For Delaney, we hope you have a really good time. (:
FOR ALL PARKS:
- Ignore the signs. Not the “employees only” sorts of signs, but “do not pull rope” or “do not open crate” and you never know what will happen!
- If there are 2 lines and you can’t see the loading area from where you are, take the line to the left.
Free things to do:
- Downtown Disney doesn’t cost anything to visit. Enjoy the snoozing man made of Lego, or just browse the Art of Disney store.
- Watch the Fireworks. You can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach of the Polynesian or Grand Floridian. You can even park for free for a little while, just say you are visiting the hotel’s coffee shop.
- Tour Wilderness Lodge. There are times and details available from Guest Services in the lobby, as well as a Hidden Mickey hunt list.
- Watch the Electrical Water Pageant. It happens each night on Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. Also seen from the beaches at the Grand Floridian or the Polynesian, and the Fort Wilderness Marina.
- Fort Wilderness (the campground) has miles of trails, all walkable for free. They also have a Petting Farm you can check out from 7am to dusk.
- Visit The Boardwalk. Walk around in the evening and enjoy the atmosphere.
- There is a free garden tour at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort. Guest Services can give you specific times.
- There is a lobby tour at Animal Kingdom Lodge which is also free.
- Every night there is a campfire at Fort Wilderness (free to Resort Guests) near Meadow Trading Post. Bring your own Marshmallows, and toast them before watching a Disney cartoon on a large outdoor screen.
- From Dixie Landings to Downtown Disney – it’s especially nice at night. Take a stroll round Downtown Disney and catch the boat back to your car at Dixie Landings.
MAIN STREET:
- On Main Street right by the entrance, there is a Goofy statue sitting on a bench. Sit by him for a minute. – Are you celebrating something special – like a birthday, anniversary or even someone’s first trip to Disney World? Stop by Guest Services at any of the parks to receive a special personalized button. The fun doesn’t stop there either. Everywhere you go, Cast Members will greet you according to your button.
- Get a haircut at The Harmony Barbershop near Main Street USA. The barbers here are professional stylists who know what they’re doing – but they’re also showmen who have lots of tricks up their sleeves. The shop is located between the Car Barn and the Emporium – just before Main Street. You’ll recognize it by the red and white striped barber pole out front. Like everything Disney – this is much more than just a hair cut factory. It’s also entertainment and a trip back through time. There are lots of cool antiques like a working Western Electric phone box. It’s also a frequent stop on the tour of the “Dapper Dans” – a real barbershop quartet. There are no appointments. All services are on a “first come, first served” basis. 9-5 daily, $17 adults.
- The chalkboard in the barbershop on Main Street has all the Hurricanes listed as if they were next to get haircuts.
- Be at Magic Kingdom at dusk for the flag lower ceremony.
- If you turn down the first side street to your right on Main Street on a more quiet day and look up at the windows that have signs that say something like “music lessons”, you’ll hear a voice practicing scales and someone tap dancing. You can’t always hear it; it has to be pretty quiet.
- There are names on the windows above the shops on Main Street: These people are some of the people responsible for Imagineering and building parts of the parks. The very last name is Walt’s. It is on the backside of the last building on the right (ice cream parlor?). It seems like he’s almost hidden from view, but Roy wanted him there so that he would always have a view of the castle.
- In Town Square, there are a few flag poles with Amercan Flags on them. The main flag is always taken down during rain storms and right before sundown, but the rest of the flags are not taken down: They look like American flags, but they are all missing a star or a stripe that makes them not actual American flags.
- Look closely at Walt’s right hand ring on the statue in the hub.
- Pass through all the connected Main St. shops to get out of MK after the fireworks.
Main Street Railroad
- The telegraph you hear at the train station is tapping out Walt Disney’s speech at Disneyland’s opening in Morse Code.
- In the Train Station, you can find articles left by other “guests,” including Mary Poppins and other characters from Disney films.
- Before the Magic Kingdom opens for the day, the WDW train is perfectly centered in front of the train station for those wishing to take pictures. It is the only time during the day that this occurs.
- At the Frontierland RR Station, look for a wooden leg named Smith. It is a reference to a joke in Mary Poppins. “I knew a man with a wooden leg named Smith.” “What’s the name of his other leg?”
Walk to the exit from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Behind the fence (on the left side as you exit the ride), between two metal carts and behind a cactus is a cutout in the reddish rock that resembles a side profile of Tinker Bell.
Riverboat — Ask to ride in the pilot house, receive official riverboat pilots certificates.?
Swiss Family Treehouse – Outside the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse are crates addressed to various people, including Johann David Wyss (author of the book), sent to McGuire Blvd (Dorothy McGuire played Mother Robinson), another is addressed to John Mills (Father Robinson) at Bora Bora Danno. James MacArthur played son Fritz Robinson and later played Det. Danny (“Danno”) Williams in Hawaii Five-0.
- In owl’s house in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh you can see a picture of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to his house symbolizing the shutting down of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride to build Winnie the Pooh.
- At the right time of day, look out for the distinctive mickey mouse head shape that is formed as a shadow along the railings outside cinderella castle.
- Phones: There are phones around the park that look like you can pick them up and make calls. Pick them up and listen.
- If you’re riding Big Thunder Mountain at night, look for a party going on upstairs in the old saloon.
- If you are near the beginning of the parade, once it is done, go the wrong way in traffic (it will be a challenge!!!) and head back into Pirates, Tree House, Magic carpets, Jungle Cruise. They will be deserted.?
- Sit on the stone ledge on the side of the castle and listen.
- Look at the floor of The Country Bear Jamboree.
- When you go to Sir Mickey’s Shop in Fantasyland, look up at where the roof meets the walls.
- Get a Dole Whip.
- Try to have a meal or snack on the second story balcony of Pinocchio’s Village Haus as the lights are coming on in Fantasyland.
When in queue for Pirates of the Caribbean, the two skeletons playing chess have died playing because the chess game is at a stalemate-nobody can win.
HAUNTED MANSION:
- Watch for Madame Leota’s tombstone in the cemetery (nearly the last on the left) before you enter the Mansion.
- Once you go through the mansion, take your time exiting. Check out the engraved wall of the mausoleum and the pet cemetery, then see if you can find the bride’s ring in the sidewalk. Skeptics say it was never intended as a secret, just a leftover from a pole that was removed. But Disney lovers and cast members have constructed quite a story about the ring, which they say the doomed bride pitched out the window before murdering her husband-to-be. It’s embedded in the stone sidewalk and is very difficult to find, but it’s there.
- Mr. Toad is in the Mansion’s pet cemetery.
- If you’re by the Haunted Mansion at night, watch the top story right above the front door.
- Check out the top architecture. The architect was famous for buildings that had chess pieces as a part of the structure. The only chess piece missing from the outside is the knight, because it is always (k)night INSIDE!
- Check out the carriage in the courtyard. It is being led by an invisible horse, notice the hoof prints (go at night if you can).
- Stand in front of the hearse at the Haunted Mansion and listen.
- At the exit of the Jungle Cruise, there is a large black board with list of missing persons and boats.
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- In Liberty Square, where they have the building fronts that are door after door, stop and take a look at them. The addresses on the doors are all two numbers, and if you put 18 in front of the door, that is the style of door that they would have had for that year.
- Walt sings the theme song to Carousel of Progress just outside the ride.
- Most people know about the Lady and Tramp paw prints in front of Tony’s Town SquareTony’s Town Square, but they tend to completely overlook the muted silhouette outside the blue tinted window inside of the restaurant. If you peer closely, you can see that through the glass is an alley. Just on the other side of the window, the two love puppies are having their famous spaghetti dinner.
- Push is the walking talking trash can in Tomorrowland. Keep an eye out.
- If you’re looking for something a bit different, hop on the very first morning raft to Tom Sawyer’s Island in Frontierland. There’s a hunt of a different sort there – the hunt for Tom’s lost paintbrushes, which are scattered randomly around the island each morning. If you find one, bring it back and present it. You’ll get a special pass for “priority entrance at Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.”
Toontown:
- When you go to Minnie’s house, make sure you turn all of the knobs in the kitchen.
- Take the back walkway from Toontown to Tomorrowland and avoid the Toontown crowds.