I was sent this list when planning a trip back in 2007.  To my knowledge all of the information is still relevant.

Great Free Things Most People Do Not Know About At Walt Disney World

  1. Resort Tip -Campfire Sing-Along with Chip & Dale and Outdoor Movie at the Disney Fort Wilderness Campground. A Disney Cast Member* plays guitar and leads songs while Chip & Dale go around to the guests seated on benches. Afterwards, a Disney movie is shown on an outdoor screen. You do not need to stay at the campground to do this. When: Every Night.

  2. Resort Tip -Barnyard Animal Viewing area at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground. When: Daily – closes mid-afternoon. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has a Savannah with giraffes and other animals you can view when dining at or visiting the resort.

  3. Resort Tip - The Electric Water Pageant is a floating parade offered nightly on the Seven Seas Lagoon by the Magic Kingdom resort area.

  4. Are you staying at one of the Deluxe resorts? Ask if they offer any resort tours or special activities during your visit. For example, the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers a nightly storyteller near the fire pit. The Wilderness Lodge gives tours different times during the week and you can pick up a list of resort “Hidden Mickey’s” from guest services and go on a hunt. Other resorts have similar events.

  5. Ask to ride up front with the Driver on the Monorail. Your children may even get a “Monorail License”. You can ask to wait until the next monorail if someone is already in the front.

  6. There are free Soda Samples from around the world at Club Cool in Epcot. They’re interesting to try and most are tasty. One is horrible but I won’t spoil the surprise.

  7. Epcot - You can send e-postcards with your picture included to friends & family from the ImageWorks lab kiosks at the end of the Journey into Imagination with Figment ride in the Imagination Pavilion. Send funny animated e-postcards can be sent from the kiosks found at the Training Lab at the end of the Mission Space ride. Free e-postcards are also available from the Kiosk near the Kidcot area in the Mexico Pavilion.

  8. Speaking of Kidcot Stations – did you know that your child can decorate a free posterboard mask at any Kidcot station in Epcot? Look for the stations near attractions and especially in the World Showcase. You can add a decoration at each station. These usually close in the late afternoon. If the attendant in the China pavilion is from China or from Japan in the Japan Pavilion, ask them to write your child’s name in their language on the mask. Seeing their name written in another language was a highlight for my kids.

  9. Try riding a Segway without having to book a tour at the Segway exhibit in the Innoventions West building at Epcot. You must be at least 16 years old and under 250 pounds to ride. It usually opens around 1:00 PM.

  10. Younger kids can participate in a free Ladybug release program at The Great American Farm exhibit in Innoventions West. This usually happens daily at 11:30AM.

  11. Seeing Miyuki, the candy artist, in the Japan pavilion is one of our favorite things to do at Epcot. Check your times guide (she usually appears Monday through Thursday) – then arrive about 15 minutes early and wait near her cart. If your child is waiting politely, he or she may get to select an animal for her to make. They will get to keep the candy creation. Waiting politely is essential – she doesn’t select children calling, “pick me, pick me” etc.

  12. Are you celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or honeymoon? Is this your first visit to Disney World? Be sure to stop by guest services at any Disney theme park to get the free special pin/button. Wear it and you’ll get a lot of well wishes from Cast Members and other guests but you might even get some special benefits like getting to sit in the VIP area at Beauty and the Beast in Disney-MGM Studios.

  13. Children under 12 can bake and then sample cookies at the Jr. Chef Station in the lower level of the Land Pavilion in Epcot. This is offered periodically through day – usually on the half hour from 12:30 to 4:30 PM - so check the times board near the Jr. Chef Station. This Jr. Chef Station if found to the right of The Land Boat ride, near the food court. Arrive about 15 minutes early. This takes about 25 minutes.

  14. Ride the first raft (about 10 AM) to Tom Sawyer’s Island in Frontier Land at the Magic Kingdom. Take the trails and be on the look-out for paint brushes with dried paint on the bristles laying around (there are about 6 per day). If you find one, take it to the Disney Cast Member and you’ll be given a “Magical Memories” certificate good for a fastpass for your entire family for either Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Limit: 1 per family.

  15. The first child at the Tinkerbell Treasures gift shop in the Magic Kingdom can ask to “wake up Tinkerbell”. The child uses a wand and Tinkerbell flies from her box to a drawer with sound affects. The kids are sometimes given a certificate or Tinkerbell stickers. The shop is located behind the castle, in Fantasy land.

  16. There is a children’s rollercoaster called “Goofy’s Barnstormer” in Mickey’s Toontown Fair at the Magic Kingdom. If this is your child’s first rollercoaster ride, tell the Cast Member and you may be given a little printed card to commemorate the event – great for scrapbooks.

  17. Are you a proud military veteran? Stop by the Magic Kingdom City Hall in early in the morning and ask if you can be the “Veteran of the Day” for the Flag Retreat Ceremony (usually around 5:00 PM). If chosen, you may receive a certificate as a souvenir of the experience.

  18. Stop by the Fantastic Plastic Works exhibit in the Innoventions East pavilion at Epcot and you’ll be able to create your own free robot souvenir with snap-together parts from the Manufacture & Create Zone portion of the exhibit.

The next items aren’t really free things – they’re just some of our favorite hidden gems in the Disney parks. We hope they add to the magic for you.

  • In Disney-MGM Studios, there is a “Singing in the Rain” umbrella attached to a lamp post. It is a great photo opportunity and a pressure pad under the umbrella usually (unless malfunctioning) will release “rain”. The lamp post is in the Streets of America area across from Lights, Motors, Action!

  • As you exit Star Tours (outside of the gift shop) in Disney-MGM Studios, you’ll see a “Speeder Bike” in front of an Endor background. People often assume that it is only for display but you are welcome to sit on it - this makes a great picture. Other wonderful photo opportunities in Disney-MGM Studios are the car outside Sci-Fi Dine In and all over the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area.

  • In Animal Kingdom, there is a bridge near Kali River Rapids. There are buttons that cause the elephant statues to spray water on the riders in the rafts below.

  • The Animal Kingdom Times Guide does a terrible job of highlighting all the wonderful live entertainment available at this park. One of our favorites are “DiVine” on the trail between Asia and Africa. She looks like a vine and literally blends in with the landscaping when she isn’t moving. Two other excellent groups are the Karuka Acrobats and the Tam Tam’s of Congo which both perform in the Harambe area of the “Africa” area.

  • Did you know that closing time at the Magic Kingdom just means you must be on your last ride or in line for the ride by that time? The shops along Main Street generally stay open for about an hour after closing time. There’s no good reason to rush to the lines forming for transportation so take your time and enjoy a few last views of the castle when it is lit up after dark. Stop and notice the window displays in the Emporium (right side of the street as you face the train station, near City Hall). Each window display is a shadow-box or diorama that depicts a different Disney animated movie and most have some form of movement. Most people walk right by and never notice these fascinating displays.

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