I have an idea. How about copying and pasting all the tips on a post in this thread? This may help to reduce the number of PMs you may receive.
Ok.... you asked for it
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Campfire Sing-Along with Chip & Dale & outdoor movie at the Fort Wilderness Campground. It is free and alot of fun. Here's a link with good information:
http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/activity-campfire.html
Nestle cookie baking thing at the Land Pavilion in Epcot
free plastic robot if you do the Plastic Works thing at Innovations.
The Garden Grove Cafe at the Swan Hotel in the Epcot Resort Area (Saturday & Sunday only) has weekend character meals featuring Goofy & Pluto. They do not accept advance reservations for this meal. They start serviing breakfast at 6:30AM but characters are present only from 8:00AM to 11:00AM. Buffet & ala carte menu options available. It is $18.99 per adult / $11.99 per child. This restaurant is not owned by Disney and does not participate in the
Disney dining plan
The Adventurer's Club on Pleasure Island
if you're staying at the Wilderness Lodge, ask at check in about being a flag family. You get to go up on the roof and help with the flags in the morning. You cannot ask until you checking in, so don't try to call ahead.
The Singing in the Rain umbrella is in the Streets of America section of MGM, facing the new Stunt Car show area. It's a really cute photo op. Umbrella-it's behind the streets of america, across from LMA. near herbie. when you stand under the umbrella, it triggers 'rain' that falls down over the umbrella
Haunted Pirate Cruise a few weeks ago...
Here is the info:
$30.01
ages 5-12,
8:15pm - 10:00pm from Polynesian Marina
dates: October 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30 & 31
paraphrasing, cruise the haunted islands/marinas, hear ghost stories along the way, play games
and maybe win prizes, each child receives Mickey pirate ears & a pirate name, Halloween candy
and they get to watch HalloWishes from the ship
costumes encouraged, sneakers & socks required
eating breakfast at Paris in Epcot before the park opens
When your in line for Indiana Jones you go past a well, I think to the right of the entrance. If you pull on the rope you'll hear someone down in the well..
the ring in the concrete at the end of Haunted Mansion.
this isn't something you'll see but if your at the Animal Kingdom and there's a long line to get in try going through the Rainforest Cafe. There's a park entrance at the rear of the gift shop
electrical water pagent, is an under-advertised treasure-You can catch it around the seven seas lagoon usually an hour before Wishes
bikes can be rented at many of the resorts
AKL has night viewing of the animals with nightvision. The kids got a kick out of this..... they also have lit up paths outside and it makes for a very romantic after dinner walk with a loved one
In the afternoon at MGM when the lines are long ... hang out on Sunset and catch the atmosphere characters OMG they are hysterical!!!! It's fun to interact with them, especially the tourist "couple"... I forget their names but they will gab with you and is all I can say
I didn't see the Cinderella fountain secret posted so I will add that... if you bow down before her fountain (around back of the castle while going up the ramp) you can see the crown on her head "magically appear" my kids get a kick out of this even though its just an illusion
most (if not all) of the shops will ship what you buy to your house. That way you don't have to lug it around all week and try to travel home with extra luggage! When I did it, they didn't charge me any service charge ... just the cost of the postage but I am not sure if this was a regular thing or I just got lucky!
AKL has a childrens story time in the lobby every evening
SILLY but you can get a wake up call from Mickey if your staying on the property... its only a recording but make sure to have your kids answer the phone!!!! The little ones eyes light up like magic when they hear Mickey calling them
This one is for guys only. At AK at Raffiki Planet Watch in the men's room where all the animal faces are, you can take a Whiz Quiz. While standing at the urinal there's a few questions about other animals' bathroom habits. You have to wash your hands to get the answers. It's not that big a deal, but it's different.
Port Orleans Riverside offers the Sassagoula River Adventure Cruise. Children travel along the Sassagoula River to learn the "Jester's" way of life. Along the way they explore the Sassagoula River and finally meet the character known as the Jester. The cruise is held Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. for children ages 4-12. Cost is $28.17 plus tax per child. Call 407-WDW-PLAY to make reservations
Mickey's Backyard BBQ isn't a very highly advertised dinner. We had a GREAT time the last time we went!! Everytime I say we went to Mickey's BBQ no one seems to know anything about it.
When you buy tickets to Mickey's Christmas Party, you can book a dinner ADR even if it is more than 180 days before your check-in day. I actually booked an ADR back in early May for a day in December so I am sure it can be done. I even booked at CRT. We later canceled it in favor of lunch, but it can be done. Wish I would have known that last trip!!!
The "Candy Lady" in Japan appears about three times a day Monday through Thursday. She makes beautiful rice starch candy suckers in the shape of just about any animal that you request. She picks children or adults that are standing quietly, not acting up. She will make about 4-5 suckers each session. The times are on the Epcot schedule that you receive when you enter the park.
There is also a "Story Lady" that will tell a story and use adults and children from the audience to play the parts of the characters in her story. My daughter participated in both and received a button from the "Story Lady" and a sucker from the "Candy Lady" in the shape of a pink flamingo. And the best part about it is that IT'S ALL FREE!!!!!.
pin trading. They loved it and we had a blast watching them trade for a pin and then trade that one for a different one. CMs with a green (?) lanyard can only trade with kids under 12, I think. If you are looking for "good" pins, morning is the best.
downtown disney, and there is a store there you can buy Mr. Potato(cant spell sorry, get it from my father) parts and pieces. I know the price has gone up in the few years, but you can buy a cardboard box similar to a happy meal, and whatever parts you can squeeze in the box you get to keep for the flat rate, usually 20$. They change the parts out each year, so always new stuff. One tip, open mr. potato and stuff pieces in him, or dont have him at all, and just get pieces. Mickey mouse ears, minni parts, etc for him/her.
The barber shop in the MK has a special for "first haircuts."
After the haircut, DS received a Mickey ears hat that said "first haircut," a certificate commemorating the occasion, and Mom got a few locks of DS's hair in a tissue
there is a rope drop right at 10 a.m. outside of Toontown, and Goofy will be waiting at his roller coaster to ride as well as Minnie and/or Mickey to give a personal tour of their houses. There's usally a character or two from the Judge's Tent that will walk with the kids to their particular line in the tent.
Club Cool in Epcot. Found near Innoventions it's basically a advertising for Coca-Cola but it is set up with coke products from around the world. Sample cups are next to soda fountains for you to taste-test.
first person down the slide at the Boardwalk pool becomes "clown for the day". They receive a certificate, a clown wig, big clown glasses, and a bag of small trinkets.
something similar to this at the WL, but it wasn't the first person down the pool.
The slide opens at 10a. We were at the pool earlier than that. The lifeguard asked DS5 is he wanted to be sheriff for the day. They gave him a badge a cowboy hat, photo and certificate. He was allowed to be the first one down the slide "to make sure it was save from the bad guys", then when he lands in the water, give the thumbs up sign, the life guards blow their whistles and say "slide's safe everyone". Then the slide is open for the day. DS was also in charge of making sure no one was running on the deck
They do a flag lowering ceremony 5:00 PM
and if a guest is a veteran then you can inquire at guest services to do this. I would suggest going early in the trip and asking about it. DH did this (He is Army) and it is a great ceremony.
We have gotten lucky a couple of times and come across a ton of characters at the "teardrop" area in the Magic Kingdom. It's an area by the train station in Toontown. It's kind of hidden but if you are riding the train, you pass by it right before the train stops in Toontown. (I think it might be a smoking area?) Anyway, we think they might be doing some kind of market research or something because what appear to be cast members in business casual clothing escorting the characters out and take pictures. Last time we found it there was a cast member videotaping. You can really get a ton of pictures with all kinds of characters, some of which are rare, with little to no wait (unless, of course, the train has just let out!) Some examples of characters we have gotten are: Pinocchio and Gepetto, Darkwing Duck and Launchpad, the three mice from Cinderella, Friar Tuck, Rafiki, Dopey, and several others. You can't ask about it at guest services b/c it's supposedly "unscheduled" but we came across it around 2. If you're in Toontown, doesn't hurt to stop by.
Not sure if they still do this but they used to have a hoedown featuring Brer Rabbit (my favorite in case you can't tell from my avatar!!!!) and the Country Bears where they do the hokey pokey, and some other things. While I will take any chance just to see my fave in "person", last time we came across this we got to participate (thank you wedding ears!!!) I got to square dance with Brer Rabbit! I think this occurred between 4:30 and 5 in the stretch of Frontierland where the parade first comes out. Fun to watch, even more fun to participate.
WL has a "Flag Family" that goes to the roof of the building and raises the flag in the early morning. If you are staying there, you ask at the desk
We are having dinner in Epcot at the Coral Reef and we made arrangements for a diver to hold up a sign in the water. Also a special menu with his photos on it
Outside the Indiana Jones show at MGM there is what looks like a dig site/deep well with a sign that says " Do not pull the rope"
Pull The Rope!!
pearl- again, you can do this in a few other places in WDW, I think theres a kiosk on the Boardwalk and another in DownTown Disney (where I got mine) you select an oyster, they have you ring a bell and everyone around says "Aloha" to welcome the pearl into the world on its "birthday" they you can see what you get, you could luck out and even get a black pearl. I used the pearl from the oyster I selected, but you dont have to, you can choose a different pearl. I think my pendent cost about $150 with setting and thin chain.
You can also purchase jewelry from the kiosks, all from pearls. These are mikimoto pearls (thats what they told us) earings, rings, necklaces, pendents, etc price ranges according to what you pick.
They give the "old" flowers in the arrangements in the GF lobby away on the day they put the fresh out. I think this is on Tuesday morning. All you have to do is be there.
you can ride up front with the driver on the monorail. My dd thought this was fantastic and got a certificate/ card to proove she "drove"
the Pirate Cruises from GF, B&Yclub and....some other resort that escapes me right now! And for only $35 it really strikes me as one of the more reasonable offering at WDW. my DS loved it!
the "How to Draw" class at the end of the animation tour at MGM. It's only 10 mins, but again, my DS loved it, his favorite thing at MGM!
Illuminations cruises from the Yacht Beach Marina
not sure if they still do it but they used to hide paint brushes on Tom Sawyer Island and if you were the first to find them in the a.m. you got a special fast pass or something.
Keys to the Kingdom tour at the MK. You do pay extra for it, but it is abot a 4-5 hour tour and you see a lot of behind the scenes stuff and get alot of interesting information.
Magic Kingdom - Get a milkshake (ok so its not free but still) at Pinnoccio Village Haus, and check out the cool, dishwasher safe cup it comes in. We use them at home and LOVE THEM
Go into (and I mean deep into) Exposition Hall. If you follow it around it will put you into a large, lit movie theatre with Mickey Mouse cartoons running all day, and cool cardboard cutouts to pose with. Its almost always completley empty.
Animal Kingdom - Take time to talk to the people who work there. They are full of interesting stories, and facts. Animal Kingdom is my favorite slow down park.
The buses - Ask the bus driver if they have any of the tradeable bus cards!
-Animal Kingdom Lodge offers several free programs that are really geared at adults and older children: They give a guided tour of the hotel's African art collection at 2 PM, a Culinary Tour of Africa at 4 (in which you get to meet the chefs at Jiko and Boma, and eat free samples! Great if you want to learn more about the food before you actually eat there), and a Cultural Safari at 9 PM led by an African cast member, who tells you about their homeland.
-Wilderness Lodge has a free tour Wednesdays-Sundays at 9 AM, that tells you how the hotel was built and a little about the architecture. Ranger Stan is a fountain of Disney knowledge!
-If you're a Walt Disney buff, go to the Iron Spike Room at the Wilderness Lodge villas. There, they have two train cars from Walt's personal backyard railroad.
-Get to the MK early, by 8:40 AM, to see the Opening Ceremony. This is not advertised in any of Disney's materials that I've seen--it is a very Disney way to start your day. Also, there are many Streetmosphere characters that wander around Main Street during the day--they are never advertised. One day the Mayor sat down right next to us at Casey's and started talking to us about how he was running for reelection. Many times you will run into the Dapper Dans, riding in the back of the first horse-drawn trolleys of the morning and serenading the passengers.
-Get a hot dog and listen to the ragtime pianist at Casey's Corner.
Ride the surrey bike rides at WL and the BW.
The photographers told me that they do "magical" pictures. For example, they took a picture of my daughter, and when I looked at the print she is holding tinkerbell.
I don't know if this happens every night, but at the AKL they have a parade for the kids through the lobby at 8pm. The kids get to pick out an instrument from the gift shop and they march around playing drums and then get a certificate.
World of Disney in Downtown Disney in March of this year, a little girl who had the first appointment at the BippityBoppityBoutique got to open the store at 9:30am.
talking trashcan at electric umbrella
Carriage rides at WL, POR and SSR are also fun. I think the cost is now $35 plus tip. Very romantic.
There are also hay rides in a wagon at FW.
We have done the Pirate Cruise from the Grand Floridian--it's $29.00 per kid and well worth it on a non-park day.
Freebies: Making cookies in The Land (great photo op); the Kidcot stations to make masks; and waking up tinkerbell at the Tinkerbell Treasures gift shop in MK. Be the first kid there to ask and they let your child use a wand to "wake up" Tink, complete with sound effects. Then they gave both our kids certificates and Tink stickers.
free taste of the segway is actually in innoventions west, not the imagination pavilion. you still need to be at least 16 and under 250 lbs for it. what i've heard is it starts at 1 pm.
Not Free but Unique as far as I know
at the gift shop for "journey into imagination" you can get a photo done where they will superimpose Disney Characters with you in the photo. You can have the Seven Dwarves with you in a photo for example. It's the only place I have see that offered. Pictures looked very cool to me. I forget the price, but I don't think it was much more than a "normal" Disney photo.
If you are in AK and go to the Tamu Tamu ice cream - you can get a rootbeer float with a souvenier (sp?) pluto straw/spoon combo. The float is also a snack credit if you are on
DDP.
Never heard of that.
