Need some advice on myfirst trip to disneyland

OKay so my first ever trip to Disneyland is coming up I am going to be there on March 20th. What kind of pins should I bring and how do I pack them up? I have lots of Jumbo LE pins and they are all on the backer cards. So I am not sure what to expect should I bring them or only bring pins to trade for park traders? I am flying from Kentucky to California and have no clue how to travel with pins. I have two pin bags but that would be ALOT of work taking them down from the walls and putting them back in bags? So ANY advice? :anxious:

I've never been to DL, only WDW, and I don't have nearly as many pins as you do! But when I do travel with my pins I take them in my carry on. I'd pack them in a pin bag and put them in the overhead. I'd also bring a handful of the jumbos/better pins just in case you do run into someone worth trading with. Always better to be prepared I think than to kick yourself later for not having them

That being said, I wish I was going to DL! :lol:

See thats where Im conflicted on the le Jumbos how many to bring leave them on their cards or not ? ugghhhh so much to think about

I don't have a pin book so i'm not sure how they would fit but, would it be easier to take them off their cards but bring the cards with you? I always over pack for everything, so I could see myself freaking and bringing every pin I have - which is not practical at all LOL

If you know of some DPF members that will be there that week, you could always take a look at their trades on pinpics and judge from there

OMG I know I feel like bringing them all just in case lol but the airlines might have a problem with that.

I am really hoping to meet some of the people I have been trading with while I am out there. My husband and I are going to California on a business trip and will be staying in San Diego so we are driving up to disney land for the day I really cant wait. I have never been. Where are some good places that traders congregate?

Hello,

When we went (Maryland to CA) we didn't bring traders, but we did see a lot of traders near 2 stores. I think one was the Little Grren Man (Don't shoot me if I am wrong CA people) And the other place was near a plaza (Sort of like our WDW near Casy at the Bat). They limited you to one bag per person and was very strict about it. There could have been a lot of changes since we went 2 years ago. You will enjoy Disneyland, we certainly did and plan to return again one day.

My main advice for going to Disneyland is to go on the Haunted Mansion!

well ive been going to dlr for my entire life. i would say get as many fastpasses as possible, dont get frustrated by the lines bc EVERYTHING HAS THEM , and please go on haunted mansion. and as far as pins go, bring a smaller pin book. bc there are traders in frontier land who are usually there in the afternoon. i hope this helps

if you plan on trading at dlr there are 2 stores to trade infront of westward ho trading in the entrance to adventureland,and the lil green men store in tomarrowland.then if your there on a weekend you can set up or check out numerous traders at the yellow umbrellas at the end of main.need more info feel free to pm me,we go all the time.feel free to bring whatever pins youd like to trade we wont mind.

As many have said before there are a two main trading spots in DLR.

1) Westward Ho in Frontieerland.
I find that this is the more popular spot, there will usually be from 3-6 people (depending on the day) with their books out, while others will be passing through.
2) Little Green Men in Tomorrowland.
I tend to visit Disneyland of weekdays more than weekends, so generally whenever I go there is no one here. I have seen maybe two people there before though.

Now, if you are visiting Disneyland on a Sunday, which is the best day for pin trading you will find that a large amount of traders come out. In front of the annual pass processign center there is a picnic area where they all gather. Also, on Sundays around 2 pm cast members come out with pin books to trade in front of Westward Ho.


If you don't plan on trading and just visiting Disneyland, weekdays during this season are the best. Ride times max at like 15 minutes. The best food is in new orleans IMO. if you have any questions or would liek to meet and trade during your visit PM me! I hope you have a great time!

1) Unless you have made specific arrangements in advance, I would recommend leaving the majority of your large / LE pins at home. Unless it was an LE limited to the East Coast, the majority of the "regulars" at Disneyland have access to the Disney Soda Fountain, Disneyland / DCA, WDI, Disney Events, and DisneyShopping. They usually will have anything that you would be bringing from those sources to trade. This is not to say that you cannot make / find deals, but my experience there has been definately mixed. That being said you may find better opportunities trading LE pins to fellow visitors from out of state who are also looking to trade similiar pins and don't already "have it".

2) Disney cast members will have the traditional assortment of hip / neck lanyards and will have trading books as described by other posts. Get there early / often. DCA is more of a cypher for pins lately. With the closing of PT Flea, the main pin ship is now the CA Dreaming store. But you can find pins at most of the major souvenier stores in the park. Some "older" pins can be found at the cart near where the new Ariel ride is going to open.

3) As for pin trading culture, most of the guests at DL are not used guest to guest trading. But some will take place, typically in the lines for book trading or waiting for rides.

4) For a nice unusual pin trading space, go to the small store in New Orleans square. New pins tend to last a little longer there.

5) If renting a car / riding with friends a visit to the Soda Fountain is a must.

Everyone has really good ideas. But a very importan question is how long are you going to be in the Ana./LA area? It sounds like you are flying into SD. That is much better for you because TSA is alot worse at LAX or John Wayne. And as far as...

Tabbikat2219 said:

OMG I know I feel like bringing them all just in case lol but the airlines might have a problem with that.

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the airlines wont have a problem with it because the will charge a Premium for the extra bags and weight of them. I might recomend shipping them ahead to a friend or your hotel. That is what we do when we go to other parks.

PLEASE post more questions you have.

by the way the following areas are closed right now for beautification:

1.critter country(splash mtn,pooh)

2.buzz fast pass

OMG such great advice from everyone. We only have one day there and I dont plan to park myself somewhere but to walk around and trade as I go then around 6 or 7 find the other traders and go from there. Im thinking of packing my two pin bags with HMs and high edition le's and to grab a couple of my Low edition le's just in case. I guess I can put the bags in a back pack while I roam the area. My husband says when I am pin trading I am like a lion hunting gazelles as soon as I see a cast member with a lanyard I am off stalking them lol I heard there was a DSF store in San Diego I could be wrong but since that is where we are staying I thought I would go to that one. Now im seriously considering two days as Disney just so I dont miss anything. Where would be the best place to stay on site for just a night?

I agree with Gillian... if you're coming to see the park for the first time, limit the pins. You can bring printouts of your traders/wants from pinpics and set up mail trades without having to bring the pins with you. As far as where to stay, check hotels.com or other sites like that. We usually stay at the Park Place Inn (a Best Western) that is RIGHT across from the entrance to Disneyland. But there are LOT of places close by. Find your best deal and check the hotel ratings. So excited for you!

Im so excited I have started packing my pin bags already lol

Tabbikat2219 said:

I heard there was a DSF store in San Diego I could be wrong but since that is where we are staying I thought I would go to that one.

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the DSF is in Hollywood. and 2 says would definately be better! also alot of traders hang out in the carnation plaza towards the end of main street especially on the weekends. some can be found at the "Ho" as we call it in frontierland. and also at the little green men store in tommorowland.