Category Archives: Kid Friendly

The wilderness (of Florida and California) must be explored!

Animal Kingdom, Disneyland, In the Parks, Kid Friendly, Magical Adventures (free!) September 26, 2013 Leave a comment
Wilderness Explorers at Animal Kingdom

Wilderness Explorers at Animal Kingdom

One of the newer activities at Animal Kingdom is the Wilderness Explorers scavenger hunt.  It’s based on the Disney movie Up, and there are several places to sign up around the park. Just keep an eye out for  wilderness guides dressed in khaki and an orange neckerchief to get a Wilderness Explorer Handbook and pass initiation into the explorers by learning the special call named the Caw Caw Roar, pledging to be “a friend to all.” The badge guides are standing by at each stop to help the explorers learn about the ways of the wilderness and many of the skills that are required to navigate the woods.  There are 31 badges to achieve so it could take as much or as little of the day (or several days) as you’d like.
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Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure

Epcot, In the Parks, Kid Friendly, Magical Adventures (free!) August 4, 2013 Leave a comment
Agent P's World Showcase Adventure

Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure

Epcot has a reputation for not being kid friendly, but on all of our trips one of my daughter’s favorite things to do is Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure in Epcot.  (There was previously a similar adventure based on Kim Possible from the Disney TV show, but was reimagineered a few years ago based on the popularity of Phineas and Ferb.)

Phinneas and Ferb is one of the few shows on the Disney channel that I can stand to watch and the only one that I actually enjoy.  Agent P is the secret code name of Perry the Platypus, the googly-eyed pet of Phineas and Ferb.

Agent P

Agent P

The missions are set up as an interactive scavenger hunt using a cellphone-like controller called a F.O.N.E. (Field Operative Notification Equipment.)  There are 4 stations where you can sign up for a mission: Continue reading →

The Cheapest Souvenirs at Disney World (less than $1!)

In the park activities, In the Parks, Kid Friendly July 15, 2013 1 Comment

In a place as well known for being expensive as it is for Mickey Mouse, it’s easy to spend a fortune on souvenirs at Disney World.  I’ve read lots of articles on strategies for saving money on souvenirs, such as buying items outside of the parks, giving each child (or adult) an allowance that they can spend however they want, and waiting until the last day to purchase all souvenirs so that the items don’t add up to a huge expense a little at a time over the course of the week.

After visiting the parks many times, it’s easier for us to cut back on souvenirs, but even so we probably spent $75 on the last trip.  My husband got a new visor and (several) Minnie’s Bakeshop cookies to bring home and I got a scarf plus a few antenna toppers.  My daughter’s tastes are a little less expensive.  We gave her a $50 gift card to spend however she liked and it was split between pins for her pin trading and Goofy’s cherry sour balls (those are addictive!)
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The thing about hidden Mickeys…

In the park activities, In the Parks, Kid Friendly July 5, 2013 Leave a comment

Since we’ve been to Disney several times over the past few years, sometimes we get to the point of been-there-done-that, which takes away some of the magical feeling we love about Disney.  It doesn’t happen all the time, but it most recently happened on a long holiday weekend trip where we didn’t plan our daily itinerary very well and we ended up wandering around aimlessly and left disappointed.  When planning our latest vacation, which we had the luxury of staying for 8 days, we knew that we needed to plan some new experiences to keep us excited and engaged in the parks for an entire week.  My husband has always wanted to search for hidden Mickeys and we figured that was a good way to see something ‘new’ in the places we’ve seen many times.

So before leaving on our trip we purchased Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets by Steven M. Barrett.  I was excited because it was the newest version including the new Fantasyland – little did I know when I bought it, Fantasyland would be where we found the best one!

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Happy Father’s Day Mr. Incredible!

Disney reflections, Kid Friendly June 14, 2013 Leave a comment

In honor of Father’s Day I just wanted to say thanks to my husband who is a great dad who always works hard, even on vacation!

My husband, Mr. Incredible

My husband, Mr. Incredible

Here are just a few of the many things he does to make him our Mr. Incredible:

1.  Holding our daughter on his shoulders so she can see the shows, no matter how heavy she gets or how hot it is:

Magic Kingdom1Magic Kingdom2Magic Kingdom3Magic Kingdom4

2.  Dancing with her at the dance parties:

Dance Party1Dance Party2

3. Swimming even when it’s cold:

Pool

4.  Carrying just about everything:

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Seeing him with our daughter reminds me of my dad, and even though we never went to Disney when I was a kid, my dad came to Disney with us last year (now as grandpa too!)  To all the dads out there, but especially my 2 favorite dads, Happy Father’s Day!  Love you and can’t wait until we’re all back in the bubble together again!

Happy Father's Day Dad, Love You!!

Happy Father’s Day Dad, Love You!!

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