Disney World Pick-A Pearl FAQ

Have you ever wondered about the big pools of water on the counter in the middle of the Japan Pavilion at Epcot? That’s one of the Pick-A-Pearl stations at Walt Disney World. Here’s what you need to know.

What’s a Pick-A-Pearl?

The name is pretty self explanatory. At a Pick-A-Pearl station, you’ll find a large, shallow tank of water with several oysters placed on the bottom. At the station, you choose (“pick”) an oyster to buy. The cast member at the station opens the oyster in front of you, the pearl inside is yours to keep.

Is the Japan Pavilion the only place to do this at Walt Disney World?

There are actually four places to Pick-A-Pearl at Walt Disney World: inside the large Mitsukoshi store at the Japan Pavilion at Epcot, at a kiosk at Downtown Disney near the Pin Traders outpost, at a kiosk at Typhoon Lagoon, and at a kiosk on the pathway just outside the Stormalong Bay pool area at the Yacht & Beach Club resorts. While the general Pick-A-Pearl concept is the same at all the locations, they are operated by different entities, so some details may vary.


The best show is in Japan. At the Japan pavilion, you’ll typically get an enthusiastic cast member banging a drum, measuring your pearl with amazement, and a large audience watching your pearl emerge.

Isn’t this something that’s done in places other than Disney World?

Yes, the Downtown Disney, Beach Club, and Typhoon Lagoon locations are run by The Pearl Factory, which has several locations in Hawaii and Las Vegas, as well as at theme parks in California (including at Downtown Disneyland) and at several locations at Universal Studios Florida. Other operators exist as well.

What do I do with the pearl?

You can keep it loose, save it, or (more commonly) have it mounted onto a setting to create a piece of jewelry.
The pearl emerges.


How large are the pearls?

They’re a unique item, so the size will vary depending on which oyster you choose. A big part of the fun is seeing the characteristics of the oyster you’ve selected. Many of the pearls will be white, sized about 6-7 mm. However, you will occasionally find much larger pearls, as well as black, gold, pink or other color variants. Even more rarely, you’ll get an oyster that has generated two pearls. If you’re lucky enough to get one of these, then they’re both yours to keep.

Read more Disney World Pick-A Pearl FAQs here.