Hi Kristi,
Thank you so much for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question. We on the panel love helping guests to plan magical vacations!
I love your idea - in fact, I love it so much that I have done it myself! I have an 11-year-old daughter and we often give her a Disney Gift Card at the beginning of our trip and let her know that the money on it is for her to purchase souvenirs, and that when it is gone, there is no more. With so many
merchandise locations throughout Walt Disney World, children are bound to find something that they love. While there are some items you will find in many stores, do be aware that some merchandise is unique to certain locations, so if your children find something that they love at a particular location, they might need to go ahead and purchase it then. You can always ask a cast member at the store if the item can be found in other locations at Walt Disney World.
The amount that you put on the gift card is of course entirely up to you. I think that $50 for each child sounds like a good amount. Each child should be able to get a souvenir or two for that amount! If you are interested in seeing how prices run at Walt Disney World merchandise locations, I suggest that you download the
Shop Disney Parks App. Using this, you can browse the items available for purchase at Walt Disney World and get an idea of the cost of the items that you think your children might like. You can also see where items are for sale at Walt Disney World to know where to head to purchase a certain item.
I hope that these thoughts are helpful for you, Kristi! Have a wonderful time planning your vacation, and please do let us know if you have any further questions.