Plan the Magic - Disney Planning Resource

Pin trading is a fun activity the whole family can participate in. For our family it has added a new dimension of fun to our Disney World vacation both at the parks and beyond! Never done it? Here are some tips from my personal experience to help you get started.

You’ll need a lanyard to get you started. Lanyards can be bought ahead of time online at the Disney Store or they can be bought at most stores gift shops and stores on Walt Disney World Property. If you are looking for a unique or a hard to find lanyard buying on Ebay can be an option too. Starter lanyards can be purchased with pins already attached and this is an easy way to get started.



Now that you have some pins and a lanyard to wear them on where can you trade for pins? Any cast member wearing pins are happy to trade with you. This includes the parks as well as resorts, restaurants and Downtown Disney. Kids have a few extra opportunities to trade as cast members wearing green lanyards at Walt Disney World and those wearing teal lanyards at Disneyland only trade with the littlest guests between ages 3-12. Remember not to interrupt a cast member when they are doing their job to trade pins, wait your turn and they are always happy to let you look at their pins.

Pin etiquette is something you should be aware of before trading but most of this is common sense, if you forget what to do just ask the cast member.
1. Always ask the cast member to see their pins, never reach for or grab their pin pouch or lanyard.
2. You can’t trade a cast member for a pin they already have.
3. You can’t trade more than 2 pins with one cast member.
4. You can’t buy a pin from a cast member you can only trade for the pin you want.

Now that you’ve got all these pins what do you do with them when you get home? My family purchased a pin binder when we first got into pin trading. This book is a great way to keep all your pins together and in a book where you can easily store it and share it with friends and family. If you have some really special pins you can display them in a shadow box and hang it on the wall. Another neat idea is displaying your pins on a framed cork board. Just hang the board up and stick your pins on it. You can get as creative as you want with this and it’s all personal preference. We love pin trading at Disney and although it can become an expensive habit the thrill of finding the pin you’re looking for can be magical!

Angela is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Pixie Vacations
Contact: Angela@PixieVacations.com or 865-247-5462
Follow: Facebook "Angela's Pixie Vacations"