Ahoy there, Tadara, and welcome back! I’m thrilled you’ve been able to use planDisney in the past to find tips for your trips, and I can’t wait to lend my experience to a fellow pin trading fan.
I just sailed on the
Disney Wish last month and am happy to report that I found some incredible pins on that trip, both for purchase and by pin trading. I stopped by
Mickey’s Mainsail to look for Limited Edition pins for my kids and when I went to checkout, I found a Mickey British flag pin available to trade on the board behind the counter.
As you wander the halls on the way to your stateroom, you may also find Guests place pin trading boards outside their doors where you can take a pin and leave a pin in exchange. As a pin trading connoisseur, you likely already know that if you wear your pins proudly on a lanyard while onboard, you will meet other pin traders doing the same who are happy to stop and look at your collection.
Likewise, if you find Cast Members with pin lanyards or packs, strike up a conversation and ask them if they are willing to trade. I’ve had the most luck with that at the
Guest Services or Port Adventure desks on Deck 4. (I just try to go during times when they’re not helping other Guests).
If you ask my son, pin trading is the highest priority on his Disney Cruise activity list. In fact, he was even chosen as an Honorary Pin Trading Captain on a sailing when he was younger (I think he may have spent as much time looking for Star Wars pins to trade as he did in the pool!). On that trip, we also received a special pin after attending a DVC presentation, but obviously we didn’t know that going into the session and those surprises are never guaranteed.
If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to invest in some
locking pin backs for your most special pins. I always try to display my favorites at the top of my lanyard closest to my neck and the pins I’m willing to trade at the bottom. After losing my prized “Ellie Badge” Grape Soda Cap pin, I came up with this method to secure the ones I knew I wanted to keep for more peace of mind and simplified trading.
I wish I was sailing with you later this year so we could compare collections. Hopefully, our paths will cross at sea one day soon. Until then, let us know if we can ever be of more help here at
planDisney.
Happy trading!
Sami