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The 5 Free (Or Nearly Free) Walt Disney World Souvenirs

Let’s face it: Disney souvenirs are hard to pass up. You walk into the Emporium and see a few pins that you want to add to your collection. Or your walking out through the gift shop at the Tower of Terror and you see a bag or t-shirt that you like. Before you know it, you’ve spent a few hundred dollars on souvenirs. However, there are souvenirs that you can collect from the parks that are free (or nearly free) and are a great way to remember your Disney trip. Here is our list of the top five Disney souvenirs to begin collecting to remember your trips by!

5 – Wilderness Explorers – this activity is offered at Animal Kingdom and allows guests to explore all of the areas at Animal Kingdom and learn more about the environment, animals, and conservation. It is totally free to participate in – you can pick up for guidebook and learn more about it at locations throughout the park. Guests who participate in this activity are rewarded with stickers at each location after they complete their challenge. The challenges are geared towards younger guests, but it is definitely fun for the entire family and a great way to remember what you saw (and learned) at Animal Kingdom!

4 – Souvenir Popcorn Buckets – so, this one isn’t free, but it is still pretty cheap. Throughout the parks, there are popcorn carts selling the deliciously addicting popcorn. Whenever I surrender to the smell of the popcorn, I generally ask for a souvenir bucket. These buckets are slightly more expensive than just a regular popcorn (about $3 more expensive), but you can keep the popcorn bucket. I have a complete collection from the parks and am currently working on a holiday collection from the parks. I enjoy collecting these because they are great to use when you are having your Disney (or Star Wars, or Pixar, or LucasFilm, or Marvel) movie nights at home. The animation on the buckets is also pretty cool, too! Guests who want something a little more special can find at certain locations a more elaborate popcorn container. I’ve been able to find a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train train car filled with gems and jewels, a Dumbo container, and a Hans Solo frozen in carbonite!

3 – Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom Cards – Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom is a card game that invites guests to battle villains throughout the Magic Kingdom using spell cards at an assortment of portals throughout the park. It is free to play and each guest is eligible to receive three cards on each visit to the Magic Kingdom (provided that one of the cards is used to unlock a portal). The cards have wonderful animation on them and are highly collectible. Disney does sell collectible binders in various gift shops for you to protect and display your cards (for an additional cost). As the game has become increasingly more popular, Disney has started offering specialty cards for guests who attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

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2 – MagicBands – while some may not view this as a “free” souvenir since you have to pay for the ticket, the room, and the MagicBand, but it is something that you get to keep and that you are free to personalize beyond what Disney sends you. Since we make frequent trips, we generally include some kind of reminder as to where we stayed on that particular trip or what we were celebrating on that trip. Guests who have a more creative side can decorate their MagicBands to remember (or to get psyched up) through a variety of websites like Etsy.

1 – Theme Park Maps and Time Guides – this is my go to free souvenir. I pick up a theme park map and Times Guide as soon as a I get to the park. Aside from occasionally glancing at the Times Guide to see when shows are happening, I put the map aside as a souvenir. I keep all of the maps and use them to mark off what we did on that trip. It makes it easier to remember that trip that way and can also be used if you are putting together a scrapbook or some other kind of keepsake to remember your trip by. Some people think I’m crazy for saving all of the maps, but I am holding out for a collector who will want old Epcot maps that lists Captain EO as an attraction!

Disney is expensive and costs won’t be coming down. Expensive t-shirts or stuffed animals may not be in everyone’s budget, but these free (or nearly free) souvenirs are great ways to remember your trip while keeping some money in your pockets. What is your favorite thing to collect at Disney?

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About Tyler

Tyler is a lawyer living in South Florida who visits Disney World at least once a month. He enjoys re-living classic Disney experiences and discovering new things about the parks when he visits. Friends and family always ask him to plan their trip for maximum Disney magic!

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