This is an article I had copied for myself - don't even remember where it is from - thank you to the author though! If anyone knows who wrote it, please add that so we can acknowledge them!
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Great Free Things Most People Do Not Know About At Walt Disney World
1. Resort Tip - Campfire Sing-Along with Chip & Dale and Outdoor Movie at the Disney Fort Wilderness Campground. A Disney Cast Member* plays guitar and leads songs while Chip & Dale go around to the guests seated on benches.
2. A Disney movie is shown on outdoor screens at Ft. Wilderness Campground (after the sing-along), by the pool at Disney’s All-Star Music, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs resorts. You do not need to stay at the resort to do this. When: Every Night.
3. Resort Tip - Barnyard Animal Viewing area at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground. When: Daily – closes mid-afternoon. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has a Savannah with giraffes and other animals you can view when dining at or visiting the resort.
4. Resort Tip - The Electric Water Pageant is a floating parade offered nightly on the Seven Seas Lagoon by the Magic Kingdom resort area.
5. Resort Tip - Are you staying at a Disney resort? Ask if they offer a recreation and activity guide. For example, the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers a nightly storyteller near the fire pit. The Wilderness Lodge gives tours different times during the week and you can pick up a list of resort “Hidden Mickey’s” from guest services and go on a hunt. Other resorts have similar events.
6. Ask to ride up front with the Driver on the Monorail. Your children may even get a “Monorail License”. You can ask to wait until the next monorail if someone is already in the front.
7. Are you celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or honeymoon? Is this your first visit to Walt Disney World? Be sure to stop by guest services at any Disney theme park to get the free special pin/button. Wear it and you’ll get a lot of well wishes from Cast Members and you might even get some special treatment along the way.
8. Epcot - There are free Soda Samples from around the world at Club Cool in Epcot. They’re interesting to try and most are tasty. One is horrible but I won’t spoil the surprise.
9. Epcot - You can send e-postcards with your picture included to friends & family from the ImageWorks lab kiosks at the end of the Journey into Imagination with Figment ride in the Imagination Pavilion. Send funny animated e-postcards can be sent from the kiosks found at the Training Lab at the end of the Mission Space ride. Free e-postcards are also available from the Kiosk near the Kidcot area in the Mexico Pavilion.
10. Epcot - Speaking of Kidcot Stations – did you know that your child can decorate a free posterboard mask at any Kidcot station in Epcot? Look for the stations near attractions and especially in the World Showcase. You can add a decoration at each station. These usually close in the late afternoon. If the attendant in the China pavilion is from China or from Japan in the Japan Pavilion, ask them to write your child’s name in their language on the mask. Seeing their name written in another language was a highlight for my kids.
11. Epcot - Try riding a Segway without having to book a tour at the Segway exhibit in the Innoventions West building at Epcot. You must be at least 16 years old and less than 250 pounds to ride. It usually opens around 1:00 PM.
12. Epcot - Seeing Miyuki, the candy artist, in the Japan pavilion is one of our favorite things to do at Epcot. Check your times guide (she usually appears Monday through Thursday) – then arrive about 10 minutes early and wait near her cart. If your child is waiting politely, he or she may get to select an animal for her to make. They will get to keep the candy creation. Waiting politely is essential – she doesn’t select children calling, “pick me, pick me” etc.
13. Epcot - Stop by the Slapstick Studios “What’s Your Problem” exhibit in the Innoventions West pavilion at Epcot and you’ll be able to create your own free Velcro frog souvenir.
14. Epcot / World Showcase – Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure - This new activity is a great way to hold older kids’ interest in the World Showcase as they embark on secret agent type mini-adventures in a World Showcase country pavilion. There are seven different adventures. We received a free tea bag as part of the adventure in the United Kingdom pavilion.
15. Magic Kingdom - Ride the first raft (about 10 AM) to Tom Sawyer’s Island in Frontier Land at the Magic Kingdom. Take the trails and be on the look-out for paint brushes with dried paint on the bristles laying around (there are about 6 per day). If you find one, take it to the Disney Cast Member and you’ll be given a “Magical Memories” certificate good for a fastpass for your entire family for either Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Limit: 1 per family.
16. Magic Kingdom - There is a children’s rollercoaster called “Goofy’s Barnstormer” in Mickey’s Toontown Fair at the Magic Kingdom. If this is your child’s first rollercoaster ride, tell the Cast Member and you may be given a little printed card to commemorate the event – great for scrapbooks.
17. Magic Kingdom - Are you a proud military veteran? Stop by the Magic Kingdom City Hall in early in the morning and ask if you can be the “Veteran of the Day” for the Flag Retreat Ceremony (usually around 5:00 PM). If chosen, you may receive a certificate as a souvenir of the experience.
18. Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Animation Academy in the Magic of Disney Animation. You can sit at a drawing table and learn to draw a Disney character and you get to keep your own artwork. The 20--minute animation mini-classes are offered every 30 minutes. This activity is probably best for people over age 7 and is a lot of fun. If you don’t want to go through the whole Magic of Disney Animation movie, you can access this area by entering through the “Animation Gallery” gift shop. This is a great activity that is overlooked by too many guests.
19. Animal Kingdom – Kids Discovery Clubs. There are six Kids Discovery Clubs in various locations throughout the Animal Kingdom – the locations are marked by a red square with a “K” symbol on your park map. The activities are geared towards younger children. Kids receive a free activity booklet which is stamped at each station; there is a bonus stamp if your child completes all six activities.
20. The best “Freebies” of all are the free extra planning services you receive when you book your Disney trip through Build A Better Mouse Trip. We book directly with Disney so you don’t pay any extra but you get to do so much more including three options for great touring plans that keep you ahead of the crowds and out of the long lines.
The next items aren’t really free things – they’re just some of our favorite hidden gems in the Disney parks. We hope they add to the magic for you.
D isney-MGM Studios, there is a “Singing in the Rain” umbrella attached to a lamp post. It is a great photo opportunity and a pressure pad under the umbrella usually (unless malfunctioning) will release “rain”. The lamp post is in the Streets of America area across from Lights, Motors, Action!
S tar Tours (outside of the gift shop) in Disney-MGM Studios, you’ll see a “Speeder Bike” in front of an Endor background. People often assume that it is only for display but you are welcome to sit on it - this makes a great picture. Other wonderful photo opportunities in Disney-MGM Studios are the car outside Sci-Fi Dine In and all over the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area.
Animal Kingdom, there is a bridge near Kali River Rapids. There are buttons that cause the elephant statues to spray water on the riders in the rafts below. This could count as a Disney freebie because Universal Orlando charges you for the excitement of getting other park guests wet at the end of Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls®
A nimal Kingdom Times Guide does a terrible job of highlighting all the wonderful live entertainment available at this park. One of our favorites is “DiVine” on the trail between Asia and Africa. She looks like a vine and literally blends in with the landscaping when she isn’t moving. Another excellent group is the Tam Tam’s of Congo who perform in the Harambe area of the “Africa” area.
s ing time at the Magic Kingdom just means you must be on your last ride or in line for the ride by that time? The shops along Main Street U.S.A. generally stay open for about an hour after closing time. There’s no good reason to rush to the lines forming for transportation so take your time and enjoy a few last views of the castle when it is lit up after dark. Stop and notice the window displays in the Emporium (right side of the street as you face the train station, near City Hall). Each window display is a shadow-box or diorama that depicts a different Disney animated movie and most have some form of movement. Most people walk right by and never notice these fascinating displays
