There might be a million different souvenirs you can buy at Disney World (and we're convinced 90% of those are located at the World of Disney store in Disney Springs) but for brevity's sake, we've pared it down to a list of 20 unique Disney World souvenir ideas we 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 out shopDisney.com.
Now... on to the list.
Starbucks "You Are Here" mugs
We love a souvenir that is useful and these cute mugs totally fit that description. The Disney World versions of the popular Starbucks collectibles are perfect for coffee and tea lovers alike.
Locations: Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom, Fountain View in Epcot (this location has closed and a temporary location has replaced it), Trolley Car Cafe at Hollywood Studios, Creature Comforts at Animal Kingdom
Price: $19.99
Tips: Like other purchases in the parks, these too can be shipped back to your resort if you don't want to carry them around with you.
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.
Banshee
The beautiful Flight of Passage at Pandora lets guests ride on the backs of their very own banshee and now, you can take a miniature version of one home with you. These interactive animals (controlled by your hand) move their heads, wings, and mouths and even make authentic banshee sounds.
Locations: The Rookery inside Windtraders at Animal Kingdom
Price: Varies
Tips: Guests go through an entire adoption process where they identify a banshee from 10 unique styles
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: around $20 (settings are separate)
Tips: Pick the hairiest, ugliest oyster to increase your chances of getting 2 pearls
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.
Locations: all Disney resorts
Price: Varies
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
Price: $99.99
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 if it's too large to transport.
Painted Keepsake
You don't have to be an artist to create a masterpiece. These fun classes are led by instructors that use easy-to-follow steps to guide you through the creation of your very own Disney piece of art.
Locations: Some Walt Disney World Resort Hotels (check your hotels Recreation Guide when you arrive for availability)
Price: Prices start around $35 but can vary
Tips: These classes are perfect for a non-park day
Painted Toms
If you like a souvenir you can wear, these Toms are not only amazingly comfortable, they are also extremely cute (and VERY unique!).
Locations: in Epcot during the Festival of the Arts
Price: Prices start around $55 but go up depending on style and size (both child and adult sizes available)
Customized phone cases
Phone cases are another extremely useful souvenir. With dozens and dozens of unique styles and the ability to customize your selection with your name, these phone cases are a fun way to remember your Disney World trip.
Locations: D-Tech on Demand inside the Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs
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: around $15
Star Wars Lightsaber & Droids
For a truly unique experience, Star Wars fans can build their own replica lightsabers and droids.
Locations: Savi's Workshop (light sabers) and Droid Depot (droids) in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios
Price: varies (lightsabers start at $199)
Tip: Reservations for both of these experiences must be made ahead of time. You can do that online: Savi's Workshop reservations, Droid Depot reservations.
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: $15.95 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).
Legos
Sure, there are lots of places you can buy Lego sets but the Disney Springs Lego Store is a must stop place for Lego fans. Filled to the brim with brightly colored bricks, the fill-a-bucket option is a great souvenir for any Lego lover.
Locations: The LEGO store in Disney Springs
Price: varies
Tips: Check the LEGO site for promotions.
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.
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: Prices start around $15
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: starting at 51 cents per pressed penny, however, some machines are 2 quarters, or even $1.00 (with the penny provided by the machine), and a few use credit cards
Tips: Check out the map on the Disney World website for up-to-date locations
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
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
Cool souvenirs that are no longer available
Alas, all good things must come to an end.
Here's some of our past favorites that are no longer available.
A haunted portrait
Note: no longer available as of August 2019
At the Memento Mori gift shop, you used to be able to get a haunted portrait made of yourself.
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 once were able to fill up a container of Mr. Potato Head parts (many of them exclusive to Disney parks) for a set cost.
Personalized t-shirts
Note: the Design a Tee shop is closed as of September 2018
Lots of people make customized shirts themselves now, but at one time you were also able to do it at a shop called Design a Tee in Disney Springs
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Do you have questions or other unique Disney World souvenir ideas? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
78 Comments
I am so sad they no longer do the haunted portraits. It is one of my favorite souvenirs we got from Disney, we put them up on the mantel every Halloween.
My daughter and I did the tye dye Mickey t-shirts at our resort (Port Orleans -Riverside). They were easy to make and we each had a fun, unique shirt to take home! They were only $18. The shirts were already tied off so the Mickey head would appear on the front of the shirt….you just had to pick your colors. The staff wrapped the shirts in plastic and gave us washing instructions. They had kid and adult sizes to choose from. We would definitely make them again!
Where can I buy the Salt and Pepper Trash Cans in WDW? THanks!
I used to collect the Engel Puppen Dolls that were custom made at Der Teddy Bear in Epcots Germany. The dresses were all homemade and had exquisite detail. They had cinderella snow white etc. You could choose eye and hair color. On occasion Mr Engel or his son were there to sign them. They were a little pricey but absolutely gorgeous and well made
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!