Going to WDW soon and need help...a "to do list" of sorts...

[MiakodaWDW]

Hi, I will (hopefully before the year's end) be going to WDW for the first time since I discovered VMK. I plan on devoting a whole day, or as long as it takes, to doing VMK based stuff. I know some of the things you can do and get, I've seen various bits of information on quests, creating in park characters, etc.

I would really appreciate it if someone who has been to the Magic Kingdom and done all the VMK stuff (preferably WDW and not DL....since I am not familiar with DL and know that the park areas differ...even if the "to do" list would be the same) could make me a list of everything I should do to ensure that I get the most VMK goodies from my day at the park. Of course, I will be contributing a lot of the things I get, like Mickey ears, to DIS people (and especially to whoever helps me with the list). I am definitely going on the tour I got from getting all the hidden mickeys. Please tell me everything else I have to do, such as what stores/areas to go to where I can get cards with codes and such. Also, what I will have to buy and where would I buy it to get the cards. I don't want to miss out on anything VMK related that I can get or do.

I thank in advance whoever can make this list for me. And if someone leaves something out, and someone else has something to add, that would be great. I want to write down my "to do" list and take it with me so I don't miss out on a thing! I just do not want to forget anything and realize it after I get home. My fiance and I will be paying the park admission for a day for the main purpose of "VMKing". Thanks a !!!

Mia

 

[BobRichmond]

...going to WDW...plan on devoting a whole day, or as long as it takes, to doing VMK based stuff...make me a list of everything I should do to ensure that I get the most VMK goodies from my day at the park....definitely going on the tour I got from getting all the hidden mickeys......what I will have to buy and where would I buy it to get the cards. I don't want to miss out on anything VMK related that I can get or do.

Well I'll try. I also would like to state that these tips are based on the way to get the "most" VMK stuff in a one day trip and include what some might consider "cheats".

1) Before you even leave home for the park print out at least 2 copies of the Tomorrowland Quest. You can find the "Play Disney Theme Park Quests" button on the top of the VMK home page.
2) Also at home print out any coupons you have won in game. With two people you could redeem up to two of each type of coupon. So you could redeem two tent rooms, two Invisibility Pin, and one tour coupons.
3) Check out this site and/or other VMK fan sites for the answers to the WDW VMK quests and tour questions. Even though some might consider this cheating or unsportsman like, it will insure that you get all the prizes from the quests and maximize your prize chances on the tour. The way I did it my first time was to turn in the quests completed from the cheats and then to go around the park and find out where the answers could be found. NOTE: You will not find some of the answers to quest questions in the park and some quest questions / answers are misleading.
4) This is probably the most important step if you want to take the tour on that same day. GET TO THE PARKS EARLY. By this I mean be there when the park opens and go directly to VMK Central. Ask the cast member (CM) there if he is VMK trained and as soon as you find one that is, turn in the coupon for the tour and get the card. There may be no VMK trained CM there before 10am, but keep checking back because it is important that you get signed up for the tour as early as possible. My suggestion is to buy the stuff in the area or spend the time completing the quests cards (three of these can be found in VMK Central) until a CM shows up. As soon as a CM shows up turn in the tour coupon for the card and immediately go to the next step.
5) Go to City Hall in Town Square on Main Street and sign up for the tour. There are usually 2 tours each day and you should be able to get almost everything else VMK related done by the time of the first tour.
6) Now go back to VMK Central to turn in the completed quest cards and any other coupons you have. Get two small bags to hold all the cards you will receive this day.
7) Now there are 4 things you can do before the tour and you can do them in any order you like.
a) If you have chosen the early tour, eat a light lunch before the tour. You will not get the chance to buy food or drink during the 2 hour tour.
b) After 10am create at least 2 characters (one for each of you) in VMK Central. It is important that you complete the full character creation in VMK Central (it is completed when you get the messages telling you what you have received as far as clothing and rooms). By creating a character in VMK Central you will get the Born In Park badge, more free clothing (including black Mickey ears), a green turnstile, and five rooms (the one type you choose and then one of each of the four basic types). Also you might try to find here and / or on one of the other VMK fan sites what character choices you only get during creation. For example: girl characters can only get curly hair during creation (and can never change it without losing it) and can only get tops with lanyards during creation.
c) Try to find the place in the park that answers the quest questions. You will have to do some attractions for this step, so depending on how busy the park is may not be able to complete it before the tour.
d) Buy the stuff to get the VMK cards. A few tips here. In most all cases you will have to ask for the VMK card. Sometimes you can get multiple VMK cards if you ask for them.
- Buy any hat at the Hat Chateau in Town Square on Main Street (next to DVC symbol on guidemap) and get card 3/6 for Gold Mickey Ears. This is best done early when the lines are short.
- Buy any pin at the Prairie Outpost and Supply in Frontierland and get card 2/6 for Happiest Celebration on Earth pin.
- Buy any candy at the Frontier Trading Post in Frontierland and get card 6/6 for Disneyland Retro Penny Press.
- Buy any shirt at Sir Mickey's in Fantasyland and get card 5/6 for Retro Mickey T-Shirt.
- Buy a picture at Splash Mountain (Frontierland) or Buzz Lightyear (Tomorrowland) and get card 4/6 for Frontierland Wanted Poster.
8) Take the tour and have fun.
9) Finish up everything in #7, if you haven't already.

 

[MickeysBuddy]

Be prepeared to not get a spot on the tour because they book them days in advance. If you miss the tour because it is booked, check with the tour guide before the tour starts, you might get a spot. If you go to the park during a special event day (Not So Scary Halloween or Very Merry Christmas) where the park closes early for regular guests, they only run 1 Insider tour for the day. It is run at 12:30 pm. We got to the park this past Sunday when it opened to do the VMK stuff and had tickets for MNSSHP for that evening. We were the first people in VMK Central and turned in our Insider Tour coupon from the Hidden Mickey Qwest. We were stoked as we headed to City Hall to sign up for the tour knowing we were the first to sign up for the day. Then our world fell apart around us as we got the news that there was only 1 open space on the tour that day (there were 3 of us in our party) because you can sign up for other days early - this tour was booked a day and a half earlier. DS9 was devistated since that was the main focus of our trip. We were told the earliest openings for the tour were on Wednesday. This did not help since we were only there for the 1 day. We were then told that if we went back to VMK Central and told them that the tour was booked, we would get a free 500 credit card. Wow .. like that really makes up for not getting on the tour and geting the Haunted Mansion Quest Items. While doing our quests we had the thought to see if they could sign us up as standby for the tour if anyone did not show up for the tour. They told us to go back to VMK Central and look for the tour guide who shows up about 10 minutes before the tour starts and ask them. We asked our guide when she arrived and she said sure. We were getting excited thinking we had a chance to get on the tour. But then everyone on the list showed up. But just before the tour started, the guide called us over and told us that she would take us on the tour, but only 2 of us would get headsets. At that point someone on the tour who had a small child (looked to be about 2-3) said we could have their child's headset. We were jazzed! We were told by the guide that when cards were given out on the tour, that she would only have enough for the people that signed up, but when the tour was over, she would get our cards to us. We got to take the tour and enjoyed every single minute of it. And when the tour cards were passed out, there happened to be extras in the stack and we got them when everyone else did.

 

[Maleficent2]

Before you even leave home for the park print out at least 2 copies of the Tomorrowland Quest. You can find the "Play Disney Theme Park Quests" button on the top of the VMK home page

Or in the Guide here on the top of the forum. the link i mean.

Check out this site and/or other VMK fan sites for the answers to the WDW VMK quests and tour questions.

Again I beleive all are in the guide.


Have Fun!

Mal

 

[BriarRosie]

I enjoyed the tour, too.

Tours taken in mid-week won't be as crowded as weekends. I found out the
hard way last week that they don't have a 4:30pm tour on days that have
the Halloween party, so I just booked my tour for the next day (last
Wednesday).

There was me, and there were four others only. The only person in their
group that played was one girl, so she cleaned up during the Jungle Cruise
part of the tour. I got one card, and they got the rest.
(The guide makes sure that each person gets a card, I believe.)

I had purchased candy at the Frontierland location to get the penny press,
but the guide gave out the same card to everyone during the tour. Unless
you want more than one, hold off buying any candy there.

Tomorrowland's Quest was a little difficult for me, and the cast member
working the Stitch attraction queue did provide some of the answers for
the questions I couldn't get. (I did tell him I did not like the Stitch attraction,
so I didn't want to stand in line to answer that question if at all possible!)

Unfortunately for me, I was doing it all solo. But I was able to get a spare
set of quest prizes on the day I attended the Halloween party. In order to
do this, you will need to pick up another set of quest questions, as the
question card stock and your park ticket are scanned.

I entered the park at 4pm on the hard ticket for the Halloween party.
I had already picked up a spare set of questions (which I filled out prior to
the party day) and headed to VMK Central. When they scanned my answer
cards and asked for my ticket, I handed them my party ticket. If I had
used my regular pass, the computer would register that I had already gotten
the prizes. (And technically, once every 90 days is the new rule.)

I created a few new characters, and I have already given out black ears to
someone. I picked lanyard and camera shirts, so I could trade
back to my main character.

 

[Maleficent2]

When making you character at the Park...

You will receive all 4 rooms so when you pick a room pick the room you like the best because you will get two of that room.


Mal

 

[MicMin]

Thanks for posting all the details. That is very helpful!

 

[MiakodaWDW]

Thank you SO much you guys.....that is extremely helpful. I am going to print out your posts and take them with me too, so I can follow them to the "t"! I appreciate the long responses, and I will get extra cards since my fiance (who thinks VMK is a joke and a waste of time....LOL) is coming with me and I'll get his cards and stuff. then I can give them out to people that can't go to the parks. Every 90 days ?!? That stinks. I'm hopefully getting season passes for Christmas and was hoping to go once a week to get VMK stuff! ARG. OH well, that's okay I guess. LOL
Mia

 

[nmudisneyfan]

I'll add the most important thing:
Have fun!

 

[MiakodaWDW]

I'll add the most important thing:
Have fun!

Thanks! I'll write that down so I won't forget

Mia

 

[purplegoddess]

have a blast! i wish i could go! i have not been to WDW in like 12 or so years. long long time. and now that i have VMK it makes me want to go more (gee... do you think they planned it that way?) i want to do the tour there and so forth. and just spend a day doing the vmk thing there.

once again! have a blast!
FYI: when i went to disneyland recently it was a bit of a busy day i just went up to certain booths (like the hatmosphere etc) and asked things like: "do i have to buy a hat to get the virtual hat card or can i buy just anything?" and they were so awesome and just gave me one! since they had sold so many with no one taking a card for themselves. so it's worth a try. of course you did not hear this from me. i mean... that did not happen! uh uh.... i gotta go......

 

[VirtuallyMe]

once again! have a blast!
FYI: when i went to disneyland recently it was a bit of a busy day i just went up to certain booths (like the hatmosphere etc) and asked things like: "do i have to buy a hat to get the virtual hat card or can i buy just anything?" and they were so awesome and just gave me one! since they had sold so many with no one taking a card for themselves. so it's worth a try. of course you did not hear this from me. i mean... that did not happen! uh uh.... i gotta go......

You would be amazed of the things my kids have gotten by politely asking for something- none of this gimme gimme stuff that you get from some in VMK but just asking politely and clearly for something- I know at one time my ds (then 6 now 17) sent a letter to the people who made the game genie for his Nintendo- the book had fallen apart and he lost a lot of the original codes in it- He asked how he could order a new book and what it would cost- they sent him a brand new book and every additional insert that they sold for like $5 each they had at the time- I believe when we added it all - had he had to buy it all it would have cost well over $100 and they just sent it.

 

[MicMin]

Are the pirate items only available at Disneyland? Is it just Haunted Mansion items at WDW?
Do you still go on rides during the tour without having to wait in line?
Thanks so much for the information that all of you have provided.

 

[buzz2400]

Thanks for all the info. I am going the first week of december and plan on doing the same.

 

[BobRichmond]

Be prepeared to not get a spot on the tour because they book them days in advance.

The tours at WDW can be totally booked in advance (especially when they are only running one tour for that day), but this is usually not the case. I would suggest not trying to do the tour on a day that has a special after hours event.

 

[BobRichmond]

Are the pirate items only available at Disneyland?
...Is it just Haunted Mansion items at WDW?
...Do you still go on rides during the tour without having to wait in line?

At this time the quest done on the WDW tour is still the Haunted Mansion. There are no series 2 (Pirates is a series 2) quests at WDW yet

During the tour you get to use the handicap entrance and load the next boat to let off guests on the Jungle Cruise. For Thunder Mountain you use the FASTPASS line. For the Haunted Mansion you use the handicap entrance and get to skip the outside queue.

 

[MicMin]

Thank you for answering my questions. I am going to print out all of this information.