Geocaching and Disney

[Tommy Evans]

I'd love to hear your feedback on this...

Let me preface this by saying that my family and I love to go geocaching. If you are not familiar with this hobby, then this may not be a topic for you (but you can learn about it at geocaching.com). If so, read on...

Our family will be going to Walt Disney World in a few weeks, and will be there on February 29th - "leap day". I'm planning on catching a virtual geocache at Magic Kingdom to obtain the souvenir for finding a cache. But there's also a souvenir for attending an event. SO - I created at event at Magic Kingdom - just 45 minutes in the evening right before our dinner reservations. I thought it would be very cool to meet other cachers from all over the US / world, chat a little, and get the event souvenir.
I created the event, but the reviewer denied it because it would require people to have a park ticket. But - that's the whole idea. If I held the event off Disney property, then I'd expect to get a lot of locals attending, and that's not really the point.

I'm just wondering how many geocachers go to Disney, and - specifically -how many will be there on February 29th.

 

[Flippin'Flounder]

I'd love to hear your feedback on this...

Let me preface this by saying that my family and I love to go geocaching. If you are not familiar with this hobby, then this may not be a topic for you (but you can learn about it at geocaching.com). If so, read on...

Our family will be going to Walt Disney World in a few weeks, and will be there on February 29th - "leap day". I'm planning on catching a virtual geocache at Magic Kingdom to obtain the souvenir for finding a cache. But there's also a souvenir for attending an event. SO - I created at event at Magic Kingdom - just 45 minutes in the evening right before our dinner reservations. I thought it would be very cool to meet other cachers from all over the US / world, chat a little, and get the event souvenir.
I created the event, but the reviewer denied it because it would require people to have a park ticket. But - that's the whole idea. If I held the event off Disney property, then I'd expect to get a lot of locals attending, and that's not really the point.

I'm just wondering how many geocachers go to Disney, and - specifically -how many will be there on February 29th.

I don't geocach, but I've always wanted too. What if you have it a DTD? I'm not positive how it would work, but I don't think many locals would go. A resort might work too.

 

[danitaytay]

I'd love to hear your feedback on this...

Let me preface this by saying that my family and I love to go geocaching. If you are not familiar with this hobby, then this may not be a topic for you (but you can learn about it at geocaching.com). If so, read on...

Our family will be going to Walt Disney World in a few weeks, and will be there on February 29th - "leap day". I'm planning on catching a virtual geocache at Magic Kingdom to obtain the souvenir for finding a cache. But there's also a souvenir for attending an event. SO - I created at event at Magic Kingdom - just 45 minutes in the evening right before our dinner reservations. I thought it would be very cool to meet other cachers from all over the US / world, chat a little, and get the event souvenir.
I created the event, but the reviewer denied it because it would require people to have a park ticket. But - that's the whole idea. If I held the event off Disney property, then I'd expect to get a lot of locals attending, and that's not really the point.

I'm just wondering how many geocachers go to Disney, and - specifically -how many will be there on February 29th.

I love geocaching! I've done it tons of times with my camp group [we're a bunch of nature nerds, lol]. I think the idea of doing it in Disney is awesome! Unfortunately I won't be there but I'm sure any geocacher who's there would love to take part.
I know there's a whole Harry Potter themed one in London that's based off of where J.K. Rowling wrote the books and such [had a good friend do it], so it'd be really cool to start one up at DW. Disney Springs is definitely an option since it's open to the public for free, or even one of the mini golf courses
Good luck!

 

[DisneyChik17]

I have never done GeoCaching, but I have always wanted to! If I am off work, I would be down to meet-up and try it out! Then if I don't like geocaching, I'm still in WDW! Can't lose!

 

[yensid67]

So, Geocaching is a digital scavenger hunt? If you put your geocache 'treasure' somewhere on Disney property, don't you think security might get involved somehow when someone sees a strange box and reports it!? Just asking!

 

[SAV]

So, Geocaching is a digital scavenger hunt? If you put your geocache 'treasure' somewhere on Disney property, don't you think security might get involved somehow when someone sees a strange box and reports it!? Just asking!

The reviewers don't allow physical geocaches on property, so this isn't a concern. But there are virtual caches that can be "found".

And the OP is talking about arranging an "event", a sort of meet & greet, inside the park. That will not have any physical container to find. Just show up, sign the paper that you were there and then log it on-line.

 

[SAV]

Instead of Geocaching, I now do Munzee. It's kinda-sorta like Geocaching, but it is QR code based and virtual based instead of finding containers. Munzee is all about the points, where as geocaching is not. There are thousands of Virtual Munzee's on property and MK has around 800 virtual markers alone. Off property, people will place a QR code sticker on signs or lamp posts that need to be scanned with your phone. The type you scan has various points associated with it. It is totally free to do.

If you are interested in Munzee and may sign up, please drop me a PM for my referral code. I will get points for referring you and get points as you accumulate your points.

 

[J_Krafty24]

Another similar game you can play at Disney (or almost anywhere) is Ingress. It is compleatly virtual and doesnt involve hidden tupperware or defacing property with stickers (even though neither of these aspects are in effect on disney property with the other two). It is also more of a video game than the others in the sense that you are actually capturing the datapoints and sometimes battling other players for them. You are part of a team fighting for world domination.

 

[Phonedave]

There used to be physical caches on property - some just on property (one outside the international gateway) and also in the parks (on hidden in the rafters of the stave church in EPCOT)

Groundspeak then made a rule that caches (virtual or physical) could not be placed in an area that required admission or membership to get into, They had to be accessable to all. The ones on Disney property were grandfathered in.

The CM's sort of knew about the caches and looked the other way, but then there was an incided where a guest saw somone retreiving and replacing a cache and thought it was a bomb,. Well, WDW pulled all the caches in response. The cache reports started comming in that all of the caches on WDW were gone, and that was then end of that, no more physical caches on WDW property - the virtual ones still exist (as far as I know, I haven't geochached in a long time)

The OP wants to create a virtual geocache inside the park, which required admission. He states "I created the event, but the reviewer denied it because it would require people to have a park ticket. But - that's the whole idea. If I held the event off Disney property, then I'd expect to get a lot of locals attending, and that's not really the point." Well that IS the whole point they dont allow them in ticketed areas. because they dont want them to exclude people.

I'm phonedave over on geocaching,com if anybody cares to see the WDW caches - most of my Florida finds are in WDW.


-dave

 

[righttrack]

Aw they removed them? Ugh

I enjoyed doing this with my kids maybe 3 years ago

 

[DizneyPryncess]

My family loves geocaching, but we've only gone in Pennsylvania. I wondered about Disney in the past, but didn't figure they ever would've been allowed on property. I agree that Disney Springs is a good idea, or the Boardwalk.

 

[Phonedave]

My family loves geocaching, but we've only gone in Pennsylvania. I wondered about Disney in the past, but didn't figure they ever would've been allowed on property. I agree that Disney Springs is a good idea, or the Boardwalk.

Groundspeak (the comany that runs Geocaching.com) will not allow them to be posted, and if they somehow were, WDW management would remove them. There used to be one right by the international gateway, and there was one by the bus stop in what was Downtown Dinsey, as well as a couple of others around property. They have been gone for years now.

 

[Polydweller]

Groundspeak (the comany that runs Geocaching.com) will not allow them to be posted, and if they somehow were, WDW management would remove them. There used to be one right by the international gateway, and there was one by the bus stop in what was Downtown Dinsey, as well as a couple of others around property. They have been gone for years now.

Groundspeak doesn't allow them because Disney told them that physical geocaches were not allowed on property. Things were fine until a few years ago someone placed a cache along the path to SSR (an ammo box I think) that caused some panic with guests leading to police response and shut down of the area for a few hours while they dealt with the suspicious package.

Disney then removed all the physical caches and told groundspeak that only virtuals would be allowed and of course as we geocachers know groundspeak had stopped allowing virtuals. Too bad because there were some good physical ones including one hidden in the eaves of the Stave Church.

 

[Phonedave]

Groundspeak doesn't allow them because Disney told them that physical geocaches were not allowed on property. Things were fine until a few years ago someone placed a cache along the path to SSR (an ammo box I think) that caused some panic with guests leading to police response and shut down of the area for a few hours while they dealt with the suspicious package.

Disney then removed all the physical caches and told groundspeak that only virtuals would be allowed and of course as we geocachers know groundspeak had stopped allowing virtuals. Too bad because there were some good physical ones including one hidden in the eaves of the Stave Church.

Yeah, I found that Stave Church one.

You are right, in a normal situation, caches would be allowed in places like SSR and Disney Springs, because they are publically accessable, but Disney has told Groundspeak that caches are not allowed.

 

[Captain Hank]

To the OP--as a geocacher in the WDW area who has hosted and attended events, usually there are a good number of tourists that come to events held off of WDW property. Also, we local cachers don't bite.

 

[Zipadeelady]

@Tommy Evans thanks for reminding me that this exists. My family has only found one cache before and that was at Myrtle Beach State Park. It was some thing the park listed to do so we found the box but that was years ago. What a great thing for me to start doing with my 13 year old son. I've got to get him off the Playstation somehow.

 

[Polydweller]

To the OP--as a geocacher in the WDW area who has hosted and attended events, usually there are a good number of tourists that come to events held off of WDW property. Also, we local cachers don't bite.

There have also been a couple in DTD before it became Disney Springs. Could that still be a possibility? And possibly any spot that doesn't require admission.

If one wants to geocache offsite there lots nearby outside WDW. There are done interesting one's in Celebration that are safe to do for those who don't know the area.

 

[DarthMileZ]

I geocache but not all the time, just here and there, Disney Paris has a couple of official disney ones. but i dont know if they are gone now..

there are some on the resorts in WDW and some at Universal but none in the actual disney parks.

I drive suprisingly has none. but there are a ton of them out near the airport.

 

[DarthMileZ]