10 Secret Walt Disney World Pressed Penny Locations

Many Disney fanatics have learned that pressed pennies make a great souvenir of their vacations to the Disney World Resort. At a cost of only 51 cents per pressed penny, it is an economical souvenir. The various buttons and cranks that the machines have make it a fun interactive experience as well. (I’m still partial to the crank models.) And although there are nearly 600 different pressed pennies available to collect, you can limit your collection to characters or series of coins that are of particular interest to you in order to keep your total expenditures low. You can also find a selection of great pressed penny wallets and holders to make your collection even more special. If there is a downside to collecting pressed pennies, it is the fact that the machines are spread throughout the Disney property. While this means that there are at least a few coins available at nearly every location that you visit, it also means that you have to visit a lot of locations to collect specific coins for your collection. Here are some of the more difficult locations that you’ll need to reach in order to find pressed pennies at Disney World:

10. Orlando International Airport

Okay, this first one is a bit of a cheat but the fact remains that there is a pressed penny machine in the Disney’s Earport gift shop in the Orlando International Airport. That means Disney guests who either drive to the property or fly into a different airport will find it very difficult to obtain the coins at this location. Which is a shame because the pennies featured include a couple of great ones with Stitch and Mickey dressed as pilots. Because it isn’t actually on Disney World property “proper”, so to speak, it just barely sneaks onto the list in the last spot.

9. Animal Kingdom Lodge

With a few notable exceptions, nearly all of the resorts on Disney property have at least one pressed penny machine available for their guests. While this makes finding those coins easy for Disney vacationers staying at those particular resorts, it does put them somewhat out of easy reach for guests staying elsewhere. Nonetheless, a quick car or bus trip is all it takes to add these pennies to your collection. Since Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the more isolated resorts and the pressed penny machine is located in Pumbaa’s Fun & Games Arcade near the wading pool, these are somewhat more difficult to get. But that’s where you’ll need to go to get safari versions of Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto.

8. Caribbean Beach Resort

While some resorts have the pressed penny machines in the lobby or gift shop which makes them a little easier to find, others place them in less accessible areas. A Caribbean Beach Resort visit is a must for those coin collectors that are seeking pennies from Disney’s Cars. Lightning McQueen, Sally, and Mack can be found here, along with Mickey Mouse wearing a tuxedo, Nemo, and Princess Aurora. But you’ll have to make your way to the Goombay Games Arcade in the Old Port Royale complex to get them.

7. Wilderness Lodge

While the Wilderness Lodge is in the Magic Kingdom resort area, getting there isn’t necessarily the quickest endeavor. And they make some of their pressed penny machines even more inaccessible by placing them out at the bus stops. If you do make the effort however, the Wilderness Lodge rewards you with a nice variety of coins. Pennies featuring the Seven Dwarfs’ Happy, Simba, Finding Nemo’s Gill, Pocahontas, Meeko, and Winnie the Pooh and Piglet counting honey pots may be found here. So whether you have to hop a boat or a bus to get over to Wilderness Lodge, the trip is worth your while.

6. Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

Another Magic Kingdom resort that presents some challenges for the pressed penny collector is the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Getting ahold of Monsters, Inc.’s Waternoose, Boo, and Celia, as well as some great camping/Western themed pressed pennies with Mickey, Donald and Goofy, require either a boat or bus ride, followed by a resort shuttle trip. The reason is that the machines are located at Meadow Trading Post and Pioneer Hall in the resort’s interior, and at the Fort Wilderness Reception Outpost, which is quite a distance away at the campground’s entrance. You’d better set aside some time if you plan to get all of these!

5. Blizzard Beach

Next on the list are Disney World’s two water parks. While these are must-visit locations for some Disney guests, the majority will never set foot inside these parks. As such, the pressed pennies at these locations will be some of the most inaccessible for collectors. Because Blizzard Beach is more centrally located on Disney property, they finish just ahead of Typhoon Lagoon on this list. Fortunately, the three pennies available in the Beach Haus Gift Shop are specifically themed to Blizzard Beach and will only be desired by fans of the water park and collectors intent on getting their hands on every existing pressed penny.

4. Typhoon Lagoon

Typhoon Lagoon, like Blizzard Beach before it, features two pennies that are themed specifically to the water park. Unfortunately, they also have a third penny which is #6 out of 7 in the Lilo and Stitch series. The coin features Lilo, Nani, and Stitch surfing, and fans of the Lilo and Stitch movie and characters will have to pay a visit to Singapore Sal’s Souvenirs in Typhoon Lagoon to find it. While it makes sense to feature this penny at a water park, it is certainly an out-of-the-way place for most to go.

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3. Winter Summerland Miniature Golf

While the Disney water parks have a smaller fan base than the theme parks on property, the miniature golf locations have one that is even smaller. Because it is located right next to Blizzard Beach and is therefore easily accessible to guests visiting the water park, Winter Summerland finishes third on this list. Like Blizzard Beach, the pressed penny machines at Winter Summerland feature three coins that are themed specifically to this location. That may serve to save some collectors the need to visit this miniature golf course.

2. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

Another location that is probably outside the attention of most Disney resort guests is the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The ESPN Clubhouse Shop features three coins, two of which are themed to this location and thus may have little appeal to most collectors. However, one of those pressed pennies features Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck on the same coin, something that cannot currently be found on any other penny on property. In addition, the third penny is a Team Mickey design that features Mickey holding and wearing sports gear from a number of sports, which will also have appeal to some collectors. Located at the southernmost part of Disney World’s developed property, obtaining these pennies will test the will of the most die-hard pressed penny fans.

1. Fantasia Gardens

The second of Disney World’s two miniature golf locations takes the top spot on our list. Fantasia Gardens hits the trifecta of difficult pressed penny collecting. First, the pennies offered at this location are not Fantasia Gardens specific. In fact, visiting this location is a must if you are collecting either the Alice in Wonderland series or the Cinderella series – to add the White Rabbit and the Wicked Stepmother & Ugly Stepsisters, respectively. The third penny features Sorcerer Mickey. Second, it’s at a location that few guests make it a point to visit. Miniature golf simply isn’t on most people’s radar when visiting the Disney World Resort. And finally, it is in a location that is somewhat removed. Unlike Winter Summerland, which is right next to Blizzard Beach, you have to go to the Swan & Dolphin hotel and then walk down the street to get there.

Finding specific pressed pennies for your collection can be a labor of love when the machines are located in out-of-the-way places. And that’s even before considering the occasional closures and renovations that can make machines inaccessible for months at a time. But as many Disney fanatics know, collecting pressed pennies makes for a great family adventure all on its own, and takes you to many places you might not have visited otherwise. What was the most difficult pressed penny to obtain for your collection that you simply had to have?

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