Wilderness Explorers Game at Animal Kingdom

An Explorer is a friend to all, 

be it plants or fish or tiny mole.

Well, it looks like Disney is planning on adding interactive games to all its Disney World parks. This past week they have been testing a new game based on the Wilderness Explorers in UP. This animal based game will take place in Animal Kingdom park. So far, the exploration zone is limited to the Africa portion of the park, but they have plans to expand throughout the park if the test is successful.

To start the game, you find a booth and pick up a folder and a pair of paper fold-able binoculars. (I've used this type of binocular in the past and they work surprisingly well!) The folder includes a map with locations marked for each of the activities. To play the game, you answer the questions on the map and follow the trails to the various locations. As you complete each section, you can earn a badge. Badges can be collected from Cast Members at the various booths. Currently, the badges are just stickers, but they are considering making real badges available for a small up-charge.

While the game is aimed at teaching small children Wilderness Explorer skills, adults will probably learn something as well. I'm looking forward to playing this game with my family and learning more about the world around us.

Autographs - An Adventure in Collecting, Part 4 Animal Kingdom

Collecting autographs at Animal Kingdom is a lot of fun. At this park, most of the characters, quite appropriately, are animals. This has been one of our favorite places to meet characters because the lines are usually very short. Often, we've had to wait one minute or less. Sometimes we just get to walk right up to the characters with no waiting. When traveling with impatient kids, that's a real bonus. At Animal Kingdom, there are several places to meet characters. Several are available right after you enter the gate, and there are always characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Characters that can be seen on normal days:
Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Donald & Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto
Chip & Dale
Baloo, King Louie
Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger
Lilo & Stitch
Flik
Pocahontas, Governor Radcliffe, Meeko
Rafiki, Timon
Terk
Jiminy Cricket

Characters that are sometimes available:
Koda* & Kenai*
Brer Bear & Brer Rabbit
Thumper* & Miss Bunny*
Princess Atta*

* = only available at this park
Tomorrow, last but not least, EPCOT!

Free at EPCOT

Last but not least, my favorite park for freebies: EPCOT. EPCOT has the same basic free stuff: stickers, buttons, maps, times guides, and a whole lot more. The best freebies at EPCOT are from their kids activities, and there are several. The biggest kids activity, which will take you around the entire park, is the Kidcot Fun Stops. (Although these stops are intended for kids, I have participated in them as well, saving the charms to use in my scrapbook.) There are 17 fun stops; one in each of the 11 countries and one in each pavilion in Future World. The Kidcot Fun Stops are sponsored by Sharpie and have markers to color the charms or masks at each station. The charms each come in several colors so that kids can personalize their collection. Starting with the Innoventions Pavilions, you can get a Kidcot Fun Stop lanyard to attach paper charms to at each station throughout the park. At Innoventions West, the charm is an ID with a mobile phone from Kim Possible. At Innoventions East, the charm is a 3-D food pyramid with Rufus inside and kids learn about the food pyramid. At the Living Seas pavilion, you can get a shark or dolphin charm and learn about ocean creatures. At the Land pavilion, they have ladybug and Venus Flytrap charms. Kids learn about plants and insects. At the Test Track shop, kids can get two charms: a race car and a caution cone. After completing the 5 stops in Future World, head over to the World Showcase. 

In the World Showcase, the Kidcot cast members are native citizens of their respective countries. As such, they can tell you quite a bit about their country and will often teach kids to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in their native language. At the first country, pick up a mask for more collecting fun. There are several different types of masks available, including some special seasonal ones. The three masks that are available anytime are an African style mask, an Asian style mask, and a European style mask. Each mask has a paint stir stick handle that will be stamped at each country. At Christmas, you can get a Santa mask and during the Food and Wine Festival, you can get a special mask with a chef's hat on. We usually start with Mexico and work our way around. In Mexico, kids can get a Jaguar charm and the first stamp on the handle of their mask. In Norway, the charm is a Viking Ship. In China, the charm is a Kite with a butterfly punched out. In China, they will also stamp your Chinese zodiac sign on the back of your mask as well as writing your name in Chinese. In Germany, the charm is usually a Teddy Bear, although the last charm I got was a Gingerbread boy. In Italy, the charm is a Half Mask. At the American Experience, the charm is a Rocking Horse. In Japan, the charm is an origami style Butterfly, although a Frog has been available in the past. In Morocco, the charm is a Khamsa, or Hand of Fatima. The Morocco charm used to be plastic, but has since been changed to paper. In Morocco, you can also ask to have your name written on your mask in Arabic. In France, the charm is a Hot Air Balloon with a fleur de lis punched out. In the United Kingdom, the charm is a Dragon. In Canada, the charm is a Dream Catcher, although a Maple Leaf was available in the past. At times, kids are offered a small gift such as a poster or certificate upon completion of the World Showcase masks. While they are not always available, it's worth making sure to visit each country on your way around the lagoon. 

In addition to the masks, you can purchase an "EPCOT Passport" to have stamped as you travel around the world. The cast members will stamp each passport and write something about their country or a message of welcome in their native language. I have not used the purchased passports, but there are a few free ones on the internet that can be downloaded and printed before you go. The first one I used was from a Disboards Dis-Signer. I've also created my own special passport to use at Christmas, incorporating the various holiday greetings from each of the 11 countries. 

Another fun freebie at EPCOT, although one that is only available to Disney Visa cardholders, is a free photo. To get the free 5x7 photo, part of the Visa Meet'n'Greet, you have to go to the Innoventions West pavilion sometime between 1:30PM-4:30PM. You show your card to the cast members and they will give you a certificate for the free photo. You can get one free photo per day, per unique card number. The wait to get in to see the characters can vary, but usually is around 20-30 minutes. While there are usually 2-3 characters in the room, sometimes there are as many as four. The last time we went, we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. It was great to spend a few minutes with the characters as the only family in the room and my niece loved the one on one interaction without all the distractions of other families waiting to see the characters. If you have a Disney Visa, I would highly recommend it. 

Another fun free thing in Innoventions West is the velcro frogs. These are often overlooked and can be a ton of fun. The frogs are available near the Slapstick Studios show. After picking a frog, which come in several colors, you can dress your frog in a wide variety of clothing. They have everything from sunglasses, to capes, to shorts and shoes, to Mickey ears or crowns. There are different accessories and different colors available every time we go. We love to play with the frogs while walking to the different areas of the park, and with EPCOT, there is a lot of walking. When you finish your frog, a cast member will give you a soft velcro bracelet so that you can wear your new creation. The frogs are a blast! 

And don't forget to visit Club Cool in Future World. Sponsored by Coca Cola, Club Cool gives you a chance to try Coke products from around the world for free. There are 8 different flavors to try, ranging from the delicious to the unique. Our family loves the watermelon soda available in China, although we didn't like the bitter Beverly soda from Italy. It's a great chance to try unexpected flavors and also very refreshing on a hot day, although it can get very busy. And there you have it, freebies at Disney World.


**UPDATE**
The Kidcot stations that were located in Future World have all been removed. Whether this is temporary or permanent remains to be seen. I'll update this if the stations are returned.

Free goodies at Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom has some free goodies, but they are mostly for kids. You will still find the same stickers, buttons, maps and times guides. Then there are some that are unique to the Animal Kingdom. At Guest Services, you can request a copy of Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety Safety Challenge and set of Safety tip cards. There are 15 safety cards humorously detailing what to do and what not to do to safely enjoy a day at the Animal Kingdom. The tips include "Don't wait too late to hydrate", "Follow the rules of the jungle" and "Have fun in the sun, don't get overdone". The safety tips are quite smart and putting Timon and Pumbaa into each situation will help kids enjoy learning the rules of the jungle. 

Another fun kids activity is the Kids Discovery Club. There are six Discovery Club stations throughout the park, one in each land. At each station, kids will learn about animals and the environment through games and quizzes. In Camp Minnie-Mickey, kids place their hands inside a hollow log and try to identify the item in the hole, such as a turtle shell or a pine cone. On Discovery Island, kids learn about insects and arachnids, such as tarantulas, and can try out "bug vision" with a special bug eye mask. In Asia, kids learn about Siamangs, tigers, and frogs and try to identify them based on what sounds they make. (During the summer months, there is an extra freebie available at this station. Last summer, after the presentation and stamps were given, each child was given a coupon for a free bottle of water for every member of their party. They were trying to encourage people to stay hydrated.) In Dinoland, kids help reunite jaw bones with dinosaur skulls. In Africa, kids follow clues to track and identify an animal. At Rafiki's Planet Watch, kids do a scavenger hunt to identify wildlife that can be found in their own back yards. At the end of each activity, the Kids' Discovery Club Membership Card is stamped. Once kids have collected all six stamps, they take an oath to protect animals and the earth and to respect nature and are given the final Rafiki Ya Wanyama stamp. They also receive a Kids' Discovery Club Activity Guide full of games to learn more about our world. Each station only takes a few minutes, although you may need to plan carefully to make it to every station before the park closes as they are spread throughout the park. It actually took us 4 separate trips before we were finally able to complete the card in one day. 

Another fun freebie, that may no longer be available, was the Disney Where Dreams Come True Magical Moment Certificate. The first time we received one of these was when we rode Dinosaur. We were selected as the family of the hour and the four of us got a car to ourselves. They also gave us a certificate to commemorate the honor. 

Another fun thing you can pick up, although cast members would prefer that you didn't, is a pair of bug glasses from It's Tough to be a Bug. We had a pair that broke, so we saved them. We took the legs off and the lenses out and used them in a scrapbook with photos in the lenses. Unlike the other 3D glasses, the Bugs Life ones look like bug eyes, so they are rather cool.

More Free? At Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios also has several free items that can be found within the park. As with the Magic Kingdom, there are maps, times guides, buttons, and stickers from cast members. However, Hollywood Studios has several unique freebies of it's own. If you have small children, you'll probably watch the Playhouse Disney Live Onstage show. During the show, tissue paper confetti will rain down on the audience. The shape of the confetti changes whenever they change the lineup of Playhouse Disney shows that are featured during the stage show. The last time I was there, it was large tissue paper leaves, which Bean gathered up to put in her scrapbook.

Another fun thing for kids can be found just after entering the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster area. On the left, they have a kids area set up where kids can decorate a large paper CD with stickers and take it home. They also give the kids magnet frames advertising new Disney Channel shows. Although this was the first time I had seen this kids area, it looked like it was expected to stay.

One of the coolest kids freebies is from Block Party Bash. At the end of the show, small red, yellow, green or blue Nerf balls, emblazoned with the Block Party Bash logo are shot out over the audience. While not everyone gets one during busy times, most of the kids will get one, either from the ones shot into the air, or from the ones cast members pass out so that everyone can have one of the balls.

At most of the table service restaurants, kids are given fun menus that are specific to the restaurant, with activities in addition to the menu. They have cool games and pictures and can be fun to take with you at the end of the meal. However, interesting free stuff isn't just for the kids. At the Hollywood Brown Derby, they serve fantastic food, and copies of the recipes. At the reservation desk, you can request copies of the recipes for the Cobb salad and Grapefruit cake, both of which are amazing. The recipes are printed on the back of a card that is shaped like the Brown Derby logo. When I ate at the restaurant, they told me that you can also request the recipe for the dish that you order and the chef will provide it. Whether you eat at the restaurant or not, you should request the recipes at the reservation desk. They will be happy to provide them.

Heaven forbid you should have to make a trip to the nurses station, but if you do, they give out Nurse Minnie stickers. Another fun free item is an extra fast pass. Toward the end of the night, if the fast pass stations are still open, I like to get a fast pass for my favorite ride and keep it to put in my scrapbook. The fast passes have the logo for the ride at the top and are a fun way to remember a favorite ride.

FREE?? At Disney World?

Surprisingly, there are some freebies at Disney World. Most are small, but that doesn't make them any less fun. Today, I'll tell you about the freebies at the Magic Kingdom. The freebies start when you enter the Ticket and Transportation center. Sometimes, cast members will hand out Transportation Collector Cards as you walk up the ramp to the monorail. If you get there at the right time and your party is small enough, you may be able to ride in the front of the Monorail. They will give you each a Monorail License with a place for your name and the date on the back. 

When you reach the Magic Kingdom and pass through the gate, many of the cast members will sprinkle kids with Mickey confetti, which Bean loves to bring home. They also have round Mickey stickers that they give to children. As you pass under the railway station, don't forget to grab a map and times guide, a great free item with the date of your visit. At City Hall, they have free buttons that you can wear to let everyone know what you are celebrating. We usually go the week of Bean's birthday and make sure to get her a birthday button. All of the cast members who see the button wish her a Happy Birthday all day long. On one of our birthday trips, Bean went up to Stitch to have her picture taken and he gave her Stitch stickers. When she dressed up as Sleeping Beauty, a passing cast member gave her Aurora stickers. 

Another free item that you can request is a paper menu at many of the restaurants. The menus are usually colorful and quite decorative. It's a great way to remember a fun meal. In Fantasyland, cast members may give you a shield shaped sticker with "Honorary Prince of the Day" (Prince Charming) or "Honorary Princess of the Day" (Cinderella) on them. They are very cute. The Disney Vacation club also gives stickers to kids. Each has a photo of a character and the Disney Vacation Club logo. A slightly strange free item that you'll see a lot of is Disney World napkins. People usually end up carrying a few with them, due to eating at counter service restaurants and food carts. The napkin designs change during different times of the year and can be quite cute. 

At the Tomorrowland Speedway, kids can get an Official Speedway License with Mickey’s picture on it. There is a place on the back to enter their name and the date. Another great free collectible, which happens to be my favorite, is the Pirate scroll from Cap'n Jack's Pirate Tutorial. It's a great show with a lot of audience participation. At the end of the show, the kids who participated in the show, and often, every kid in the audience, is given a scroll proclaiming them a member of Cap'n Jack's crew. The scrolls are rather cool and are signed by Cap'n Jack himself. 

The coolest free item I've ever seen was the Tinker Bell pin that Smee gave Bean. She was getting autographs from Smee and Captain Hook outside of Pirates of the Caribbean and was using her new autograph book, which has the characters printed around the edge of each page. Captain Hook and Smee both drew all over the picture of Tinker Bell; Captain Hook X'd her out and Smee gave her devil horns and a tail. When Bean saw this, she said "Hey, that's not very nice!" Smee then pretended to be ashamed and handed her a Tinker Bell pin to make up for it. It was unexpected and very cool!