Researching PAL MICKEY

[djsharp]

Hi all,
I'm new to Intercot, but have thoroughly enjoyed every minite I've been here. I've learned so much and these boards will help make my son's trip truly magical.

We have heard about the Pal Mickey's that are sold for the parks and have been researching if they are worth the money. I have searched these boards and the site and can't seem to findout any more information on him other then the general stuff.

Do any of you have one? Did you get it new or buy it at ebay? (I've bought things on ebay before, but for something like this, I just don't know if I'd trust a used one) Is he really worth the $$$'s. How well does he really work for show times and line times? I've heard mixed reviews from other sites. Most rave about him though.

What are your opinions?

Thank you for your insights and this wonderful site.

[tadshome]

We have a pal Mickey and he is great
We used him in the parks and now that we are home our son enjoys playing the games with him.
We got him in 2007 from a shop in Magic Kingdom and IMO he is worth the money.

[RBrooksC]

We enjoyed it. We bought it for our son and I loved to hear all the stuff he said when he would shake and vibrate as we walked through the parks.

[gerald72]

I bought one on eBay. It was new. Although make sure that you are buying the current version.
We took it to the parks the first day. No one wanted to bring it after that. Couldn't really hear it with the crowd noise and the information wasn't really that useful.
So one vote for not worth it.

[Jeff]

Kids love him and he is great for telling jokes and passing time in line. General info is pretty neat. Specific info like wait times etc. is not helpful, however, ours is a 1st generation Pal Mickey so they might be better now.

Is he worth one tank of gas; most definately for your son.

[MickeyMousse]

We bought one for our older DS when they first came out and he brought it everywhere. It was informative because it told us of the parade /firework times and was full of trivia and games that kept him busy. Now he has passed it to on to our youngest DS, who enjoys him just as much. Pal Mickey has been making the trip to WDW ever since we bought him. Yes, it was $$$ but I think ours was cheaper than what they ask for it now? In any case, it was worth the money.

[Belle1217]

We got one in 2006 for our 2yr old and all 3 of our kids loved him. My daughter got the biggest thrill from him. She held him most of the time to hear what he was saying. She loved to hear the info about the parks. She was 7 at the time.

[Ropachs]

I see he comes with a lanyard...do you all hang him around your neck? Is it at all annoying? Do your children want to take him off after a while? This post has me just about convinced...

[GrumpyFan]

Being an adult techno-geek, and big Disney/Mickey fan, I bought one (version 1)for myself when he first came out in 2003. We took him almost every trip prior to the last one we just got back from. He's cute and the kids like him too, but eventually you'll get tired of the corny jokes. He's fun to carry around because he also has trivia type information that he shares with you. He can also be quite humorous on some of the more intensive rides.

In my opinion, he's worth the money. But, like I said, I'm a gadget techno-geek and Disney fan.

FYI: Check out the info here on Intercot for Pal Mickey and take a look at Wikipedia for some more details.

[djsharp]

Is he worth one tank of gas; most definately for your son.

So true! That is why I wanted some "User" feed back before we spent the $$$

[djsharp]

He can also be quite humorous on some of the more intensive rides.

FYI: Check out the info here on Intercot for Pal Mickey and take a look at Wikipedia for some more details.

What does He do on the intense rides?

I read the info off of the WDW web site, and the intercot site. Both just seemed to me to be basic marketing media for him. That's why I wanted real life people with experience having him.

I'm pretty sure we're going to get one for our son. But he has had other "interative" charactor dolls before and he's gotten bored with them relatively fast. He does sleep with his non talking Mickey sometimes, so the Pal Mickey, might hold his interest longer than the other toys.

[Jeff]

What does He do on the intense rides?
.

He makes some very funny comments once you are off the ride, about how scared he was, etc...

[DisneyDog]

We are on our 2nd Pal Mickey. We bought the 1st one when they first came out. Our DS was about 2 years old then and he adored him. We replaced the batteries about a million times and finally we just had to give up. He became just another stuffed animal -- but one that was greatly adored. We bought a new one last month during our trip and DS loves him just as much. The information is good and the jokes are corny, but all of that is secondary. DS loves him and that's all that matters.

Now, I don't think I would buy one off of ebay. We bought ours just outside of MK in that little store by the tunnel. We ended up having to exchange it for a different one because it had a computer problem...it kept repeating itself over and over again. The 2nd one worked just fine. But, I wouldn't chance it by buying it on ebay, even if it was brand new.

[Young@Heart]

Is he a lot heavier than an average plush? I really want to get one, but I know I don't want to lug it around all day if it's heavy (and I know DH and DC carry it).

[MickeyChick]

Pal Mickey is pretty lightweight and just adorable. We bought ours in January and loved having him with us. I hooked him to our stroller via the belt clip and had no problem hearing him.

We also bought spare outfits for him so he'd br dressed for whichever park we were attending that day.

(We are serious dorks!)

[d_m_n_n]

I bought one on eBay. It was new. Although make sure that you are buying the current version.
We took it to the parks the first day. No one wanted to bring it after that. Couldn't really hear it with the crowd noise and the information wasn't really that useful.
So one vote for not worth it.

Exactly our feelings...actually, now that I think about it we loaned him to some friends for their first trip and never got him back (and we've been since then!!). Guess we didn't even think to pack him!

[Giselle]

I'm thinking of buying one next time we go to DW in Sept dor DD. They certaily are cute and I was thinking it would get her excited to see Fantasmic since Mickey wears the sorcerer hat in it. How fun are they when not at WDW?