Disney Dollars are just like cash, only with pictures of Disney
characters on them rather than the US presidents. They look very much like
Monopoly money, but they have real value. Basically what you do is buy the
Disney Dollars with regular money in a one-for-one trade. $1 American
dollar = $1 Disney. You can use the Disney Dollars as payment for goods
throughout the parks. More on this
HERE.
I know that several of the Moms Panelists love Disney Dollars, but
frankly they scare me a little. Because they have real value, they must
be protected just like you would cash. To me, the toy-like feel of them
makes it seem like you're not spending real money, which you are, and I
think this would make my children less cautious about their purchases.
But again, many of the moms do have their kids use Disney Dollars in
the parks.
Disney also has gift cards.
These look more like credit cards. You load a gift card with value at
the beginning of your trip and you or your family members could use the gift
card to pay for food and merchandise in the parks. There is no service charge or additional fee to use gift cards.
For another comparison of Disney Dollars vs. gift cards, click
HERE.