Tips about Characters and Epcot

ALL PARKS - For those who have little ones who don't like the "line ride" at the beginning of most attractions or for those who hate waiting in queues themselves, spotting Hidden Mickey's is a wonderful diversion. We made small index card booklets listing all "confirmed" Hidden Mickey's in each park, organized by lands and attractions. They fit easily in a pocket or daypack and can be decorated with character stickers. We took the one for the park(s) we were in each day and looked for HM's in line or checked to see where we could find them once on the ride. An added benefit was getting to meet the numerous other guests who asked what we were reading and pointing at. This decreased the frustration of line-waiting even more. I think we made many other HM fans and also took the opportunity to mention ALL EARS® to them. Hopefully we helped (in a small way) your goal of making the 25,000 subscriber mark! - Gavin Adams

EDITOR'S NOTE:: To learn more about Hidden Mickey's, go to: http://allears.net/btp/hiddenm.htm

EPCOT - My favorite "overlooked attraction" in Epcot is the talks given in Seabase Alpha (in the Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion). They are free, last about 15-30 minutes and are very informative. The fish feeding one had a diver waving to my 10-year-daughter and the zoologist explaining and answering questions. - Alan from the UK

EPCOT - My favorite "overlooked attraction" in Epcot is the talks given in Seabase Alpha (in the Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion). They are free, last about 15-30 minutes and are very informative. The fish feeding one had a diver waving to my 10-year-daughter and the zoologist explaining and answering questions. - Alan from the UK

EPCOT - An excellent article about Overlooked Attractions at Epcot. I was pleased that you hit most of my favorites, and that I knew about all the ones you had listed. I was surprised, however, that two of my absolute favorites were missing.

The first are the Milestones of Invention. They're located in the ground as you pass through the west portal on your way to The Land. Although there are some inaccuracies in it, it still can be kinda neat as you see where some of history's inventions fit.

The second are a collection of photographs and pictures that adorn the corridor outside the exit to Club Cool. Make a right out of Club Cool and through the doors and look to your right. There are photographs of things ranging from the first multi-plane camera to Walt presenting The Florida Project to the world. The latter includes a fairly good map of his plans. Overhead are banners that illustrate the evolution of ideas, using various Epcot icons as examples. - Allen Firstenberg

EPCOT - An excellent article about Overlooked Attractions at Epcot. I was pleased that you hit most of my favorites, and that I knew about all the ones you had listed. I was surprised, however, that two of my absolute favorites were missing.

The first are the Milestones of Invention. They're located in the ground as you pass through the west portal on your way to The Land. Although there are some inaccuracies in it, it still can be kinda neat as you see where some of history's inventions fit.

The second are a collection of photographs and pictures that adorn the corridor outside the exit to Club Cool. Make a right out of Club Cool and through the doors and look to your right. There are photographs of things ranging from the first multi-plane camera to Walt presenting The Florida Project to the world. The latter includes a fairly good map of his plans. Overhead are banners that illustrate the evolution of ideas, using various Epcot icons as examples. - Allen Firstenberg

EPCOT - I really loved your article on overlooked attractions at EPCOT - we've actually managed to see most of the ones that you mentioned, but we'll be looking for the ones that we've missed. However, while you mentioned the butterfly garden, you didn't mention the rose garden. It's nothing other than a small, alternate path between Innoventions and the World Showcase Lagoon (on the right as you face the World Showcase Lagoon), but it's usually fairly deserted, and it is lined with hundreds of rose bushes, all different varieties.

My husband and I like to walk along this path (OK, I probably enjoy it more than my husband), stopping and looking at the beautiful roses and smelling the different fragrances. Most of the varieties are marked with a small plaque, so if you find something you really like, you could write it down. There are one or two benches along this path (although, there is NO shade), and I've sat and enjoyed the morning while watching families rush along the path completely missing the beautiful flowers. - Jill A. Neill

EPCOT - I really loved your article on overlooked attractions at EPCOT - we've actually managed to see most of the ones that you mentioned, but we'll be looking for the ones that we've missed. However, while you mentioned the butterfly garden, you didn't mention the rose garden. It's nothing other than a small, alternate path between Innoventions and the World Showcase Lagoon (on the right as you face the World Showcase Lagoon), but it's usually fairly deserted, and it is lined with hundreds of rose bushes, all different varieties.

My husband and I like to walk along this path (OK, I probably enjoy it more than my husband), stopping and looking at the beautiful roses and smelling the different fragrances. Most of the varieties are marked with a small plaque, so if you find something you really like, you could write it down. There are one or two benches along this path (although, there is NO shade), and I've sat and enjoyed the morning while watching families rush along the path completely missing the beautiful flowers. - Jill A. Neill

When my daughter was smaller and she really enjoyed reading Golden Books, we would bring them to Disney World with us and instead of having the characters sign an autograph book, we had them sign the front page of the book about themselves. We have Pocahontas, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Snow White, Cruella DeVil, Alice, Pooh, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy... the list goes on and on. They always personalized it and wrote a little note to her rather than just signing their names. These are "forever" souvenirs that can even be passed onto her kids. The books with the special messages and signatures are a real keepsake from our trips to Disney. - Janet Sherby

We just got back from Walt Disney World. What a week! After spending a lot of time waiting in autograph signing lines, we actually received a compliment from one of the characters -- Cinderella, I think. We had tied the pens on curling ribbon (another "must have" to tie around knapsacks and rental stroller handles, etc.) and attached them to the spiral wire of the autograph books. We were always ready when our turn came up and were never without a pen! Thanks so much for your other tips. It made our trip a lot less stressful since we were so prepared! - Leslie Sacks

Make sure you get doubles of pictures taken with characters. That way on your next trip to the "World", you can have the character autograph his or her picture with you in it! - Mmmgong

During our trip to WDW, we did several character meals. At first we would only use our cameras to take pictures after the characters signed the autograph books and were posing with the kids. But after the second meal we started snapping away as soon as the characters approached our table. We are so glad we did this because we captured a very funny sequence of events while at the Villains Dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.

These candid shots tell a funny story, showing the playful interaction between my sons and the characters. After that, we started snapping away at all of the character meals, and now that we're back, we see that the candid shots usually gave us better pictures than the posed ones! So my tip is start taking pictures as soon as the characters approach your table and start interacting with your children. Of course you want the posed pictures, but the candid ones just might end up being your favorite memories of the meals! -Theresa Brown

(Editor's note: This is a great tip for character meet and greets in the parks also!)

A tip regarding preschoolers and autograph books: I highly recommend the use of autograph books, due to the fact that some young children don't like the idea of just going up to the characters to stand next to them for a photo. If they have a purpose, such as to get an autograph, the kids (at least my three) will walk up to a character, no problem. One big suggestion is to have a bunch of character stickers, either with you or back at the hotel. That way the preschoolers who can't read can identify the signatures -- plus what preschooler doesn't like putting stickers on anything? - Melanie comments

The characters love getting little gifts when greeting the children (pictures, etc.). Just make sure to write your name and address on the back. My daughter recently shared a picture of herself dressed up as a mermaid with Ariel, about a week later she received a nice thank you card from Ariel. It was a nice way for her to have part of the magic follow her home. I love the ALL EARS® newsletters, keep them coming. - SondraB in Fla.

In preparation for our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World (first trip with our three children 5, 3, and 1 -- wish us luck!), I put together autograph booklets for our 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. I searched online for "Disney clip art" and to my amazement there are tons of sites with art to save on your computer. After collecting all the character images I wanted, I made 3 x 5 boxes (2 per sheet of cardstock paper) and pasted the images on the pages in a corner. I took it to a local printing shop and let them bind them for me (very inexpensive). Now my kids can play a game of match the character they see in the parks with the pictures on their autograph cards. As a bonus, they'll immediately know which signature is Cinderella's and which is Mickey's and won't have to ask us repeatedly (as preschoolers will)! Then when we return home, I'll undo the bindings and put them into a scrapbook for each of them, along with photos and such, as a great memory book for their first trip to Walt Disney World. And, as we're seeing my grandmother (who is 90 this year) just after we leave Walt Disney World, I included a card with her photo on it for her to "sign" something for each of them. She always wanted to be a star! (Lisa Mitchell Parker)

EPCOT - On every trip to Epcot we try to collect different things from each country, but I'm beginning to run out of space. So this year we decided to collect candy from each country. We usually picked up two different candies at each country. The only country that did not have candy was Morocco, so we bought a pastry. It's a tasty treat that you can enjoy at the park and later at home. I took some to my family and we had a contest to see what country they thought the candy came from. So, in essence it's a treat, collection, and later a game, but only needing short-term storage space. What a fun, tasty thing to do -- my family enjoyed it! - Kelly Adkins