pin trading is great fun - i didn't do it when i last went but it seemed like a laugh - do cast members get free pins or do we have to buy them?
No, merchies do, as do some seaters/greeters in the restaurants, but people working with food do not (safety reasons). ~ Jen
if ur in a role that allows pin trading, ul be given a lanyard from disney with pins for trading that u have to return as they are disneys property, u just use them, like a part of ur costume i spose. we get some free pins at traditions and diff things tho
i remember one of my first days, was working at the podium doing that seating and bussing job in the restaurant, keithy g , one of the managers plonked this thing with all these badges on it, and i was like "what the hell is this ?!" Next minute i had all these guests buzzing round me saying "trade you that pin for this one etc !" very confused by the whole episode i was, so i plonked it on someone else when they weren't looking. i eventually got the concept though
I love Pin Trading! It's so much fun and adds more Disney excitement to your visit! Its a good way to interact with Cast Members and Guests!
As said above it really depends on your role, but also your managers. When I spent my 5 weeks in ODF I wasn't alloud to pin trade (both working with food, for one reason and the fact that I was alone on a cart and busy most of the time was another). When I went to Mission:Space I was alloud to but only in 2/15 positions at the ride, the rest being saftey positions or high traffic areas where I shouldn't be putting pins above guest flow or safety. I know merchies wear them most of the time. At Mission:Space I had to request to get one from my manager, who also supplied me with 12 pins. Once all my good ones were gone and I had crap, I could trade them back with him for some more cast member lanyard pins. Currently there are 3 options that you may or may not have access to. 1. Regular lanyard (Sky Blue for Year of a Million Dreams, was Gold for the Happiest Celebration on Earth). Anyone Can trade with you. 2. Child lanyard (Green), only people under a certain age (12?) can trade with you (helps you avoid pin sharks). 3. Hip Lanyard (Same colour as the regular I believe, YoaD ones wern't out yet when I left). Same rules as the regular lanyard but you only need to have 6 pins vs. 12, and you clip it to your belt loop rather than wear it around you neck.
I'm in UK merchandise and I was given a pin lanyard my first day of on the job training...it's a great conversation piece. I actually have a lanyard at the moment, but should be getting a little pouch thing that kind of hangs on your hips because the UK merch girls blouses can be pretty indecent and you don't really want people looking down your top haha! My pins are rubbish now coz I have no cast exclusive's left, but sometimes some little kids wanna trade with me - YAY!! haha xKx
yeah and thats another thing, my manager at Mission:SPACE was really good about letting us refresh our cast lanyard pins. When we ran low we could take some of our "junk" in and trade it for a few new lanyard pins so we always had something good to trade.
i just have one question, do merchs at the mexican pavillion do this ? cuz i really would love to do it, and ive seen some guests go crazy doing this
Yeah they do...trust me everyone does it! I really got into in trading last time i was over. these folks were sat in the magic kingdom with books of the things! I didn't realise how much of a big deal it was. I think its brill. thing is i get really attached to my pins...especialy my minnie mouse ones.
Yeah personally I don't trade pins I collect them. I got a binder shortly after arriving and bought a bunch of pins to signify events that happened while I was down there so I have the following limited/special ones (off the top of my head) of events/things that happened that ment something to me. Kinda like a photo album/memory book but in pin form. Pirates of the Carabean Dead Mans Chest opening day (Cast and guest pins missed the ride reopening one, it was gone in less than an hour) 2 different Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party ones Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Canada Day 06 Little Mermaid DVD release Cars DVD Release Happy 35th Birthday Walt Disney World (Cast) for example, and I got a few that just ment something to me for example. Happy Graduation (Mickey in a gown/cap with a real tassle on it) because I graduated University less than 2 weeks before arriving in Florida A PotC ride pin showcasing the new Davy Jones scene (becuase I got to do the cast preview and thought/still think it was the coolest new part of the ride) A Figment/Spaceship earth halloween pin (because I worked in Epcot on the 31st) A polynesian and a contemporary pin (because I stayed in both resorts) Every Mission:Space pin I could find (because I worked at Space) A happiest Celebration on Earth and a Year of a Million Dreams pin (again worked through both promotions). A hidden Disney one of the old Epcot logo in front of the fountin/Spaceship Earth at Epcot Anyway for those interested it was a slightly expensive hobby, with pins costing 7-12 dollars usually before your discount, yet at the same time, it's kinda a neat souvineer to have, and is especially cool to show people who are interested when every pin has a story. The biggest tip I can give you if you're going to buy pins but not do what I just mentioned is to pick your favorite ride/rides (max 2 or 3) and same thing with characters (again max 2 or 3) and only buy pins featuring them. That will save you money and still give you some nice pins to keep. Some are really cool, I have a Haunted Mansion one showcasing ghosts of Mickey, Goofy and Donald at the dining room table with the plates set up as a Hidden Mickey. I also have a Rockin Rollercoaster one with Mickey rocking out playing the guitar (both hands move, one slides on the frets, one moves slightly with a pic in hand)
aww id like a haunted mansion pin actually for a special reason.. i dont trade pins either, i just buy ones i like, mainly tinkerbell and minnie mouse, and i also have some from events like the mickeys not so scary halloween party etc. im gonna do wot uve done jorden and get ones that have a story behind, like stayin at the resorts etc, as i love having souvineers of stuff like that
Well as I said though I'm not into trading my pins, just collecting you can look but it'll take a lot to convince me to trade one of mine lol. And cool Jilly, it's a really neat souvineer and if you keep your eyes open and stretch a bit you can get an interesting mix... on my June to November program I think I got 28 pins with a story behind them.
