Author: Dianna Standen
So with the prices of tickets to Walt Disney World going up, up and away, people are looking for a way to squeeze in a little extra magic. Here are five of the many things that come at no extra cost. I am not going to divulge any magic just give facts and some opinions.
First the Transporting Trading Cards. The ‘trading’ part is a little misleading; it should be Transporting Collecting Cards. There are currently 26 cards, when they were first printed there were 18, than 25, the last update was less than 2 years ago. Because it is not a popular game some of the cards have not had a new batch printed. Let me better explain, each cards says # of 26, some of the cards only say # of 25 since newer cards have not been made yet. In the coming months, maybe a year, there will be another update with the new model buses The cards can be gotten from any transportation Cast Member, at monorail, bus, and boat stops. You will need to visit more than one of each stop to collect them all. This can be great for kids of all ages, and a great time waster as you are waiting for buses, monorails, and boats.
The Wild About Safety cards and books with Timon and Pumba. These are also great for kids of all ages, I do recommend it for children who can color, do minor puzzles, draw straight lines. You can collect these cards and books from any Guest Services in the parks. There is no running around all you have to do is ask a Cast Member. There is a little book, with activity pages; I suggest a pencil and/or colors. The cards are a kind of cheat sheet to figuring out the puzzles, they have the slogans of safety.
Next is the Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom game in the Magic Kingdom. In this game you help Merlin to defeat the Villains by using your key. You do this by going to magic portals and preforming spells using collectible cards. There are 70 cards, some being extremely rare, you will receive 5 cards every day you visit the Magic Kingdom. This is a very digital game meaning everything is video based with graphics based on your current quest. The portals are in every land except Tomorrowland. I don’t really recommend this for large families or really young children; on the other hand I think tweens and teens will like this game. I think young children don’t fully understand the story, and with a large family you could be running around for hours. If you want to play with a large family try just playing with one key and taking turns.
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasures of the Seven Seas interactive game. This is a brand new game that first presented at the All-Nighter on May 24th. I think this is great for younger kids and big kids too. For more information see my previous article, posted on May 31th.
Finally, and the newest, is the Wilderness Explorers at the Animal Kingdom. This exploration is based on the movie UP and is really fun. At check in (on the bridge to Discovery Island from the entrance) you will get you Wilderness Explorer Handbook, which has a map and instructions on what to do at each activity. Completing an activity earns you a badge, 31 in total, most activities don’t open until 10am but many you can do on your own. It can be completed in multiple days or in one day. I was able to in 6 hours I was able to get all but 7 and ride Dinosaur and Expedition Everest twice. The only ride you must ride is Kilimanjaro Safaris; you will need to do Pangani Trail, Conservation Station and Maharajah Jungle Trek to earn other badges. This is great for kids and adults alike. For the younger kids I would share a book with an adult so they can help with the writing and some of the more detailed tasks.
- Discovery Island and River Country - February 5, 2014
- Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus….. - October 11, 2013
- My Hollywood Studios (stress on the ‘my’) - September 27, 2013