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[Masamune]

Some cast members like to choose for themselves off the lanyard, but most will just happily accept whatever you offer them.

[Aveen2008]

well i'm off to DLP   ! Wish me luck at PTN! I hope it goes well and all my other trading, I am sure i will be afraid to ask cast members to trade hehe but I will do my best! Thanks for all the help and I will let you know how I got on when I get back!:)

The Walt pin is on my cork board safely waiting for you so don't worry!

cya! xxxxxxxxxx /  /  /  /

[Masamune]

I hope you have a magical time Aveen! I can't wait to hear all your Pin Trading stories!

[Adam]

Next Pin Trading Night: Not yet announced - see below

A special pin and lanyard is available during Not So Scary Nights and Halloween. No details of pin trading night yet.

This month's pins details available here (http://experience.disneylandparis.co.uk ... ection.jpg).

[Aveen2008]

My Pin trading night report Sep 25th 2009- Davy Crockett Ranch.

Ok so it started at 6pm and mum and I were planning to catch the 4pm free bus from the station but by the time we left disneyland park and had walked back to our hotel we had missed it and our feet were killing us so I rang down to reception to ask the approximate price of a taxi and was told approx 15 euros. We decided to split the price and ask reception to order us a taxi. By the time we had left our room and got to the front door the taxi was already there.... now that's what I call fast service..

So we got into the car which was very comfortable and headed to davy crockett ranch was about 5-10 minutes drive... as we pulled into it the driver asked " where do you want dropped off, reception?", so I said yes..thinking that was the obvious place...oh how wrong could I be! :roll:

We walked into reception which was literately a small wooden cabin with a reception desk, about 4 people behind the counter, one lady who seemed to be making a compliant and toilets! We went over to the man at reception and I said " I am here for the pin trading night, can you tell me where it is?"... He looked at me and said "do you have a car? I suppose you got here by taxi and its away is it?" we looked confused and said yes he pulled out a map and said " well you are here (pointing at the map) and you need to be at the shop which is about 4km's away!".....mum and I couldn't believe it....he said it would take a good while to walk and our feet were killing us.. I could have cried at that moment :shock:    :shock:    :shock:   .
The man looked annoyed at us and disappeared behind a door.. he came back and said " i will see if one of my coleeges can take you but we are busy at the moment and you will just have to wait!" I didn't find him very nice  and I could have burst out laughing at him saying they were busy :shock: !!! So we sat in the little log cabin feeling like lost puppies for about 30-40 mins. Then a girl behind the counter asked us what we were doing and mum explained it to her, she was very nice and tried to see what was going on! About 15minutes later a woman came out and said that a guy from the pin trading night event (staff member) was going to take his own car and come down to get us! Thank goodness!!!!  =D>  =D>  =D>  I have to say appart from the first man we encountered the other two women were very nice, as was the guy who took us to the shop!

I was just so shocked how far reception was from the shop and other amentities and I never seen any loge cabins so I don't know where they were :shock: ! in fact we were told it was even further that 4kms that we travelled from the reception so thank god we didn't try to walk! When we got dropped off we walked up this dirt track type road to what looked like a barn and picnic tables! At the tables there was people with their pins laid out and then a large queue up to the shop...which I immediately took to be those queuing for the PTN pins! It was after 5pm by the time I got there, so I wasn't even sure if by queuing i would get anything! :roll:
I was just shocked by everything, it looked like the outback of no where!

I was also surprised at the age of the people involved nearly everyone was middle aged or elderly and they all seemed to know each other! People in the pin trading night queue were looking at my lanyard of limited edition uk pins and just smirking almost, looking down on me, esp two women who were english speaking... lets say by that stage I wanted to go home!

Here's picture I took looking out at the picnic tables, I have blured out people's faces...

I was a little excited to see loads of pins but little did I know what was infront of me.

Anyway as we stood in the queue Baloo the bear showed up, showing everyone the 2 pins being released that night in a black glass case. I was delighted to see the copper pin esp as I love fox and the hound and the other pin was of baloo..


I was glad to see baloo because at least I was reminded this place was disney owned and not just a farm in the middle of no where! Mickey also made an appearance (sorry bad photo)...


Anyway after about an hour and a half of queueing we finally got to buy the PTN night pins they were 10.90 each...


I only have 1 spare Baloo pin left if anyone wants to make an offer.

I didn't realise how nervous I would be about the next bit, I realised I really didn't have a clue what I was doing and most people were french and didn't speak good english. I just tried to be brave and went around looking at pins and offering to trade for any of my limited editions.. I swear I spent about an hour getting told "no" and having to say " that's ok no problem"....the people were not friendly and made me feel like dirt basically, I felt belitted and wanted to cry.. this was not a friendly trading area. After about an hour my mum came over to me and said she was freezing and had bought a coat in the shop and asked had I traded most of my pins.. I had to tell her no, that infact I nearly had everything I came with and that I was hating the whole experience because of the way the people were going on! :?  :? The only thing people wanted were my PTN pins off me! I did trade some for other pin trading night pins or with a man for 3 of his limited edition pins! He was a nice enough guy but the few nice people sadly didn't make up for the whole thing!

I can only describe it as like being in a cult of people who feel they are brilliant because of their disney pin collection and are not there to trade at all but show off to each other...and they do all know each other, so it's just like a scary cult of very weird people! I know that doesn't sound nice and I will say there are one or two nice people but very very few!!   It wasn't the fact they said no to trading with me but their attitude as a whole!

I met an english woman and her daughter who I had actually seen in the park the day before trading with a cast member, I was honestly so glad to meet people who I could talk to because no one was being friendly! I had a good chat with them and they agreed it was just extremely hard to trade and most of them don't even want to anyway! I did one or two trades with them and felt like taking all my pins and handing them over because I didn't want to be associated with this group or pins, it just was all holding such bad feeling for me!

So I was basically about to leave with most of the pins I came with and mum and I walked down to get the bus back to the hotel but it was 50 mins until it came and it was cold, so I suggested to mum we walk back and spend time in the shop! I bought a stitch hoodie to keep me warm.

As I was walking around the shop when one of the official guys that runs the pin trading who was very nice (as was most of the cast member guys) was talking to someone when he stopped me and said to the lady that I had nice uk pins.  She seemed nice and a quiet person. She had a bag full of pins with her, but said she hadn't traded either because she finds the people "scary" (and this person actually works in DLP)! I just found the whole concept of it all ridiculous, I thought it was meant to be a friendly thing. Anyway we stood there and traded pins for about 15 mins and it was the easiest trading ever and she even gave me a free Giselle (Enchanted) pin I liked! She was lovely and I really feel that is the way pin trading should be! Yes she said no to trading a few different pins but I think that is fine, I don't mind people saying no but I think being friendly is important! Anyway it was lovely to meet her and only for her I would have left with most of my own pins. I was happy with the trades I did with her and she was a lovely person but I still just wanted to get away from davy crockett ranch and back to the hotel!

I swore that night I would never go back to a pin trading night, even if it was only across the road from my house because the same people trade at them and I just don't like being treated like dirt for something so stupid as disney pins!! :?  :?  :roll:  :roll: The people are condesending and if they are reading this I am sorry but I honestly cannot take back what I am saying as I believe it and I have highlighted anyone I thought was nice...which was few and far between! :roll:  :roll:  :roll:

I have never been as glad to get back to disneyland and my hotel and I will never go off- site again during my stay because nowhere is as good as DLP!

I don't fully regret going because at least now I know what it's like but if I knew it was going to be the way it was I wouldn't have gone. I still find it hard to even look at my pins at all even ones not from that night as it makes me feel bad...stupid I know :oops:  :oops:  :oops:  :oops:  :oops:

I just want to say that this is only my account of my experience and what other people I met there said etc I know other people may have experienced better things at thier PTN but unfortunately It wasnt good in my opinion :?  :oops:  :roll:  :roll:  :?  :cry:

anyway here's pictures of what I got that night...mainly all from the one person I accidently met in the shop
1.

2.


sorry the photos aren't great! just incase you are wondering the first one has parts blocked out as I only wanted to show the pins I got on PTN not others that i traded in the parks which I will show though in another post.

Thanks for reading!

[Masamune]

Oh Aveen, I'm so sorry that all that happened to you. There were a few awkward people at the nights I went to, but in general I found most people to be polite/well-mannered/etc. If I had never been to a PTN before and then read your report, I'd never ever want to go to one! :oops: Maybe both times I went I just got very very lucky with the people I interacted with.

On the bright side though, the pins you did trade from that one woman are absolutely gorgeous! I want that Aurora pin, that Bambi pin, that circular Belle pin, that Jessica pin and that Fox and the Hound pin! You traded way more from her than I did at the PTN in April, so hopefully it was worth it just for that.

[Barnsey313]

Hey Aveen! Thanks at last for posting pictures from inside a PTN, I've always wanted to know what one is like! As for the smirking people - your always going to get them, absolutely obsessive and making people feel inferior, best just to ignore them and enjoy yourself and laugh at all their pins that are really rare but equally ugly!
 As for the PTN pins - would you trade me the Baloo? My name is 'Barnsey' on PinPics, please look at my collection - Not tradeables. Would you also be willing to trade the Wishes pin? (PM me!)  

[Aveen2008]

Oh Aveen, I'm so sorry that all that happened to you. There were a few awkward people at the nights I went to, but in general I found most people to be polite/well-mannered/etc. If I had never been to a PTN before and then read your report, I'd never ever want to go to one! :oops: Maybe both times I went I just got very very lucky with the people I interacted with.

On the bright side though, the pins you did trade from that one woman are absolutely gorgeous! I want that Aurora pin, that Bambi pin, that circular Belle pin, that Jessica pin and that Fox and the Hound pin! You traded way more from her than I did at the PTN in April, so hopefully it was worth it just for that.

Hey hun,

I don't want to sound so negitive about it and for anyone else reading as I said this is just my experience and what some other people there said. The woman and daughter who agreed how many people don't even want to trade actually keep going to these events and have for years.. I think perhaps I am too sensitive for the way they go on. I don't have much self esteem as it is so being made feel inferior doesn't really make me feel good.

I did get some great pins but for me it didn't really make up for it....but i also want you to not feel bad for it because i would have went anyway and i still want to say a huge thankyou for your advice! it really helped!

To anyone reading...

There are people like masamune who have been to 2 pin trading nights and had a great time so for people reading this please do take it into consideration also.

Barnsey - sorry I didn't see any pin that i would like to trade but thank you for making the offer. Unfortunately like yourself I really like the wishes pin and was very relieved a man who was very hard to trade with did trade for it. It has sentimental value for me. Sorry :oops:

[davewasbaloo]

Hmmmm, the "sharks". These horrid breeds of traders exist in all the resorts around the globe, and they really take the fun out of it. Not fun. They got so bad in Toyko that they actually banned it in the end.

The ones at DLP are praticularly bad. I have got some good trades before, but only when I have conducted the transactions in French.

BTW - Davy Crockett is not "off-site". In fact they used to have Disney buses like the hotels until the cost cutting came in. Also, it sounds like the tiredness, not understanding the layout of the resort, and the sharks did not help your mood.

Try going off site sometime, there are many excellent things to see and do. In fact so much so, our trip next May, I am seriously considering not bothering with the parks or maybe only 1 day in each.

[Simbasgirl]

OMG Aveen I feel so sad for you! What a horrible experience!...hope you feel better now!! :cry:

[Aveen2008]

Hmmmm, the "sharks". These horrid breeds of traders exist in all the resorts around the globe, and they really take the fun out of it. Not fun. They got so bad in Toyko that they actually banned it in the end.

The ones at DLP are praticularly bad. I have got some good trades before, but only when I have conducted the transactions in French.

BTW - Davy Crockett is not "off-site". In fact they used to have Disney buses like the hotels until the cost cutting came in. Also, it sounds like the tiredness, not understanding the layout of the resort, and the sharks did not help your mood.

Try going off site sometime, there are many excellent things to see and do. In fact so much so, our trip next May, I am seriously considering not bothering with the parks or maybe only 1 day in each.

I guess it's not off site but it definately feels that way as it is a good distance from the rest of the resort and Disney basically disown it by not having regular buses to it in my opinion! If they valued it as a place for their guests to stay they would run at least some free buses to it.

You are right though not knowing that davy crockett ranch was laid out like that and having the "sharks" to deal with did contribute to my mood.

Simbas girl - aww thanks huni!

[littlemermaid83]

:shock:  :shock:  Wow Aveen i, like you thought a PTN would of been a fun experience!  I don't think I'll ever go to one now, thankgod for the lady you met...you got some lovely pins btw!

[Aveen2008]

:shock:  :shock:  Wow Aveen i, like you thought a PTN would of been a fun experience!  I don't think I'll ever go to one now, thankgod for the lady you met...you got some lovely pins btw!

Maybe I just didn't have a good night or bad luck with who was there. I don't really want to put people off but I also wanted to be honest about my experience. Masamune has been to two pin trading nights and really enjoyed them so her experience was totally different to mine...maybe it's something each person has to go to themselves to see what they think.

 

[Clarebelle]

Hmmmm, the "sharks". These horrid breeds of traders exist in all the resorts around the globe, and they really take the fun out of it. Not fun. They got so bad in Toyko that they actually banned it in the end.

The ones at DLP are praticularly bad. I have got some good trades before, but only when I have conducted the transactions in French.

BTW - Davy Crockett is not "off-site". In fact they used to have Disney buses like the hotels until the cost cutting came in. Also, it sounds like the tiredness, not understanding the layout of the resort, and the sharks did not help your mood.

Try going off site sometime, there are many excellent things to see and do. In fact so much so, our trip next May, I am seriously considering not bothering with the parks or maybe only 1 day in each.

I guess it's not off site but it definately feels that way as it is a good distance from the rest of the resort and Disney basically disown it by not having regular buses to it in my opinion! If they valued it as a place for their guests to stay they would run at least some free buses to it.

You are right though not knowing that davy crockett ranch was laid out like that and having the "sharks" to deal with did contribute to my mood.

I think they do that to make it more of a self drive location, I dont think Disney disown Davy Crockett at all

[Aveen2008]

Hmmmm, the "sharks". These horrid breeds of traders exist in all the resorts around the globe, and they really take the fun out of it. Not fun. They got so bad in Toyko that they actually banned it in the end.

The ones at DLP are praticularly bad. I have got some good trades before, but only when I have conducted the transactions in French.

BTW - Davy Crockett is not "off-site". In fact they used to have Disney buses like the hotels until the cost cutting came in. Also, it sounds like the tiredness, not understanding the layout of the resort, and the sharks did not help your mood.

Try going off site sometime, there are many excellent things to see and do. In fact so much so, our trip next May, I am seriously considering not bothering with the parks or maybe only 1 day in each.

I guess it's not off site but it definately feels that way as it is a good distance from the rest of the resort and Disney basically disown it by not having regular buses to it in my opinion! If they valued it as a place for their guests to stay they would run at least some free buses to it.

You are right though not knowing that davy crockett ranch was laid out like that and having the "sharks" to deal with did contribute to my mood.

I think they do that to make it more of a self drive location, I dont think Disney disown Davy Crockett at all

I can only really give my own opinion on how it felt but i was only visiting, maybe someone who stayed there would feel differently.