Gift cards for Christmas but trip is paid already

So family members knew that we were going to Disney World so we all got a lot of gift cards for Christmas from family members. Now the question is what “extras” should we spend the gift cards on for our Trip Jan 1-9th. We have the Disney dining plan already with kids eat free and it is DW, DD6,DD4, and DD2. We are doing parks 8 of the days and staying at Pop. Thanks in advance I am open to any suggestions that you guys think would be great for the kids for our first trip to Disney

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I’m not an expert on the Disney Dining plan, but I would suggest looking into adding Akershus for a character dining meal with the Princess’s in EPCOT. We weren’t able to get to this last time, but I am really looking forward to it.

Personally, I’m not a fan of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but I know it’s popular.

You can use your gift cards to pay for tips if you’re having sit down meals.

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Do you have money set aside for tips ?

Currently for TS meals we have The following:
Chef Mickey Dinner
Akershus Lunch
Bon Voyage Trat al forno Breakfast
H&V breakfast
Tusker House lunch
Snow White at AP Dinner
Cinderella Royal Table

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So I guess I should have said we got about $600 in gift cards from family the last two days. We do have money set aside for the tips on TS

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First off - awesome dining reservations!

Do the kids feel as though it’s “their gifts” or is it a family gift… if it’s a family gift, I would honestly try to just use them towards my hotel bill - Disney might be able to do this for you if you call.

This is honestly a tough question.

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We want to use the gift cards for something for the kids. I looked at dessert parties but did not look like a great value especially since we already have dining plan and should have plenty of food/snacks. But if others have had great experiences or tours I am all ears. We just did not want the kids to buy $600 of souvenirs!!! Ha

Two things that come to mind is Pick-a-Pearl in the Japan shop in EP, you can pick a setting or a little jar with sand in it. And face painting.

Edit to add: I don’t think you can use gift cards at the Japan shop!?! Does anyone know for sure?

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My only advice is that you will be lucky if the kids are awake for the fireworks, so paying extra is a big risk. I could be wrong / my son is 10 months so I don’t know that well yet but I learned that the hard way with him.

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I had the same thought Patrick. We are RDing most days but I have at least a 3 hour break or more each day midday.

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Are you doing BBB? With girls that age, it might be fun and if you were already planning on doing it, maybe upgrade to the deluxe package with outfits. Or Pirates League makeovers?

Face painting is a good thing to add–not sure you can pay with gift cards but you can magic band and pay with gift cards at hotel.

We did the family magic tour (my kids were 5 and 7 I think) and really enjoyed it. The two-year old will be along for the ride. It eats up some morning park time (2.5 hours) but our tour included meeting Peter Pan, Mickey and Minnie and riding 3 rides along with the scavenger hunt. It was awesome for the 4-8 crowd.

Pirates and Pals firework voyage. Or they have a pirate ship treasure hunt type even from some of the resorts. Both of those require reservations ahead of time but you can always call and check on it as an option.

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We had BBB booked but since the 2 year old is too young we cancelled so we did not have a melt down. She actually turns 3 on the trip so she would understand enough if her sisters were all done up because she enjoys playing dress up more than the other too. I am going to look into the Pirates and pals fireworks to see if I can make that work because that would be something different than all the princess stuff we have planned.

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We really enjoy the Plaza Garden Fireworks Dessert Party to watch HEA. We typically don’t eat dinner that night & make a meal out of sugar :slight_smile: It was much more crowded than previous trips when we went a few weeks ago, but we got there quite late too.

You might also consider paying OOP for CRT & use those meal credits for 2 other ADRs instead.

To me it sounds like a great opportunity for some upcharge events or souvenirs you usually wouldn’t get. Enjoy! :slight_smile:

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Just a thought. Would the 2yo be OK if she was wearing a new Princess dress and had her hair sprinkled with glitter by the barbers?

What about looking into getting the room decorated and a plush each? I think if you want that done when you arrive you have to check in and then scoot away, since they won’t do that before you arrive (in case someone else ends up in “your” room. But you could arrange it for another day.

Or a family tour? Forget what it’s called, some liners here have done it. Like a scavenger hunt around MK.

Edit: should have read all the replies properly lol! @momfourmonkeys already mentioned the family tour. :grin:

Of course you could keep some for your next visit and use them to pay some of the room then. And just give the kids a certain amount you feel comfortable with to spend.

If you’re 2 year old turns 3 during the trip, could you book BBB on or after her birthday? My DD loved BBB when she was young and I highly recommend.

Do you have Memory Maker? If not you could add. Love the family and attraction photos. Another thought is Disney Fine Art Photography for a family photo session. We’ve done this twice and they are some of my favorite family pictures. I know these aren’t experiences but pictures are priceless to me, especially to capture your first trip. Good luck!

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The other suggestions above are great.

I’m sure your kids won’t have trouble spending $600 on souvenirs lol. If it was me, I’d keep a few hundred for all the toys, shirts, etc. that they will ask for. Or maybe drop the kids at one of the childcare centres for a couple hours and have a drink with your wife at a restaurant or bar nearby. You could get an in-room delivery of ears, snacks, toys etc. I ordered my boys a custom gift basket for our arrival day. It will have a personalized set of ears for each and some snacks. https://www.disneyfloralandgifts.com/

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I didn’t bother trying to carry my gift cards around so I can’t confirm if you can use GCs at the Japan store. My son made a purchase there and I charged it to the MB and then paid off the balance using the gift cards at the resort front desk.

We had a similar predicament - my boys were loaded up with gift cards for their birthdays - much more than I thought they should spend at Disney. We let them select some souvenirs and then we gave them a credit to use with the remaining $ at home. I used the remainder of the consolidated gift card to pay off the room charges.

DS2 spent nearly all his money at the DS Lego store (they’ll ship the purchases home for a small charge - well worth the $). DS1 was more thoughtful in his purchases so he still has a credit to use.

If it is multiple gift cards I suggest combining them onto one - far easier than dealing with $50 on one card, $25 on another, etc.

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This.
https://www.disneygiftcard.com/manage

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