Beginning March 16, 2019 Busch Gardens Williamsburg has officially begun Pin Trading! This is something Disney has done for a while with great success and I am happy to see them jump on board!
Check Out What’s New At Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2019!
What is Pin Trading at Busch Gardens Williamsburg?
Pin Trading is a fun way to collect cute, portable and affordable souvenirs with meaning behind them. It’s also a great way to interact with park staff (or force the people you are with to interact).
What Do I Need To Pin Trade?
All you need is a Lanyard and some official Busch Gardens Williamsburg Pins! The Lanyard can be from anywhere (although it’s always nice to get one themed for the park) but it can be an old one from a previous year or a generic one you received somewhere else.
As far as the pins go you will need to buy them in the park. They must be authentic Busch Gardens pins which means metal pins with the BG logo embossed on the back and the special backing on it.
Joel was with me at the park and he purchased this starter pack for around $25 (with membership discount). It gives you four pins, a lanyard and a plastic pouch with a ziploc type seal so you can put your pass in there and know it will be safe.
If you don’t want to get the starter pack you can pretty much have your pick of pins. They have everything from rides to festivals to animals from around the park. The lowest price I saw was $7.95 for a pin and the highest was right around $20 for some of the fancier pins. We found the starter packs near NewKastle.
Remember if you are going to do Pin Trading you are just going to TRADE THE PINS AWAY. So get the cheapest ones you can find- you are just going to get rid of them! If you want to add some to your lanyard as a memory (i.e. to commemorate your first ride on a special coaster) then by all means grab those.
How Do I Start Pin Trading?
Once you have your lanyards and pins just walk around and look for team members wearing one of their own. They are REQUIRED to trade with you- so see if they have anything you want and (nicely without touching) ask them for it.
Here are the rules:
- Find an ambassador wearing a pin trading lanyard.
- Look at their collection and select their favorite pin.
- Trade one of your pins in exchange for one of their pins.
- You can trade up to 3 times with the same associate.
This is a great opportunity to teach kids how to approach people and have conversations and all the ambassadors were super friendly. Most were really excited that this program was beginning and had not seen many of the pins themselves.
These were the pins Joel ended the day with. I LOVE the gypsy wagon and the wolf. The wolf and eagle are part of a set that also includes the owl and a horse. So you can collect the sets as well if you like. We can’t wait to go back and see what else we can find!
Will There Be Special Pins?
Absolutely. So far there are two. The one pictured above only comes from certain employees in the park. We managed to grab one when I chased down the park president to ask him a question. He had it in his pocket.
The other one right now is a special colored pin that ONLY THE PRESIDENT HAS and he doesn’t give out a ton. Yes I will be trying to get one.
As the pin trading progresses certain pins will be discontinued as new ones are rolled out. It will be a great look back into the past to see your lanyard!