Pal Mickey: Our Personal Disney World Tour Guide!

Special Addition Anniversary Pal Mickey

Some of you may be wondering why a grown woman is carrying around a plush Mickey Mouse at Disney World. While I gave up having a security blanket years ago (Mouse Blanket still sleeps at the foot of my bed FYI, no shame!), I do insist on having my Pal Mickey with me every time I make a visit to Disney World. This is because Pal Mickey is not just your average stuffed toy, he's a talking, joking, GPS enabled tour guide that is programmed to say over 700 phrases and interacts with more than 400 infrared sensors in the parks, tells you where in the park you are, reminds you of parade times, and lets you know if costumed characters are nearby!

When I first visited Disney World in 2008 for my honeymoon and birthday, I had made my mind up months in advance that I had to have a Pal Mickey. I researched them on the Disney website and looked a few up on eBay but in the end decided that I wanted a brand new one from the park, and so it was agreed that we would pick one up for my birthday. We started our search for Pal Mickey the minute we walked through the gates of Magic Kingdom, it was my absolute first priority, but even after a thorough turning over of the Emporium and the 20,000 square foot World of Disney at DTD, there were no Pal Mickey's to be found. There were a few displays mentioning it's existence, but not a single toy could be found in any park or store that we visited.

I was so disappointed.

After a couple of days we were avoiding the parade crowds and making one last trip through the Emporium when I looked way up to the top of one of the shelves that was holding various stuffed Mickey's dressed in sorcerer outfits, and that's when I spotted him.

He loves to talk about Spaceship Earth!

A Sorcerer Mickey sitting comfortably in his dusty bright yellow Pal Mickey box.

I immediately flagged down the first Cast Member I could see and begged them to take him down to see if he worked. At first they told me no because he was just a display item, but I explained that we had been looking for them at every store we'd visited and that it was my only true wish for my birthday, so Disney Cast Members being as they are, got him down for me. They told me that there was a good chance he wouldn't work, but when I squeezed his tummy I got an immediate "Hahaha oh gosh!" and I was elated!

Pal Mickey in Norway

We made sure the rest of his buttons worked and took him to the counter to purchase. It was then that they informed us Pal Mickey had been discontinued and the reason we couldn't find any was because they had sold out about a month before. They said they hadn't noticed the one I spotted on the top shelf and if they had seen him he would have been shipped back to the parent company. They said it was likely that I got the very last Pal Mickey in existence!

Ever since, Pal Mickey has accompanied us on every Disney trip. As we walk through the gates it's always exciting to hear "Oh boy! We're going to have a great day at Magic Kingdom!"  or hear about how he got gold dust in his nose as we walk through the exit for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Enjoying some quick service chocolate cake

Pal Mickey tells us interesting facts about each animal at Animal Kingdom park, gives us interesting facts about each country in Epcot, and tells us just how tall he would have to be to wear the hat in Hollywood Studios (he gets scared when you bring him around the Tower of Terror, and may constantly remind you that he's not tall enough to ride it!)

If you can pick him up on eBay he's a great find, and our Disney vacations wouldn't be complete without him. He's usually the star of my vacation photos and it's my hope that he will last for years to come!

The Disney Iditarod aka "How I Won Park Hopper of The Year"

Ellen: "Honey why don't we forget the Pig-on-a-Poke itinerary and just play it by ear like normal people?"

Clark: "Honey we're not normal people, we're the Griswolds!"

                     -Vacation, 1983

If there is one thing about Disney World that is universally disliked (and there aren't many to choose from), it's waiting in lines. As a spring breaker and a summer vacationer, I have witnessed the true meaning of "filled to capacity". We have not yet been during the Christmas holiday but from what I'm to understand, the park usually hits capacity at some point early in the day and guests are refused entry shortly thereafter. We plan on conquering a Disney Christmas when we take our kids for the first time, but for now I can only share my experiences about the sweltering heat and the torrential downpours that Florida is known for and which are even less fun when you're standing in them for 60 minutes to ride the Tower of Terror.

I get asked all the time what I do to overcome the problem of waiting in lines all day, so I thought I'd share a couple of my secrets. Here are a couple of my suggestions:

1. There's an app for that!: Wait time applications are an absolutely indispensable part of your Disney Survival Kit (Which I will cover in another post). My husband and I both use iphones and the one we prefer is Walt Disney World Wait Times Free by VersaEdge Software, available on iTunes or in the app store. It's user dependent, so it relies on people who have the application and are currently waiting in line to update it with correct information, but it's always been completely accurate. Generally the only time it's inaccurate is when the ride has just changed wait times and no one has had the chance to update it. In fact as I write this I'm seeing that there is only a 5 minute wait to get on Pirates of the Caribbean! *sigh*
2. Get a map: if you're like me then you know the park layout like the back of your hand, but the map stand also has a sheet telling you what time all the parades and shows will start at, their location, and in the case of the parades, the intended route (which is really helpful if you want to be on one side of the park during that time because crossing over the parade route is a nightmare!)
3. Get a Fastpass: I put this second because if you don't know what the wait times are for the most popular rides, then you won't know which ride to get a Fastpass for. Getting a Fastpass can mean the difference between checking off all the rides on your list, or watching with envy as people bounce happily off Expedition Everest! Later on I'll explain how to get a Fastpass and the best way to utilize them, but for right now just know that they are a must. (My Pal Mickey Note: Fastpasses are your friend! You can get one per hour.)
4. Make an Itinerary:  not to sound too much like Clark Griswold, but having an itinerary is the best way to get the most out of your vacation. I will give an example of the one my husband and I use, but between Extra Magic Hours and character dining reservations it is always good to have a written account of what you'll do for the day, with built in wiggle room of course!



An Example of a Fastpass

5. Keep calm, and carry on:  If one line is full and it looks miserable, move on. If you have a proper itinerary and a well laid plan, you will have another opportunity. You would be surprised how a ride with a 120 minute wait will go down to a 20 minute wait at a random time. We experience this every time we're at the park. Small World is a classic example of a ride that can go from a 80 minute wait to 5 minutes any time of the day, so if you're in the park for the day anyway just keep coming back or checking the app that I know you've rushed off to download!  (My Pal Mickey note: If there is a ride that you don't manage to get on one day, it always moves to the top of your itinerary for that specific park on the next day!)

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-BOO!

If I had to pick one holiday to spend at WDW it would be Halloween. I've always loved Halloween (free candy, what's not to like?), and there really is no better trick-or-treating experience than the one you can have in Magic Kingdom at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It was the perfect indulgence on our honeymoon, and well worth the extra $60.00 or so that you spend for the special admission.

What I love most about the MNSSHP is you get to see some of the characters that you otherwise wouldn't get to see on an average day in the park. Primarily, villains! Usually the only villain you're likely to see is Maleficent when she takes over the Dreams Come True! show on the Magic Kingdom stage everyday at noon, but at the MNSSHP they're everywhere, the Magic Mirror from Snow White even has it's own parade float complete with a "skeleton" band!

The MNSSHP starts off with a unique after-dark parade in Magic Kingdom theme park. Being as this was our first real parade viewing event (we usually skip them in order to get in the otherwise long lines), we scoped out our seats on the curb in front of the Liberty Tree Tavern about 45 minutes prior to the start time and trust me we were pushing it! I find that prime parade viewing spots are usually claimed about an hour or more before the parade starts, and special events are no exception and may even prove worse than a regular day. About 15 minutes later they began winding the rope around the curbs (the international sign to people without maps that a parade is about to begin!) to separate the crowd from the streets and after that you were lucky to get a spot 6 feet back, so long story short: get there early.

Sidenote: at about this time a woman and her approximately two year old son began to maneuver their way towards us, stepping over about 2 dozen people in the process, and finally planting herself on top of my husbands foot. Now keep in mind we've been there for half an hour, and will continue to wait for at least another 40 minutes before the parade starts, we are the definition of the word "squished", and up until this point I have managed to coexist nicely with people that are so close to me I can see their dental fillings. ANYHOO, this woman has the nerve to knock several dozen people out of the way and plant herself right in front of the rope, using her 2 year old as a battering ram, and then to top it off she asks my husband to move his foot out of the place that it's been resting quite comfortably for the better half of an hour. We give each other a grimace and oblige, after all she has a little boy and we were more than happy to move out of the way for him. Then to my horror she pulls out one of the rainbow Mickey Mouse light sabers that they sell on the little street cars after the sun goes down and the little boy, just doing what kids do, begins to flail it around wildly, as though he's fighting off every Sith lord in the whole star system. Can you guess what happened next? I'll let you think about it. Ready? If your guess was that the light saber got introduced to my face, you were correct. It was a pretty sickening smack that caused the sequined Minne ears I was wearing to go flying off my head. I was astonished, and my husband looked on in horror with his mouth gaping open and a "Did that really just happen?" look on his face. So at this point I'm expecting Mom of The Year to apologize profusely or maybe tell Junior that swords aren't proper toys in super crowded areas, but no, instead I get a look that says "How dare your face scratch my precious little snowflakes $15.00 glow stick!" And so that was my first experience at a Disney parade! Luckily for me the kids dad was walking up as this happened and I'm not sure whether it was due to actual moral fortitude or my husband being 230 pounds of solid (315 pound bench pressing) muscle, but he politely told the little boy to put the sword away as the mother continued to scowl at me.

"Oh bother"

And so begins the actual parade. The lights are dimmed throughout the street and silence falls amongst the crowd of thousands. A whisper of hoof beats begins in the distance and slowly becomes louder, at first I thought it was being piped in to the speakers around us but soon saw that what I was hearing was the Headless Horseman himself riding through the streets and opening the parade, waving his pumpkin head above him! Shortly thereafter we were treated to favorites like Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, Brer Fox, Brer Bear and the whole Winnie the Pooh gang in full costume. Cruella DeVille, Captain Hook, The Evil Queen, and the Red Queen from Alice and Wonderland all made appearances as well.

Another great feature, with or without kids, is the trick or treating at the candy stations that are set up in specific places throughout the park. Most of the ones I went to were located inside shops that also featured larger portions of the free candy for sale, all of which was made by Goofy's Candy Company. This was convenient because if you happened upon a particularly delectable piece you could purchase it immediately without having to hunt it down. There is no limit to how many times you can visit each candy station, and they are just as generous to adults with no kids as they are to the little ones, which can actually save a pretty penny when it comes to having some extra snacks around. Usually my husband and I get a snack or two from the Confectionary every night to eat when we get back to our hotel room and after the NNSHP we are usually able to skip a day or two of this.

The Haunted Mansion is a must because they have all kinds of Halloween decorations, and it's such a special thing to see a classic Disney ride all dressed up for the season. During the MNSSHP they have actors outside the Mansion telling ghoulish tales or interacting with the audience atop the hearse that is stationed out front. If you're really not in to parades, then that is the time to get in line for the rides with the traditionally longer wait times. Only select rides are open during the MNSSHP so I would suggest making sure you know which ones they are so you avoid unnecessary walking. This might be the time to hop on Peter Pan's Flight, as the line for that ride always seems to be in triple digits especially if you're there during the summer.

Cinderella's Coach in Fantasyland

Even if you aren't in to trick or treating or parades, you may want to pay the extra $60.00 and enjoy the Halloween party simply because it is a much thinner crowd. When the party begins, they check your tickets, give you a wrist band, and usher out those who have not paid the additional admission. So if there is that one ride you haven't been able to catch a break on all day, this may be your chance. Granted it is October, and the crowds are usually a lot thinner to begin with.

We'll be back at WDW in 16 days and plan on attending not only one, but two MNSSHP's! I really look forward to seeing how much has changed in the last three years, what has been added, and what has been done away with. But one thing is for sure, it will be magical and wonderful, and something completely worth spending the extra scrapbooking money on!

To all who come to this happy place, welcome.

Hi there :) I'm Stacey. Just your average girl with a passion for Disney World. I'm glad you've decided to visit my blog and I promise you won't leave disappointed, well at least not if you're looking for an awesome blog dedicated to sharing Disney World adventures and secrets!

I first experienced the magic of WDW at the age of 22 when I chose it as the destination for my honeymoon, and it's been love ever since (with both my husband and the happiest place on Earth!). Now I want to share my extensive knowledge about Disney World with the real world.

My husband and I have had the unique opportunity over the last few years to experience Disney to it's fullest. From sipping champagne while listening to "A Whole New World" played beautifully on the harp at Victoria & Albert's to chowing down on Tye-Dye cheesecake at the Pop Century Resort, we've seen it all, done it all, and LOVED it all!

It's my personal opinion that every family can have a perfect and magical Disney vacation with the proper knowledge and planning, and that's why I decided to start this blog. Too many times I've seen people exasperated by wait times, restaurant lines, and experiences that were booked solid, and thought to myself that if they only knew what I know that maybe their experience would be a little more magical and a lot less stressful. So in this blog I'll go through a couple of my more noteworthy adventures while dishing out some of the secrets that my husband and I have learned along the way in the hopes that you will take my advice and your next Disney vacation will be a truly magic experience that will keep you coming back every year.