Pal Mickey worth it?

[jnrrt]

We're going to be a WDW for my DD's 7th birthday, and I was considering this for her present. Is it worth it? Will she like it at age 7? Will it drive me crazy ? And is it actually helpful, like wait times and stuff, or just more for entertainment?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Bob P]

Hi Jnrrt,

No wait times, just some guidebook type stuff as you walk around. He is cute, but personally I don't think he's worth the money.

Bob

 

[laughinplace199]

My kids love him! We bought him last May when DD was almost 5 and DS was almost 3. They really enjoyed playing with him in the parks. He kept DS busy while waiting in lines. DD, being older, was really interested in the info Mickey would give about the castle, the countries around WS, etc. In fact, she's bringing him to Show & Tell at school tomorrow. The kids say they can't wait to bring him on our December trip.

 

[Stimpy]

He's cute but I have to agree, we personally didn't think he was worth the money. He's been sitting in our closet and missed out on our last 2 Disney trips.

It took us a while to figure him out. (Probably wouldn't have taken as long if DH didn't throw away the instructions! LOL) And we kept having to get him reprogrammed when we entered each park. That took atleast 15 minutes each time. Finally a CM told us that you need to make sure his nose is pointing outward and towards the sky when you enter the turnstiles. My 5 yr old tired of him pretty quickly...but we dragged poor Mickey with us everywhere anyway. I was determined to get him to work after the money we paid for him.

 

[donnabc]

Bought pal mickey for our January trip. And we LOVE him . I do wish is cost less but my 6 year old still drags him out routinely to tell him jokes. In the park when we got him, I had to ask an employee how to make him work (my husband threw directions away too ). You definately have to keep his nose facing out (we layed him on the top of the stroller). And he spouted some interesting trivia throughout the parks.
What I personally liked about him was the suggestions he gave through out the day. We stopped places we otherwise would have missed particularly in Animal Kingdom. We plan to use him over and over and several people I work with are going to borrow him for their trip as well. He is a fun addition for a little bit of added magic
And when he got annoying (which DID happen ) we simply stuck him in the backpack and he was quiet!

 

[jnrrt]

Thanks for all the replies!

Okay, I still don't know what to do, though. One minute it seems like a good idea, and the next it's not worth the money.

Do you always need to reprogram him? Or is that automatic as long as he's in the right position? What kind of things did he tell you to do? And what does he do when you're not at WDW? Can you still play with him at home?

Thanks again, in advance!

 

[MommyBoo!]

This is from a post on the collector's board:

The original Pal Mickey's are on a discounted price
of $27.99 plus tax at the South Florida Outlet Character Premiere
Stores: 954-846-7161

You would have to pay shipping but it's still cheaper than the new ones in the parks.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I'm going to rent one on our next trip, because we won't be going back for awhile, so I don't think the cost is worth it to buy.

 

[TeresaMc]

I am pretty sure the Pal Mickey's are no longer available to rent, just to purchase.

 

[jjan]

You can't rent them anymore... sorry.

I would say that they are really worth it. My DD who is 7, has the older version and LOVES it. It is her cuddly animal for bed while we are down there, it is her companion on the airplane and then she listens to everything he says while in the parks. I bought it at the discount store mentioned above since I couldn't ever imagine paying the big $$ for one, and now that she loves him so much we are probably going to get the new one for the next trip. Make sure that if you buy one... buy a carabiner and attach it directly to Pal Mickey and then clip it on a backpack or fanny pack. It is so much easier and more secure. The jokes are cute, but we really learned a lot especial at AK since it really tells you about the different animals etc.

 

[DreamsComingTrue]

I was wanting to order one for my kids to get befor we head down there.I called the order line and was told that their $65 and Mickey is wearing a Tux.I thought great, then luck me would have to pay the shipping of course for it to be sent here to Canada. Well that was going to be another $75. So after I added it all up with the exchange I have decided we will just wait till we get there and get one then.For that price I could pick up one for both the kids.

 

[S. C.]

The original Pal Mickey's are on a discounted price
of $27.99 plus tax at the South Florida Outlet Character Premiere
Stores: 954-846-7161


I ordered a pal mickey at this phone # a couple of hours ago and they only had 2 left at that price. I bought one of them. If you want an original new version for that price than I would call now.

We paid $50 for the same one the first year that they came out. Are buying the second one for another GS who is going to WDW with us this year.

 

[sPaRkLeSpAz]

Well, Pal Mickey does have a lot of interesting facts, and it was funny to see Donald take our Pal Mickey and throw it into his trailer at MGM then Daisy retrieved it. But besides that it kept annoying everyone. And some of the time we couldn't hear him so we would take turns listening to him right up against our ears. so, yeah...

 

[moopdog]

SOO glad to read this thread, I bit the bullet and bought ours at the above stated $27.99 at the discount place. It's not here yet, but I've been afraid to tell DH I got it for fear of "the look" (he's my own personal tweey bird: CHEEP CHEEP). Anyway, I'll be sure to KEEP this directions and figure it all out before our trip, even though it'll be given to kids first day we arrive as a distraction device hopefully.

 

[jjan]

SOO glad to read this thread, I bit the bullet and bought ours at the above stated $27.99 at the discount place. It's not here yet, but I've been afraid to tell DH I got it for fear of "the look" (he's my own personal tweey bird: CHEEP CHEEP). Anyway, I'll be sure to KEEP this directions and figure it all out before our trip, even though it'll be given to kids first day we arrive as a distraction device hopefully.

Don't forget to bring extra batteries... when we got ours from the outlet, it only has the really cheap short-living batteries and we needed new ones quite quickly.

 

[off to neverland]

WE just got home from WDW, and I struggled with the decision of whehter to buy Mickey the entire time we were there. Twice I took him to the counter, but could never bring myself to pay for him. WE never did get him.

It would have been fun to have him, but for $60, I think I'd rather do a character meal.....

 

[Stacy's a freak]

I bought one 2 years ago and really loved the novelty of him in the parks. Since then he has been sitting at my desk at work. Whenever I feel disneysick, I squeeze his tummy and he tells me some silly joke. Now that I have another trip planned (solo), I'm really looking forward to bringing him back as my "date". He didn't give me THAT much park info, but I like him as a cute companion.

I wonder if the new version is worth getting if I have the original version. I can live without the tux, but I hope the new version won't be more "cool" than my version. Does anyone know if the new version has more features or tells more information?

Thanks!

 

[Leanne1972]

I've heard that the new version has new things to say, it is a collector's edition for sure. I'm going to buy one this week. I'll let you know how it is. Maybe I'll pick up a couple of extras and sell them on e-bay (I won't ask for more than what I pay for it)