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9 Things to Know About Disney World Popcorn Buckets

Cinderella Popcorn Bucket
Credit: Disney

One of the very best values on Walt Disney World property is the souvenir popcorn bucket. Buckets can be found at a number of locations in all of the parks, and people of all ages love them. Not only that, these buckets allow you to have affordable snacks for the duration of your trip. 

Yes, if you’re a popcorn fan—and who isn’t a fan of Disney popcorn?—you should seriously consider purchasing one of these awesome buckets. That said, there are some things you should know going in.

Here’s everything you need to know in order to get the most out of this purchase. 

[Related: Classic Disney Snacks You Have to Try]

There are a Variety of Popcorn Bucket Styles

First, it’s important to go in knowing that there are always a variety of popcorn bucket options (including Halloween and 50th Anniversary popcorn buckets right now). That said, only a couple of options are offered at each popcorn cart, and sometimes you might need to go to a certain park to get your favorite bucket style.

If you aren’t in love with the popcorn bucket being offered to you at one cart and you’re willing to wait for your popcorn, keep looking! You’ll almost certainly find one you like more. 

The Styles Change Regularly

It’s also good to know that the styles and types of souvenir popcorn buckets available change fairly regularly. For instance, the holiday season brings with it some Christmas buckets, and there is currently a Mickey mummy popcorn bucket for Halloween.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It means plenty of variety from one trip to the next, but it also means if you fall in love with the Mickey balloon popcorn bucket on one Disney vacation, it may not be there the next time you visit Orlando.

Character Buckets Cost More

Some of the popcorn buckets are shaped like characters or other things from Disney movies (like the super cool Star Wars Millennium Falcon popcorn bucket). These special shaped buckets do cost more than the regular bucket-shaped buckets. That said, they are incredibly adorable and fun and come with a handy carrying strap, so some feel they are a worthwhile investment. 

Related: New Spooktacular Popcorn Bucket Arrives at Disney Springs

Buying a Popcorn Bucket Can Save You Money

Yes, popcorn buckets are expensive upfront. That said, if you’re a big popcorn eater and you like to have snacks throughout the day, a popcorn bucket could save you big bucks. This is because the buckets can be refilled for just $2 per refill for the duration of your trip (and for several months if you’re an Annual Passholder). 

If you’re visiting for 7 days and refill the bucket once a day, you’ll be getting an excellent deal (at least for Disney World). 

 

Related: 10 Disney Freebies You Should Take Advantage Of

Disney World Popcorn is Vegan

If you’re vegan, finding snacks is a bit more difficult for you. For this reason, we highly recommend the Disney World popcorn buckets to those on a vegan diet. You see, the butter-flavored popcorn in Disney is 100% vegan, meaning with a refillable popcorn bucket you can have unlimited vegan snacks at a very affordable price. 

Related: Our Top Tips for Saving Money on Dining in Disney World

Flavored Popcorn Refills are Available

For the most part, the popcorn offered for refills at the popcorn carts is the traditional butter flavor. This is fine, really—the buttered popcorn at Disney World is absolutely delicious. That said, if you’re looking to mix things up a little bit, consider heading to the popcorn cart in the Canada Pavilion in Epcot. Here you can get maple-flavored popcorn in your refillable popcorn bucket. 

It should also be noted that the Future World Gourmet Popcorn Cart outside of the Imagination Pavilion will sometimes offer various flavors of popcorn. However, only the butter flavor is available as of this writing. 

Related: Maple Popcorn Now Available in Disney World

Popcorn Buckets are Convenient 

Another reason to love your refillable popcorn bucket? It’s super convenient. Every popcorn bucket—regardless of style—is able to be closed, meaning you can snack a little and then close the bucket for your next ride without worry of spilling your treat. 

Additionally, as mentioned before, the shaped ones include carry straps and the traditional ones have a detachable handle that can be looped around things. This means you can hook the bucket onto a stroller handle or a backpack strap and carry it hands-free through the theme park or back to your Disney resort.

A Popcorn Bucket is an Awesome Souvenir

We already explained that a refillable popcorn bucket can save you money on snacks. That said, we feel it should also be mentioned that a popcorn bucket could help reduce your souvenir budget. These buckets are super cute and are yours to keep after your trip, so why not take them home and take home some Disney magic? They make excellent souvenirs to help you remember your trip for years to come. 

Related: The Top 12 Most Practical Walt Disney World Souvenirs

Popcorn Buckets Have Many Uses

Of course, if you’re going to use a Disney popcorn bucket to help you remember your trip, it can’t just be shoved into the back of a cabinet. Fortunately, these buckets have a ton of great uses once they make their way into your home. 

Some people like to use their buckets to hold snacks for parties. Others use them as lunch boxes to take to school. We’ve often been seen taking a Disney popcorn bucket to the beach for sand play and shell collecting as well. Pretty much anything you could do with a regular bucket or bowl can be done with a popcorn bucket, giving you plenty of opportunities to pull out your bucket and the Disney park memories that go along with it. 

Clearly, a Disney World popcorn bucket is an excellent purchase, and we firmly believe anyone who enjoys eating popcorn should invest in one at the beginning of each trip. Will you buy a Disney popcorn bucket on your next trip? Which of the many designs will you choose and how will you use it when you get home? 

 

About Chelsea Gonzales