There is so much fun merchandise to buy at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line. As someone who is an active Disney collector, I always find myself coming home with multiple items from our theme park visits. I travel to the Disney theme parks throughout the year and am constantly drawn to merchandise and other goodies during my trip.
However, there are some purchases that I end up regretting, especially once the vacation is over and I am back home. Let’s get into all the purchases I regret and why they might not be worth the money. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the Taylor Swift song added to a Disney World ride and why adults need to stop overlooking the best part of Disneyland.
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1. Disney Popcorn Buckets
Let’s start with a purchase most Disney fans are well aware of: the Disney popcorn buckets! There are a few reasons I might end up regretting a purchase like this. Initially, I regret it because now I’m stuck carrying it through the park or renting a locker to put it in. Then I might regret it once more when it’s time to pack it in the suitcase.
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But the real regret might end up being when you have so many popcorn buckets that you can easily fill multiple storage bins, and there’s no place to put them. What originally began as a fun thing to collect, especially seasonal buckets for Halloween and the holidays, has now turned into a major clutter issue. There are absolutely some favorites that I am keeping out, but others are just stacking up.
2. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Lightsabers
This is a purchase that might also give regret immediately, especially when you’re carrying it around Disneyland or Disney World. The make-your-own lightsaber experience in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is great for Star Wars fans, but once it’s complete, you’re now stuck carrying around a giant lightsaber, which also doesn’t fit easily in a suitcase.
Where I have come to regret these purchases is more with how many my family has now collected among us. My partner, my son, and I have all completed the lightsaber building experience, so that’s three lightsabers to display. That doesn’t include the other lightsabers we’ve purchased from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, like the Darksaber, the Princess Leia lightsaber, and collector box editions. At this point, we might have a few too many lightsabers.
3. Seasonal Minnie Ears
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Minnie Ears, and I have amassed a giant collection over the years. But the Minnie Ears I tend to regret the most are the ones I buy that are a bit too seasonal. This isn’t necessarily always the Halloween or Christmas ears either, but maybe it’s a color Disney is promoting for a summer or spring holiday or ears celebrating one of the many anniversaries at the parks.
I find myself regretting these Minnie Ear purchases because they’re not ones I will rewear again, and they just begin to start collecting dust on my wall. Now I try to be more intentional with the Minnie Ears I purchase and always consider if I will be rewearing them in the future. For guests who don’t visit the parks often, purchasing Minnie Ears might even be a bigger regret, especially if you know you won’t wear them again anytime soon.
4. Droids from Droid Depot
The droids from Droid Depot in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are another purchase I regretted immediately after because they are bulky to carry around, even years later. While this was a great experience that my son loved, all these years his droid, along with others we’ve built came home to just collect dust.
If you have a kid you know that will actively play with it after, that’s great, but otherwise it might just end up in a Goodwill bin. Our Avengers Campus Spider-Bot went through the same fate! My son was interested while in the parks, and didn’t care much about it once we got home. So in the storage closet it went!
For adults that love to display Star Wars items, this might not be a purchase you regret, but for me these droids are too big and bulky to easily display, so I find myself just shoving them into closets instead. Considering the high price tag of these droids, that’s usually not the result you want. But I do love the memories I made with my son building his droid.
5. Disney Spirit Jerseys
Disney Spirit Jerseys are a popular Disney merchandise item similar to the Disney Minnie Ears. But I’ve also made the same mistake with these jerseys that I’ve made with Minnie Ears.
I have purchased these, especially on a whim, and ended up not wearing them again either because they are too specific for a celebration or just because I end up preferring crewnecks or hoodies instead.
Since Spirit Jerseys are so expensive, each year inching closer and closer to $100, this is a purchase I have found myself regretting. Especially when I have purchased Spirit Jerseys that are specific to theme park anniversaries, I tend to not wear them again like I rewear the holiday ones.
6. Blind Boxes and Bags of Disney Pins, Toys, Keychains
Blind boxes and bags are the newest merchandise trend, and these have taken off at Disney as well. There are even full stores dedicated to this trend at Disneyland selling a variety of keychains, small plushies, and pins.
The blind bag trend depends so much on that mystery of not knowing what you will get! Once you tear open the bag, the thrill is over, and now you’re left with an oversized keychain you may never actually use.
We got suckered into this trend with the recent Halloween Disney animal plushie collection and ended up buying so many boxes to get a specific dog and ending up with duplicates of others. That fate of most of these plushies? Lying around our living room, and our dog ended up chewing the head off one!
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There are also many Disney purchases I don’t regret, especially if they’re something I like displayed in my house year-round or clothes and accessories I will rewear. But many Disney purchases end up catching your eye in the heat of the moment and end up destined for Goodwill at the end of the trip!
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