One of the things that I learned on our recent trip to Walt Disney World was to always remember to “look down and look up”….because you will see the most interesting things that you never knew were there when you do! Wandering around World Showcase, I remembered to do this…and discovered a lovely orange tree in Morocco…with oranges! What a fun surprise. 🙂
My children have grown up Disney and it has been a wonderful ride. Now that they are grown, I am sometimes slammed with the reality of how my life has changed. As you might guess, there have been many adjustments made when planning our annual trips to Walt Disney World as they have continued to get older. I sometimes get a little melancholy when I think of all the things we used to look forward to that they won’t do again for a while, such as my youngest son’s previous obsession with Tomorrowland Speedway. Somehow when you start driving, the novelty wears off – go figure! There are a lot of things that have changed in the way we visit “The World.”
When I plan our trips now, I look for things to incorporate that we weren’t able to do when they were small. This year I happened upon a gem! One of the things we enjoy doing as a family is volunteering. Volunteering while you are on vacation is called voluntourism. Some people refer to it as “vacationing with a purpose.” Did you know that there are great opportunities for voluntourism while on vacation in Central Florida? Well, there are, and one such opportunity is at Give Kids The World.
Photo courtesy of www.savekimpossible.comOne of the things we especially enjoyed on our recent Disney World vacation, was the chance to experience food, resorts, and attractions that were new to us. It may seem odd to say, but one of the benefits of visiting Disney during the busy Christmas/New Years week, is that it is the perfect time to discover things that you are usually too busy to see or do.
And that is precisely how we discovered, on New Years Eve afternoon, the Kim Possible Adventure in Epcot’s World Showcase, and learned how we could “save the world”. It’s free fun, and educational too (but don’t tell your kids that). In fact, on an afternoon when the wait for many attractions numbered in the hours, we found that spending the time with Kim Possible was the perfect way to enjoy the day in a way that we had never tried before. Very cool stuff, this saving the world thing….who knew?
So if you too would like to save the world (or at least a small portion of it), here is what you need to know.
Start off by registering with a Kim Possible agent at one of the designated locations in World Showcase. There, they will scan your park ticket and give you a special Fast Pass to report to a specific location at a specific time. When you are there, you will receive your mission….and your “Kimmunicator” which is a GPS cell phone you use to receive your instructions throughout the mission.
It was my daughter, at age 20, who decided to give this a try and we went along with her for “fun”. And fun it was! The area we had to report to was Germany, so we followed the instructions given on the Kimmunicator to start at a certain spot and listen for what to do next. Throughout the mission then, we were given more clues and instructions, about looking for different objects, going to specific locations, and figuring out information that was needed to move forward to the next stop…so that we could thwart those nasty evil-doers from achieving their dastardly plans.
And this is, in my opinion, the true beauty of this experience. You are LEARNING things as you go along! You have to actually read some of the signs, and look for the details that are all over World Showcase that nobody ever stops to see because everyone is so busy trying to get on Soarin’. Here we stopped, we read, we did what Kim Possible told us to do, and we were rewarded with some cool special effects (not giving them away though, you’ll have to find out yourself!), and a lot of fun. And yup, we learned a few things along the way. 🙂
Oh, and did I mention that it’s FREE?? 🙂
Now the thing is, many probably think this is an activity for little kids, but honestly, we were 3 adults and we had a blast. In fact, it is probably most suited to older kids who have the patience to go through all the clues and get to the end. And it would be fun for groups or individuals to do.
Once you finish (it takes about 30-40 minutes), if you liked saving the world once, you can do it again….in fact, 7 different countries in World Showcase offer this activity, and each one is different. Our daughter saved the world 4 times that day. 🙂
Want more information? Check out the Kim Possible Adventure page on Disneyworld.com. And then be sure to see if you can save the world on your next Disney World vacation!
Greetings Disney friends! I hope that you have had a magical week! This week’s blog 
round-up has a wonderful collection of just the sweetest Disney articles around (in honor of Valentine’s Day on Monday, of course!), as well as some great information, updates, and just plain fun.
Let’s begin with our friends at Chip and Co. Ken shared a great Oldies But Goodies – Moderate Resorts, A Very Viable Option For Us . In addition, our friend Brenda has a new weekly column: Wednesday with Walt: Our Family Motto. Lastly, Chip himself has a new Baby Princess at home, so all of us combined to create a joint post in her honor: How to Get Your Child Ready for Disney FROM BIRTH!
Disney Dispatch is one of my favorite sites for the funny, interesting, and always entertaining view of Disney. With talk of “love” this week, I share Because I Stinkin’ Love Disney World
Disney Driven Life provided some interesting posts as well with GEOGRAPHY DISNEY STYLE and ORGANIZING YOUR RESORT ROOM. Then be sure to read A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES… PART 1 for the very touching beginning to a story. I am looking forward to Part 2.
If you have always wondered what it is REALLY like to eat in Cinderella’s Castle, then don’t miss this from Disney Food Blog: Review: Cinderella’s Royal Table Breakfast. Plus, AJ shares important updates: 2011 Disney Dining Plan Changes
WDW Fan Zone had some very interesting posts this week, as usual. Where to Find Characters has great information for anyone in search of their favorite characters. And we also learned how Epcot’s United Kingdom compares to the “real thing”. Lastly, in Walt Disney’s Gift – Memories Througout the Generations, Disney Mom’s Panel member Suzanna shares some of her most special Disney memories.
Then to conclude this week’s collection, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I offer this quite amusing post from the The Disney Chick: Three Disney Characters I’d Rather Spend Valentine’s Day With (Now admit it: You are imagining right now, which ones YOU would like to spend time with….aren’t you? Aren’t you??) 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I hope you have the chance to spend Valentine’s Day with those you love.
Ahhh, the lazy days of summer – I WISH THEY WOULD GET HERE ALREADY!! It’s been unusually cold here in southern Mississippi…….I wonder how warm and nice the weather is in the Caribbean this time of year?
Speaking of the Caribbean, when you place that word in the same sentence as “Disney”, you have just gained my full attention. There’s just something about those 2 words spoken together that gets me all giddy. First, there’s a chance you’re referring to my FAVE ride of all time, Pirates of the Caribbean. Love the ride, can’t wait for the 4th movie to come out with the talented Mr. Depp.
Yo Ho, Yo Ho….well, you know the rest.
Then there’s the possibility you are referring to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (CB) – my favorite place in all the “World” to stay.  It is a vacation inside of a vacation. The rooms are nice – the property….even nicer. At 200 sprawling acres, with a 45 acre lake, it is the largest resort in all of Walt Disney World. It is so spread out, you will, at times, feel you are there all alone, and who doesn’t want that?!!?!?!?
The shops are fantastic, the food court is wonderful, the rooms are great, and some have recently been upgraded to feature a “pirates theme”, including pirate ship beds. Behind the shops/food court is a large patio, complete with umbrella tables and chairs, overlooking the lake. There are also various spots around the lake complete with sand and hammock for some quiet relaxation time, or water craft rentals for some time out on the water.
Now what makes Caribbean Beach (CB) better than a value resort (VR)? Well, I’ve stayed in both, so I will give you the MOST VALUABLE differences, in my humble opinion…..
1)Â BUS STOPS:
VR – stand in a central herding stall rope line out in the Florida heat, waiting on your bus to arrive. At the parks, you will walk allllll the way to the very end of the bus stations to catch your particular bus, doesn’t sound like a big deal, but on Day 2, when your calves are screaming for mercy at the end of the day – BIG DEAL, trust me.
CB – covered pavilion with benches to sit on, ceiling fans & drink machines while you wait. Each section of the resort has it’s own bus stop, so no walking forever to one centralized locale. At the parks, you’re closer to the front of the bus stations, which equals less walking, which equals less of a chance that you will snap and someone will be seriously injured after they’ve complained they didn’t get to ride Space Mountain that 5th time that you promised them.
2) ROOMS:
VR – The basics. Two beds, a bathroom, a small table & chairs, smaller room, and Mickey soap. And it can be a long walk to the front of the resort to get to the pools, food courts, and to catch the bus.
CB – Stretch out roomy. Two beds, a bathroom with TWO sinks (what guy traveling with chicks isn’t happy about that?) a decent sized table with chairs, a refrigerator, a TV armoire with additional storage underneath, lush tropical landscapes, and again, closely located bus stops just a stone’s throw from your front door. You can stop trying to pronouce “armoire” now.
3)Â POOLS:
VR – Usually two of them, often full to capacity (thanks to all those “special rates”) & often loud.
CB – Big & roomy with water slides. Beautifully built and much quieter than VR. At your request, you can be far enough away that you can’t hear the noise from the pool.
This is, by far, the quietest resort in which we’ve ever stayed.  Even the lobby is better in CB. Everything’s better there. We decided to “venture out” and stay at Coronado Springs last time. We realized quickly we were spoiled to CB, spent most of the time comparing and feeling that, for us, CS could not stand up to CB…..
If you can spring for the upgrade from value (usually around $30 per night extra), this resort is worth it’s weight in gold – or should I say, golden silence. There’s not too much relaxing to be had inside the parks. Isn’t it worth it to have that quiet tropical feel in the evening? Yo Ho, Yo Ho……a quiet time for me!
DeAnna, along with her husband and teen-age son, lives in Wiggins, Mississippi, and has a passion for all things Disney. She is always eager to share the knowledge she has gained from her many trips to Walt Disney World, and has helped numerous people in their vacation planning to realize it’s not an unattainable dream.  Her must-dos on every trip are Pirates of the Caribbean, Rockin’ Roller Coaster & a stolen moment of quiet with her “Boyz” (as she affectionately calls them) having a pastry from Boulangerie in Epcot World Showcase’s France. Disney is so much a part of her life, that she & her husband were married in front of Cinderella’s Castle, and she says it doesn’t get any more magical than that………