With just a few simple items, you can secure lasting memories from Walt Disney World for years to come. All you need is a pen, postcards and stamps. This is a fun family activity from years past that we decided was long overdue for a repeat. The process is easy – decide on a postcard for the park you are visiting for the day, put a stamp on it and toss it in your backpack with a pen. While at the park, jot down several interesting and exciting things your family does during the day’s visit and drop the postcard into a designated mailbox. We enjoy including anecdotes about favorite rides, special meals and more. Did something funny or unusual happen during the day? If so, these are great memories to include.
If your kids are young, make it a surprise by having the adults in your party take turns filling out the cards. Little ones will be thrilled to see the postcards arrive in the mail once you return home from the trip. If your children are a bit older, get them in on the action by putting each one in charge of a card for a day. It is perfect for our family of five as each sibling can be responsible for a park card, one parent another park, and the second parent a resort card. Postcard packets and stamps are often times available in Disney resort and park gift shops near where autograph books are sold. Don’t forget to put the day and year at the top of each postcard so you can remember exactly when you visited each park.
EPCOT
We always enjoy matching the picture on the postcard with the park. It was exciting to see a Remy postcard included in our packet, a great one for memories from EPCOT. Highlights we documented included special foods from the Festival of the Holiday booths and rides on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Living With the Land Holiday edition (one of our absolute favorites). Something very out of the ordinary occurred, so we made sure to make a special notation – the lights came on and we were stuck at the very top of Spaceship Earth! One final documented high point included a memorable meal and show at Germany’s Biergarten Restaurant, our first time back to the restaurant in over ten years.
Look for the EPCOT mailbox located near The America Adventure pavilion just in front of the Regal Eagle Smokehouse.
Magic Kingdom
What says Magic Kingdom more than an elegant picture of Cinderella Castle? This was the perfect card to document our action-packed day at Disney World’s original park. We recorded great times on Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, TRON Lightcycle / Run and many more. For us a trip is not complete without a stop at the Carousel of Progress revolving theater. No matter how many times our family sees the show, we always notice something new (the Dad wearing a “My Food Rocks” apron!) We jotted down our enjoyment of pineapple floats followed by a lively show in the Enchanted Tiki Room. The Jungle Cruise skipper was the most hilarious we’ve ever had, so writing down one of his memorable quips was a must for the postcard.
The Magic Kingdom mailbox is located at the front of the park just across the sidewalk from City Hall.
Animal Kingdom
Our postcard from Animal Kingdom was full of “first time” items as well as some activities we haven’t done for a few years. The park was very busy that day, so early on we headed over to Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch to escape the hustle and bustle. The petting zoo at Affection Section and drawing our very own Zazu at The Animation Experience were activities enjoyed by all. Some of the new snacks we’ve never tried included the Pongu Lumpia and Night Blossom specialty beverage from Pandora – The World of Avatar Pongu Pongu stand. Kilimanjaro Safaris was a true highlight as a white rhino stopped on the ride path and our vehicle couldn’t safely pass for almost ten minutes – what a special view of such a majestic animal!
The Animal Kingdom mailbox is very easy to locate, just outside of Guest Relations adjacent to the exit.
Hollywood Studios
This Galaxy’s Edge postcard was the perfect one to mail from Hollywood Studios. Special notations for the day included rides on Rise of the Resistance, Star Tours (several times, a family favorite), and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. We also enjoyed our customary visit to Muppet*Vision 3D as well as taking in a viewing of the animated short “Vacation Fun.” Other highlights of the day included shopping for Muppet merchandise and a late-night reservation at Oga’s Cantina. Walking through an empty and quiet Galaxy’s Edge at the end of the night was very special and something we will remember for a long time to come.
The Hollywood Studios mailbox is found at the front of the park, just to the right side of Guest Relations. If you have time, stop inside and a cast member will put a special stamp on the postcard before you drop it in the box. You can get a stamp at any of the other parks inside Guest Relations as well.
Don’t Forget A Resort
If you are staying on Disney World property, be sure to send a postcard from your resort. If you aren’t staying at Disney during your trip, head over to a resort of your choice to mail a card. It’s a good excuse, as if you really need one, to visit one of your hotels of choice. We chose to stop by one of our absolute favorites, Pop Century. The Skyliner postcard was the perfect option since the resort is on the Skyliner route. While sitting in the Dining Hall snacking on delicious coffee cake, we jotted down a few highlights from our visit. Perusing the the decades’ items displayed in the lobby as well as a game of Twister at the 1970s building were among them.
Stop by the front desk at any resort and a cast member will happily get your postcard to the right place for mailing.
Let The Mail Roll In At Home
The fun begins once you get back home and the postcards begin to arrive. A few of ours even got there before we did. Since our postcards from years ago eventually went missing, I’ve vowed to better preserve our newest ones. Our vacation this time was during the Disney Christmas season, so perhaps putting the cards inside a holiday frame or special shadowbox would make for a unique keepsake. We could bring them out each year when decorating for the holidays and once again relive our incredible park memories. You could do the same if your visit was during a special event such as Disney during Halloween or perhaps a family member’s birthday or anniversary.
Let us know if you have ever mailed postcards from Disney World. If not, we encourage you to give it a try and get your entire family in on the fun.
Finding fun and informative ways to provide Disney goers a unique perspective on the information they seek about the parks, resorts, food, history and so much more. Been bringing kids to Disney from toddlers to teens, so plenty of parent tips will be given.
Happiest with a pineapple Dole Whip float in my hand and an Orange Bird hat on my head.
