Is the WDW annual pin trading event worth it?

[spunky-squirrel]

I've been debating whether or not I want to try and go to the Coronado Springs annual pin trading event. Have any of y'all gone before, and if so, do you recommend it? Do you think it's worth flying across the country for? I'd love to hear about your experience.

 

[Ajk]

I love it! I fly down from the NYC area every year and wouldn't miss it. That said, I do use points on the flight and the hotel and might feel differently if I was paying.

I always get at least a couple really good pins off the boards (knock wood!) And even when not extra special, they are usually AP/PP which is a lot of fun. Even just monitoring the line and trying to guess when the board will flip is fun. And there is no describing the feeling when the board flips right in front of you.

I like being able to get the pins from the RSP and usually keep many for myself. And enjoy being able to do pickups for other people for the others. They can have some very nice pins some years.

And there is no place where you will have as many people to trade with all at once. I actually find it a little exhausting to try to get to everyone and always end up with some good trades.

And that's not mentioning being able to meet the artists and get your pins signed by them, seeing the new pins coming up, getting to try for the pins in the onsite RSP, etc.

And don't forget the fun of seeing your fellow DPFers in person!

 

[lynn99]

I've been almost every year since 2015 - didn't get a ticket last year but went anyway and traded in the lobby - always great fun, tons of trades!

 

[Pidge]

I love it! I fly down from the NYC area every year and wouldn't miss it. That said, I do use points on the flight and the hotel and might feel differently if I was paying.

I always get at least a couple really good pins off the boards (knock wood!) And even when not extra special, they are usually AP/PP which is a lot of fun. Even just monitoring the line and trying to guess when the board will flip is fun. And there is no describing the feeling when the board flips right in front of you.

I like being able to get the pins from the RSP and usually keep many for myself. And enjoy being able to do pickups for other people for the others. They can have some very nice pins some years.

And there is no place where you will have as many people to trade with all at once. I actually find it a little exhausting to try to get to everyone and always end up with some good trades.

And that's not mentioning being able to meet the artists and get your pins signed by them, seeing the new pins coming up, getting to try for the pins in the onsite RSP, etc.

And don't forget the fun of seeing your fellow DPFers in person!

Now I want to go!

 

[momin.ator]

I've been wanting to go to this for years! Someday.

 

[fuzzybunny]

it is a lot of fun, but makes for a very long day, but true you get to catch up with all the people you have traded with or are friends with in person or on line.

 

[Ghosthostchelsea]

This sounds like so much fun! When is it?

 

[Jabberwocky]

I would go every year if I could afford to, but alas...

The couple of times I did go back in the day though were great experiences to trade with folks from across the country and the world.

 

[splashmtnman]

I love it! I fly down from the NYC area every year and wouldn't miss it. That said, I do use points on the flight and the hotel and might feel differently if I was paying.

I always get at least a couple really good pins off the boards (knock wood!) And even when not extra special, they are usually AP/PP which is a lot of fun. Even just monitoring the line and trying to guess when the board will flip is fun. And there is no describing the feeling when the board flips right in front of you.

I like being able to get the pins from the RSP and usually keep many for myself. And enjoy being able to do pickups for other people for the others. They can have some very nice pins some years.

And there is no place where you will have as many people to trade with all at once. I actually find it a little exhausting to try to get to everyone and always end up with some good trades.

And that's not mentioning being able to meet the artists and get your pins signed by them, seeing the new pins coming up, getting to try for the pins in the onsite RSP, etc.

And don't forget the fun of seeing your fellow DPFers in person!

AJK post is spot on...

The hardest part will be getting a ticket.. struck out in 2025.. after going the previous 3 years
The chance to see what pins will be released in 27 is worth it, also the the traders in person.

If you luv to trade this is the place..

 

[hopemax]

The short answer is Yes.

The long answer is that it used to be *really* worth it, until they started having 2 level of packages that splits people into 'haves' and 'have nots' based on what queue number a person pulled, and cutting back things like food cards, event games and the level of the gifts. In addition to extra board hours and a priority queue, the 'have' group gets RSP priority, so if there are 200 expensive packages and an LE 300 pin, you can guess how many are left for the other 1000 attendees. Vs, when all 1200 people were equal in the chance to obtain that popular LE 300 pin. Then if that wasn't enough, they also get to queue earlier for any leftover / returned pins when they become available. If you arrange pre-trades, meet up with DPF people, are generally an extroverted trader it is hard to find as many trading opportunities as you will have at the event.

Last year, they made a massive improvement to the queuing for the board trading experiences. One queue to feed a dozen boards instead of a different queue for each board which made it easy for a small group to cheat the system by stalling, waiting for a board refresh or outright cutting. But the result was the line moved quickly, didn't grow that much beyond an hour. I collect a lot, so even on a stale board I could find a pin or two for my collection. Hopefully, they will do that again. The boards are full of AP, & PP pins. And apparently there are buttons which stand-in for boxed or booster set sized items.