Disneyland pin trading complaint.
More than anything else, I miss the monthly releases of Hidden Mickey pins. The anticipation of "which set will it be"... the thrill of catching the lanyards right after they were refreshed (which was far more frequent) and the satisfaction of completing your set for the month and then finding the extra sets to send to your Florida friends. It was THE thing that got me hooked on pin trading when I bought my first annual pass. I cannot count the hours I spent at the tables at Westward Ho swapping hidden mickeys for hidden mickeys so we could all complete our sets. And I cannot count the other traders I met along the way who have added value and joy to my life.
In my opinion... the barrels at Disneyland haven't been the same since. That one change was the beginning of the end for me. My current pass expires in mid-May and because I don't spend the time at the barrels trading anymore (because it just isn't fun anymore), and because Disney has hiked the price of my $379.00 pass (in 2008) to $499.00... I'm not renewing this year.
I've never been to WDW. I grew up at DLR. But please... WDW is not to blame for all the changes in pin releases/pin trading. Disney Management is.
<heavy sigh>