We’ve all been there before when you’re patiently waiting in a long line at Disney World (maybe playing Heads Up with your fam).
Minnie Ears at World of Disney
Buuut, suddenly you’re hit with a spray of bubbles from one of your kids out of nowhere. Or, you might even get blasted in the face with water from a misting fan (we’re not sure which is worse). While we usually LOVE shopping for Disney merchandise, there are definitely a few items that we’ve regretted purchasing!
And, we’ve got five of the Disney World souvenirs that you could easily regret buying in the parks!
Misting Fans
During the peak of Florida summer, you don’t have to look far to see those little blue and yellow Misting Fans chillin’ in carts around the parks. We’ve BEEN THERE: it’s so hot that it feels like you’re melting, sweat is dripping off of EVERY part of you, and the icy cool relief these promise looks SO TEMPTING. The combo of cold water and a slight breeze these offer can make these the real MVP on a hot day.
Misting Fan
But ye be warned — these things are like catnip for kids. And if the fan is off, is essentially becomes an expensive spray bottle. You could find yourself the victim of a rogue spray attack in line, on a ride (yes, we’ve been there), on a bus (yup, still been there), and really anywhere else little hands can grab the bottle and start spraying. Yea…we’re guilty of “accidentally” leaving these behind in our hotel room before. 😉
Glow Spinners
As you’re waiting for the fireworks to start, you can spot all the lights from Glow Spinners illuminating Main Street. Since they come decorated in different colors and fun character designs, it’s hard to not want one. They glow! They spin! They light up the night! But, after it’s been a LONG day in the parks, they can drive you crazy. Ah, there’s nothing like being on a PACKED bus at 11 PM at night (trying not to fall asleep), and the dark quiet is pierced by the bright flashy lights and sounds of a spinner.
Princess Glow Spinner
Yes, these can attack too, just like the misters. You guys, they hurt SO much, especially when they’re going at full speed! And if you or your kids have long hair? Forget about it. Let’s just say spinny things and long hair don’t mix. And wrestling your kid into submission on Main Street to zillions of onlookers while you try to free their scalps from the evil grips of the R2-D2 spinny toy is likely not the vacation memories you’re hoping for! 😉
Mickey Glow Spinner
We’re guilty of buying them (yes, on more than one occasion), and they usually go RIGHT in the back of a closet or bottom of a toy bin once home, never to be played with again.
Bubble Blowers
If you have kids, you’ll know that they’re basically obsessed with the Bubble Blowers in the parks. The toy can blow hundreds of bubbles while it plays some of your favorite Disney music (and we totally see the appeal tbh). Oh yea, THESE LIGHT UP TOO. Ok, we take it back. Misters aren’t catnip for kids, THESE ARE!
Buzz Lightyear Bubble Blower
But minutes after you’ve purchased the bubble blower and your kid has already sucked through that tiny bottle of bubbles, you’ll find yourself on the dreaded hunt for more bubbles in every gift shop on property. What fun is a bubble blower that doesn’t make bubbles?!
These Bubbles Will Be Gone in SECONDS
Any parent who has walked around the parks with a kid in a stroller can attest that the barrage of bubbles these produce ALWAYS have a way of blowing right in your face as you push the stroller. And let’s not even get started with the bubbles on transportation. Remember that late-night bus with (probably one of our) kids spinning light-up toys in the dark? Now fill that bus with bubbles. And more lights and sounds.
Ariel Bubble Wand
Good luck getting these home too. The bubble solution coursing through their veins will want to go EVERYWHERE when you pack it, so even if you remember to grab a bag at a gift shop to wrap it in, you’ll still be met with a sticky, bubbly mess when you get home. This does not live in the closet with the abandoned spinny toy. It’s still wrapped in the gift shop bag on the top shelf of a closet in hopes your kid forgets it ever existed.
Mickey Balloons
For many families, no trip to Disney is complete without a Mickey Balloon. They’re iconic! But if you’ve ever bought one you’ve likely had the same reaction as us minutes later: “Oh no…what have I done?!”
Mickey Balloons
Yes, they’re great to help find your stroller in a sea of stroller parking and yes, your kid (or your!) face will likely light up when you purchase one. But these balloons can be MEAN as you walk around the parks (noticing a trend here that we don’t like souvenirs that can assault us?).
Once you tie that balloon to your stroller, it’s going to be right around your head’s height: perfect for smacking you over…and over…and over in the face as you walk around. This is the beginning of a long and painful dance of parents trying to maneuver their stroller all day without getting hit or tangled in the balloon.
Balloons in Disney Springs
And then how do you get it HOME? You can’t bring inflated helium balloons on an airplane, so you’ll have to deflate it if you want to keep it (and yes, of course your kid will HAVE TO KEEP IT!) This will lead to 20 minutes of you grumbling under your breath at a balloon as you struggle to undo the knots and try to deflate it.
Deflated Mickey Balloons at Home
When you emerge victorious, your kid will forget they wanted to bring it home in the first place (totally not speaking from experience or anything!). It will now live in that same closet as the spinny toy until your kid throws it away (J/K…you’ll have to throw it away, obviously).
Souvenir Sipper Cups
Ohhh these little (ok, not so little) beauties! If you have a persuasive kid with you or you, yourself, fell victim to the sweet siren song of the sipper cups in the parks, you may know this struggle too. These cups are CUTE. They’re fun to stroll around the parks with. But then what?!
BB-8 Stein and Alien Sipper Cup
You get home and that cup either lives in that top back part of your cabinet you keep weird cups in (does everyone have that shelf of abandoned cups too??) or, if you have kids, they may insist they use their new favorite cup all. the. time. Ever tried washing a giant BB-8 stein in a dishwasher? Or a mega Sven Sipper? Not happening! And ain’t nobody got time for handwashing these!
Sven Sipper
Of course, expect the plastic straw to get lost in your house, never to be seen again. If you have a kid insistent on using these cups, you may hit your breaking point and just “accidentally” give them away. Totally not saying we’ve ever done that, if our kids are reading this! 😉
Click below to find out some of the strangest things you NEVER thought you’d need in Disney World!
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What Disney World souvenirs are the most annoying to you? And, which ones are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!
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I have 2 alien cups and still LUUUUURVE them! Nothing lights up my life (see what I did there 😁) like a glowing, blinking cocktail and maybe an extra glow cube on a summer night (or any night….. or day, let’s be real). It takes me right back to that 1000 degree day in Toy Story Land. Swooooon! My kids are always jealous, so, enter the second cup! We even use the rubber straws so no one stabs themselves. Boom….. mini vacay, woo woo!
If you do end up buying things like glow toys, misting fans, bubble toys, and even ponchos, I would recommend doing a regifting at the end of your trip. If the items are in good working order, and it is sanitary to do so, choose a random child or family on your last day to spread the magic to. This way your kiddo gets to enjoy the fun while you are there, you don’t have to worry about bringing the item home, and you get to Crete your own magical moment for someone else! If your kiddo has a hard time with the idea of giving away their toy, let them help choose the family and, if safe, be the one to present it to their new owner.
We’ve bought misting fans, bubble toys, and spinny glow things from Five Below, Dollar Tree, etc. or online before our trips. Way cheaper, and they prevent tantrums later on haha.
My mom and I had annual passes last year, and on our last trip, we got a bubble blower because walking through the wall of bubbles on our trips always made us smile! Now we get to do it at home to each other whenever we want 😄😄
Popcorn buckets. They are pretty inconvenient to carry around the parks. The only one we have is one we were given when we ate at Tiffin’s once (I guess because they had trouble actually selling them). It’s the pretty pink lotus blossom design in the shape of a sphere with LEDs that illuminate it from the bottom, and a strap to carry it with. Really pretty, but not convenient in any way to carry around a park.
I 100% agree with the bubble blower and misting fan. My kids are grown and didn’t let them have them but still have to deal with getting squirted in the fast by someone’s “adorable” children while the parents are paying no attention to them or staring at their phone. Seems like it happens pretty often lately. Drives me crazy!
Mad Hatter “coffee” drinkers, travel size of fav caffeine, or non-, and couple tea bags as backups. Omg, paper towels! Smush ’em in suitcase. Separate few, stuff in ziploc, add water. Great for cleanups, etc., and easy throw aways. Love the Painters tape. Aren’t you always wishing you had a marking pen?
I have bought my daughter the foil balloons. Once they are deflated they actually make very nice wall decorations. Until she outgrew it, she had several different Tinkerbell foil balloons, deflated and flattened, on her bedroom walls. Although she feels too big for Tinkerbell on her bedroom wall now she has saved them “just because”.
Bandaids. Tylenol. Ibuprofen
These are avail at the park but very expensive. Possibly some Benadryl And neosporin they don’t take. Much space but are invaluable
We loved our bubble blower. It was a nice surprise for other kids while in line and kept them occupied. The bubbles last way longer-you’re exaggerating how quickly they run out.
Our bubble wand has been a lifesaver in quarantine! And my BB-8 sipper is one of my favorite souvenirs.
As an AP at Disneyland, I fell “victim” to the AP Chernabog sipper cup. How could I resist $1 refills of any drink any time (almost) anywhere in a bad a** looking cup!!?? But that sucker was HUGE!! It was a foot tall and more if you counted the straw! He was a pain to lug around the parks! Although now he’ comes out once a year as a cool Halloween decoration on my desk at work.
See we use the sipper cups and popcorn buckets as decor in our kitchen. We don’t use them for intended use but get use out of them.
The spray fan saved my vacation a few years ago. I normally do not buy things like that for myself or even my kids. But it was worth every cent to have a happy child who could cool herself off. Yeah normally it would not be worth it but that summer….no regrets lol!
I experienced back spasms on our trips in 2018 and 2019. On the 2019 trip, I hadn’t had any spasms since the year before, so I just took some IcyHot cream. The spasms started on day 2 and why didn’t I pack the ThermaCare heat wraps?! If you’re prone to anything similar, take them, because I paid a premium price from the Disney-approved off-site pharmacy to have them delivered to POR. *Don’t wear them to the airport! The TSA doesn’t like heat-producing items on airline passengers for some reason (haha), which I found out from personal experience on our 2018 trip home! It’s a now-funny story to tell, though it was nerve-wracking at the time.
I use the souvineer cups as decorations. Sven comes out every year at Christmas. I even bought him a little hat that was made for small pets (like a guinea pig) to make him even more festive. Popcorn buckets are the best because I tape lights inside them. Some of the cheapest holiday decorations you can get at Disney.
We always loved the misting fans – being from the UK the heat was a lot to get used to. The first couple of trips we bought new ones but then after that we stayed in a villa which always seemed to have a couple kicking around.
Popcorn buckets! They’re a must have when I see them. About 15 minutes of walking around with them and going on rides I regret my purchase. I also reason with myself that the cost for the refills are a bargain but they get back to my room and don’t go back to parks with us because nobody wants to carry them!
Guilty of having bought them all!!! A right of passage for each of my children. LOL!!
We bought a sprayer fan when my daughter was just about to age out of the stroller but used it in Disney so we wouldn’t have to carry her. She knew to not spray anyone unless asked. Too bad her grandfather (my FIL) didn’t follow the same rules. Hubby ended up being the buffer to stop me from hurting his dad.
I once got a light up goblet cup from BOG restaurant at like $12 that very night, my niece brought it in the bath, Nd it was broken forever. I was so mad!! we got a bubble wand at sesame place that we actually still play with year and half later.
Love the sipper cups!! We have a great collection that we display proudly.
On my last flight home fro WDW (last weekend), they allowed an inflated Mickey balloon on board. During the announcements, the Flight Attendant said “You all may have seen the very cool balloon come on board. Please be warned that they occasionally pop when the pressure changes.” So if you hear a loud noise, just know there’s nothing wrong with the plane.” LOL!
Haha! I couldn’t disagree more about the misting fans though!! I love them during a good workout. I also keep one by the bath, because I have a terrible habit of making my bath water far too hot for my own good, and need a good cold mist on my face about 1/2 way through. 🙂
Still LOVE my misting fans for during a workout, or a too-hot bath!😁 My biggest regrets are POPCORN BUCKETS! They get you because they are so cute, but such space hogs when you return home! They take up waaay to much room at home.
I have always brought Clorax wipes in the little packs and I love Wet Ones. They can be used to freshen up in the parks when hot and sweaty! I also bring small rolls of paper towels and when my kids were little I took a night light!
We take the balloon with us into the park on our last day. The first person who admires it gets to keep it.
We LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOOOVE all of these things! I get a thrill from seeing the spinners go during the day or night, adore walking through a wave of bubbles, and never mind being misted from anyone on a hot day. The popcorn buckets are put to use as functional decoration at home (the character shaped ones), we bought and still use all of the light up drink clips (not mentioned because they are no longer sold) I even replace the batteries when they go dead! The kids love to bring out their specialty character cups on hot days at home because they will hold a looooot of ice water and are cool to show their friends. And, the balloons are a must and make our ride home quite comical and seem to manage to stay afloat for weeks after returning home. These are fun and cherished mementos that we love owning and always look for new ones when we return. Since we have all of the originals, the kiddos now are very selective when adding to their collection as they don’t want duplicates or similar items. Good times and great memories!