Pal Mickey

[tss22]

Hi - first post so be gentle.

Preamble: My wife, mother-in-law, and I are taking my 3 year old and 18 month old to Disney in September (ages at time of travel given). I was considering getting a Pal Mickey, but being a cheapo - didn't want to pay full price. I looked on ebay and saw 2 different models available (with and without sorcerers robe & hat).

Questions:
1) Is Pal Mickey age apporpriate for my 3 year old?
2) Is it worth having in general (aka is dad aka me going to enjoy having it) for someone who generally has things planned out and knows when parades and the like are?
3) How is the software kept up to date on the toy? If I was to try to buy a used one on ebay, how new do I need to make sure it is? Should I wait until a month before our trip and look for 1 that was recently purchased or can I get one now from say early 08 or 07? Is there anyway to update the software on the device?

Thanks for the help!

t

[tinkwest]

I have a feeling you are referring to a trip you are planning on taking to Walt Disney World rather than to the Disneyland Resort, since Pal Mickey is not available there. So . . . I'm moving this post over to the general Mousellaneous forum where you are sure to get lots of responses.

[tss22]

ooops... sorry... told you i was new...

[DisneyDog]

My DS is 5. He's had a Pal Mickey since he was 2 years old. He loved it so much that he wore it out! We went back to WDW a few weeks ago and bought him his 2nd. Now he sleeps with both -- what he calls his "new Mickey" and his "dirty Mickey." :D

[tss22]

My DS is 5. He's had a Pal Mickey since he was 2 years old. He loved it so much that he wore it out! We went back to WDW a few weeks ago and bought him his 2nd. Now he sleeps with both -- what he calls his "new Mickey" and his "dirty Mickey." :D

Thanks for the response! It sounds like my 3 year old might like it. May I ask how you kept the information on the older one up to date? Is there a way to update it or is it just giving you information on the older stuff and ignoring the newer stuff? Thanks!

[DisneyDog]

There is no way to update the software, other than entering the parks. Nifty trick, huh? But, what ever jokes and games he has stored can be played outside of the parks. After a few years, ours started "eating" batteries. We would put in a fresh set of batteries, and a day or so later it wouldn't work anymore. So, that's why we bought a new one. But it did work for quite a while, and DS probably left it on all the time, which isn't good for it.

Incidentally, while we were in the parks, DS insisted on wearing it on his belt, even though it's not light. He wouldn't go anywhere without it, he loves it so much. He walked around with it all day for 4 days straight without a single complaint...so he MUST really love it!

[Jeff G]

First of all, WELCOME TO INTERCOT!

:welcome:


I think the answer to you first question as been covered but to add my :twocents:, I believe you 3 year old will like it but may not comprehend the full experience. My DD was 11 years old & used her money for one and had so much fun with hers that my 8 year old later used his money for one. My youngest DS was 2.5 at the time and liked him but didn't understand completely and had more fun with a $30 plush mickey that talked by pressing a button.

As for the info he provides it can come in handy to a degree. Pal Mickey offered us show/parade times, told us of rides with short waits and a bunch of trivia in regards to the parks. My kids really enjoyed the trivia. Being that we have been to WDW so many time I didn't find the info all that helpful.

As for updates, I believe when you arrive to the MK you can stop by the Emporium and they will update him for you. I've also heard that he automatically updates when he enters the parks.

I would offer a small bit of caution buying one of these off of ebay since they may appear normal but you wont know until you get to the parks if everything is OK. I have a friend who purchased one at a rummage sale for $5 and it works perfect while I know of another person who paid $30 on ebay and it doesn't work at all.

Overall they are pretty cool and definitely added a new element of fun at the parks for my kids.

[DisneyDog]

To add to that...the one we bought the other week at MK was defective (he kept repeating himself over and over again). We had to return him and they gave us another one. I probably wouldn't chance buying it anywhere other than in the parks. They seem to be very sensitive little machines.