Little known things to do in WDW

CommandoDisney

Member
Original Poster
Hello everyone! its been awhile since i've posted here. whenever i come back from a WDW trip i have to stay away because otherwise i get sad! my last trip, i got engaged! and so this june, my fiance and i, along with my family will be returning to WDW... now we are not new to the parks by any means, and so we are wondering, what are some of the little known things that people like to do there? you know, like all the little extras that arent necessarily included in standard admission. an example: last trip we went on the illuminations boat cruise where we get to watch illuminations from a boat in the lagoon. it was awesome!

so what else do people recommend? the segwey tours? the backstage tours? the dolphins thing they do at the seas? it doesnt have to be little known, we are just looking for something new for us to do! thanks!
 

Kwit35

New Member
Something that is free that we enjoy is using the night vision goggles at AKL. Every night there are CM's available, with night vision goggles and lots of information about the animals. They used to stand in the area directly behind the lobby, but now they are in the area by the pool. We always try to make a special trip over there if we are not staying there, because we love it so much.
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
This is a list that was put together by another forum member. It contains many little known facts and a few not well know activities, most of which you already hit on in your original post.

I have not checked every item on this list for accuracy and some of the things might have changed due to refurbs so if you find something on this list that is not quite right let me know and I will update it. Also if anyone has new tidbits please let me know and I will add them.

Magic Kingdom
1. Cinderella’s Royal Table: Gus and Jaq are looking down over the foyer.
2. Tony’s Town Square: Paw prints of Lady and the Tramp outside of the porch on the sidewalk.
3. Hall of Presidents: Bill Clinton is the only president to wear a Mickey Mouse tie.
4. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: Some of the biggest point values are in the first room. Turn around and hit the back of the orange robot’s arm or the back of the buzz saw…. 100,000 points.
5. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: When you are in line the "story" of the attraction is unfolding. Once inside, all guests are being 'shrunk' to toy size so they are able to fit in the xp 37-space cruisers. This is why, once you get up to the Viewfinder and Magna Doodle and Buzz, they are all the same size as you. Then when the ride is over and you see Buzz telling you your scores and zurg behind bars, you return to normal 'human' size.
6. Haunted Mansion: The top of the building looks like chess pieces. The only one missing is the knight. (It’s inside) This particular element is rather controversial. Some the chess pieces were intention while others say it was coincidental.
7. Haunted Mansion: In the wire fencing around the mansion there are 999 stick people made out of the wire in the fence.
8. Haunted Mansion: Ballroom Scene: the ladies are leading the men.
9. Haunted Mansion: As soon as you enter the graveyard, you go under a tall gate, if you look really hard, at the top left-center portion of the gate, there is a paper tag. This is the original purchase tag from California, they forgot to remove it, and it is still there today!
10. Haunted Mansion: In the scene with the lone piano player, pay close attention to what's going on outside! Notice the direction the wind is blowing the tree compared to the direction the clouds are moving...
11. Haunted Mansion: In the endless hallway there is a chair with a Hidden Donald Duck embedded in it. This is another thing that appears to be more coincidence than intentional.
12. Haunted Mansion: As you exit look in the pet cemetery for a statue of Mr Toad.
13. Market House on Main Street: Go to the back of the store and look for an old fashioned phone. It’s called the Gossip Phone. Pick it up and listen to it. Sadly this phone is no longer there since the refurb in 2006/2007.
14. Center Street off of Main Street: go to the end of the street and listen carefully, you can hear tap dancing and singing lessons going on upstairs.
15. Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: In the first room there is a picture of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to Owl.
16. Under the Train Station: Keep your back to the castle and look up. In the rafters you can see some Disney character “items” left behind.
17. Main Street: After the afternoon parade goes by, watch the upstairs windows, they will close automatically. That is where some of the music is piped.
18. Behind the castle and to the left is a fountain with Cinderella. When children look at her (from a shorter perspective) it appears as if she has a crown. Adults need to bend (or bow) to her in order to see it too.
19. Liberty Square: there is a gate around a door. It guards a marble slab that used to be a step at Monticello. Jefferson actually walked on it. This is another piece of urban legend that does not appear to be true.
20. Magic Carpets of Aladdin: there are embedded jewels in the concrete around the ride.
21. Casey's Corner: I was sitting in the bleachers facing the TV showing Disney sports cartoons. On the same wall as the bleachers, there is a bunch of old baseball pictures. One in particular caught my attention. It seemed a lot newer than the other pictures-it wasn't really grainy at all, yet it was dated "1915." Also, the players were sitting on very modern-looking metal bleachers. The last thing I noticed was...THEY WERE ALMOST ALL WEARING PRECISELY THE SAME MOUSTACHE! Could these be the Imagineers who did the Casey's corner rehab a few years back? If you want to find it yourself, go in the TV room connected to Casey's Corner. The pictures are just inside the doorway, on the wall to the left. The picture I'm talking about is about at eye level.
22. Tinkerbell’s Treasures: Try to find Tinkerbell flitting around the store. Also you can peer through the key hole in the dresser and find her locked inside.
23. Tom Sawyer’s Island: Try to find one of the paintbrushes, and bring it back to a CM for head of the line passes.
24. Sir Mickey's Shop in Fantasyland: look at where the roof meets the walls. You will see Willie the Giant from Mickey and the Beanstalk peeking into the shop.
25. Liberty Square: The sidewalks are brown but the streets are not. People in that time dumped garbage out the windows, so Disney made it appear dirty.
26. Liberty Square: all the shutters on the windows are hanging crooked. This is because in those times leather was used to fasten shutters on and would stretch over time to hang crooked. The Imagineers used crooked metal fasteners.
27. Walt’s name only appears on one window on Main Street. It is the one above the ice cream parlor and is the only one that faces the Castle.
28. There is a silver plate that runs between Liberty Square and Frontierland. This plate represents the Mississippi River, separating the east from the west, and there is water flowing out from the plate into the Rivers of America. Additionally the buildings also reflect changes east to west from the colonial style to the frontier boomtown to the southwestern adobe buildings.

Epcot
1. Electric Umbrella: Look for the talking trashcan and the talking water fountain.
2. In Epcot, if you stand in the correct spot, you can see the Tower of Terror appear to be part of Morocco. The best spot to see it is near the souvenir stands between Future World and World Showcase, specifically the souvenir stand closer to Mexico. And since both have similar colors, they blend together decently.
3. Journey Into Imagination with Figment: as you are about to go into the sound room, look at one of the doors, it says Dean Finder(Dreamfinder). Also, in the finale, look to the Figment with the music book glider, there is a Dreammobile.
4. Mouse Gear: look for the blimp from the original JII, sans the balloon.
5. Spaceship Earth: the scene with the monks writing. One has fallen asleep and has a Mickey shaped ink blob next to him.
6. UK pavilion: there is a path running down the side of the Rose & Crown pub, which leads to a 'secret' garden.
7. Maelstrom: When boarding the boats look at the Vikings, one is wearing Mickey Mouse Ears.
8. Watch out for the rock formations on the shores of the Canada pavilion during Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. For the fireworks show, one of these boulders "breaks open," rising up into the air, a contoured piece of rock topping a pole equipped with lights and speakers for the show. Once Illuminations ends, the pole silently retracts back into the boulder, its rocky top preserving the appearance of the Canada shoreline. It's all part of Disney's attempt to preserve show elements--outside of show time, you'd never know it wasn't a real rock. A similar pole rises out of the rocks at the Japan pavilion, and two light poles are cleverly concealed in the Italy pavilion
9. Germany: The stone "castle" building, located in the Germany pavilion alongside the Biergarten Restaurant, was to have been the home of a Rhine River cruise attraction taking guests on a boat ride through the German countryside. But the attraction was never built. The main entrance to the ride would have been located at the back of the Sommerfest Outdoor Café.

Disney Studios
1. Tower of Terror: Look for marquee with missing letters, on the bottom, the fallen letters will read “Evil Tower U R Doom”. Sadly this has been removed.
2. Muppet Vision 3-D: Outside of the building there is graffiti written all over, stop and read the sometimes humorous messages.
3. Muppet Vision 3-D: Look for the key under the mat when entering the theater.
4. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: Outside of the theater there is a well. Pull on the rope that's dropped inside of the well and listen.
5. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: There are crates stacked in the bushes that say “don’t open”… Go ahead and open them.
6. Singing in the Rain Umbrella: Near Lights Motor Action at the end of NY Street. (Or whatever it’s called now)
7. Honey I Shrunk the Kids: Look for the dogs nose and stick your hand in its nostrils, it will sniff you (and sometimes sneeze!).
8. AFI shop at the Back Lot Tour ride: look for the area nearby which is stacked with wooden crates, open them and you will be rewarded with various silly effects.
9. Look for the snowman in MGM. Great photo op!

Animal Kingdom
1. Look for “DeVine” a real human vine, usually “hanging around” near or behind the Tree of Life.
2. Tusker House: sit outside on the back patio area when you eat and listen carefully. You can hear people upstairs who seem to be having trouble cleaning.
3. Tamu Refreshment Stand: Behind it is a half wall where a meet and greet takes place. The paint is chipping and one area of chipped off paint is a hidden Baloo.
4. Kali River Rapids: go on the bridge and find the buttons that allow the two elephants below squirt the riders.
5. Dinoland Playground: Try to open the door.

Downtown Disney
1. Downtown Disney Marketplace: go with your children and ask at one of the (Disney) store cash registers for the Sticker Hunt booklet. There are 15 different stickers to collect at each of 15 stores.
2. Art of Disney store: They run a quiz every day and give out prizes if you get them all right!

Resorts
1. Contemporary Resort: near the Monorail loading dock, there is a huge mosaic. Look for the 5 legged goat within that mosaic.
2. Port Orleans: the musical notes attached to the check in counter translate to “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
3. Fort Wilderness: Look for the lawn mower tree.
4. Wilderness Lodge: Has a smokehouse tour.
5. Wilderness Lodge: Get a hidden Mickey list and go on a hunt!
6. Wilderness Lodge: Go look for Old Faithful.

Everything Else
1. Monorail: Sit up front with the captain and get a co-pilot’s license.
2. Watercraft: take the boats or ferries and get a Disney Watercraft sticker.
3. Ask for a list of Hidden Mickey’s from Guest Relations.
4. Ask for a list of Pressed Pennies from Guest Relations.
5. The two colors Disney paints the backstage areas/show buildings are go Away Green and Blend In Brown. These two colors were made by Disney to paint things they did not want to be noticed.
6. Most people think of WDW as being "in Orlando". We Disney fans know that's not true. But even a lot of Disney fans don't realize that WDW is actually in two cities. The area that includes Magic Kingdom and Fort Wilderness is actually in the City of Bay Lake. The rest of the property is in Lake Buena Vista.
7. The original design for the resorts around The 7 Seas Lagoon were to mirror the lands in the Magic Kingdom
Poly - Adventureland
Wilderness lodge and Fort Wilderness - Frontierland
Contemp - Tomorrowland
Grand FL - Main Street
The resorts for Fantasyland and Liberty Square were never built.
 

MichWolv

Born Modest. Wore Off.
Premium Member
As you know, there are lots of little things. A few that my wife and I have enjoyed...

Hayride at Fort Wilderness
Fort Wilderness campfire program (sing-along followed by a movie)
See the Electrical Water Pageant
Boatride from POR to DTD (best at night)
Parasailing at Contemporary (haven't actually done that one due to my wife's fear that I will die if I do)
Take a walk all the around the lake at DTD, thereby earning you a sundae at Ghirardelli (the calories are about equal, right?!??!)
Backstage Magic Tour (all of the backstage tours are great, really)
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
As you know, there are lots of little things. A few that my wife and I have enjoyed...

Hayride at Fort Wilderness
Fort Wilderness campfire program (sing-along followed by a movie)
See the Electrical Water Pageant
Boatride from POR to DTD (best at night)
Parasailing at Contemporary (haven't actually done that one due to my wife's fear that I will die if I do)
Take a walk all the around the lake at DTD, thereby earning you a sundae at Ghirardelli (the calories are about equal, right?!??!)
Backstage Magic Tour (all of the backstage tours are great, really)
That depends. If you start at the west side and walk around the earth to get to the market place I think it will even out.:lol:
 

radiohost

Well-Known Member
The pirate cruise that departs the contemporary and takes you in front of the castle for fireworks.

Includes snacks and drinks before the cruise.

Characters include Capn Hook, Smee and Peter Pan....also your skipper on board is a pirate


Radiohost:cool:
 

k.hunter30

New Member
The pirate cruise that departs the contemporary and takes you in front of the castle for fireworks.

Includes snacks and drinks before the cruise.

Characters include Capn Hook, Smee and Peter Pan....also your skipper on board is a pirate


Radiohost:cool:
That's only for magical gatherings I believe. By the sound of it, he won't have a big enough party to do that one.
 

CommandoDisney

Member
Original Poster
these are some great suggestions! i wasnt expecting such a quick response! some of us were thinking about trying parasailing. the pirate cruise would be awesome if we could do that, but yeah, we dont have a very large group.

i didnt even know about the night vision goggles! we are usually out of DAK by mid afternoon!

Master Yoda, thats an incredible list, i have found a bunch of those but the rest should be fun finding!

any more ideas? keep them coming!
 

MichWolv

Born Modest. Wore Off.
Premium Member
these are some great suggestions! i wasnt expecting such a quick response! some of us were thinking about trying parasailing. the pirate cruise would be awesome if we could do that, but yeah, we dont have a very large group.

i didnt even know about the night vision goggles! we are usually out of DAK by mid afternoon!

Master Yoda, thats an incredible list, i have found a bunch of those but the rest should be fun finding!

any more ideas? keep them coming!

The night vision goggles are at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, not DAK. Go through the AKL lobby and out the back, walking towards the rocks that overlook the savannah. The CMs will be there with the goggles.
 

k.hunter30

New Member
The night vision goggles are at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, not DAK. Go through the AKL lobby and out the back, walking towards the rocks that overlook the savannah. The CMs will be there with the goggles.
As Kwit35 mentioned, I think the night vision goggles have actually been moved to closer to the hot tubs, behind the pool. The last time we were there we had a hard time finding them, since we were used to them being behind the rocks in back of the lobby.
 

OGMickey

Member
during the food and wine festival in October - November on Saturday night ... there is a party called party for the senses ...its about $90 plus the admission to Epcot.....its famous chefs and wineries from around the world cooking there best recipes for the guests...its set up into stations and u can eat and drink all u want...plus when i worked the parties back in ‘04 they had circ de sole performing during the party ...trust me its worth the money u will leave full and a bit tipsy
 

swimmom

Well-Known Member
A carriage ride at WL is fun & relaxing. We took a "sleigh ride" in December and it was so quiet & relaxing after a busy day. I didn't know that there was such a quiet place in WDW????
 

sublimesting

Well-Known Member
Surprised Master Yoda missed this little gem:

The Kodak shop on Main Street has, all the way in the back, a theater showing old Disney cartoons. It also has some cut out scenes for your photo taking enjoyment and.... it is a character staging area, so costumed characters are always walking in and out of the area. The DW and I saw 6 different characters over 15 minutes in there and NOT ONE OTHER GUEST came back there the whole time.
 

lpet11984

Well-Known Member
The Kodak shop on Main Street has, all the way in the back, a theater showing old Disney cartoons. It also has some cut out scenes for your photo taking enjoyment and.... it is a character staging area, so costumed characters are always walking in and out of the area. The DW and I saw 6 different characters over 15 minutes in there and NOT ONE OTHER GUEST came back there the whole time.

That's awesome! Will definitely have to remember this...

Great thread, helping to collect everything in one place...I'm enjoying reading.
 

k.hunter30

New Member
Surprised Master Yoda missed this little gem:

The Kodak shop on Main Street has, all the way in the back, a theater showing old Disney cartoons. It also has some cut out scenes for your photo taking enjoyment and.... it is a character staging area, so costumed characters are always walking in and out of the area. The DW and I saw 6 different characters over 15 minutes in there and NOT ONE OTHER GUEST came back there the whole time.
That's cool. Can you stop them for a picture and/or autograph?
 

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
Surprised Master Yoda missed this little gem:

The Kodak shop on Main Street has, all the way in the back, a theater showing old Disney cartoons. It also has some cut out scenes for your photo taking enjoyment and.... it is a character staging area, so costumed characters are always walking in and out of the area. The DW and I saw 6 different characters over 15 minutes in there and NOT ONE OTHER GUEST came back there the whole time.

Dang, this was going to be my recommendation. It's hardly ever busy in the theater, and it's a GREAT place to beat the heat, especially if you want to cool off and not be a sweaty mess before walking into Tony's Town Square or any of the other nearby sit-down restaurants. And it ain't a trip to Disney without seeing at least one or two old Disney cartoons, IMHO.

The only drawback is, once in a while, it's closed off for DVC presentations.
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Surprised Master Yoda missed this little gem:

The Kodak shop on Main Street has, all the way in the back, a theater showing old Disney cartoons. It also has some cut out scenes for your photo taking enjoyment and.... it is a character staging area, so costumed characters are always walking in and out of the area. The DW and I saw 6 different characters over 15 minutes in there and NOT ONE OTHER GUEST came back there the whole time.
I will add that to the list.
 

sublimesting

Well-Known Member
I always recommend being very nosy and explore and do things you wouldn't normally do. Last year the DW and I walked into Main Street and the steam car was sitting there. We assumed it was not running as no one got on it. Well, we never rode anything on Main Street and weren't going to ride that either but decided to anyways. We asked if it worked and was told it did so we hopped in. We were all by ourselves and then the barbershop quartet hopped onto the 4 corners of the outside and began singing and off we went to the castle listening to barbershop quartet music "in stereo"! We got dropped off right in front of the castle for the afternoon show AND at some point during the ride some CM put Mickey stickers on our backs.

That was such a magical experience we never would've had had we not done something out of the ordinary. Same as stumbling upon the theater by wandering about.
 

disney21

New Member
so what else do people recommend? the segwey tours? the backstage tours? the dolphins thing they do at the seas? it doesnt have to be little known, we are just looking for something new for us to do! thanks!

I did the segway tour on my last trip , and if you're thinking about doing it-- I'd say go for it! I had a blast on the segway itself and the tour took us through world showcase before it was opened. (which of course was neat).. I developed a better appreciation of world showcase and the actual buildings, etc..., & the guide added in tons of fun facts!~ :wave:
 

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