Visiting Walt Disney World Resort can be tough on the wallet, and I’m not just talking about the cost of the vacation itself. You’ve got dining, souvenirs, PhotoPass, and all the little things here and there that add up. Well, I’ve got good news! There are several fun things you can do and/or get at Disney for FREE.
Here are my top 10:
1) Explore the Resorts. Hop a bus, boat or monorail over to the Resort of your choice. Browse, shop, dine or take advantage of other amenities. The only thing they ask you not to do is swim in the pools! Check out Mary’s list of free activities for kids to do at the Resorts.
2) Speaking of Resorts, take an evening to visit one surrounding Seven Seas Lagoon or Bay Lake. Cozy up and watch the nightly Electric Water Pageant. It’s viewable from the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Ft. Wilderness, Contemporary, and from Magic Kingdom Park during Extra Magic Hours, beginning at 9:00PM. You can also view Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show from most of these locations.
3) Stop by Ft. Wilderness Campground for a sing-a-long with Chip & Dale. We like to take the boat over from Magic Kingdom. Arrive by 7:00 PM in the fall/winter or 8:00 PM in the spring/summer for games and prizes, s’mores, hang time with Chip & Dale and an outdoor movie screening.
4) The African-styled Animal Kingdom Lodge is set amidst a 43-acre wildlife preserve. Over 30 species of wildlife (more than 100 grazing animals!) that roam amidst 4 lush, tropical savannas are viewable from special alcoves throughout the Resort. If you didn’t get your fill of critters at Animal Kingdom, stop by the Lodge to see zebra, reticulated giraffe, wildebeest, ostrich or much, much more.
5) Trade pins with Cast Members. If you see a Cast Member wearing a pin-covered lanyard or vest, flag him or her down and see if you can score some good ones. Each CM is allowed to swap up to two pins with any Guest. I have friends who stock up on pins from eBay before their trip so they have lots to trade away. Downtown Disney is a great place to buy and trade!
6) Get special occasion buttons to wear on your lanyard to commemorate your trip. You can request them when you book your trip and collect them when you check in, pick one up at your Resort concierge, or look for them at the kiosks in the Parks. They offer Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, 1st Visit, Just Married and fill-in-the-blank ones to customize your celebration.
Plenty of FREE stuff in the Parks too!
7) Answer the payphones in the red booths at Epcot’s United Kingdom or Canada Pavilions. A lot of people pick them up to pose for a pic, but they are real and functioning. You never know who’s calling! By the way, if you’d like to call them yourself (long distance charges may apply), the numbers are as follows:
Right Booth: (407) 827-9861
Left Booth: (407) 827-9862
Center Booth: (407) 827-9863
Canada Phone Booth: (407) 827-9884
8) Do you have a Disney Visa card from Chase? Cardholders are often offered special perks, so read the fine print and materials they send. One you may be unaware of is a private meet and greet with Mickey and his friends. Arrive at Epcot’s Innoventions West between 1:30 and 4:30 PM for the Character encounter and receive a FREE 5×7 photo.
9) Let the kids play in the various playground areas at the Parks. The Boneyard at Animal Kingdom is a favorite of my younger kids’. They also like Honey I Shrunk the Kids at Hollywood Studios and all the water sprayer zones.
10) Hit the Epcot Kidcot Funstops at each international Pavilion along World Showcase! Kids select a wooden craft mask to decorate and receive a charm and a passport stamp at each stop. There are often additional activities such as coloring pages or origami folding. Not only does this activity keep kids wanting to see what’s next, it also provides a unique (and FREE!) souvenir to take home.
What free or inexpensive extras have you discovered at Disney?
Wow thank you! That is all really helpful information I bookmarked this so that I can make notes for our November trip!
You’re very welcome! I hope you have a terrific trip!
Don’t forget the Kim Possible (changing to Phineas and Ferb) Adventure in Epcot. My kids love solving the mysteries!
Right! I thought of that one too but ran out of room
Maybe next month I’ll follow this up with 10 MORE things to do for free at WDW!
You can also go to the Coke place at Epcot and taste all the different cokes. My husband and I go there when we get thirsty instead of paying for a drink at a snack stand. My daughter thinks it is so fun and doesn’t realize Mommy and Daddy are just cheap
That’s a fun one too! Just don’t drink the Beverly, lol!
Oh come on, you MUST drink the Beverly. That’s part of the adventure! And make sure to have a camera ready. (Though I admit, I’m one of the weirdos who likes Beverly…)
Love the Kidcot Fun Stops. Very cool to see my child’s name in different language!
My younger 2 really enjoy those! It keeps them interested in the different countries.
Another fun “free” treat that some may not know about…at the Tom Sawyer’s Island in Magic Kingdom there are 7-10 oversized paint brushes hidden on the island. If you find one you are awarded a free fast pass! Tip: get there early because they go quickly!
Another good one! Thanks, Connie!
My brother’s family is going in June. I think it’d be cool to coordinate a phone call to one of the phone booths. Think my niece would love to answer a phone in the UK & be talking to someone at home.
Oh, absolutely! She could tell you all about her trip while she’s still on her trip. How fun!
Oh my gosh, I never knew you could call the UK phones!! I think I may need to do that today!
Yes, do it! Leave another comment to let us know if you got to talk to anyone.
And, yes, we always do try the Beverly, even though we know it’s nasty! Here’s some wordless Wednesday pics of my son’s reaction: http://bit.ly/vwgQH4. Fun!
[...] during a recent post at The Disney Moms about fun FREE things to do in Disney World, Jodi pointed out that these phone booths are actually assigned their very own phone numbers. [...]
I’ve been told there is a FREE Magic Cookie Hour at Roaring Forks @ FT. Wliderness on Saturdays from 2-3 pm for the kids. We are going to try to go in September.
There’s great FREE fun to be had in riding the monorail or ferries! I’ve gone many-a-time to WDW and have had fun this way (they provide great photo ops). Visiting Downtown Disney is free (meaning: you don’t have to buy a ticket to be immersed into the Disney Magic!) and loads of fun, too. Also, many of the other resorts (example: Beach Club) have free movie nights for ALL Disney resort guests!
we have done some of those and the rest we surely will! When my son was about 2 my husband scored a business trip, staying at the swan and dolphin, we seriously spent all of our days traveling resort to resort on bus or boat and just playing on playgrounds, etc. it was so fun and we got to see a lot of disney property. With the swan and dolphin being one of the most expensive the buses and boats were plentiful so we didn’t wait long anywhere we went. The Chase card is definitely an awesome thing to have – last time we stayed in a moderate resort paid for by my points! Also got the photos discussed above. It is great to have the characters all to yourself – they take you in a room as a family with the characters and you take your time with nobody pushing you to move along.