Disney parks aren’t known for being places where guests can easily stretch a dollar. There are often discounts for rooms and tickets but also plenty of sticker shock, especially when it comes to food and souvenirs, and all of those little extras quickly add up.But while it’s definitely easier to explore Walt Disney World with a fat wallet, there are also plenty of ways to enjoy a vacation and bring some magic back home with only a few dollars. In fact, if you have just 10 bucks at Walt Disney World, you can spend that money in all kinds of interesting ways, including some you may not have ever considered!
1. Get a margarita with a (free) lagoon view
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For $10 (and just a little extra change for tax), you can sip a classic lime margarita on the rocks or frozen with one of the best views this side of the Mexican Riviera — at Epcot’s Mexico pavilion. If you’re looking for a nonalcoholic treat, the counter-service restaurant also features traditional fruit popsicles called paletas — in watermelon, coconut, mango and lime flavors — for $3.95, or you could also try more than one flavor of Jarritos, the traditional Mexican soda. The pineapple, fruit punch, apple and mango flavors are $3.50 each.
2. Try a different type of turkey leg
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A real juicy, meaty turkey leg will set you back more than $10, but Disney parks offer another kind at their shops that’s just as fun. A Rice Krispy Treat version costs around half that and it even comes topped with sweet white and tan frosting. Maybe eating this isn’t quite the same as walking around the parks munching on a side of meat that looks like it’s straight from prehistoric days, but at least this sweet treat can even be purchased with a snack credit.
3. Grab a memento you can enjoy now and later
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Postcards are one of the cheapest souvenirs you can buy anywhere, and at Disney parks, there are plenty of varieties to choose from. Consider spending your $10 bill on a stack of them to write memories on while you’re on vacation and then sending them to your own address so you get a little reminder of the fun when you’re back home. Another use for the postcards is to use their eye-catching designs in scrapbooks, and some gorgeous designs, like those at the Art of Disney stores, could even be framed.
4. Get decor for your car — or your desk
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Antenna toppers are another super-cheap souvenir, each costing less than $10 (although it may be hard to choose just one). If you’re afraid that the cute foam figures will be stolen from your ride, or if you don’t have a suitable antenna on your car, add them to the ends of pencils in a vase for a fun reminder of your trip that you can see at your desk every day.
5. Pick out a pin
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Pins and mini-buttons are still popular items at the parks, and for less than $10 you can pick up at least one. You don’t have to become pin-obsessed, springing for the lanyard, the binders and the messenger bags, but that’s up to you.
6. Take a gamble on a blind pack
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If you’re feeling adventurous, there are plenty of blind bags and boxes at the shops that are filled with a mysterious variety of pins, figures, Vinylmations, key chains and more. Finding out which one you get is fun, but be warned: these blind items can become addictive!
7. Gain a pocketful of pressed pennies
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A pressed penny (or quarter) machine is an experience in itself. Watching a shiny coin become flat and emerge with a unique design is an interesting thing to view — and of course, Disney souvenirs don’t come much cheaper. You can spend hours going around to different places in the parks and resorts to complete a favorite collection, and buying a book to hold the coins in costs less than $10 too.
8. Design your own delicious treat
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At Goofy’s Candy Co. at Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs, you can pick up a pencil and leave with your own one-of-a-kind creation. Just mark down the type of treat you want (Rice Krispy, cookie, pretzel stick and more) and choose toppings, then watch it made fresh right before your eyes. This custom less-than-$10 snack is seriously hard to beat.
9. Bring home a bucket
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If the aroma of freshly popped popcorn catches your attention in the parks, feel free to buy some with your $10 and add a souvenir bucket along with it. The buckets’ designs change frequently and are usually around the ten dollar range.
10. Make someone’s day
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The next time you pass by a balloon vendor, why not pick up a big, colorful Mickey balloon for $10 and give it to the first kid you see? Or spring for a snack for the family in line behind you at a counter-service restaurant? You could even have a character autograph a postcard and mail it to your favorite Disney fan.
Ten dollars may not go as far as it used to, especially in the parks, but there are still plenty of ways to spend those bucks in fun ways. What would you love to spend $10 on at Walt Disney World or Disneyland?
