We all know that Disney is filled with fun and fantasy inside Magic Kingdom, adventure and wildlife inside Animal Kingdom, special effects and storytelling in Hollywood Studios, and exploring and technology in Epcot. But what is there to do besides visit the parks? Here is a list of ideas:

1. Pirates and Pals Cruise
This cruise is unlike any other. After a photo opportunity and chance to have snacks and drinks, Captain Hook and Mr. Smee lead you to a small boat for a voyage that will be hosted by either Patch or Patchy. A child is picked to carry the flag, and when I did this, my brother was chosen! You watch “Wishes” from Seven Seas Lagoon/Bay Lake and sometimes you might even catch the Water Pageant! This might sound a little young for some of you out there, but trust me, it is a very fun addition to anyone’s vacation. Thousands of people can say that they’ve watched the fireworks over Cinderella Castle but you will be able to see them over the Main Street Train Station with the castle in the background! Overall, my favorite part of this adventure was the humor on the boat during the ride to and from the firework viewing spot. Patchy was the host on our boat, and he was amazing! He made jokes that flew over younger kids heads and smacked the rest of us right in the face. He also asked trivia questions and gave out prizes to people with the right answer. It was a lot of fun, and it is one of my fondest Disney memories.

2. Explore the Hotels
Every Disney Hotel is inspired by a different era, place or feeling and they are each unique in their own way. If you have one certain hotel that you stay at every time you visit, take the time to explore other hotels and you might find a new favorite. I usually stay at All Star Movies or Caribbean Beach.  On one of our “hotel hop” days we visited the Wilderness Lodge. Now I am trying to convince my parents to stay there the next time we visit Walt Disney World. During the holidays, my family set up a free day as resort exploration.  Part of the fun before we left home was figuring out the most efficient way to get to each property.  Sometimes it was a stopover at a park or Downtown then jumping onto another mode of transportation.  Other times it was as easy as jumping on the monorail or walking!  It took a full day to visit every hotel to see their holiday decorations.  If you can’t visit every property, I would suggest to set a goal to visit at least visit 2 other hotels to see the decorations at the different resorts. The Grand Floridian has the gingerbread house (this is one not to miss!) and the Contemporary has the huge Mickey wreath. Don’t forget to look for the food displays, too!  Don’t worry if it’s not holiday time, it is fun any time of the year!

3. DisneyQuest
DisneyQuest is a 5-floor “arcade” that is more than just Pacman. I personally don’t like arcades, but this isn’t any normal arcade. It is almost completely interactive. From a Pirates of the Caribbean ride with a Toy Story Mania twist to a roller coaster creator that you actually get to ride, DisneyQuest is a very fun place for a rainy day. The five floors each have a name that describes the area very well- the “Replay Zone” (classic games with a twist) “Explore Zone” (a virtual Adventureland with interactive games) “Create Zone” (a floor featuring completely customizable activities) “Score Zone” (features many multiplayer games) and Ventureport (the main floor that leads to all the other zones). This is one place that I could go to everyday and not get sick of it.

4. Mini Golf
Mini golfing is something that I get very competitive with. If I aim just right and hit the ball – but at that exact moment it seems like an invisible force field appears around where I want it to go and instead it goes in the opposite direction (don’t you hate it when that happens?), – I  get angry and it throws off the rest of my game. I miss shots left and right from then on. But Fantasia Gardens brings the competitive-ness down a notch (and only a notch!) with its whimsical colors and effects. Where else could you golf with dancing hippos and marching buckets, hear stairs that play music and negotiate an ice cave?  Don’t let the whimsical parts fool you because you also have to putt through an unexpected geyser field and navigate through moving snowflakes which isn’t as easy as it sounds!  It’s a lot of fun. Because it is reported to be more challenging than Winter-Summerland, it is the only course I’ve visited.

5. Downtown Disney
This is probably the most obvious selection. Downtown Disney has everything from shopping to a movie theater. The possibilities of what you can do are endless! There are some options  that are free like walking into stores (but you might walk out with less money then you walked in with) and some things that require admission like Characters in Flight (a hot air balloon ride) and Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba (basically an amazing circus show without animals). Of course the restaurant options are up to Disney standards and even higher at places like Wolfgang Puck’s and Planet Hollywood. I would even leave a park to come here and eat. At Downtown Disney you can spend as little or as much time as you want and do it on different days…even after the parks close if that is before 11:00pm.  It’s never too late to shop!

6. Visit the Tri-Circle-D Ranch                                                                                                                                      

Did you ever wonder where you could find the horses when they’re not on Main Street USA?  Head over to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground and solve the mystery. At the Tri-Circle-D Ranch you can walk through the stables and get a close up look at the horses.  Carriage rides are available, pony rides for the kids and, for the more daring, even horseback rides (with a guide).

7. Search for Hidden Mickeys and secrets
To some people, Disney is an ordinary theme park. Some may believe that it was created to make money and had no other focus in mind. Of course we know that that is not true AT ALL. Disney and its company put a lot of work into little details to create memories and make people happy and maybe give people experiences they can’t get anywhere else. One way this is proven are the secrets hidden around the World. If the Disney Company only cared about money, why would they put them there? They are scattered around the property in many forms. A famous type is a Hidden Mickey which was originally used to leave as a signature since artists and architects couldn’t put their name on their work but have now evolved into a game for park guests to find (Thanks, Steve Barrett!) You can fill entire days in the pursuit of secrets and hidden mickeys both in the parks elsewhere in the property.  Is that a Mickey on the giraffe’s back at Animal Kingdom Lodge? It sure looks like that could be another Mickey on Tweedle Dee’s apron in the World of Disney!  Should you ask for ketchup at the Whispering Canyon Café in the Wilderness Lodge?  You can even get free Disney Transportation Trading Cards by just asking!

I have written about seven “outside the park” options but there are countless to choose from.  You can watch your parents ride in a race car, rent a watercraft, see the parks from the air while parasailing or shoot a bow and arrow like Merida. Next time you visit the World, make sure you consider some of these activities for things to do when you are not in one of the four best parks on the map.

Side note: Last Thursday I graduated 8th grade. I got a Mickey graduation hat as a gift weeks prior to my graduation, so I took pictures in my gown with the hat on instead of the unoriginal cap and gown picture. Here is one of my favorites.

This Week’s “Where in the World?” is featured in one of my favorite parks and I love the design that the picture is a part of. Good luck to all of you!

See ya REAL soon!
~Makena W.

The post WDW Radio Kids & Teens Day: 7 Fun Things to Do Outside the Walt Disney World Parks appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #177 for the week of July 4, 2010. Happy Independence Day to everyone celebrating in the US and those who may be stationed or living overseas. I proudly dedicate this show to everyone who has ever sacrificed to ensure our continuing freedoms.

Captain EO, starring Michael Jackson, has returned to its home in Walt Disney World, and I had a chance to see the show just days before it opened to the public. This week, we’ll discuss its return, and talk with Disney executives, Imagineers and Guests and get their reactions as well. We’ll look at how the show compares to its 1986 debut and its possible future in Epcot.

I’ll open up the inbox again this week and answer more of your listener emails. Topics include the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion overlay, some additional Haunted Mansion trivia, dining choices in Walt Disney World, Winter Summerland, Port Orleans, ticket upgrade options, comparing the Magic Kingdom resorts, and much more.

I’ll play more of your voicemails and have a few announcements at the end of the show, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail TOLL FREE at 888-703-2171.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

INFORMATION AND LINKS FROM THIS WEEK’S SHOW

Listen to our Captain EO Wayback Machine look at its history, trivia and stories on WDW Radio Show #126

Read the full Captain EO Script

Glenn Whelan’s - The Pretty Good Movie Ride!

Stuck in the 80′s

Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World and other Disney Events and Meetups

To join us for a PRE-CRUISE stay in Walt Disney World before we embark on the Disney Dream on Feb. 27, 2011, visit MouseFanTravel for package information, including our Illuminations party! (Note: Package is only open to those confirmed as booked with us on the cruise. Rates INCLUDE the IllumiNations party the night before we embark)

Join us for other special events, Walt Disney World meetups and more! Get more information, dates and locations here

The post Show # 177 – July 4, 2010 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show – your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #46 for the week of December 23, 2007. Thank you for tuning in once again and happy holidays!

This week’s show will start off as always with some news from Walt Disney World, including a number of changes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, new dining venues at the Magic Kingdom, Pirate and Princess Party dates and more. Our trip to the Walt Disney World Rumor Mill talks about Imagination and Space Mountain.

Keeping in the holiday spirit, we’ll take a detailed look at another of Walt Disney World’s Hidden Treasures, the Winter Summerland Miniature golf courses. Made up of two different experiences, it’s an often overlooked gem of the resort that offers hours of inexpensive fun for everyone in the family.

Steve Barrett joins me once again to talk about some of Walt Disney World’s best, newest and most controversial Hidden Mickeys and we talk about some that come out just for the holiday season.

I’ll answer more of your emails, including questions about the Legend of the Lion King Show, breakfast at Epcot, characters in Epcot, watching the Super Bowl while at Walt Disney World and more.

So grab your eggnog, cozy up by the fire, sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Links and Information from this week’s show:

Visit my MouseFest 2007 Photo Gallery. Also check our Brian Fee’s MouseFest gallery.

 

Look for more details coming soon about the
WDW Radio Show Celebrity Mini-Golf Invitational
event to benefit the Dream Team Project!

Steve Soares’ Live Entertainment at Epcot

Rix Lounge at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

2008 Pirate and Princess Party at the Magic Kingdom dates:

January: 21, 26, 29
February: 2, 5, 9, 14, 22, 26
March: 1, 6, 11, 14
April: 1, 4, 6, 11, 16, 23, 29
May: 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 21, 26, 31
June: 4

Yacht Club Galley – Walt Disney World Resort

Circle of Life (from the Lion King) lyrics translation:

- Nants ingonyama (pronounced “ing-wen-ya-ma,”) bagithi baba [There comes a lion]
– Sithi uhhmm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion]
– Nants ingonyama bagithi baba [There comes a lion]
– Sithi uhhmm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion]
– Ingonyama
– Siyo Nqoba [We're going to conquer]
_Ingonyama
– Ingonyama nengw’ enamabaal [It's a lion and a tiger [or] a lion and tiger come to this open place]
– Ingonyama nengw’ enamabala (Se-to-kwa!)
– Ingonyama nengw’ enamabala (Asana)

Did you like this week’s show? If so, please review the show in iTunes!

Hidden Mickeys Guide – Steve Barrett’s Hidden Mickeys web site

Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon Challenge Contest

This is the next of our 13-part WDW ½ Marathon Challenge, where you get to play a new challenge every two weeks for chance to win all kinds of great prizes, as well as get to name the respective mile marker during the WDW ½ marathon in January. Winners will also get a custom certificate suitable for framing to congratulate you for your efforts. Also as part of the contest, Eric, owner of GeoMouse.com is generously donating $100 per mile to the DisneyWorldTrivia.com Dream Team project to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. At the end of the contest, we will have a drawing for a yet-to-be announced grand prize!

Send your entries to marathon@wdwradio.com

The post Show #46 – Dec. 23, 2007 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.