Disney Adventures on the Cheap

My family has gotten to the point where we don't have toddlers any more but we also don't have teenagers.  One thing about Disney that is very important for my family is that we spend our time all together, it's why we always choose Disney as our vacation spot!  When planning our vacations we like to plan a few big adventures for them, such as the Pirate Cruise which they could all go on together.  Children ages 4-12 will be outfitted with a red/white striped pirate Mickey hat (or a bandanna) and board their pirate ship (pontoon boat) under the supervision of the "pirate" crew. At each "port of call" a new treasure awaits. At the final stop, they can share their booty while enjoying lunch. At least two CPR-certified Cast Members accompany the children. All participants must be potty trained. (No Pull-Ups.)  Lunch is usually Peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables, Goldfish crackers, Rice Krispie Treat and fruit punch juice box.

• Albatross Treasure Cruise - Yacht and Beach Club dock on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The two hour voyage begins at 9:30am
• Disney's Pirate Adventure - Grand Floridian dock on Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The two hour voyage begins at 9:30am
• Island of the Caribbean Pirate Cruise - Caribbean Beach Resort dock on Sunday, Tuesday, Friday. The two hour voyage begins at 9:30am.
• Bayou Pirate Cruise - Port Orleans Riverside dock on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. The two hour voyage begins at 9:30am.

You can book this 180 days in advance by calling 407-WDW-PLAY

  The cost is $31.95 per child, a credit card is required at the time of booking, and parents must sign a waver upon arrival. Cancellation policy is 24 hours in advance and no show/not canceled 24 hours in advance, is full charge.  

  We also set up for our kiddos to get Pirate'd up at Pirates League but after that and planning character meals and other reservations we were tapped out!  But luckily Disney thinks of everything!! On our first trip to EPCOT the kids could not wait to do Agent P's  World Showcase Adventure.  They had seen shorts about it on the Disney Channel and were so excited!  It is  an interactive attraction at the World Showcase at Epcott at Walt Disney World Resort, which had its soft opening on June 15, 2012, and official opening June 23 of that same year, replacing Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. Guests who register at one of five locations within Epcot use a F.O.N.E. - or Field Operative Notifacation Equipment - supplied by sponsor Verizon Wireless, to become agents of O.W.C.A. and help Perry the Platypuss defeat Dr. Doofenshmirtz through the seven country pavilions represented in the World Showcase area by getting clues on their devices for each case. You can do as many as you want or you can stop after each mission.  I loved them all and my kids were really great at taking turns when the music would tell them to, it was fun to see little figures come to life and for them to feel apart of the mission.  And it is all free!!!! 

  Another free favorite at EPCOT was kidcot stations.  Kids can stop and pick a cut out of Agent P or Duffy and color them. They can then take them to each country and get a stamp for.  There are passports that you can purchase for about $10 each but we did not see those till they had almost all the stamps and they were very happy with what they had colored and they are now hung up on their walls. 

  Out of all the free activities we found Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was the family favorite! 

You join Merlin’s elite squadron of apprentice sorcerers at the Firehouse on Main Street, U.S.A. or behind the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square, where you’ll be given all the tools you’ll need to help you on your quest. Using Merlin’s mystical map, embark on missions throughout Main Street, U.S.A.; Adventureland; Fantasyland; Frontierland and Liberty Square. Unlock Magic Portals using your Sorcerer Key card, and challenge Hades and his henchmen using Spell Cards. You can complete as many or as few missions as you wish. Merlin and the keepers of Magic Kingdom park are grateful for any help they can get! And speaking of help, a different Disney pal will pop up to guide you on each portion of your quest—and congratulate you as you thwart each Disney Villain.  Cruella De Vil, Jafar, Ursula, Scar and many more evil doers will be doing their best to get to each crystal shard before you do, so hold onto your wizard hat and get ready for spellbinding adventures at every turn! Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is included in your theme park admission.
   Once you get into to the park you can head over to the fire house to get a pack of cards per ticket, they do sell accessories such as shirts with power boosts and special card carriers but we never bought any of those and finished the whole game, we all loved it and actually were all excited to do the different spells, this is something fun for all ages as you will see everyone from kiddos to older adults at the portals waiting to battle the bad guys!  I also loved it because they had all different cards so all the kiddos were super excited to use one of their favorite characters.  FREE!
  Of course there is always autographs and pin trading that you can also do for free and give you a souvenir to take home and remember the memories!  Oh and there are a few rides at WDW too, just in case you get bored! 

Till next time,
Hugs and Mickey kisses!!
April