Secrets to DW

[Pegg]

What are the best kept secrets to enjoying your vacation? What about little special things for the kids to enjoy or to make those special memories?
Like last trip my daughter got a license for piloting the mark twain boat. (thanks for this board) But she got a big thrill out of it. Any tips?

[sogger1]

I have been collecting tips and pasting into a word document for over a year, so here you go:
Stops for Magic Moment’ s parade:
Each float has 5 stops for the MK's Magical Moments Parade...
Cinderella Unit - Liberty Bell, Castle Hub, Casey's Corner, Emporium Corner,Car Barn
Little Mermaid Unit - Liberty Tree Tavern, Liberty Square Bridge, Castle End of Main Street, Main Street Cinema, Train Station
Beauty & the Beast Unit - Frontierland Woodshop, Liberty Square Christmas Store, Tomorrowland Side of Castle Hub, Main Street Athletic Store, Tony's Side of Town Square
Aladdin Unit - Country Bears, Liberty Bell, Castle Hub, Casey's Corner,
Emporium Corner
Lion King Unit - Pecos Bill's, Liberty Tree Tavern, Liberty Square Bridge,
Castle End of Main Street, Main Street Cinema
Finale Unit (lots of different characters) - Splash Mountain, Frontierland Woodshop, Liberty Square Christmas Shop, Tomorrowland Side of Castle Hub, Main Street Athletic Store
The tiny lights in the sidewalk in Futureworld
On Main Street USA the first alley on your right as you face the Castle, at the back of that alley on the top floor is a store that advertises dance lessons and if you stand there and listen you can hear tap shoes. In that same alley is piano lessons and you hear the lessons going on.
When you ride the new Pooh ride smell the honey in the air
1. find the talking trash cans and water fountains
2. Go to the Campfire
3. Find the trained squirrels in Epcot
4. Talking umbrella at MGM
5. Ladybug release at WL
6. See tinkerbell as the MK fireworks begin
7. Go to the toy story playground and ASMo
8. Check out the different sounds & smells around the MK
9. Get a big turkey leg for my little one while we wait for Fantasmic
10. Try a beavertail
11. Get my sons haircut at the barber in MK
12. See Mr. Toad handing over the deed to his property on the Pooh ride
13. Tug on the Liberty Bell rope in Liberty Square and rope at Indiana Jones
14. The trees in tomorrow land

The narration & music while riding the railroad in MK.
Also, just before the train stops at Splash Mt, being able to peek inside at people on the ride going by in their boats.
- Getting a peek inside Space Mt while riding TTA.
- The artwork in Minnie's House.
- The animatronic characters (Goofy & Donald?) fishing in the stream at AK.
- Seeing Goofy ski on Seven Seas Lagoon.
Watching Off Kilter in WS & the people enjoying them!!
Find the lawnmower that has a tree grown around it at FW.
Look for the heart with paw prints inside it from Lady & Tramp. It is located outside in front of Tony's Town Square Restaurant on the side walk
Just remembered something else. Look for the picture of Mr. Toad handing Winnie the Pooh the deed to the ride. It is located in the Owl's house on the Winnie the Pooh ride.
Wow there is so much, like the music on an enight when the park is virtually empty and you are walking down Main Street and the Castle is turning colors! The view of the fireworks from California Grill. Rounding the cornor and seeing Downtown Disney for the first time coming from DL or PO on the boat. Watching the dragon blow out fire from the cave at Animal Kingdom. Hearing the cars go by on Test Track when you are outside. The CoKe Cool Station, throwing snowballs at my husband in Epcot. There is simply so much!! I like watching the little Geyser errupt outside Big Thunder Mountain when I chicken out and am waiting for my husband. And of course Splash Mountain..the whole ride, the theme, the music, the expectation, and then of course that little flash right before you go down! I could go on forever!!
Finding the wedding ring embedded in the cement outside of the Haunted Mansion. Making a wish in the well outside the castle. Eating a Goofy Bar. Watching the dancing water fountain at FW at Epcot. Watching people pull the handle on the umbrella at MGM
Co-Pilot on the Monorail
The garden behind England in Epcot - stop and smell the flowers and just relax.
. The key under the mat at Muppets 3D.
2. Tinkerbell's flight.
3. The Mickey shaped manhole covers in Toontown.
4. Clawed scratched floor at Country Bear Jamboree waiting area.
5. The solar powered lawnmower at EPCOT.
6. The person knocking on the door in Harambe at AK by Tusker House.
I personally love the napping LEGO dad at DD.
The resort channel in your room
In MK, outside Cosmic Ray's Cafe, while sitting eating ice cream, a talking, "walking" garbage can entertained the crowds. The kids loved it! It followed people and interacted with them.
the Sword in the Stone ceremony
the talking water fountain at Epcot
So you're telling me there are paintbrushes scattered around TSI, and if I find 3 and give them back to the raft operator I get a front-of-the-line pass to either Splash Mtn. or BTMRR

[sogger1]

GENERAL
* Get Guest of Honor badges!
* Make sure to have a fat pen & autograph book.
* If you are a Buzz Lightyear fan, did you know that you can score more points by holding the button down for the duration of the ride?
* Look for Hidden Mickeys.
* Have your children sit on the outside of the table at character meals…this makes it easier for the characters to interact with them.
* Try a Dole Whip.
* Minnie’s Strawberry Fruit Bars have 80 calories, 0 of which are from fat.
* Riding TTA and waiting for "Paging Mr. Tom Morrow".
* Song of the Rainforest in Conservation Station
* The beginning of Voyage of the Little Mermaid, where the ship sails toward you, and as it breaks through the waves, you feel the sea spray.
* The jumping fountains at Downtown Village - small ones at the main entrance and further around the corner a larger version.
* Sitting next to the glass at Living Seas, and feeling like the fish are going to swim right up and run into you!
* Find the talking trash cans and water fountains
* Go to the Campfire
* Bring a nightlight for the hotel room, if your children are used to sleeping with one.
* Seeing Goofy ski on Seven Seas Lagoon.
* Watching Off Kilter in WS & the people enjoying them!!
* Look at the statue at Mama Melrose's Ristorante, the one at the door. It is a statue with cherub and two dalmation pups. There is a hidden Mickey on one of the pups.
* The view of the fireworks from California Grill.
* See 'angels' when wearing 3D glasses to view the fireworks. Its very cool!!! Try it!!!
* If you require medical attention while at WDW, consider going directly to the emergency room at Celebration Hospital.
* Bring a pre-paid phone card with you, and use a pay-phone in your resort or at the parks.
* Give your children a disposable camera to take their own vacation pictures.
EPCOT
* Living Statues at Epcot's France pavillion.
* Tiny lights in the sidewalk in Futureworld.
* Find the trained squirrels in Epcot.
* World Showcase at Epcot is a GREAT place to find characters.
* The hidden mickey on the norway ride.
* The music in the "bushes" as you walk into Epcot!
* The troll you take pictures with in the Norway store!
* Play in Epcot on the street that shoots water.
* The solar powered lawnmower at EPCOT.
* Walking to Epcot in the morning from YC and getting to stroll through United Kingdom and Canada before anyone else gets there.(when you enter from the World Showcase side)
* Being in Germany at the top of the hour.
* The garden behind England in Epcot - stop and smell the flowers and just relax.
* Taking a drink of water at the Talking Water Fountain in Epcot.
* Enter Epcot through the International Gateway before 11 a.m., take a leisurely stroll through UK and Canada with no crowds. Get some great pictures!
MAGIC KINGDOM
* Turnstiles to the right side of the MK gates are MUCH more crowded than those on the left side (near the monorail).
* On Main Street USA the first alley on your right as you face the Castle, at the back of that alley on the top floor is a store that advertises dance lessons and if you stand there and listen you can hear tap shoes. In that same alley is piano lessons and you hear the lessons going on.
* Ride the new Pooh ride and smell the honey in the air.
* The trees in tomorrow land.
* See tinkerbells flight as the MK fireworks begin.
* Get a haircut at the barber in MK.
* Tug on the Liberty Bell rope in Liberty Square and rope at Indiana Jones.
* The narration & music while riding the railroad in MK.
* Getting a peek inside Space Mt while riding TTA.
* The artwork in Minnie's House.
* Co-Pilot on the Monorail
* The Mickey shaped manhole covers in Toontown.
* Clawed scratched floor at Country Bear Jamboree waiting area.
* Riding the monorail and entering mk.
* The parrot outside of Pirates.
* Riding through Splash Mountian on the train.
* Finding my picture after Splash Mountain.
* Being told to "Drag my wretched body to the DEAD center of the room".(HM)
* Hearing for the first time "Dead men tell no tales......".(PoC)
* At Cinderella's Royal Table when you're waiting to be called, stand in front of the throne and look up to the right and you will see Gus and Jacques!
* Seeing Walt and Mickey holding hands in front of the castle, that makes my day.
* Finding the wedding ring embedded in the cement outside of the Haunted Mansion.
* Making a wish in the well outside the castle.
* Look for Scoop at MK. He is a really neat character.
* Dumbo statue.
* An excellent spot to view the afternoon MK parade is just to the right of the entrance to the Liberty Tree Tavern Restaurant in Liberty Square.
* Use Fastpass!
* Toontown is uncrowded about an hour before closing.
* Go to the second showing of Fantasmic.
* A talking and moving trash can.
* Look for the picture of Mr. Toad handing Winnie the Pooh the deed to the ride. It is located in the Owl's house on the Winnie the Pooh ride.
* There are only four hitching posts that do not have horse heads on them. Can you find them? They are all on Main street at MK.
* Look for the heart with paw prints inside it from Lady & Tramp. It is located outside in front of Tony's Town Square Restaurant on the side walk.
* The area next to City Hall is a great place to find characters.
* If you want to see characters, rope drop at Toontown is the place to be! Each character chose one child to personally escort into Toontown!
MGM
* Singing in the Rain Umbrella at MGM near the Hunchback stage.
* Dorothys ruby slippers and Mary Poppins carosel at MGM.
* The key under the mat at Muppets 3D.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
* The animatronic characters (Goofy & Donald?) fishing in the stream at AK.
* Watching the dragon blow out fire from the cave at Animal Kingdom.
* The person knocking on the door in Harambe at AK by Tusker House.
* DO NOT MISS Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom.
* The waterlilly pools at AK (at Flametree BBQ).
* The hidden trail at Ak. Designed for the adventerous type. Between Asia and Africa.
* The elephant wash and dry at Conservation Station.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY
* I personally love the napping LEGO dad at DD.
RESORTS
* The beach of FW at 9:45 and watch the Electrical Water Pageant!
* Find the lawnmower that has a tree grown around it at FW.
* The animal tracks in the cement and nature sounds outside the WL.
* Go to the toy story playground and ASMo.
* The doorman at beachclub (Good morning Sir madame little madame).
* FREE vintage Wurlitzer juke box full of old rock and roll records at Beaches and Cream Soda Shoppe at the YC.
* There is a FREE ladybug release each Thurs at WL at 10am and at Poly (back entrance of the Great Ceremonial House) at 11am.
CHEAPEST SOUVENIERS
* Napkins from the food courts and vendors. Don't cost a penny.
* The plactic drink cups!
* Postcards at Disney World (.40). Buy one of a character and get them to autograph it.
* There are Mickey Mouse shaped pretzels at AK for .50 per bag!!
* Pressed pennies. $.51 each. (make fridge magnets from them)
* Disney dollars!
* WDW pens with the characters on them. They're big and round & about $2.00 each.
* Pins, magnets and float-pens are park/attraction specific. Only $1-$3 apiece.
* I absolutely LOVE my $3.00 Mickey antenna topper that I got at World of Disney!
* Drink holders (the ones that hang around your neck for the bottle water etc).
* Christmas tree ornament from each trip.
* Find t-shirts on sale for as little as $8-9 in DD, FW, ASMo.
* Character Warehouse at Belz.
* Disney Catalog Outlet Store.
* Belz Outlet Mall. Character Warehouse and Character Premier. Take I-30 North to Exit 30-A (International Drive). Go right, and then take the first left by the Sheraton Universal. Go down about two miles, and you are there!

[sogger1]

I would like to start a thread of secrets and not well known items. such as have any of you heard of Devine, a character in AK. she is dressed up to look like a huge plant and many people walk on by without even noticing her
Another thing to look for and they are probably not there all the time is at the exit to Test track you might see the test crash dummies.. They look like statues, but there really are people in there dressed up... If you see them don't tell anyone else in your party and get them to pose next to them for a picture and they will come to life!
At Epcot, watch for the Jammitors (sp?). They are three guys carrying garbage cans and they stop and play the cans with drum sticks.
On the first ride of Dumbo each morning, Mickey and Minnie pick kids to ride with.
If you get to AK at opening, go into Rainforest Cafe, all the way through the gift shop and out to the patio adjacent to the gift shop. There is a park entrance there that opens at the same time the main entrance opens, but hardly anyone goes there. You'll avoid the mob scene at the front entrance, and beat the crowd to KS
there is a statue of Cinderella. If you kneel down in front of the statue, the crown on the alcove behind her is placed on her head. ?
On the bridge to Camp Minnie-Mickey you can see the fire breathing dragons' breath (you have to be patient) it is off to the right as you enter and on the left hand bank of the river.
the key under the mat at Muppets in MGM
fantasmic dinner package
ladybug release at wilderness lodge
$2.00 pony rides at Fort Wilderness petting zoo
as a newbie I never knew about the Grand Floridian's Grand Adventures For Kids programs (adventures in cooking, pirate cruise and wonderland tea party)
as a newbie I also didn't know about the princess breakfast at the castle (or how darn tough it is to get!)
Tom Sawyer Island paint brushes--find them and turn them into the boat captain for front-of-the-line passes for either BTM or splash mountain.
toon town is loaded with gobs of characters a few minutes before rope drop, sometimes a child is chosen to walk hand-in-hand into toon town at rope drop.
Sword in the stone ceremony--by Cinderella's carousel, at certain times of the day Merlin picks a big fella (to pick on) and typically a shy child to pull the sword from the stone. The child gets to wear a crown and robe, then gets I think a certificate and medal.
at Tarzan Rocks (in AK) they choose a King and Queen of the jungle. The perk is a chance to give a tarzan yell into the microphone, free ice cream, great seats in a reserved section, a Magical Moments certificate and brief interaction with Turk during the show.
As a newbie I didn't know about Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular taking audience members up as extras
At Epcot when you are walking around the Countries, when you get to the outback area where there old time soda coolers lift the lids. Get ready for a surprise.
At Epcot testtrack - if you are facing the testtrack turn completely around and walk basically straight ahead and you will come to the neatest butterfly garden. The is also one over by England.
.If you stand facing Germany, on the hour the Cockoo Clock chimes and the the characters on the clock come out. It is really neat to watch.
At Epcot they have a talking water fountian.
This thread is so much fun!!! At MGM on the Great Movie Ride there are two different shows. It depends on what cart you get into which show you will see. There is a cowboy/western show and a mob /gangster shootout. I have only seen the cowboy one didn't know about the other one until we were already home. ??
We at got AK before in opened one morning and right before the gates opened music started and there was someone talking on a loud speaker. There were people dressed like exotic characters walking on stilts. Cast members were holding birds and spiders and little animals and letting kids pet them. As for Devine, I had read about her on anothe DW website and really wanted to see her but thought it impossible. Just so happend that as we went into the park and were walking near where you can enter the Rainforest Cafe entrance from park, there she was coming out from where characters get ready. Once she saw people looking at her she stood up against Rainforest Cafe sign and wouldn't move. I caught a picture of her going to the sign. If I had not seen her moving I would have not noticed her and would have thought it really was a plant.
Options: Automatically parse URLs: automatically adds and around iThe rehitching ceremony is the Garden Grill's version of an anniversary celebration!!! You get "re-hitched"!!! (get it?? ?)
The characters come over and give you a cake, and some sort of anniversary card, and I think there's a song the waiter does! It looked like lots of fun when I saw it!!!


The Electrical Water Pageant can only be seen at Polynesian Resort (9 pm watch from the beach) Grand Floridian 9:15 pm, Wilderness Lodge 9:35pm, Ft Wilderness 9:45pm & the Contemporary Resort at 10pm. Its really short, so you can't be late
I found out over the weekend about a fun activity for kids - a Pirate Cruiseleaving from the Grand Floridian. The way it was described to me was this: The kids dress up with pirate bandanas and are taken on a treasure hunt around the lake by the Grand Floridian. They sing pirate songs, and find treasure (which they get to divide among themselves). There are Disney cast members dressed as pirates that go along on the cruise (no parents!). I called Disney Dining and was told that the Pirate Cruise is offered on Mondays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 12 noon. It leaves from the Grand Floridian (ask at Guest Services at the Grand Floridian and they'll direct you to the dock where the cruise leaves from). Cost is $20/child.
Wonderland Tea Party: The scoop (sorry you had problems getting details):
1) "Alice's Tea Party", at the Grand Floridian.
2) Monday and Wednesday at 1:30-2:30pm.
3) Kids only, NO adults allowed.
4) 407-WDW-DINE for ressies.
5) 60-Days ahead for ressies. Need Credit Card
6) $22.95 + tax per child.
7) Mad Hatter and Alice present.
8) Alice also reads a story to the kids.
9) Refreshments are tea (apple juice), PB sandwiches, ham & cheese slices, cupcakes the kids decorate.
10) Pictures with Mad Hatter and Alice.
11) Sometimes kids do not want to leave!!!
Our two boys loves the campfire program when we stayed at Fort Wilderness. We brougt our own hotdogs,marshmallows and stick (which I believe you can purchase there for a fairly reasonable price--$5 for a s'more kit and sticks) They had a sing a long with Chip and Dale, who came around several times to see the kids. Afterward they showed a movie on the outdoor screen. We saw Peter Pan. You can call ahead and ask what movies are showing the nights of your stay. It was a lot of fun.
Both of my children have done the tea party and had a nice time, but their favorite event was called Adventures in Cooking. This is also held at the Grand Floridian, and for the same age group, but it is two hours long and in the morning. It is only offered twice a week and in the two times we have attended the price has increased from ten to fifteen dollars (Dirt cheap by disney standards). The kids made cookies in one trip and pizza on another. They also make their own chef hats and aprons and they hand delivered their goodies to the staff and guests in the GF lobby after the cooking class which was really cute to watch. There are no characters there,(which explains why it is inexpensive compared to the tea party) but when we attended it was hosted by the same staff as the tea party and they were fabulous.

[Rodrigo]

Great posts, sogger1 !
I just used the new option of the "Printable version" of this page, it works great!

[bobcat]

WOW!!!

Great post. This is a keeper!

[Mamatipo]

Thanks. There are so many fun things here that I never knew about! Looks like I'll be printing this out and taking it with me! 19 days!

:bounce:

[callahanjulie10]

What are they and where do we get Guest of Honor Badges?

[sogger1]

I pre-ordered mine before we left so I would not have to waste time hunting them down. Try this link to see what they look like:
http://www.giftsofalifetime.com/shopping.html

[nab486]

I love this thread. I am going to wait until the day before we leave (two weeks!!!!!!!!!!) to print it out so I don't miss any good ones.

What are the guest of honor badges for? I saw the pictures of them on the link above but ....do they DO something? Are they for birthdays or something?

Thanks,
Jamie

[sogger1]

They don't really "entitle" you to anything. They are more of a memento. I ordered ours in our favorite colors(DS in Mickey Red, DH is Pooh Blue, and mine in Tigger green). They are helpful for some of the characters in autograph signing. My son wore his on the Pirates Cruise. When we went on the Jungle Cruise, we sat up front near the pilot. The CM was able to call my DH by name when they chose sides to see which could cheer the loudest.

[rogers803]

:bounce: Bump :bounce:

[disney09/2001]

WOW! Looks like someone has been doing there homework. LOL! Wonderful tips, thank you. I will be printing these out too!:bounce:

[sogger1]

If you eat at a character Dinner at any resort, tell your kids to write down their name and address on a small piece of papaer and give it to the characters. Most likely the characters will send you an 8 by 11 REAL KODAK PHOTO of them, and they'll sign it too! My daughter Kristin got one. She recieved a picture of Chip and Dale fishing near Japan with the neatest clothes and backround!! They also signed it for her. This was a real picture! We still have ut. What a great keepsake

If you are going on the Disney Cruise, bring a highlighter for your daily navigators. There are so many things going on, it is nice to be able to highlight what you are interested in.

In the world Showcase next to Germany there is a modell railroad set up.

know there's a maze in UK but don't know if it's the one you're asking about (never heard it called Tigger's Maze before). It's in the garden area across from the Rose & Crown and behind the gift shops. When we were in Epcot a few years ago the shrubs that make up the maze were only about knee-high. It was interesting a few months ago to see how much they've grown. Unless you're right in front of the shrubs I think it would be easy to miss.In the back of all the little stores. In the Kidcot area. There is an English style maze. It's made of Boxwoods. There are different stopping stations in the maze, with a rubber stamper. When you exit the maze you have formed yourself a picture of Tigger with the stampers. This is why it's called the "The Tigger Maze"

The "candy artist" you are looking for is in Japan. She was still there a few weeks ago.Her show is called "Miyuki" and is scheduled a few times throughout the day. You can get the showtime hours from Steve Soares' wonderful site. (This was about a lady who makes figures out of candy and gives some of them away.)

[DisneyBound4Ever]

THose are absolutely AWESOME tips!! I am printing them off now!!! I only have 200 days till my next trip!! AUGHHHHHHH.... LOL... at least I have something to look forward to!!

[tink2dw]

:earsgirl: :earsboy:

[babslittleones]

:wave:

[Debi]

What great suggestion! Thanks for sharing, everyone! :)

[lisakay]

The Guest of Honor badges are similar to the name badges the Cast Members wear. We have had luck finding them at Downtown Disney....there is a store that is "outside" near the playground and train ride for kids that has them....if they don't have one with your name, they will make one for you. It's fun to wear them because the CM's will call you by name....it's especially funny if you've forgotten about and wonder how they know your name!!!!!

36 days until our next trip!!!

[DisneyRoys]

:bounce: :bounce: Bump!!:bounce: :bounce:

This is such a great thread, I had to bump it back up!!

[PhotobearSam]

Wow that is a ton of info...THANKS!!!!

[TIGGER36027]

BUMP!

dont wanna lose this thread!!!!! Awesome tips

:pinkbounc :bounce: :pinkbounc :bounce: :D :D


Thank you!!!!!!!!

[leanne2255]

WOW! And I thought I knew everything. Lots of great tips! My favorite one which was already posted is entering Epcot from the YC and walking into World Showcase before it opens. You can get lots of great pictures since there are no crowds. Also, we stayed at Epcot, long after the fireworks ended and were able to walk through Epcot virtually alone. Don't join the rush of the crowds exiting. Take your time, and it will be much more enjoyable!

[Beanie]

Bumping for those who haven't seen this yet!! This is a great thread...lots of excellent secrets and tips!! :)

[wendy74]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but when you are in the Haunted Mansion after you leave the stretching room notice the bats on the posts of the que as you approach the doom buggies. Look at the heads very closely on the first few and then check out the head of the bat at the end of the line before you turn the corner-it's totally smooth with no features at all- done so by the millions of hands that grab onto it as they turn the corner;)

[from Canada]

bumpity bump!!

[wendy74]

Just thought of some more Haunted Mansion trivia. The ballroom scene where the gosts are having a party (my favorite scene in the mansion) is filled with so many things that it's hard to focus on everything in one trip. I find myself noticing new things everytime. The imagineers went into unflinching detail when creating this party. However, they forgot something when creating the dancing ghosts. Beneath your ride vehicle behind glass are the models audioanimatronics ghosts that dance around while their images are projected onto a screen-which is what you see in the ballroom. When they created the ghosts they did not think about the glass projecting the image backwards as all mirrors do and instead of the men leading the women (which is how they were made) the women are actually leading the men-llok at their hands next time you go through.

[RaySharpton]

These are great tips, thank you. I thought that I would bump them up and also make a link to the DIS-Convention-"A Gathering of Friends" forum for others to see.

Thank you, DISer Sogger1.

Ray

[ddisney333]

Wonderful thread. Only 95 more days to go. BUMP. BUMP. Printing as I type this reply. Thanks.

[Distriv]

DO NOT MAKE AN ITINERARY!!!!!!!! Just expirence WDW's magic.

[DisTwix]

I am bumping the bumped....

But - one tip to add -

Don't forget Ice Station Cool at Epcot!!!! It can be overlooked (just "discovered" it last trip) and it is a great place to go for a quick pick-me-up!



:pinkbounc :pinkbounc :pinkbounc

[colleen mcmaster]

Great tips-can't wait to try some out!:bounce:

[catdog]

We get haircuts on Main Street and send the kids post card that arrive
shortly after we return home.

Sweet Memories...
:earsboy:

[Dancind]

Someone please give a hint on where to look for the trained squirrels! I think we must see this. Diana

[harding_clan]

- Riding Big Thunder Mountain after dark on E-ticket nights. It's a totally different experience.
- We never go into Tomorrow Land(MK) until after dark.
- Getting to MK as soon as possible on 'early mornings', and riding the kiddie rides 4 or 5 times each, then getting to the Toon Town 'rope drop'.
- Standing in the flower garden right outside Tomorrow Land for the fireworks(so Tinkerbell flies right over us).
- Chef Mickey's on Friday or Saturday night (Mmmmmmm, ribs).
- Standing at the rope in MgM, running to Star Tours and being the first ones to ride.
- Getting 'fish and chips' in England while waiting for Illuminations, especially on cooler nights.
- Going to the Safari early and then having coffee in Harambe.

Our unforgettable moments:
- When Jasmine came out of the woods at the end of the Family Magic Tour, and then held the kids hands while walking to the Peter Pan ride. Seeing the look on people's faces when she jumped us to the front of the line and rode along with us.
- Suprising the kids with the Pirate Cruise at the GF. They still talk about it 2 years later.
- Having the cast member on the Jungle Cruise give me his hat, and standing at the wheel for the whole ride. The kids still think I was really steering it.
- Finally meeting piglet after four trips, at the Crystal Palace (our daughter's favorite character).
- Riding the Rock'n'Roller Coaster for the first time. It was a 'sneak preview' and we had no idea what is was, or anything about it. I still remember thinking "But...... I don't ride things that go upside down".
- Taking my mother-in-law on Space Mountain. She still 'isn't right'. LOL. Taking my pastor on Tower of Terror for the same reason. :)

[BonnieA]

We sat drinking coffee at some tables in back of Tusker House in AK. While there we could hear sounds of a kitchen where dishes were being rattled and occasionally dropped. We thought it was coming from the restaurant but decided it was a recording. There were just too many dishes being dropped. And it was too early in the morning for all that activity since the restaurant wasn't even open yet only the pastry/coffee place.

[DVCajun]

BonnieA, that's too funny! A recording of dishes being dropped!!

I would also like to hear more about these "trained squirells"-- that's a new one on me.

[bobcat]

There are also recorded sounds near the restrooms at Tusker House. They are back a small hallway away from everything. I think it might be people talking like crowd noise and maybe someone knocking on a door. It was an unexpected suprise.

[Tomskatt]

Such a great thread....now fess up Disers in the know ....where are these famed trained squirrels?!

[WDWfanatic288]

trained squirrels??


now i wanna see that!!!

[kellybelly99]

What are the keys under the matt at Muppets 3D? Also, what is the deal with the parrot at Pirate's?
:confused:

[kaybird]

Agree with ALL the above, and above all, go without "expecting" something certain to happen. The surprise of being at WDW is so personal it's hard to replicate.

Our favorites:

Jafar breaking our only blue crayon at Charater breakfast to prove to my "hugging" son that he doesn't like kids! Such a surprise that 12 years later my family still talks about it.

The CM at Blizzard beach giving us a discount on our pictures because after declining several of our possible cards, we burst into song (A jazzy rendition of "The lion sleeps tonight" as I recall)

The surprise of VIP seating at the Lion King show at AK, because the cast member was amazed that I could get my crew of 6 to dress alike in ITTBB jams.

Let the Magic Begin!!

[sonogirl]

These are so great I don't care how many times you can go there is always new things to learn about..... ok so what about the squirrels?:p

[bethie]

In EPCOT, buy fish and chips, head to the gardens behind the gift shops and catch the British Invasion. A Beatle knock off band that are a blast! This has to be one of my fondest memories.
Before you know it, you will be talkin with a Liverpudlian accent. LOL:)

[XxPiXiE DuStxX]

i don't think anyone mentioned this yet but..... HIDDEN MICKEYS!!!!!!! there a must - just look everywhere for them - there on alot of rides like snow white and there in the pictures as u enter rafikis planet watch in AK - but yeah...
- what about these squirells i never heard about them!!!?:bounce:

[DVCajun]

I think we established on another thread that there's no such thing as "trained squirrels." I think that poster might have been stretching his rather significant list.

[gailg]

These are the most awsome tips I have ever seen and I have been surfing the net regularly trying to get the most info and tips for my trip in May with our darling granddaughter. Thanks a bunch. How many times have you gone to WDW to get these tips?

Also, 2 questions:

I made reservations for the Wonderland Tea Party for my GD but now have read that I will not be allowed in. I don't know if she will stay by herself since she won't know anyone and she will only be barely 4. Will I just lose my money if she refuses to stay or will they bend the rules and let me stay in the room?

Next, I noticed you mention to go to campfire at FW but I read only on site guests can. Is this true or can off site guests attend?

[kaybird]

GailG- call and ask about the Wonderland tea, they will let you know for sure ahead of time...another idea would be the tea at Grand Floridian, you could go to that together!

have a grand time!!
kay

[wendyww]

:wave:

[welovemickey]

To get to the FW Campfire program. Go to the campground and get on one of the buses. Get off at the Meadows trading post stop and follow the noise!!

[Raysplus1]

As far as the trained squirrels go I don't know for sure if I saw one or not. At Epcot there was a gentleman feeding a squirrel. The squirrel would run up his leg to his stomach and he would give it a cashew and then it would run back down and go eat it. He did this about 5 or 6 times and I am not sure if he was a cm or not because after a while his wife was getting angry so he had to leave. Other people tried to feed the squirrel popcorn but it would not eat it. So I don't know if the squirrel was trained or just friendly but we have some pretty good pictures of it.

[GlennandAnn]

Sogger, can you give some more information about the trained squirrels in Epcot? My family and I were accosted by a squirrel in the sit down area by the fish and chips stand in the UK.

[sogger1]

I have never seen the trained squirrel myself. As stated, I have cut and pasted information from various posts into a word document of interesting things to keep an eye out for when at WDW. I am by no means an expert.

[Pink Flamingo]

Love this thread!

Thanks a million!

[josierac]

To the top for more tips

[anewvance]

In the haunted house, you can find an unofficial hidden mickey the the cast member do to drive the imagineEARS (disney engineers). In the ballroom scene on the long table, one of the place setting are set up in the shape of mickey ears. One dinner plate for the face and 2 bread plates for the ears. The cast member do this all the time and the "bosses" find it and more them back to the right place. Way, to funny!!!

Also, in Tomorrowland, right above the bathrooms next to TraderMickeys there are 3 techno looking windows. 2 of the three are open and the other, the imagineEARS put a metal barrior over it to close the window. They weren't SUPPOSED to do it, they just did it to be silly.

Also, on Main Street, look at the windows. Every name on every window stands for something in "Walt's life". Look for the window that states M. T. Lott Real Estate. This was the real estate company that bought the land in Florida which was later discovered to actually be Walt Disney. He used the fake name because he already had DisneyLand and knew he wouldn't have gotten such a great price on the land. Say his Real Estate name outloud, it stands for Empty Lot which is what this part of Florida was before he started development out there with many many many acres bought.

Anyway, that's my addition to this post.

[Pixie Power!]

These are great - i really want to print them out and someone mentioned a printable version? How do you do that?

Emma

[sherrie]

Where are the talking trash cans and water fountains. I saw one trashcan near the entrance of AK. Any othere? Thanks

[bobcat]

There is a talking trash can in Tommorowland, I think it's based out of Cosmic Rays. One of the talking water fountains is in future world at Epcot as you are walking towrds Honey I Shrunk the Audience. There is a bathroom on the left before you get there and the talking water fountain is outside.

[weluvmickey]

comic sans

Has anyone ever been the grand marshall of the MK parade and/ or do you know how to do it?
We are going to DW in June and I would love to suprise my family with this.

We luv mickey
and the HOOSIERS
GO IU

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

The talking trash cans are the coolest. My son spent the rest of the day walking up to every trash can waiting for it to talk.

Grand marshall--never been one, would love to do it. I think they just randomly pick folks out the crowd?? Maybe you should wear something silly to get noticed.

Something very insignificant but really special to my DS, 3, who loves trains. We were getting ready to board the train to Conservation Station and the CM let him say "All Aboard" over the loudspeaker as every one was getting on. It was really a big deal for him!

[Magickndm]

If you happen to be going for a birthday, stop by City Hall in MK and tell them. They will give you a button that says "Today is my birthday!", and you get a special call from Goofy who sings Happy Birthday to You! Plus, if you find some really nice CM's, when they see your button, you may get to ride the ride twice. It's so much fun to hear people tell you happy birthday all day!!!

[goofygal531]

I just printed out the first several pages of this thread and have some questions:

1) Why is there a wedding ring in the cement at the Haunted Mansion? Is this the imagineers being cute or is it really someones?

2) Where is the talking water fountain in Epcot?

3) Where is the Cinderella statue in MK and what do you mean "if you kneel down the crown in the alcove is placed on her head"??

4) What exactly is the re-hitching celebration and is it only performed at the Garden Grille?

5) Is the park between France and England (where during the Flower Festival they have orange and lemon trees) the Mary Poppins park people are talking about?

Thanks for your help, I learn something new here everyday!

[sogger1]

There is a statue of Cinderella in MK. Behind the statue looks like a backdrop with a coat of arms, in the center is a crown. If you are standing it looks like a statue in front of the background. When you kneel down the crown looks like it is sitting on Cindy's head. Neat optical illusion.

The rehitching ceremony is reaffirment of your wedding vows. I'm not sure if the characters join in or not. You get a certificate showing you got rehitched. The Garden Grill is the only place I have heard of that does this.

[Ratpack]

Can someone tell me how to get the GOH badges? I looked on the Gifts of a Lifetime website and saw no link or info about them. We are going down in July and it will be the first time for DD 4 and it would be great for her to have one.:bounce:

[sogger1]

Try this link to Gifts of a Lifetime Personal Shopper. http://www.giftsofalifetime.com/shopping.html

[Ratpack]

Found them, thanks.

The shipping seems very high, $10 to ship three badges? Anyone know where I can order them for less?

[disneyfan551]

I sent you a pm.... I may be able to help you out...

...only 8 days to go! Oh my! :eek:

[madonna31]

I went on an animation course about 15 years ago at WDW.

The statue of Cinderella with the crown was done on purpose - not an optical illusion.
If you have never seen it - it is worth a look.

if you notice, the statue of her is in her "rags" - on the background is a brassy colored crown. When you stand directly in front of it - the crown appears to 'sit on her head'.

The purpose?

To explain the story of Cinderella in just one glance - rags to riches...

[SandraC]

OK OK! I trained the squirrels at EPCOT!

:jester:

LOL! Nope, no me ~ I fear the little critters, squirrels are rats with personality. At WDW I go for the MOUSE!

I love this thread!

Here is my little observation: When riding upfront on the monorail (co-pilot seat) check out the owls as you enter the Contemporary Resort ~ I just they are decoys. It's kinda cute! Sandra

5 more days! xoxoxxooxox

[Coldpony]

We like to try to get the 'Hero' and their respective 'Bad Guy' to 'go at it'.

We were able to get Hook and Pan to have a sword fight around our table at 1900 Park Faire. Pan had just signed my sons autograph book with a green crayon and my son was trying to get Hook to sign the same page with the same green crayon. Hook threw a fit, slammed his hook down on the table and while doing so broke the green crayon. My son yelled to Pan that 'Mean Captain Hook just broke your green crayon!!!', Pan came running over and proceeded to fight around our table until Belle came over and got them to settle down (Wendy had the night off because some of the lost boys were sick and she needed to tend to them).

[tkd lisa]

I agree with getting the characters to interact. One evening, just before closing at Epcot (I think it was during Illuminations) we were on our way out and stopped into the pavilions right at the exit where they have characters. Major score, we found DONALD! Of course, it was our first trip, so we didn't know how cool it was but anyway... Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto were also there. My son was wearing a Mickey shirt, and Mickey signed his book "Love your shirt". Donald took the book, signed it, and made some type of gesture to Mickey. Pluto stood up for his master, and challenged Donald. Minnie was trying to make peace. It was just a hoot watching them interact, with about 10 kids watching the whole thing with eyes as big as saucers!

[SandraC]

Character interaction is great! At AK Pooh and Eeyor were together and dd ran and hugged Pooh. Eeyor got all upset and tried to hide. dd and Pooh had to look for him. The CM with the characters was narrating the whole thing! Sandra

[kimmar067]

...to bring it up top!!!!!:earsgirl:

[Conure]

Due to inflation, it's actually about $10.

I heard there's some thing about a hidden glass tunnel underneath the water to Tom Sawyer's Island, and you have to ask a CM named Wanda to get to it. Is this true, or another case of the "trained squirrels"?
Is there any "secret" locations in the park? If so, does anyone know where?







LEAVING IN MAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[mrtoadslastride]

I don't know if this qualifies as a tip, but on our last trip to WDW we took a Keys of the Kingdom tour. It was great, and we learned a ton of neat facts/tips!! I just wish you could take a camera with you on the tour. You have to be at least 16 to go on the tour because you go back stage and see charracters without their heads!! :D

[Chance's Mom]

I might be really late on this post, but wanted to share this info:

The name badges can be found at MGM on the right side of the street as you are heading towards the Sorcer's hat. The shops all kind of connect, but it's the shop that does custom monogramming. They have badges already made, but if you need a name they don't have, they will make it in a matter of a minute or two. The badges are only 5 or 6 dollars and are really nice. The CMs and characters really talked to my DS when he had his name badge on, it was great! I had looked at the Badges on the gifts of a lifetime site, but felt the cost was prohibitive when shipping was added. It was fun to find them at MGM so reasonably priced!
Also, the pressed penny books can be found at most of the souvenior shops and resort gift shops. We had a blast getting different pennies. There is even a listing of the penny presses on Deb's site www.wdwig.com[/URL]
Both of these souveniors are really cheap and a whole lot of fun!

[wendyww]

Ok I just read this that there is a secert tunnel to Tom Sawyer Island from the HM but the thing is that you have to ask a CM named Wanda to use it. Is this true? Has anyone heard of this? ;)

[drdelsol]

There is a rather extensive set of tunnels( they actually seem like ordinary corredors) under the Magic Kingdom. I belive they are more underground due to the surrounding land being built up and over them with excavation of Bay Lake & 7 seas and the kingdom being built on top. I could be wrong on that. It's been 20 years and I never had to go to Tom Sawyers, but off the top of my head I don't remember one going over. They don't allow guests in the tunnels. It would destroy the magic.

Now, where is that ring outside the Haunted Mansion?

[SandraC]

Last week a CM told us that the MK utilidors aren't underground at all, they were actually built on ground level and MK that we know was built on top of that, so MK is actually on the second floor. Didn't know that! Sandra

[jewelray]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could tell me where in the World can I purchase the light up interactive pins that light up with the fireworks and parades. I remember hearing something about them but don't remember where I can purchase them. Thanks for all the great tips too!

[sogger1]

Under the Sourcer's Hat in MGM.

[madonna31]

drdelsol - I want to let you know that I just came back from my honeymoon for 13 nights at GF - and after reading so much about this 'wedding ring' outside HM - I HAD to find it!

Well - don't believe EVERYTHING you read on these boards- there is NO WEDDING RING OUTSIDE THE HM!!! I looked for so long that I finally asked a CM - who laughed and showed me what everyone thought was this "wedding band" - he said that there use to be a pole there and when they removed the pole there was a brass band in the sidewalk from it - hence the 'wedding ring story' was born...

[KJMAX1]

I just wanted to find out what KS is? I wanted to try the Cinderella thing this time.

[loriace1]

i just love this thread, and had to look a little too hard to find it again.

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by Conure

Is there any "secret" locations in the park? If so, does anyone know where?

There are supposedly a number of corporate lounges around the world. If you work for (or retired from I'd guess) one of the major 'sponsors' at WDW, check with your HR/Benefits department to see if you have one and can use it. If memory servers, there's an AT&T lounge inside Spaceship Earth Ball.

Another tip/hint/clue: While walking through Main Street one day, overheard a tour (I think it was a CM, but maybe one of those private tour guides) talking about the red pavement. According to our eavesdropping recollections, the shade of red used was a cooperative effort between Disney and Kodak. That particular shade of red supposedly makes for better photographs. From what little I remember of light wavelength theory and Photography, it seems to make sense. The red would absorb the reflect UV lighting, which is often the cause of 'haze' in photographs. Especially from your typical vacation camera.

[SandraC]

You mentioned eavesdropping ~ we were going thru the turnstiles at Epcot in April 2001 and a CM ran up to the ticket taker and whispered (loud enough for me to easily hear) Mr. Eisner might be in the park! I perked up and and smiled, the CM smiled and back and whispered, "You didn't that." I kept in quiet all day but glanced around for Mike on occasion! S

[Mom2Em]

bump

this has been out of circulation, let's start it up again!

[Tagrel]

It might be better not to know, but have you noticed the pavement through frontier land?

Wavy brown sections down the middle of the streets surrounded by the red areas. Ever wonder WHY its designed like that?

Since this is the 'frontier' period, these wavy brown sections represent the sewage that was poured out into the streets during that period of history. (This is from a Keys to the Kingdom tour, and after you know, that is exactly what it looks like)

I think its more realism than I needed! :p I find that I now walk over to the side! :teeth:

[MACDADDY]

...do not miss the trained squirrels at EPCOT. They were the hit of our trip. (Here we go again.);)

[amwhitaker]

Another thing to look for and they are probably not there all the time is at the exit to Test track you might see the test crash dummies.. They look like statues, but there really are people in there dressed up... If you see them don't tell anyone else in your party and get them to pose next to them for a picture and they will come to life!

You are awesome sogger1!! I love all the things you listed. I haven't seen these dummies. Have any idea when they appear? I would also love to find Devine! Any ideas about that?

I'm leaving at the end of the month and would love to pull some surprises on my friends!

[montessori]

Where can you find the trained squirrels? http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/ylflower.gif

[sudiequ]

:bounce: a BUMP for the newbies :bounce:

Thanks Sogger1 i'm finally going to put all this info. to use :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

[SilverL]

I don't know if all the Pooh characters do this, and this happened when I was about 8, so yea.

But anyway, I drew a honey pot in my autograph book, with the backwards letters and everything. When I went to go get it autographed, Pooh started licking the book and wouldn't stop until someone made him. It was really quite hilarious, we still have it on tape.

[Mortlives]

This is a really good thread, it should be kept on the first page. My tip contribution is carry an extra pair of comfy shoes, because a change is really as good as a rest.

Ciao,
Mort.

[hightown]

Don't know if this is a secret but thought it was neat...

Wore my light up 100 yrs pin around the parks this year. Noticed as the doom buggy was in the last part of Haunted Mansion (after the hitchhiking ghosts) it was blinking like a heartbeat.

ba-bump...ba-bump.

Thought that was cool.

[bunnyfoo]

* Find the trained squirrels in Epcot.

Where do you find the squirrels? Do they just roam through the parks or are they part of a particular show? I don't think I've seen any squirrels in the parks...

[montessori]

As I think back, I remember a friend telling me that she had fed a squirrel in Epcot some grapes. The squirrel stayed right there by her and peeled the grapes before eating them.
Maybe these were trained squirrels?

[deanvm]

What is the key at the muppets all about?

[bobcat]

deanvm there is a mat to the right as you walk in the theatre and the key is hidden under the mat, just like you would do at home.

[deanvm]

Thanks bobcat.

This is a great thread!!!

[hAm53]

We just got back from a week at WDW, and I have to say that the coolest little thing I saw was a checker board outside of La Chapeau in the MK. It is right next to Tony's right by the flagpole. it was a great 5 minute break from the hussel and bussel of the trip.

~Chris

[MaryKatesMom]

Bib-ity Bob-ity Bump:bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce:

[jeffemy]

Wonderful tips- anyone have more?:Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc


OOps, I almost forgot to add mine! There is a new hidden mickey guide book due out in the bookstore in April!

[kimmar067]

...if you are not really observant, you may just walk right past her!!! We were walking from Asia to Africa when we stopped a small group of people staring at a lamppost.....our curiosity got the best of us, so we decided to stop to see what everyone was staring at. It was Da-vine, secured to a lamppost, almost upside-down!! She was moving ever-so-slowly, and had the samll gathering not been there, we would have walked right past her!! It was REALLY COOL!!

[Mickeydad]

Wow!!! Great Stuff. Bumpity, bump for all the newsies!

[safetymom]

The CM that we asked about the wedding ring in the sidewalk walked us over to it and showed it to us. It doesn't look like there was a support or anything there.

It is at the end of the bricks when you walk out of the Haunted Mansion.

http://www.idhal.com/CBR/walt_disney_world_pictures.htm

I have a picture of it on my web page.

[jenjie]

I imagine this gets missed alot. In the waiting area of Muppets 3D, if you look into the rafters up to the left, there is a large picture of a muppet that is modeled after Jim Henson. I thought that was pretty cool.

[sm4987]

I need this thread. I love looking for secrets. Thanks so much and keep up the information.

[mmounsey]

just posting so I can keep track of this thread and print it out later...great tips! Thanks everyone!:Pinkbounc

[Madi100]

We received this tip before our last trip, and I try to share it with everyone. It was so helpful. Toontown opens later than the rest of the park. However, you can ride the train to Toontown earlier. You just get off at that stop. There is nothing open, but the kids can play on the playground and in Donald's Boat. When the ropes dropped, we went straight to the Judge's Tent (is that where the characters are??). There are three different lines. We got to see Cinderella and the mice in one room, Chip and Dale and Minnie in another, and Winnie the Pooh and gang in the third. We did this all right in a row with hardly any wait. They only let so many people in each room. Somone posted in another thread that they thought it was the same characters in all of the rooms, but that is not true. After we finished there, we went to see Mickey and around that time, it was crowded. We got to see lots of favorites without wasting a lot of time.

[mmounsey]

These were listed in the wdwig newsletter (if you don't already get it):

Overlooked Attractions in the Magic Kingdom: http://wdwig.com/issue140.htm
Overlooked Attractions in Epcot: http://allearsnet.com/issue099.htm
Overlooked Attractions in Disney-MGM Studios: http://allearsnet.com/issue085.htm
More Overlooked Attractions: http://wdwig.com/ola.htm

[addie]

bump love this thread thanks!

[i3luei3abe90]

Here are my few tips i found out from my recent trip:

There is a talking trash can located in Cosmic Rays Cafe it is to the right of the condiments table

Monday,Tuesday,and Wednesday in the late evening are the best days to go to the park because lines are very short... me and my crew road space mountain 3 times in a row with no waiting

Buy LOTS of film... we ran out so we had 2 go 2 the gift shop to buy some and it was $10.00 for a roll!

In epcot at around 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock a man dressed like a statue comes out and performs... i am not sure where because i forgot

If your going with a dance company or a band or something you should try to get into a dance or band workshop.. I went with my dance school and we went to a camp and performed in Epcot... it was really fun because we learned dances to "zippity doo-da day" and "the circle of life" from the Lion King show... and at the end Goofy came in and danced with us.. it was great and really fun

the 50's Prime Time Cafe in MGM (i believe its there) is a great place to take the kids because the waiters and waitresses act like your parents and they tell you to get your elbows off the table and if you dont finish something they do the little "tsk tsk" thing lol...Plus theres TV's that play cartoons so your children will be entertained while eating

[SeaShelley]

Bumping to keep this great thread going!:bounce:

[mickeymom629]

If you go to the Wilderness Lodge, the front desk has a handout with clues to hidden Mickeys around the resort. It was a fun thing for us to try to do while we stayed there.

[dahess]

Awesome tips guys, now I need to find time to read them all!

[jjct1]

I am leaving for WDW tommorow and was trying to gather all of the tips in this thread (and from some others) in a Word document to print out. Figured I would share it with everyone else.

I did a little formatting but it could probably use some more work. Enjoy:

http://www.kaufmansplace.com/other/DisneyTips.rtf

-jjct

[rrunnels]

Thanks for the summary document -- I was wondering if I could print all this out!

[imamicki2]

I just heard when my mom's boss went to disney, she was picked to open the magic kingdom one day. She even got to throw fairy dust as it opened. She wasn't sure how she got picked, just someone in the crowd. Has anyone ever heard of this and how you would get picked???????? Wouldn't that be the ultimate?

[SoonerKate]

These tips are great!

If you want to print out the thread, try the "show printable version" link at the bottom of the page -- that'll help you out a lot and save some time formatting.

[SandraC]

I heard there's some thing about a hidden glass tunnel underneath the water to Tom Sawyer's Island, and you have to ask a CM named Wanda to get to it. Is this true, or another case of the "trained squirrels"?

Anyone know about this tunnel? Thanks, Sandra

[Pink Flamingo]

jjct1 - Thank you so much for putting the thread in a formatted word document! This is great because I can add & delete as needed & catagorize the tips so I can them easier. You saved me so much time. My trip is not for another year :( , but I've saved the word document you made & I'll just keep adding to it. Hope you had a wonderful trip!



imamicki2 - I've heard about this on these boards, but I'm not sure what might increase your chances of getting picked.

[safetymom]

http://www.geocities.com/mksweeper/page7.html

If you want some secrets or background info look at this site. It isn't true about Tom Sawyers Island.

[jjct1]

Ok,

I am back at our room at the CBR and finally got the Internet working. We are having a great time here, thought I'd share some tips I have learned since we got here.

1) Guest of Honer Badges are great - My 2 year old DD is getting tons of extra attention everywhere we go. From dinners at the restaraunts to character signing, people call her by first name and make us feel special. I checked around. Only two places here sell them; a store at MGM and the Christmas Store at the Market Place at Downtown Disney. They cost $5/each well worth the money. Custom name engraving is free! and takes about 5 minutes. I highly recommend these. I only knew about them because of this thread. Thanx!

2) I highly recommend renting a car, especially with young kids. If you look around, you can find very cheap car rates and all sorts of offer for free upgrades. I checked all of the Internet sites and got a major rental company rate of under $29/day and found several offers for free car upgrade or free days (ended up using BJ Wholesale free car upgrade, had our choice of vehicles).

My wife and I have been here several times and always used Disney Transportation. It has been much easier with our 2 yr old to have the car. You just go anywhere on property including the parks and parking is free. And the trams are always were they are currently parking cars so we never waited. We now watch as we drive by, people waiting for the correct bus and having to go to other stops, etc. If we were going to Pleasure Island at night we would want to use Disney transportation though :)

3) Our 2003 guide books said that there were no longer any early entrys into the parks, but we called to get priority seating and my wife asked the operator. They said that Sunday's and Thursday, Disney resort guest can get in an hour early. Something new called Discover Disney. It wasn't posted in any of the material we got or on the TV schedule.

It was funny getting to the TTC and having them stop all the people there except a select few who had resort passes. All of the people who didn't have resort passes were told to step aside. And they were all asking why we got to go in.

4) Rental Cars are great for these early days. People got to the bus stations at 7:30am. We left at 7:45am. Driving by we saw 100s of people jockeying for position try to get on the Disney buses. There was no way they were getting to MK by 8am. We drove to MK, got waived thru to the parking lot and got to park in the front row of cars. In by 8 am and had 3 rides by the time the park opened by 9am.

5) Tip for leaving MK for a break and then coming back later in the day and trying to park. Instead of parking where they point you, drive up to the attentendent and say you came back after leaving about an hour ago and want to check if your space is still open. They said "Be our guest" we ended up driving through 2 filled parking lots and got a space in the very first row of cars of the front parking lot. So many people leave during the day, lots of spaces up front. Just ask.

6) Fast Pass, Fast Pass, Fast Pass. Used it for Buzz Lightyear, 100s of people in line. Walked right through. People in regular line kept asking how we got to go right by them when they were waiting for so long. They also take a lot of stress out of trying to plan what to do.

-jjct

[Eeyore18]

Thanks for the great tips! This will be my 8th time to DisneyWorld! You can never have enough tips!:p :Pinkbounc

[BCVOwner2002]

This is a great post! I was already aware of a lot of the stuff but there is always something new to learn about WDW. Thanks!! Annmarie

[jjarman]

I just love this thread. It really should be kept at the top.

[mulgar]

just keeping it alive great thread

Shawn :jester:

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by jjct1
Ok,

I am back at our room at the CBR and finally got the Internet working. We are having a great time here, thought I'd share some tips I have learned since we got here.

1) Guest of Honer Badges are great - My 2 year old DD is getting tons of extra attention everywhere we go. From dinners at the restaraunts to character signing, people call her by first name and make us feel special. <snip> I highly recommend these. I only knew about them because of this thread. Thanx!


We (party of 4 adults) got them for our recent trip...obviously it depends on the CM's you run into, but the most value we got out of them was 3 or 4 CM's using our names. Maybe they work better for the munchkins. :)



2) I highly recommend renting a car, especially with young kids. :)


Being someone who rides public transit everyday, I can't agree more. While the buses work, my vehicle works on my schedule and I'm guaranteed a seat. However, when they're available, we always ride the boat to the park.


3) Our 2003 guide books said that there were no longer any early entrys into the parks, but we called to get priority seating and my wife asked the operator. <snip>
It was funny getting to the TTC and having them stop all the people there except a select few who had resort passes. All of the people who didn't have resort passes were told to step aside. And they were all asking why we got to go in.


Which brings up a good point to keep in mind...books printed months before can provide inaccurate information...the Unofficial guide even admits things change and to always check the current situation. The extra magic hour or whatever they're calling early entry these days is a nice perk for getting in to a park early then bugging out by mid-day when the park begins to fill with those who seem to think vacation is for sleeping in. :)


4) Rental Cars are great for these early days.
/

Especially if you are staying at a resort with _only_ bus service.


5) Tip for leaving MK for a break and then coming back later in the day and trying to park. <snip> Just ask.


Just asking is the number 1 way of getting "extra" at Disney, from calling CRO and hunting for the best rates to getting to ride in the front of the monorail and more.


6) Fast Pass, Fast Pass, Fast Pass
<Snip>
-jjct

Fast pass is useful at busy times of the year, but not needed when the parks are dead...and its almost funny the number of kids whose priority is to fast pass every ride...regardless of there being a line or not.

-Joe

[safetymom]

We are here at WDW now. We had the Dole Whip today since I had read so much about it. It was great!!!

[SeaShelley]

Just bumping to keep it going and saying hello to safetymom in the World. Give Pooh a hug for me and tell him I'll see him next October!

SeaShelley

[safetymom]

SeaShelley, Pooh said to say hi and he is looking forward to seeing you. :)

[jjct1]

Not sure if this belongs in this thread but there were a couple of good inexpensive items we found that others might be interested in:

1) Went to SciFi Drive In Theater at MGM for dinner. My 2 1/2 yr old DD loved it (I thought she would be scared of all the monsters). For I think $3 extra, kids can get their drinks in a souvenier covered mug with straw. She loved the mug and ended up drinking all of her juice boxes and other drinks out of it. It also comes with a light-up ice cube which you can shut off by banging in a certain direction. This is one of her favorite items we took home.

2) First night we went to the pool at CBR for a quick swim. DD saw all of the other kids with pool toys and she wanted her own. We didn't have time to go into the CBR to buy anything but the next day at SciFi Theater (see above) you can get their kids meal in a souvenier frisbee for $2 extra. It made a great toy to play with in the pool.

3) Most people know about this but I will mention it. Kids Chicken meal at CBR food court comes in a bucket with a shovel. This was a huge hit.

-jjct

[ariel_459]

wow, great thread. i have a new one. i don't know if the cm's do this often, but at epcot at the WS in England, there was some stuff written on the ground in sidewalk chalk. GUESS THE BEATLES SONGS: and you had to unscramble them. there was also hopscotch. has anyone else seen these?

[Tribe0701]

Last time we were in AK we went inot a shop (can't remember the name) and the CM's were playing tick tac toe on the floor with plush animals with the kids. My daughter played and when she was finished she got a tinkerbell certificate with her name on it. One of her favorite souviniers and it didn't cost a thing!

We also have had two "magical moments" that involve watching the fireworks. Once we were on big thunder mountain railroad clicking up the hill when the fireworks started very cool! And the next trip we were on the astro orbiter when the fireworks started! Very cool memory if you can time it just right!

[kimmypar]

What wonderful ideas! Don't forget to look for animals on those long bus rides! We have seen armadillos, alligators, squirrels and snakes. Also, take a bike ride from WL to FW and you might come face to face with a pure white deer! I did!

[yankeerose]

:smooth:
We're going in August (YEAH DISNEY) but last time there, my DS was accosted by a squirrel!!! We were walking through WS and my DS had a bag of peanut m&m's, he sat down by "Canada" and a squirrel ran up his leg!!! My son shooed him away, but he was determined to get a candy...so up his leg he went again. My son then gave him a m&m and the squirrel took it and ran off... Trained? No. Pushey and arrogant? Yes!!!

[thesmiths]

Thank you for all of your Disney Expertise! We're soaking it all up! And we appreciate everyone taking the time to type in all their secrets and sharing!

Thank you!
;)

[Scoobmuzic]

Originally posted by jmminarik
There are supposedly a number of corporate lounges around the world. If you work for (or retired from I'd guess) one of the major 'sponsors' at WDW, check with your HR/Benefits department to see if you have one and can use it. If memory servers, there's an AT&T lounge inside Spaceship Earth Ball.

This is a fact! We took the Undiscovered Future World Tour last year and part of the tour took us to the corporate lounge in the Living Seas. Pretty Fancy!! :D

I would highly recomend this tour along with the Keys To The Kingdom tour in MK!! Lots of great information and back stage stuff. You need to be atleast 16 yrs old to go on both of these tours, wouldn't want to ruin the MAGIC for a kid. :bounce:

[thetraveler]

Great thread, keep it going!:bounce: :tongue:

[thetraveler]

What do you do with the key under the mat at Muppet Vision 3-D?
-8 YO DS of the Traveler:confused:

[Bimmy56]

Hi Tribe, I was born in Tonawanda, as were my parents and some of my grandparents!!

One more tip, in the unloading area for JIYI at Epcot, you can send yourself an email with your picture (free). makes a nice souvenir. It's one of those big machines that is near the Kodak counter.

[Mickeydad]

These secrets are the best!!

[Bimmy56]

Try this web site for great Muppets 3d secrets in the pre-show area. be sure and look for Annette Funicello ( a net full of jello)!!

http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/WDW/Studios/Secrets/NY/Muppets.html

[bunnyfoo]

Originally posted by sogger1
If you eat at a character Dinner at any resort, tell your kids to write down their name and address on a small piece of papaer and give it to the characters. Most likely the characters will send you an 8 by 11 REAL KODAK PHOTO of them, and they'll sign it too! My daughter Kristin got one. She recieved a picture of Chip and Dale fishing near Japan with the neatest clothes and backround!! They also signed it for her. This was a real picture! We still have ut. What a great keepsake


Is this something the characters still do? I thought it might be nice to get one for my sister next time since she's a real Chip and Dale fan :)

[CourtasanSatine]

I'll add one:

On my last trip I had a talking Austin Powers keychain on my bag(to make it easy to find).CM's in UK at Epcot made little jokes to me about it.(usually along the lines of Austin being on home turf:) ) If you have something like that take it

[SYDNCLAIRESMOM]

thought we could relive this lovely thread!!

[toystoryduo]

I love this thread!!!:Pinkbounc

[ILuvTinkerbelle]

Thank you so much for this thread it took me awhile to find it but it was well worth it. We are going in Dec and I already have 48 pages of tips and hints! Thanks~:Pinkbounc

[wdwtheplacetobe]

WONDERFUL THREAD! I have read EVERY entry and learned some that I didn't know. Every WDW trip is different. Took 8 trips before we discovered DQ. The bumper cars (ranger spin) on the top floor were my favorite there. Another little known area to visit is the ADVENTURER'S CLUB. It has a unique Disney-filled theme. If ya'll haven't been--make a trip!

03,00,97,95,93--dixie
02-WL
01--AKL
98--CBR
94--PO
87--offsite:earsgirl:

[germanbini]

Wonderful tips and links!

[Eeyoreluver]

I love this thread. I have done so much copy and paste. I am taking a list with me to Disneyworld. Thanks for starting this post and bringing old posts back into it.
Gina :D

[hucifer]

I was on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride last Sept and discovered this by accident. Just before we went under one of the bridges, I kept my eye on a bald pirate who was close to the water, on the left side. I think he was singing the Yo Ho song, but I don't remember for sure. Just before our boat went under the bridge, he turned his head toward our boat and winked at me! Freaked me out because I totally didn't expect that. I turned to my mom and sis and said, "Did you just see that?" But by that time, our boat went under the little bridge and the bald pirate was impossible to see anymore.

Was wondering if anyone else ever noticed that?

[Princess Chelley]

TOTALLY Awesome information!!! Thanks. We're going next summer and I'm doing as much research as I can so it is the totally best week ever!!!

Thanks:) :smooth:

[carene]

At Disney's All-star Music resort, you will series of musical notes scattered around the lobby.

These musical notes represent a favorite Disney tune - When you wish upon a star!

[rams408]

Not sure if this has been said or not, but this is a really cool deal---- On the riverboat at Liberty Square in MK, get there a little before loading and ask the CM if you/your children can be the "Captain" for that trip. If no one else has asked, you get to go up to the "steering wheel" with the capain. The kids get to "Steer" the boat. (my kids thought they really were steering, and the captain was giving them hints about steering, turning and not crashing.) It was really neat. They rang the bell, too. Then, at the end of the ride, the children were given certificates saying they had been honorary captains of the riverboat.!!!!!!:D

[sydsdad]

bump!!:bounce: :jester: :bounce:

[iluvwdw_2002]

BUMP!!!

Love this thread, and it was about time for bump!


::MickeyMo ::MickeyMo ::MickeyMo

:Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

[lagirl]

What wonderful tips! I'm cutting and pasting them in my wordpad for our trip in February.

[aesalsa]

I think there should be a "Disney Secrets" forum! I don't know if anyone can possibly know more WDW secrets than the starter of this thread, but this is truly what I've been looking for. I love secrets and hidden things, and secrets and hidden things at WDW adds more wonder to the whole WDW experience. I think many, many people would enjoy sharing and hearing such secrets!:D

[KathyFP]

I agree! I reread this thread prior to each trip. I add notes into my planning sheets. It has made a wonderful difference on our trips.

[snowglobe girl]

I already posted this on another thread - but it's more fitting here. At the magic of animation exhibit in MGM, after you view a movie, they lead you into a room with an animator that draws a picture for you. Then they lead you into an adjoining room. Lag behind and talk to the animator. If it is a nice one, you can ask them to draw you a quick picture of Mickey Mouse and they'll do it and autograph it for you! We saw about two families do this (animator drew Mickey in their autograph books) and wished we had asked too. What a great free souvenir!!! ::MickeyMo

[sydsdad]

BUMP!!!:yo-yo: BUMP!!::yes:: BUMP!!!:earseek:

[dj2]

Thanks for bumping this thread back up--it's GREAT!

As to the e-mail you can send to yourself in the imagination pavilion--there's a morphing program there where you can merge your face into your choice of other animal images and e-mail the morphed picture to yourself, family, etc. You can also buy a print of it, but if you're e-mailing it to yourself you can always just print it out when you get home. This is WAY COOL--the morph is very smooth. My dad didn't even realize it was me inside the chimp until i told him. There are several stations available, but it takes a few minutes for each person, so there'll probably be a wait for a turn.

I missed the answer to what if anything you do with the key under the mat by the muppets.... princess:

[aesalsa]

I didn't get a chance to see it on my recent trip, but a CM said that the key is stuck there and it's neat to find :magnify: !!

:wave2:

[Nschur]

On our last trip to WL we found out that you can pay for valet parking in the morning and it is valid all day and at all valet parking locations. No more walking across big parking lots carrying DD4. That really helped me out!

[aesalsa]

Welcome to the boards :wizard: ! And thanks for that GREAT tip. I hope many people will take advantage of that.

:wave2:

[BethBreakey]

My sister and I were wondering? Does anyone know where the wooden leg named smith is in MK? its on the DIS scavenger hunt and we want to see it!

[*Robin*]

What's the Dis scavenger hunt?? :)

:wave2:
Robin

[BethBreakey]

Here is the link - it is fun to look at - but I have not had a chance to do it yet!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/scavenger_hunt.htm

[greendoor678]

Go in the Kodak Picture center immediatly to the right as you enter MK..great photo opps towards the back of the store.
Have had some great fun characters back there! We visit this everytime!
Most people pass this area up because it's so close to the entrance.

Going to be at Disney Dec 11 - 15 for my anniversary! Can't wait!!!

:hyper:

[*Robin*]

Originally posted by BethBreakey
Here is the link - it is fun to look at - but I have not had a chance to do it yet!


Thank you Beth!! :p This does look like a blast...

I'm sorry I can't help you with your question, but I'm so glad you pointed this out! :):):)

Have a great night!:wave2:
Robinpirate:

[greendoor678]

Lets keep this thread going!

Bump Bump Bump!!!pirate:

[DisneyMom5]

bump ::yes::

[BethBreakey]

So I just found out the wooden leg named smith is in the frontier land train station -- it is marked "lost and found" and there is a shelf with all kinds of stuff, including the wooden leg and Mary's umbrella...

I cant wait to see it!

[Tinkabelle]

wow how exciting! This thread has made me realise how excited I actually am about my Disney xmas next week!

[BethBreakey]

Christmas at Disney is the greatest -- It is when I feel the magic the most! Have a great trip!

[Scoobmuzic]

Originally posted by BethBreakey
Here is the link - it is fun to look at - but I have not had a chance to do it yet!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/scavenger_hunt.htm

My boyfriend and I did this scavenger hunt last year, it was a lot of fun!! The CM's were a great help. What I did was a lot of cutting and pasting in Microsoft Word and put all the questions relating to a specific park on a seperate page, that way I wasn't taking the whole thing with me to every park. It worked out very well. We happened to be there in Dec so we even got the answers to the last few questions. There are a few that don't apply any more because either the attraction or show has closed down.

Have fun!! ::yes::

[HaleyB]

Wow this is a great thread.
I know there are talking mailboxes in Disney Land (toon town) and if you knock on the doors in the line on the way into Roger Rabbit someone might answer (tape recorded). Also in California, at toon town the 'sewer covers' are really neat. I grew up in Disney Land, but have only been to WDW 3 times, and my only tip for WDW is there is no such thing as "enough" time.
Any Fast Pass disconnect tips for WDW?

[FirstTimertoDiz]

How is this for a bump? Tons of great info here. :)

[seashoreCM]

Any Fast Pass disconnect tips for WDW?
I don't think there are any official Fast Pass disconnects other than Lights, Motors (show at MGM Studios). You can get a Fast Pass there about 5 minutes before or after (not both) getting a Fast Pass for something else.

But (at least as of 2004) you could get a Fast Pass for some not so busy rides before the next-fetch time on your previous Fast Pass. This is not really predictable.

Disney secrets:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disscav.htm

[DisneyJo]

Great tips, bumping! :bounce:

My tip is to get to shows early, you never know they may choose you to be the star! My DD's had to welcome tarzen with an arrgggh and I steered the ship at the backlot tour and got a soaking!

[mom2jcc]

Where have I been? I love this thread!!!!!

[mom2jcc]

I just noticed this thread goes back to 2001 which was before our last trip when our son was 4 and now he is 7 1/2!!!! We missed so much magic just by not being on the DIS back then!!! So happy to be apart of it now!!

[Hey Mickey]

I'm new to this, so this may be old news to you guys, but I thought I'd share anyway. If you have little ones who are too short (or even bigger kids who are a little too nervous) to ride the 3 mountains, you can get special "future ____" certificates (suitable for framing) for free at these rides in the Magic Kingdom. For example, at Splash Mountain, they will give you a Splash Mountaineer certificate, which shows brer fox and brer bear and brer rabbit on it, and states that the bearer of the certificate is entitled to go to the front of the line when he or she is big enough.

I had never heard of them until we discovered these a few years ago when my then 5 year old son found out he was just a tad too short for Space Mountain. He started to bawl his eyes out, the cast member asked us to wat a second, opened up her kiosk, and produced the magic certificate, signed by the big mouse himself, and filled in my son's name on it These certificates are really nice, and make great souveniers -- we've never been able to bring ourselves to part with on by using it as a front-of-the-line pass. But you do have to ask the CM for it, they don't seem to just volunteer them!

[NashvilleTrio]

I'm new to this, so this may be old news to you guys, but I thought I'd share anyway. If you have little ones who are too short (or even bigger kids who are a little too nervous) to ride the 3 mountains, you can get special "future ____" certificates (suitable for framing) for free at these rides in the Magic Kingdom. For example, at Splash Mountain, they will give you a Splash Mountaineer certificate, which shows brer fox and brer bear and brer rabbit on it, and states that the bearer of the certificate is entitled to go to the front of the line when he or she is big enough.

I had never heard of them until we discovered these a few years ago when my then 5 year old son found out he was just a tad too short for Space Mountain. He started to bawl his eyes out, the cast member asked us to wat a second, opened up her kiosk, and produced the magic certificate, signed by the big mouse himself, and filled in my son's name on it These certificates are really nice, and make great souveniers -- we've never been able to bring ourselves to part with on by using it as a front-of-the-line pass. But you do have to ask the CM for it, they don't seem to just volunteer them!

That's such a great tip! I had never heard of this. Granted, our son is tall enough to ride everything at DW now, but it's cool to know that they do this! Thank you Hey Mickey! :wave:

[JBmom88]

Just subscribing!! I LOVE this post!! :goodvibes

[Hey Mickey]

Just so you know, even if the child is technically tall enough to ride, they will still give him a certificate if you ask.

[DisneylandPlanner]

Great tips!
Thanks

[thesmittys7]

When you go to the Disney resorts and tell them your child is celebrating a birthday they deliver balloons and a card with there favorite character to the room / Campsite :) they also sell little birthday cakes too. We have been for 2 of my ds's birthdays and they loved the suprise . (I am not sure if it was mentioned I am a little overwhelmed by all the great tips ;))

[walkena]

...on our last trip our son encountered one of the trained squirrels (over by Honey I Shrunk The Kids in Epcot. The squirrel freaked me out as he was about to climb on his leg.... of course, it was not until afterwards that I discovered that he was a cast member too and not an everyday squirrel. Hope to see him again in a couple of weeks....:thumbsup2

[babymay]

I love this thread:love:

[DisneyBarlans]

...on our last trip our son encountered one of the trained squirrels (over by Honey I Shrunk The Kids in Epcot. The squirrel freaked me out as he was about to climb on his leg.... of course, it was not until afterwards that I discovered that he was a cast member too and not an everyday squirrel. Hope to see him again in a couple of weeks....:thumbsup2

Those squirels freaked us out a couple of weeks ago. We were sitting on a bench eating a snack outside of Honey I Shrunk the Kids and this squirel kept coming right up next to us. I really thought he was going to jump into the stroller with my DS2. We were afraid of it, but I didn't know at the time it was a trained squirell. :rotfl:

[gottalluvmickey]

princess:

[mkross]

Subscribing:thumbsup2

[radev104]

I didn't have time to read through every page but does anyone have all the secrets/tips on one thing, like a word document?
It would make it so much easier for me to show everyone thats going on the trip in 55 days!!!
TIA

[Miz Diz]

A similar thread can be found here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=311217


The umbrella at MGM Studios is no longer there. The deed handoff at Winnie the Pooh's ride is actually from Mr Toad to Owl - in the first or 2nd room you enter - on the left.

[kimmac1]

;)