Pal Mickey-worth it?

[kbean]

Can anyone tell me if the Pal Mickey is worth buying or is it filled with info that was already known?

[BigRedDad]

It all depends on what you are looking for it to do. From what I have read, it gets loaded with info about parades, shows, ride wait times, and other things. It also has a few games it can play with kids while in the lines. I have not looked at the technology it uses, but it has to be some form of RFID. Some people get annoyed by it after some time, some people truly love them.

I will buy one for my DD for her first trip. If I get really annoyed, I am sure I can swindle it from her for a Mickey stuffed animal.

[Clotho]

We love Pal Mickey, and had that confirmed last week when we bought the newest model and brought him around the parks with us. He is just so fun and says the funniest/cheesiest things. His estimates on wait times for rides was spot on. At the end of the trip, we found a newlywed couple who happened to also be celebrating the new wife's birthday, and gave them to them as a wedding gift. I wish I had taken a picture of them. It was hard to let Mickey go! You get attached! But we won't be back for a while, and we figured he would be a better friend to them there than to us at home. ;)

[Bass T-bone]

At the end of the trip, we found a newlywed couple who happened to also be celebrating the new wife's birthday, and gave them to them as a wedding gift. I wish I had taken a picture of them. It was hard to let Mickey go! You get attached! But we won't be back for a while, and we figured he would be a better friend to them there than to us at home. ;)

WOW! what a nice gesture on your part!

[thejens]

That sure was nice!! What a great way to keep the Disney magic flowing!! We got pal Mickey and thought he was cute and fun, but honestly found ourselves kind of forgetting about him during all the excitement. He is too big to carry around conveniently, IMHO. He ended up in the back of the stroller. It is hard to hear him unless you are really listening so if your kids have him forget about it being helpful. Also he runs out of batteries quickly so bring extra. We never got around to replacing ours while in the parks. So I would say he is cute and fun and could be helpful if you don't mind carrying him, keeping extra batteries handy, and listening up.

[Clotho]

I admit, he is a bit bulky to carry about. Hubby just used the clip to clip him to his belt or pocket of his shorts. If I had a baby carriage it would be really easy to wheel him around, but I agree that without him really close at hand you will miss some of his "giggles" which let you know when he wants to tell you something.

If you don't plan to use Mickey at home, I highly recommend giving him away at the end of your trip. It made us both want to cry with joy, it was that fun. :)

[CandleontheWater]

I LOVE my pal mickey! I'm a 29 year old "adult" and both my husband and I get such a kick out him. I don't think he's that hard to cart around the parks, I bought a carrabeaner (sp?), clip, which is much more secure than the one that he comes with, and I clip him to the strap of my backpack. I love all the info he tells me, esp about the world showcase and at AK. I also think its fun when he says things like, "Today has been a great day because I spent it with you", its like self esteem in stuffed animal form! :D I also like to play the games when I'm waiting in line. Of course they're pretty chessey, but they're a fun way to get through a long wait. I'd totally suggest Pal Mickey! If you don't want to pay park prices, I'd check on Ebay. Lots of people buy him at the parks, and then realize that they're not going back and put him up for auction. You can get the newest version for around $50, which is a pretty good deal.

[Scotty Bear]

Hmmm, I may have to check it out on Ebay myself before we go. My fiancee (wife then) wants one when we get down there and silly me never thought of it! LOL

[JCDarzi]

For our trip 9/8 - 9/15, I got a Pal Mickey. I've wanted one for our last four trips. Finally, my husband surprised me with a purchase of one on our first day.

He's cute and often told neat information. He ended up being a hassle for me. My kids are 4 and 2. I had Pal Mickey around my neck and I was constantly bending over to help my kids with various things and Mickey was always in the way. I had this great fear of Pal Mickey dropping in the toilet while helping DD4 by covering the sensor for the auto flush toilets in WDW.

If my kids were bigger and had been able to carry it around themselves, I think it would have been better. I would have also enjoyed carrying him around if I hadn't had toddlers and toddler gear in tow.

[mouseketeer mom]

We didn't find him helpful because he was impossible for us to here! I know he's a "mouse" but his voice was so high and squeaky that we really had to strain to hear what he was saying. And with our family of 5 someone is always talking so we're not walking around quietly waiting for the mouse to tell us something. We have him at home now, and he can still tell jokes and play games, but no one ever uses him! Maybe we'll bring him along on our next trip and try him again.

[Clotho]

We didn't find him helpful because he was impossible for us to here! I know he's a "mouse" but his voice was so high and squeaky that we really had to strain to hear what he was saying.

Is yours the 1, 2, or 3rd gen? Or 1st gen is hard to hear. The 3rd gen was much easier for us.

[DNS]

It all depends on what you are looking for it to do. From what I have read, it gets loaded with info about parades, shows, ride wait times, and other things. It also has a few games it can play with kids while in the lines. I have not looked at the technology it uses, but it has to be some form of RFID. Some people get annoyed by it after some time, some people truly love them.

I agree. If you frequent WDW then you probably already know everything. I bought ours the first year they were out and while I don't take him in the parks much now, I always take him with us. He's just become part of our trips and I'm very really glad I got him. Now they even have clothes you can get for them, but they don't work on the original ones. I think it's a pretty cool creation. :mickey:

[caryrae]

From the Disney website:

Experience the enchantment of Walt Disney World® Resort with the ultimate Disney expert, Pal Mickey. This huggable, interactive Mickey Mouse plush will let you in on insider park tips, give you parade and showtime reminders, tell you when your favorite characters are nearby, and let you know about short waits at your favorite attractions. Pal Mickey will entertain kids of all ages with his jokes, interactive games and fun facts that will make your visit to the Walt Disney World Resort truly magical.

Delight in over 700 fun facts and Theme Park tips.
Innovative technology ensures that Pal Mickey knows where he is while exploring the four Theme Parks, and he will share information with you at just the right time and place.
The entertainment continues outside of the Walt Disney World® Resort and even back home, where he will share his jokes and play three interactive games.

Magic Kingdom® Park
Epcot® Park
Disney-MGM Studios
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park



Magic Kingdom® Park

Pal Mickey is available for purchase at the following locations throughout the Magic Kingdom® Park:

Main Street Cinema
Newsstand
Emporium
Mickey's Star Traders
County Bounty
Frontierland Trading Post

Pal Mickey has something to tell you about each of the following Magic Kingdom® Park attractions:

Walt Disney World Railroad
Space Mountain®
Stitch's Great Escape
Astro Orbiter
Buzz Lightyear
Mad Tea Party
Goofy's Barnstormer
Cinderella Castle
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Cinderella's Golden Carousel
Peter Pan's Flight
Haunted Mansion
Diamond Horseshoe
Liberty Square Riverboat
Country Bear Jamboree
Tom Sawyer Island
Splash Mountain®
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Swiss Family Treehouse

Hear Pal Mickey's tips about the following Magic Kingdom® Park events:

Adventureland character greetings
Cinderella's Surprise Celebration
Share a Dream Come True Parade
Toontown character greetings

Pal Mickey will tell you about short wait times at the following attractions:

Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Back to top

Epcot® Park
Pal Mickey is available for purchase at the following locations throughout Epcot®:

Camera Center
MouseGear
Port of Entry
International Gateway World Traveler

Pal Mickey has something to tell you about each of the following Epcot® attractions:

Spaceship Earth
Innoventions
Test Track
World Showcase
Future World
Mission: SPACE
Fountain of Nations
Land Pavilion
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Universe of Energy
Mexico Pavilion
Norway Pavilion
Maelstrom
China Pavilion
Germany Pavilion
Italy Pavilion
American Adventure
Japan Pavilion
Morocco Pavilion
France Pavilion
United Kingdom Pavilion
Canada Pavilion

Hear Pal Mickey's tips about the following Epcot® events:

IllumiNations
Dolphin and Cuttlefish at the Living Seas
World Showcase character greetings
World Showcase entertainment offerings
Back to top

Disney-MGM Studios
Pal Mickey is available for purchase at the following locations throughout the Disney-MGM Studios:

Darkroom
Once Upon a Time
Mickey's of Hollywood
Sorcerer's Hat Shop
Golden Age Souvenirs
Movieland Memorabilia

Pal Mickey has something to tell you about each of the following Disney-MGM Studios attractions:

Crossroads
Sunset Boulevard
Animation Studio
Great Movie Ride
Sorcerer's Hat
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Sounds Dangerous
Gertie the Dinosaur
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Star Tours
Muppet Vision 3-D™
Al's Toy Barn
New York Street
Catastrophe Canyon
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
Playhouse Disney
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
One Man's Dream
Who Wants to be a Millionaire
Backlot Tour

Hear Pal Mickey's tips about the following Disney-MGM Studios events:

Beauty and the Beast stage show
Sorcerer's Hat character greetings
Fantasmic
Mickey Avenue character greetings
Stars and Motor Cars Parade

Pal Mickey will tell you about short wait times at the following attractions:

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Back to top

Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
Pal Mickey is available for purchase at the following locations throughout Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park:

Outpost
Disney Outfitters
Island Mercantile
Mombasa Marketplace
Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures

Pal Mickey has something to tell you about each of the following Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park attractions:

Harambe Village
Pangani Trail
Rafiki's Planet Watch
Kilimanjaro Safaris® Expedition
Dinoland U.S.A.®
Boneyard
DINOSAUR
Primeval Whirl®
Dino-rama
Discovery Island®
It's Tough to be a Bug!®
Tree of Life
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Kali River Rapids®
Flights of Wonder

Hear Pal Mickey's tips about the following Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park events:

Island Mercantile character greetings
Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade
Character Landing character greetings

[mouseketeer mom]

Is yours the 1, 2, or 3rd gen? Or 1st gen is hard to hear. The 3rd gen was much easier for us.

Ours is first generation. They got better? Ours was expensive if I remember. Like $65.00! What was I thinking?

[LoriMistress]

Are they still over priced? Is there a place online on where you can purchase the current Pal Mickey at a discount?

[Clotho]

They are the same price now. But the second and third generation Pal's are louder. We have used both, and the 3rd gen was much easier to hear than our first gen!

[EPCOT Princess Horizons]

I love to hear Pal Mickey talk about my favorite attraction Spaceship Earth !:mickey:

[threeh]

My middle DD loves her pal mickey. She even got clothes for him. I've lent him out to co workers going to wdw as well. She can't wait until we go to wdw again in Februaury to bring mickey "home". My family and I got a kick out of him, the kids would play his game when we were waiting for things. He was very mean and told us when we were leaving EPCOT that there was no wait for test track. We are still mad at Mickey for that:geek2:
I did end up carrying hima bit for DD, but over all we enjoyed him.

[jiifigment]

We have a 2nd gen Pal Mickey. We love him and we're glad we have him! My kids were 16, 13, and 9 when we bought him and my dd's actually fight over who carries him! We use the lanyard strap, it works for pin trading too! We always bring along a 2 gallon ziploc bag for Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids...he's afraid of the water for a reason ;)!

What I thought was great is how he updates himself! He said MANY different things this year than last year!

I can see how he'd be a pain for toddlers, but for school aged kids, and kids that truly get into the spirit of Disney...or kids that never grew up, like me :secret: having Pal Mickey is the next best thing to having Mickey for a tour guide! :magic:

We LOVE his Safari Outfit too!

[MickeyandTink]

Are they still over priced? Is there a place online on where you can purchase the current Pal Mickey at a discount?

There are several folks on e-bay selling Pal Mickey (all three generations). Some are still new in the box and some are used. We bought a sorcerer Mickey (newest generation) out of the box, but represented as being new. It was slightly less than $50, including shipping, and the seller included a couple of "freebies" with him.

We haven't tried him at the park yet (only 3 more days :clappy:), but he seems to be ok at home. One word of warning, if it doesn't seem to be working right, unzip him and detach the cables and reattach them. Ours was not working right at first and this "reboot" took care of the problem.

[princessM0m]

Also he runs out of batteries quickly so bring extra.

What size batteries does he take? Last trip my DD wanted one so I promised her we'd get one our next trip, which is in November, so I will want to be prepared with extras.

[SAHDad]

What size batteries does he take? Last trip my DD wanted one so I promised her we'd get one our next trip, which is in November, so I will want to be prepared with extras.

3 AA, I believe.

I was going to talk the sisters-in-law into getting a Pal Mickey for my son, but I might just go the eBay route, if I can find a 3rd gen in good condition for a reasonable price.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

DD begged for Pal Mickey, and we got her one on our last trip (against my better judgement).

It turned out to be the best thing we got her...she carried with her everyone the whole trip, not a single complaint, played the games for hours while we were waiting in lines, we loved the tips, and will be bringing him back for the next trip for sure!

[Mousefever]

If you buy Pal Mickey in DW, make sure you keep your receipt! Our Pal worked fine the first couple of days, then started stuttering in Disney Studios. I didn't have the receipt with me, but was able to exchange him after some discussion and pleading with a CM. It would have been much easier if I had had the receipt on me.
P.S. My son (9) still enjoys carrying Pal Mickey around at the parks.


:dory:

[Clotho]

We had to exchange our first generation one twice, and didn't need a receipt. Usually the stores are well aware of common issues and know when they need replacement.

This time we had an issue with the transmitter in Epcot--it was screwing up Pals coming in the front gate. They had a fix for him that the store manager knew and did for us.

I love Pal. *sigh* Makes me miss WDW thinking about it...

FYI, for adults who won't be playing games a lot or squeezing Mickey unintentionally by hugging him too tight all the time, batteries last just fine for an entire trip. It is only with the little ones wearing them out that they run low (or if you got a display model that a lot of people have been poking and prodding before you got him, so the batteries were already low).

To give you an idea, our first gen Pal is still on hits original batteries, 3 years later.

[jiifigment]

Just another idea for batteries for Pal Mickey with kids. We had an extra set of lithium AA batteries for our camera with us when Pal Mickey's died, so we used those! They're still going great a year later! :thumbsup:

[threeh]

This time we had an issue with the transmitter in Epcot--it was screwing up Pals coming in the front gate.

That's funny, we had the same problem with our Mickey. Whenever I lent him out I always had to explain how EPCOT makes him loopy. Where did you bring him to get "fixed"??

Thanks!!

[Mousefever]

We had to exchange our first generation one twice, and didn't need a receipt. Usually the stores are well aware of common issues and know when they need replacement.


I wish this was the case for us, but the CM we dealt with was very reluctant to make the exchange. It is probably true that many CMs will do an exchange "no questions asked", but if you have the receipt you'll never have to worry about it.


:dory:

[Clotho]

That's funny, we had the same problem with our Mickey. Whenever I lent him out I always had to explain how EPCOT makes him loopy. Where did you bring him to get "fixed"??

Thanks!!

You can do it yourself actually.

Turn him off, open his battery compartment and pop out the *middle* battery. Yes the middle one specifically. Something about breaking the circuit completely via that center battery. Just put him back together and it should be fixed.

We had that issue happen twice at Epcot--once we learned how to do it from the manager who did it for us, and the second time we did it ourselves.

The additional fix is to make sure he is OFF when you walk into Epcot. Don't turn him back on until you get pass Spaceship Earth. So, too, for when you walk out. Turn him off around when you pass the wait times board as you are leaving the park.

[threeh]

:mickey:Thanks!!!

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

Coming in this one a little late but I'm a 22 year old guy and I bought Pal Mickey while I was in Florida on the Disney College Program and I took him with me whenever I went to the parks. He's SO awesome. He sits on my windowsill now in my dorm room and all my friends are crazy about him. Definitely a great purchase.

[kbean]

Thanks for the respones back to my question about Pal Mickey. I gonna go ahead buy one when I get to the MK. I saw one on Ebay but I'd rather buy it new.
Thanks again.

[cal5755]

We plan on saving for one for our next trip in 08'. My girls love stuffed animals and it will be a bonus if they can play games while they wait in line too!!

[101pup]

Wow, I am so glad I read this because I almost forgot I got one at a yard sale for $2.00 last year. We are going in December, so I am so pscyhed!! Thanks again intercot!

[MickeyandTink]

Just got back from WDW and DD6 :princess: absolutely loved her Pal Mickey. I had a good time with him, too. :blush:

I would strongly recommend, though, get a name tag, luggage tag, or some other identification and attach it to him so if you lose him he might find his way back to you.

When we were at MGM, DW :tink: was carrying PM and accidentally left him in the understorage area on Star Tours. We realized he was missing a few minutes after we left the ride and raced back to see if we could find him. The CM's looked all over, but we never found him. One of the CM's said she had seen him just a few minutes before and that Lost and Found had picked him up, but they said they didn't have him. There's no guarantee that we would have got him back if did have a name tag, but at least whoever found him would have a way to reach us if they did and might feel some sense of obligation to return it.

However, this story does have a happy ending. After we went to lost and found (and DD in tears over losing Pal Mickey) and explained what happened, the CM there called a manager to look into it. About 20 minutes later he came over with a brand new, in the box, Pal Mickey and gave it to DD so we wouldn't have to spend any more time trying to track down our old one. Talk about being impressed. A big :thumbsup: to Disney. They made DD's day (and DW's and mine, too).

[AbeeNormal]

Keep in mind this is coming from someone who hasn't been to WDW yet......:secret:
We bought two on E-bay for 120.00 and they each came with outfits Lanyards and lit Silver Mickey Ears for our boys to wear. We are giving them as a Christmas gift - we are going 1/3/08.
My husband and I played with them for over an hour when they came in the mail......:blush:
They seem really fun, honestly though they're heavier than we expected.... I think we will do the carribeaner idea we heard back a few posts. We can't wait to see how they interact with the park... and they're plenty loud. :)