The WORST Things You'll Buy in Disney World

disney world is full of many amazing things to buy but they're not all perfect and you don't really want all of them some purchases can cause some huge regret while others can just drive you nuts as you try to cram it into your suitcase at the end of your trip think twice before you pull out your credit card for this stuff [Music] hey everybody it's aj for disney food blog impractical souvenirs that keep you from riding rock and roller coaster expensive experiences that just lead to an all-out meltdown from your kid who just had to get that princess makeover and budget-breaking expenses that you completely regret these are some of the worst things you'll buy in disney world not because they're necessarily bad purchases they could just be bad for you you're going to spend a lot of money in disney world but do yourself a favor and don't buy the stuff in this video without thinking it through first maybe it's right for you but for a lot of us it's not okay let's tackle those bulky and awkward souvenirs first before you buy something in disney world make sure you think about how you're gonna get it home not even just how it's gonna fit in your suitcase or if you're gonna ship it think about carrying it around the park all day long so yeah we're gonna talk about those lightsabers lightsabers are not a purchase to be taken lightly they're 219 each that's a big investment savvy's workshop and galaxy's edge isn't just a shop where you pick a lightsaber out of a case although you can do that over at doc ondars nope at savvy's you will literally build your own lightsaber for star wars fans it's a big deal it's a bucket list experience if you know you want one you've probably already decided and it doesn't matter how much of a pain it'll be to carry around a fully constructed lightsaber all day long on your back now one of our team members built a lightsaber only to find themselves then unable to go on a bunch of rides lightsabers can't go on some rides no rock and roller coaster for you unfortunately there's no kind of rider switch system if you're carrying a lot of bulky merchandise and trying to ride something where it's not safe to bring that stuff so plan ahead to have someone who doesn't mind skipping some rides who can wait with all your stuff or with your lightsaber and babysit it or whatever or plan to build that lightsaber after you've hit all your rides for the day savvy's workshop closes about an hour before the park closes with a 9 pm park close the last reservation is going to be for 7 45 pm so grab that reservation or plan to swing back by your hotel to drop off that lightsaber sometime during the day so you don't miss out on some thrill rides in the park okay staying in galaxy's edge another bulky downright annoying to carry star wars item we've got one more for you those souvenirs are pricey and a burden in ogus cantina you can get some awesome souvenir ceramic mugs and glasses along with your drink one of the most eye-catching is the rancor flight glasses that come with the beer flight you can't order the beer flight without also taking home this flight board to the tune of 85 bucks in addition to being well not super useful once you get it home unless you're someone who regularly drinks little tasting size portions of beer it's heavy and one of our great tips of the past was to have merch sent straight back to your hotel if you're staying at a disney owned hotel but that service isn't running right now so you're stuck carrying that thing all day long one of our team members took this flight board home it's a planter for succulents now by the way and it was so heavy that it kept breaking bags and was a total mess to carry ocus cantina reservations are tough to come by so you might not be able to swing grabbing one towards the end of the night or the day you know you're buying this heavy glassware but it's worth a try so you aren't stuck lugging it around all day and again if you can only get an ogre's cantina for like breakfast because yes you can go to this bar for breakfast then plan to bring your rancor tooth flight board back to your hotel and then head back to hollywood studios all right next in this category is sippers you will find adorable sipper cups all over the parks that orange bird sipper from epcot's flower and garden festival that's one of the best and most popular now you may be tempted to upgrade your drink to include a souvenir cup imagining all those times you'll use it at home and remember your trip but take it from our team you may not actually use it all that often super cups are notoriously hard to clean not only are you going to be stuck walking around with a sticky cup the day you buy it you're in for perpetually sticky cups most of our sippers have been relegated to decor you know once we finally scrub them clean enough to put them on a shelf mine kind of all occupy the very very top top top shelf of my pantry cabinet that nobody can reach anyway so they're all just sitting up there dusty what can i say weird things happen to you in disney world and you think you have to have these things once again that's why i have a talking porg puppet in my house for some reason all right next up is wine wine bottles my friends you can buy bottles of wine and other spirits throughout the countries of epcot's world showcase this can be a great and totally awesome souvenir or maybe you just want something to enjoy back in your hotel room after you get back from the parks but again you're gonna be stuck carrying that thing around all day long when you purchase bottles of alcohol in the park it's gonna get sealed up in a cardboard box and you're not allowed to open it until you leave another one to plan to grab towards the end of the night just pick it up before the wine stores close up i.e before the fireworks all right every parent or doting aunt and uncle has dealt with this you've been in a disney merchandise shop like mouse gear or the emporium you've seen the enormous gigantic monorail playsets and train playsets that cost like a hundred bucks the boxes are massive and it's very obvious you're not going to be able to carry it around with you but even grabbing it at the end of the night probably isn't a good bet because uh how are you gonna get that on the plane or even into your car if you've got your whole family and all your luggage you can buy these on shopdisney.com along with lots of other official in park merchandise there are also often free shipping deals on shop disney so buy those giant unwieldy souvenirs there and get them sent directly to your house it's going to be a lot cheaper than sending something home from disney world where you typically have to pay by weight to ship stuff and let's talk about those droids one last star wars galaxy's edge souvenir you might want to think twice about yeah like lightsabers you get to build your own droid these are about half the price of lightsabers but they're still a pain to carry around you can buy a backpack to carry them around in for another 50 bucks otherwise they come in a big build-a-bear style box that will drive you crazy as you try to carry it through queue lines navigate restaurants and your busy park they're cute but if they're gonna end up in a closet once you get home like mine did his name is fred maybe opt for a different souvenir okay the next category of not great purchases in disney world are those instant regret items it may be a little bit for the weight of your bulky purchases to really get to you but these next ones may make their inconveniences known nearly immediately we're going to start with this one it's going to be a hot topic many people love these but believe me you'll regret it instantly mickey balloons those of you who have bought them how many times do you get smacked in the face with them if you didn't have a stroller to attach it to what did you even do with it all day long most people get these to help identify their stroller from a distance but they only sell so many different balloons in the park so that hot tip might backfire right away and believe me if you put it on your stroller you will be smacking yourself in the face and other people in the face the whole day i guarantee i've tried it i've tried it multiple times i can't pass up a mickey balloon especially when i'm with my kid in the park that thing i get so tired of it just oh you getting the frustration here okay now if you're flying home better get that balloon early in the week so it starts deflating by the end so you aren't stuck sacrificing a perfectly inflated balloon while you try to pack your bags heads up you can deflate it and then re-inflate it back at home if you really want to go through all of that hassle all right number two in this category of instant regret items are those bubble wands i'm telling you now if you got a little kid in disney world they're gonna want a bubble wand no kid can resist the allure of the bubble wand that's why disney literally turns them on and has them on the little cart so your kid is like oh look bubbles i want that now if you don't end up with one that leaks bubble juice all over your bag don't worry because you'll still be delighted with bright lights endless bubbles and the loudest sounds you have ever heard coming out of a plastic toy bubbles are fun but maybe not clouds and clouds of bubbles all day long one of our team members kids kept accidentally setting it off on a crowded dark end of the night bus apologies if you were on that bus though i bet this has happened countless times in disney world and yeah i'm just going to tell you right now if you're going to buy a bubble wand for your kid get a ziploc bag and either put everything else in your bag into ziplock bags or put the bubble wand in a ziplock bag because that thing will leak all over the place i guarantee all right next in our list of instant regret items princess dresses dear disney kids want nothing to do with itchy clothes period you know what all princess dresses feel like inside like wearing a dress made from sandpaper shop around before your trip for a comfortable costume for your young kids kids under the age of 13 can wear costumes and princess dresses all the time at disney world so don't wait and buy the crazy expensive ones at disney unless you don't mind it only being worn for about five minutes instead maybe buy some of those cool like princess pajama things like let your kid wear that in the parks because they kind of look like a princess dress right and it's super comfortable oh and we're not even going to talk about the plastic high heel shoes okay i know a lot of you have bought them i know a lot of you have brought them for your daughter or your son to wear in the parks they are a nightmare just don't do it okay next category snacks you wish you'd skipped yeah here at disney food blog we're all about disney snacks but the good ones these are not the good ones don't buy these first up fruit okay i know you're like aj don't tell me not to buy fruit i want to be healthy i want my kid to be healthy great that's awesome me too but why does a banana cost so much in disney world 2.29 that's what you're gonna pay for a single apple or banana itty bitty fruit cup that's gonna be over three dollars three pack of mandarin oranges will cost you 4.90 yeah fruit can be appealing when you're slamming sugar and carbs all day long but maybe just opt for less exorbitantly priced healthy stuff like a salad or bring your own fruit have it delivered from like the kroger or amazon fresh or something and then just bring it and don't pay that much for a piece of fruit all right number two in this list is bag of chips don't buy a plain bag of lay's potato chips at disney world there are so many better things to buy that can satisfy that salt craving like pretzels with beer cheese jalapeno pretzels tacos even popcorn if you really need that crunch consider trying some of the unique potato chip flavors that you'll find in epcot's china pavilion like chestnut or cucumber you've never tried them this is a great opportunity okay next on our list of food you're going to regret buying in disney world boring old soft serve yes plain vanilla soft serve can really hit the spot i understand but in disney world you have so many options when it comes to frozen treats and you only have so much stomach space so dole whip so many flavors of dole whip classic pineapple lime lemon raspberry coconut the list goes on you'll also find fun twists on a classic soft serve like the mighty mist over at the ananda for ice cream bus and animal kingdom by expedition everest that's inspired by raya and the last dragon this vanilla and strawberry soft serve comes topped with a white chocolate dipped sugar cone covered in blue sprinkles it's certainly a lot prettier than a plain old vanilla soft serve cone but it will turn your hand blue all right now this next one is truly a tragic tragic story for any of you who have bought popcorn buckets the last day of your trip so disney popcorn it's delicious buying a souvenir popcorn bucket to get two dollar refills throughout your trip so smart waiting until the last day of your trip to buy that popcorn bucket that costs like 18 bucks not smart you're gonna miss out on all those popcorn discounts if you wait until the last day you might not even get any popcorn discounts if you wait too long so buy this one at the beginning of your trip or skip it all together next on this list is that goofy's powdered candy at candy shops like goofy's candy coat and disney springs you'll see those massive like two to three foot long plastic tubes that you can fill with pixie stix stuff even if your kid is the biggest pixie stick fan they're not going to finish that thing and it's going to spill everywhere and if you're really feeling the strong need to say but aj my kid loves that thing and we buy every trip more power to you i bet you don't need to go back to the room for a nap midday and another giant sugar rush that comes with an unreasonable amount of mess giant lollipops plan to have at least three people tackle this thing or bring a ziploc bag like a gallon size one to pack it up after your kid has five licks and is completely a sticky mess and then decides they're done because they will they will they will decide their time i don't know that i've ever seen one of these be devoured completely all right next on the list is bottle of water i say it all the time bring a water bottle fill it up at the refill fountains around the parks don't spend three to six bucks on a single bottle of water it's hot in florida you're gonna need so many bottles of water throughout the day so don't blow your snack budget on it promise me you won't okay moving on number eight uh did i save the most contentious worst snack to buy until last yes yes i did i know caramel apples are great they're iconic so many of you get them every trip but you gotta know that right now they aren't gonna cut that thing for you so unless you're packing a knife that probably isn't allowed in the parks anyway you're stuck chomping away at a whole apple coated in layers and layers of sticky caramel and chocolate or trying to cut it with a plastic knife which is just sad believe me i've done it it's very sad now sometimes cast members will cut them for you but they haven't been doing it recently so you know winging a prayer you guys okay next on our list are the worst things to buy in disney world boring overpriced merchandise there's a lot of super expensive merchandise that might make the perfect souvenir spirit jerseys backpacks they've got a use and lots of people love them but this stuff not so much okay number one is jackets in norway one of the biggest questions i have relating to disney anything who buys those really expensive like several hundred dollar heli hanson winter coats that they've been selling in the norway pavilion forever if it's you let me know in the comments because i've never once seen anyone walk out of that store with a new down coat in central florida one of our team members is the proud owner of a heli hanson coat but she found it on sale online after trying it on in the abcod shop now if you do end up in disney world during the month and a half where it might actually get cold enough to wear a coat like that you might want to look in disney springs the columbia store was selling winter coats for half off towards the end of winter season last year that shop in norway very few sales all right number two ponchos and umbrellas another one we talk about all the time and the only reason you're gonna regret this you're not gonna regret it because they don't do their job they do but they're way too expensive it's gonna be 12 bucks for a disney poncho you could get one ahead of time for one dollar maybe from you know a big box store and yes disney ponchos can be reused multiple times but so can a raincoat or umbrella you brought from home so plan ahead bring your own rain gear because you can always count on it to rain in florida and this can save you some serious bucks you could spend that twelve dollars on two awesome cupcakes number three for the worst boring overpriced merch you can buy in disney world a change of clothes for your kids now your kid might be past the age of making a mess every time they eat so you think i don't need to bring extra clothes in our park bag well bring the extra clothes you don't want to have to buy disney outfits for your kiddo when they drop ice cream on themselves or they play in the splash zone and they get completely soaked or you go on a water ride and they just cannot function if they don't have a different outfit because they're so wet just throw some of those real thin like shorts and a t-shirt in there just in case because if you have to buy shorts and a t-shirt at disney world's gonna cost you like 150 dollars and speaking of costing 150 next on our list is sunscreen never forget it unless you want to spend an obscene amount of money on a tiny bottle in a disney gift shop you can always order groceries to your hotel if you find yourself running low rather than splurging on disney sunscreen prices same situation with over-the-counter medicine bottles of tylenol are expensive in disney world so try to remember to bring your own and if you find yourself needing any common over-the-counter meds while you're in the parks swing by the first aid centers where you can get single servings of over-the-counter medication for free next on this list is phone chargers now fuel rods which are a portable charger that cost 30 bucks then you can swap for fully charged chargers in the parks those can be hit or miss purchases depending on how much you visit disney world or if they have them back home a terrible purchase a literal charger cable they sell for about forty dollars for a standard iphone cord in epcot shops plan ahead don't forget that cord or you're gonna pay a premium to keep your phone charged and last on this little category list is new shoes or socks whether you have blisters and need something different that won't rub in the same spot all day long or your pair of shoes got totally soaked don't get stuck having to buy shoes or socks at disney bring backups spring water resistant shoes for rainy days or water rides or resign yourself to mickey crocks at nearly 60 dollars a pop all right next category on our list of the worst things you'll buy in disney world expensive experiences top in the list bibbidi bobbidi boutique for 75 to 200 you too can experience the magic of your child enjoying a unique disney world experience for all of one hour our team has taken their kids to bibbidi-bobbidi boutique for princess makeovers and their kids have loved it but that makeover isn't very long lasting makeup and hair styling probably won't make it very long and we've already talked about those princess dresses so when it comes back you can often get a sprinkle of pixie dust for free at certain shops around magic kingdom and maybe your kid will be happy with that but we totally understand bibity bobbidy boutique is a rite of passage so go ahead and do it we'll forgive you after all we've all done it next on the list of way expensive experiences magic kingdom parties on their most expensive day we just attended magic kingdom's new boo bash after hours event the most expensive party disney world has ever had and on the most expensive days boo bash even hits almost 200 per person including kids tickets very merriest after hours goes all the way up to 2 49. halloween and christmas parties in magic kingdom get more expensive the closer to the holiday you go so plan on going at the beginning of the season and you could save hundreds once you buy tickets for the whole family who says you can't trick-or-treat in august right next on this list is a special hotel view if you're someone who doesn't spend a lot of time in their hotel room it's not going to be worth splurging on a special view if you're only in the room to sleep it's going to be too dark to see that view and if you're in the room a lot yeah go for the water view savannah or theme park view room you know if you're really going to be able to enjoy it otherwise you can save a lot of money by opting for a standard view room at any hotel and last on our list signature dining if you're not into it happy with a no fuss meal that doesn't have any ingredients you can't pronounce couldn't care less about coursed meals place settings and wine pairings then don't feel obligated to go to any fancy signature dining restaurants in disney world those ones can be absolutely amazing but if you're just as happy with a simple meal chicken nuggets skip the high price tags that come along with disney's fine dining restaurants or maybe go to one of the lounges and get some fancy food there if you're not into a four-hour meal that's gonna set you back 500 then don't do it you will definitely regret it if it's not for you all right next category on our list is the big ticket mistakes all right some of these are gonna be hot takes but hear me out we're gonna start with the disney dining plan we're still awaiting the return of the disney dining plan but i know how many of you love it and are probably yelling right now that it's not a mistake and for some folks the disney dining plan may work great but let me tell you it's going to be hard to break even and even harder to come out ahead money-wise when you use it why well disney knows exactly how much food the average guest eats believe me they did tons of research before they price to the dining plan and they know how much people spend on food the disney dining plan isn't throwing out freebies disney knows what they're doing now if you always eat the most expensive things on the menu never use those snack credits for bottled water and fruit then you're doing better than most most people find it hard to actually use up two snack credits per day per person and if you start ordering less expensive dishes you're not getting the most bang for your buck most of the value of the ddp comes in the form of pre-planning your trip becomes almost like an all-inclusive and you just need to worry about gratuity because that's not included i know the ddp can be appealing and for some it can be a great deal because they do want to eat lobster and a rib eye every single night by the way if that's you if you want to eat lobster and a ribeye every single night we should hang out okay cool now if you're on the fence or need help making sure you do get your money's worth we got a whole chapter in our dfb guide to walt disney world dining e-book that talks about the dining plan it's a long chapter it is dedicated to that plan and we made a fake family and priced out their meals with the ddp versus paying out of pocket to see which makes more sense spoiler out of pocket costs are usually cheaper but if you're a ddp devotee and want some more tips to make it worth it that guide will help you identify the top choices for bang for your buck meals as well you can get a copy of that book and our snack guides to help you pick the best snack credit deals over at dfbstore.com don't forget to use code youtube for a discount next on our list disney vacation club okay i know a lot of you out there are dvc members and love having your disney trips locked in for years into the future but dvc is not right for everyone those of you who aren't really sure you want to go to disney every year or you aren't really into the adventures by disney trips a dvc membership might not be for you dvc is basically a timeshare that lets you stay at disney properties around the world using a points system yep you can rent out your points if you're not going to use them but it's a whole lot easier to be on the other side of that rental process if you want to experience dvc accommodations you can stay in dvc rooms without the commitment by renting dvc points through services like david's dvc rental this can be cheaper than booking directly through disney and then you get to see if you like those digs yeah so if you're on the fence try out the villas with rented points to see if you like the style of the room and then really crunch the numbers to make sure this made your purchase is worth it don't forget there is such a thing as opportunity cost that money can be invested someplace else and make you even more money so thinking through that purchase maybe with a financial advisor can be very very worth it next on our list of big ticket mistakes is the wrong hotel room now besides food your disney hotel is going to take up most of your budget and with over 25 hotels at disney world there's a lot to consider price point location amenities size of room for your group theme dining options transportation we've got a video all about how to pick the right disney hotel for you along with lots of videos about the different hotels and what to consider when you're making your choice we're also working on a video where we're ranking all of the disney hotels as well now overall you want to find something that doesn't break the bank for you but offers everything you need from a vacation opting for the cheapest hotels might not end too well if you know you need convenient access to the parks and lots of restaurants at your hotel and the wrong hotel can really affect your trip so this is one decision you don't want to take lightly we've got lots of resources here on the channel to help you with that all right last on our list of big ticket mistakes are park hopper tickets park opera tickets is a ticket add-on that lets you visit more than one park per day they can be a great purchase but they're not for everyone if you're happy going to just one park each day not having to deal with disney transportation to hop between multiple parks and wrangle the whole family on the monorail back and forth then save that money and skip the parkhopper a family of four is going to spend over 300 just to add the ability to visit more than one park per day you can do a lot with 300 bucks in disney world but if you know you can do the really long park days such as start an animal kingdom at eight and continue to epcot until 10 pm or later then park hopping can help you accomplish a lot but if you like to take things slow get to bed early you might not get your money's worth out of a park hopper and that's totally okay the great news is you don't have to buy in advance anytime you need to add a park hopper you can go buy one so maybe wait and see if your family wants to park hop before you actually spend the money and as is the case with all of these items just because one person swears by a certain disney purchase that doesn't mean it works for you and your family there are a million ways to do disney world right so whether it's a bubble one that drove you nuts or a hotel room that you only realized wasn't for you after dropping thousands of dollars on the trip there are a lot of potentially bad purchases in disney world i hope this has helped you maybe avoid some mistakes in the future and make some decisions about where you want to spend your money in disney world there's a lot to plan when it comes to these vacations but stay tuned here to dfb guide because we've got all the tips and tricks to make it as smooth of a process as possible and definitely definitely let us know what you think about this video drop your comments down there in the comments section what of these things have you bought what's been great for you what do you want to advocate for we'd love to hear about it i know there's so many of you out there who absolutely adore your bubble wands and didn't get hit in the face once by your mickey balloon good for you i wish you'd teach me how because i love a mickey balloon all right thank you guys so much for listening thanks for watching as always this is aj for disney food vlog and we'll see you real soon you

Channel: DFBGuide

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Rating: 4.9027367 out of 5

Keywords: disneyfood, disney, disney world, disneyland, disneyvideo, disneyvacation, food, disney parks, disney travel, disney tips, disney guides, disney planning, disney trip, disney how to, disney vlog, disney vlogger

Id: tpHFFlyHQXU

Length: 25min 24sec (1524 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 19 2021