Interactive Games at Walt Disney World

When you only have a few days to spend at Walt Disney World sacrifices have to be made. With so many shows and attractions to experience I think the interactive games in the parks are one of the first things to be cut. However, some of these are worth the time to explore. Today I’ll be ranking these from “lowest priority” to “can’t miss” and sharing a little bit of information about each. All of these games are included in your park admission so take notes on what you’d like to play on your next visit!

#4 – A Pirate’s Adventure: Just because this one came in 4th doesn’t mean it isn’t tons of fun! The reason I ranked it low is because the missions take very little effort, it’s short, and it seems to be targeted more for smaller children. Located in the Magic Kingdom this game is played entirely in Adventureland. It’s very easy to pick up a map and start a game. Simply stop by the sign up station located just past the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Once there you’ll be able to choose your mission and grab a map just by swiping your park admission ticket. Even if you don’t want to play grabbing a map is very quick and they make a nice, free souvenir. Captain Jack will surely sign your treasure map and that would look great in a scrapbook! If you decide to play you’ll be sent to a location on your map to start your mission. You can expect each mission to take about 15 minutes to complete. During this time you’ll visit 5 or so locations and experience 30-45 seconds of activity at each stop. There’s nothing needed from you with this one, you’ll just be watching the story unfold. You aren’t missing a ton skipping A Pirate’s Adventure but if you have an extra 15 minutes why not stop by? Especially if you have little kids they might just love it!

#3 – Wilderness Explorers: Ironically, the previous game I dinged for being too quick but for me Wilderness Explorers takes a little too long! This game takes place all over Animal Kingdom when you sign up to become a Wilderness Explorer like Russell from the Disney movie Up. When you sign up at one of several locations you’ll be given a very nice booklet of badges that you can earn throughout the park. These are figurative badges as the grand prize for all your effort is a sticker, but it’s a fun way to really explore the park. While it’s quite a bit of work it doesn’t have to be completed in a single day. That’s a good thing since collecting all your badges will take 3-5 hours! The cast members in the park remain very enthusiastic about this program. If they see you with a booklet they almost won’t let you walk by without completing your badge for their area. I found myself hiding my book because I didn’t want to spend the time in certain areas. Of course, that’s coming from someone that’s seen everything twenty times! If it’s your first time at Animal Kingdom this is a great game to learn your way around and get some great information about the park.

#2 – Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom: This was a close one, but I had to rank SotMK as a very close second. This is because the game play is unique and exciting for your first mission but starts to feel a bit stale once you repeat the process with a few villains. The concept is that Disney villains are plotting to take over the Magic Kingdom and it’s your job to defeat them one by one through magical portals only you can find. You can sign up on Main Street at the old Fire House or in Liberty Square near the Princess Tiana meet and greet. During the sign up process you’ll be given a map to portal locations, a key to open the portals, and five spell cards. This is everything that you’ll need to play but if you’re anything like me you’ll head back daily for new spell cards! You only need to play one portal each day to be eligible to receive new cards. I’ve had more fun collecting and trading these cards than I’ve had playing the game. There are 60 cards total in the standard deck but there are also rare editions from hard ticketed events and 10 extra rare cards that can only be purchased in blind packs. If you decide to play it’s a good idea to stop by early or late as the portals do not handle traffic well and tend to get long lines during the busiest parts of the day. Depending on lines missions can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes to complete. All in all, even if you only grab some fun (and free) souvenir cards it’s worth the time!

#1 – Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure: And our winner is, Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure! The fun starts when you sign up at any one of multiple locations and are given what looks like a cell phone. From there the device leads you through various adventures and puzzles through the lands of the World Showcase. Each of the missions are very different and entertaining. I’ve found that I’m able to complete a mission in about 30 minutes but much like potato chips you can’t have just one. Be warned: if you let your young child or tween play a mission it may be them dragging YOU around the World Showcase! This game is a great way to get your kids to tour what have traditionally been some of the more boring parts of Walt Disney World. If you’re worried that this game might be an eyesore you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I’m always impressed at how well this game is hidden in plain sight. It blends in perfectly with the theming of each land!The bottom line is this is a game that’s fun for all ages regardless of if you’re a fan of Phineas and Ferb. If you plan on taking some time to stroll around the World Showcase then you can’t miss this fun addition!

So what do you think of my rankings? Would you put a different game on top? Have you played any of these? What were your experiences like? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! As always, thanks for reading!