My kids had gift cards, but it certainly was not the focus of our trip. We would stop from time to time to look in stores, because there is some fun stuff just to look at. That’s how we shop at home and they don’t walk around the store asking for everything. Occasionally they would see something they like and purchase it with their gift cards. They got things like Legos from the LEGO store, one smaller stuffed animal, and create your own droid. Just because a child has spending money or is permitted to look for a souvinier does not mean it needs to be the focus or that you need to take out a lot of park time to do it.
It’s never really the focus of trip, by any stretch. Nor does Disney set it up to be. It’s just that the shiny objects are everywhere, sort of as a backdrop, I’d say. The displays are really sweet for the most part. The shops are actually fun to drop into. They’re placed discreetly in the different lands, and the main street shops are really lovely.
My kiddos, now their children, actually have always had fun choosing what they want the most. On grands 1st trip, grandmother (Babska, me) surprised them with Mickey and Minnie plush toys, b/c they saw them after had spent their money. But next trip, they were a bit more cautious b4 they spent it all. Good habits, understanding you can’t buy everything you see at that moment.
I’ll give Cobb a good home!
Are the mugs are still the same design as in 2016? I found them spill-prone just to run down to fill them and back to the room. Maybe they’re better now, but I wouldn’t have attempted to take those to the parks.
Get your dirty hands off my bear!
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Bwah hahahahaha
Okay, anybody else just have a Planet of the apes flashback?
Get your damn paws off me you stinkin’…?
Just me?
Oh well…
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Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!
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Yes!! This is a great idea.
I know my kid. I’ll start about 2 months before the trip by reminding her at every appropriate moment that we aren’t at Disney to buy stuff. We’ll spend a few minutes here and there but we won’t get sucked into gift shops.
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I have 4 kids and have been going every 1.5-2 years since the oldest was 1.5. Once they were about 4, we gave them each a gift card with the amount for the trip on it and let them spend as they wish. I would try to steer them to things they would like but hey if you really really want that X, then fine. For ages 4 to about 7 or8, I would tell them they could buy one souvenir per park. We usually do 2 or 3 days per park and once they bought something in a park that was it for that park. At that age, to my kids anyway, part of the fun of the item is having it right then (a balloon, mickey ears, a stuffed animal to ride in the stroller, a light up spinney thing, whatever). At about age 7 or 8, they seem to get the budget thing and maybe make mistakes, but get it. My teens like to buy pins and candy from different countries in World Showcase so maybe not good stuff, but not junk to put in the closet at home. Any money left at the end is theirs to keep (and we use whatever is left on the gift cards to pay toward the room charges and give them cash back). Last year, we gave each kid (6, 7, 12, and 15) $100 each and Grandma gave them $50 each. We did DDP so each had 2 snacks to use per day so food was covered mostly.
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I can’t answer that because I don’t know what they were like then, but we put ours in the basket of our ECVs and had no problems. We filled them with coffee for DW sprite or water for DD and I had powerade or diet coke.
My kids always saved their own money and when they were little they collected the Mickey and Minnie dolls from around World showcase.
We would always buy them something a bit more practical…like a Disney beach towel…which we still have several of that are 15 years old!!
I got so much money per day and would usually get a little something from grandparents to supplement. I could use the money over the course of the time.
The only problem with that was that I endlessly looked at stuff wondering if that was the thing I should spend money on to the point that my dad would just buy it so we would move on and not have to look through the store for 30 minutes.
I don’t have kids but I like the idea of reinforcing that shopping isn’t the main activity of the trip. You’re there to see and experience things and souvenirs may be a part of that, but shouldn’t be the focus.
DD10 has been in charge of the Shopkick scans when we go grocery shopping for the past year. By the time we go in June she will have earned $100 in GC’s for spending. This year she plans on a Rey outfit and Jedi robe “if the robe is Rey’s color” She collects snow globes so they can be a bit expensive if she chooses to get one of those instead. Grandparents give her $20 in quarters and a roll of pennies for pressed pennies, she came back from last vacation with every bit used.
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gave 23 and 21 year old 50 each on youngests 21st bday 2 years ago. i was impressed they each got one drink at jock Lindsays and brought me change. when they were younger, i didn’t give money, but told them they could get 1 souvenir each for the trip but had to be under a certain amount
I plan to give each of my children 1 gift card (I plan to research the cost of things a little to decide how much) and tell them they can use it for anything they’d like (5 park days, 1 Disney Springs Day). They can buy 1 big thing, or something small each day. It will be for souvenirs as well as snacks, desserts or drink cup upgrades that aren’t included on our dining plan. My boys are 7 & 4 and shop with me constantly. We talk a lot about how much things cost and I let them help me make decisions and explain why we can’t buy a toy every time we go to Target, so I feel ok about giving them their own money to spend. I’ll be hanging on to the card though 
Plus, knowing my kids, it will actually give ME a better vacation because when the excited souvenir begging starts I can throw my hands up and say “Is that what you want to spend your gift card money on?”
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When the kids were little we’d limit them to one souvenir per trip, plus as many pressed pennies as they could crank out. This excludes books and music, we would always pay for that. I noticed that they had their money saved up from birthdays, etc. and never spent it at Disney.
We travel a lot, and just cannot have this stuff cluttering up the house. Plus, I wanted to teach them the value of travel for the experience itself.
Now that they are young adults, I figure its enough to buy the trip, they can spend their own money any on souvenirs.
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We just got back last week. Two boys- ages 6 & 10. We gave each of them a $50 gift card and told them they could spend it on anything that they wanted, but once the money was gone, it was gone.
One kid bought a Lego set at Disney Springs (major eye roll- it was a a set he could have picked up anywhere. But he had that $$ burning an actual hole in his pocket, and he couldn’t wait to spend it.) The other kid waited for a banshee at AK- he had to supplement a little with his own money.
That said, we did end up buying them some additional stuff-
- We bought each boy a pair of sunglasses- we had forgotten them at home.
- Younger DS and I bought older DS a stuffed animal Porg at Disney Springs because he was back at the hotel puking, sicker than a dog, and we felt bad that he was so sick on his vacation.
- With that in mind, to even it out somewhat a few days later I bought younger DS a stuffed animal Yeti for being brave enough to go on Everest.
We also didn’t make the boys buy their own snacks. If we weren’t on board with their choice or the timing we just said no. Otherwise, we bought whatever yummies anyone was eyeing.
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I like your gift card idea. After a couple of years of daily traumatic battles with DD about buying things, I established a system that she would get $XX each day to spend for each day we were at WDW. She could borrow against the trip total if she really wanted to, but I would warn she might find something later that she wanted more and then could not buy it. She could save up and roll over any money saved for the next days of the trip. AND if there was anything left in the total at the end of the trip she could have that money she had not spent. I don’t think that ever happened 
But in addition to ridding us of the fight at every merchandise opportunity, it taught her to think about what really was worth it to her. I also promised that if she had not bought something early on but had money at the end of the trip and wanted to go back and find it, we would do our best to do so.
So this lets every family do something that fits their budget, reduces the relationship stress, and actually teaches your kids a great lesson about life that is valuable for them.
And/but, I think the gift card version is great. DD is grown and gone (-ish, we still have plans for Disney) but I will use your version when I am Grandma some day!
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This is basically what we did. One $50 gift card each, it was given as a gift (Christmas stocking, as both Disney trips were in early February). No candy/snacks until they were each down to the last few dollars and they combined to get candy for flight.
They all picked stuffed animals. Stitch, Beymax, and a Yeti. It’s been 2 years and they still love them.
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