrote down what we ate in each country. We had left overs for the hotel after but it was something fun to do.
As of October 2017, you can no longer buy parts for Mr. Potato head. They said they haven’t done that for about 6 years.
The Mr. Potato Head and accessories are no longer available. When we visited Disney Springs yesterday, we were told about a month ago Disney stopped selling them. The store employees said there had been rumors about them discontinuing them then one day, they came to work and it had all been removed. Something about quality problems at the factory in China.
I was wondering what happened to them. I was just there and looking forward to getting the accessories. Very disappointed:(
Mr potatoe head at home does NOT fit these Disney pieces I did what this said to and just picked pieces and didn’t get the head and I got screwed so no one got to play with the pieces and it was a WASTE and my kids were devastated .
I did this and they fit my Walmart-bought potato head fine. One of the best value souvenirs I’ve bought at Disney. I do have the “classic” version, not the newest version with the large block shoes.
Regarding personalized t-shirts: we wanted an image of Gaston with the phrase “And every last inch of me’s covered with hair”. No go! You cannot use song lyrics.
If you are going to do the pick a pearl buy the cage ahead of time from etsy. Huge savings. The frog that disney wanted $85 for I found it for under $10.
oooh lucky you!