Saturday, April 2, 2011

22 DAYS TO GO . . .

     FRIDAY APRIL 1, 2011

     PIN TRADING ON BOARD.  PIN TRADING TO DISNEY FANS IS MORE THAN JUST A HOBBY, OR EVEN A SPORT, IT'S AN OBSESSION.  I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT WAS UNTIL I TOOK MY SON TO DISNEY WORLD FOR HIS FIRST TRIP AT 4 YEARS OLD IN 2006.  BOY DID I LEARN FAST.  ONCE YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, YOU REALIZE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE REALLY INTO IT.  YOU DON'T SEE IT . . . UNTIL YOU DO.  ONCE I KNEW WHAT IT WAS, IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYONE HAD A LANYARD AROUND THEIR NECK WITH PINS ON IT.
     WHAT IS IT?  THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY TO EXPLAIN IT IS TO TELL YOU TO GO ON EBAY AND JUST TYPE IN "DISNEY" AS A SEARCH.  WITHOUT QUESTION, ON THE FIRST PAGE OF ITEMS THAT COME UP, IN ABOUT AS VAGUE A CATEGORY AS YOU CAN SEARCH IN, WILL BE PINS.  MANY, MANY PINS.  THEY COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES AND THEMES.  YOU CAN FIND PINS BASED ON EVERY SINGLE DISNEY CHARACTER EVER.  EVERY MOVIE.  EVERY PARK.  EVERY RIDE.  EVERY HOTEL.  EVERY EVENT.  EVERY SHIP.  YOU NAME IT.  PIN TRADING HAS BECOME SUCH AN OBSESSION WITH SO MANY THAT THERE ARE MANY PIN TRADING EVENTS HELD ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND IN THE PARKS THEMSELVES. 
    IT'S CALLED PIN-TRADING BECAUSE YOU CAN APPROACH ANYONE WEARING DISNEY PINS AND ASK THEM IF THEY'D LIKE TO TRADE A PIN YOU SEE THAT YOU LIKE FOR ONE YOU MAY BE WEARING.  OBVIOUSLY THERE'S NO GUARANTEES, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW.  WHAT THOSE NOT IN THE KNOW DON'T REALIZE IS THAT YOU CAN APPROACH ANY CAST MEMBER (EMPLOYEE) WEARING PINS (AND MOST ARE) AND ASK THEM TO TRADE A PIN THEY'RE WEARING FOR ONE OF YOURS AND THEY HAVE TO TRADE YOU.  IT'S NOT AN OPTION FOR THEM.  IT'S A DISNEY RULE.  I'VE HEARD IT'S BECAUSE THEY GET THEIR PINS FOR FREE, OR MOST ANYWAY.  I DON'T REALLY KNOW FOR SURE, BECAUSE I'M NOT A PIN TRADER.
     I DID FOR THE FIRST TIME HOWEVER, BUY MY SON A SET OF 6 BASIC PINS FOR CHRISTMAS SO HE COULD WEAR THEM ON HIS CRUISE AND TRADE WITH PEOPLE.  IT'S A NICE WAY, ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS, TO GET TO KNOW SOME PEOPLE AND BRING THEM OUT OF THEIR SHELLS QUICKLY.  NOW I'VE HAD TO ALSO LECTURE HIM A LITTLE ABOUT NOT TRADING FOR SOMETHING HE DOESN'T LIKE.  LET'S FACE IT, THIS IS A STARVED COMMUNITY THAT SOME WOULD DO MOST ANYTHING TO GET A PIN THEY WANT.  THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I GOT HIM SOME SIMPLE PINS.  SO HE COULD TRADE WITH KIDS OR EMPLOYEES ON HIS OWN TO GET HIS FEET WET.  I'D RATHER HE WAS TRADING WITH EMPLOYEES ANYWAY, BECAUSE THEY'RE MORE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE JOY OF HIS TRIP THAN ANYONE AND IT CAN NEVER HURT TO TALK TO AND GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE WORKING SO HARD FOR YOU WHILE YOU'RE THERE.
     THIS SAME PIN TRADING HAS MIGRATED ONTO THE DISNEY CRUISE LINE.  THERE ARE PIN SELLING SPOTS AS WELL AS SCHEDULED PIN TRADING EVENTS ON BOARD, SOME EVEN WITH OFFICERS AND STAFF.  IF IT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE ALREADY INTO, THEN YOU CERTAINLY CAN'T GO WRONG ON BOARD THE DISNEY CRUISE LINES.  IF YOU'RE NEW INTO DISNEY PIN TRADING, OR JUST CONSIDERING IT, IT'S A GREAT ICE BREAKER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SHY CHILDREN (UNLIKE MYSELF).  NOW THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT, LOOK AROUND NEXT TIME AND SEE HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE YOU REALIZE ARE WEARING PINS!
     SEA YA REAL SOON!   ºOº
TONIGHT'S MOVIE IS "THE LITTLE MERMAID 2" AND "A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS".  A LITTLE OUT OF CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, BUT SINCE WE JUST WATCHED THE FIRST LITTLE MERMAID, WHY NOT?

No comments:

Post a Comment