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Face it, a trip to Disney World can be expensive, but it’s worth it. And while it may be expensive, surprisingly, there are quite a few tangible freebies to be found while visiting the parks. Here is my list of the Top 5 Disney World Freebies.
Birthday & Anniversary Desserts – While I can’t guarantee that you’ll get a free dessert, if you inform your server that you’re celebrating a birthday or anniversary (or wear a button noting the occasion), then you could find a yummy Disney dessert sitting on your table after your meal. We were surprised with a dessert at 50’s Prime Time Café when we celebrated our anniversary several years ago. We never asked or mentioned our anniversary that we can remember, but our server was paying attention and noticed our buttons and brought us a dessert at the end of our meal. And boy was it yummy!
Character Drawings – Did you know that you can learn how to draw your favorite characters when you visit Hollywood Studios or DisneyQuest? This is one of our favorite activities in the parks and is a great way to just take a little break. It also usually ends in a competition to see who had the best drawing between my husband and I since he’s a pretty talented artist, but I’m not too shabby either. When you’re done, you get to take your drawing with you. A tip for those who want to take part in this experience: bring a paper towel tube or a shipping tube to store your drawings in after you finish. It’ll keep them from getting wrinkled in a bag and they’ll be ready to frame when you get home. The Animation Academy is located within “The Magic of Disney Animation” attraction at Hollywood Studios. They also have animation drawing classes at DisneyQuest in Downtown Disney, but this requires a separate admission.
Towel Animals – If you stay on resort, then you’ve hopefully found those very cute towel animals left by Mousekeeping during your trip. I’m surprised at how many people didn’t know that you can take the towels animal home with you. Maybe it’s because no one ever told us we couldn’t, but we’ve always taken them back with us and it seems to be the case with many resort guests. They seem to hold up pretty well, as we still have the first one we brought home with us back in 2010 and it’s even survived a move with the stickers still intact.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Cards – This has become quite the popular game and there are definitely some serious players that you’ll encounter in the parks with their binders of cards. We’re still pretty much clueless on how to play and find ourselves using random cards, but those little cards make great souvenirs and young and old alike seem to love the game! The cards are completely free and you can get your pack each day at the Firehouse on Main Street, U.S.A. or behind the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square. As Disney describes it, you can “become an apprentice sorcerer and help the wizard Merlin fight the forces of evil in this interactive role-playing game.” If you attend MVMCP or MNSSHP, you can pick up your exclusive playing card at City Hall the night of the party (like the one pictured above being given to those attending this year’s MVMCP). And if you forget, we’ve found that you can take your event ticket back to City Hall during your trip and pick up your card.
Cups of Water – We quickly discovered that Disney Parks will give you a free cup of ice water if you simply ask. This has saved us A LOT of money over the last few years since we have only been on the dining plan once and all our meal expenses are out-of-pocket. The best thing you can drink while in the parks, especially during the warmer months, is water. It’s so important to stay hydrated when you’re in the parks, so next time you’re thirsty, just head over to a quick service restaurant or stand and ask for a cup of water. Just a word of warning though – if you’ve ever visited Magic Kingdom and ordered a soft drink or water, then you know how bad the water tastes in the park (and in Kissimmee by the way), so be sure to bring a water mix-in for your cup of water when you’re visiting MK.
Honorable Mention: Ghirardelli Chocolate Square in Downtown Disney – This is always a stop of ours while at Downtown Disney. Just stop in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop and you’ll find someone handing out free chocolate squares. They’re more often than not the Caramel squares, but during Christmas they hand out the yummy peppermint bark squares!
So there you have it – my Top 5 tangible items to get for free at Disney World. There are a lot of free activities as well at Disney World, so be sure to take advantage of all that you can do and get without breaking the bank! What are some other freebies that you have found?
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