WDW Explorer software

[jdisney]

this software is okay. I lost interest after about a half hour, but for your kids or someone who has never been to WDW and planning a visit it may be worth it.

[jdisney]

Buy the second edition. It was made in 98 and the newest attraction included was the Animal Kingdom. If you are just planning a trip to Disney it would be cheaper to have their vacation planner interactive DVD sent to you from Disney. It is a good video for being a free one.

[Arvorenn]

Once again reviving a veeeeery old thread but I can't resist here because I still love the programm despite it's age.

To answer the last question on the first page: To my knowledge, there were (sadly) only two versions. The first one was published sometime around 1996, the Walt Disney World Explorer II came out in 1998 and featured already a (however very reduced) portrayal of the complete Animal Kingdom, without detailed descriptions of the Parks.

I got mine during our trip to WDW in 1999 (such a long time - my first exposure to Disney parks and I was captivated from the very beginning) and, as I said, I still love it.
True, there aren't that many videos of the actual attractions featured there, and certainly no high res videos, but I guess that was due to the time in which it was made. However, it is very detailed - every attraction and every park as a whole is featured with several rather good pictures and an explaining audio track to whose narration they added some of the fitting background music. And, of course, that's not all - there are some bits of background and trivia info for most of the attractions, too - and a quiz, where you can show if you already know those.
As horizons1 already said, you can look for some hidden Mickeys within all the pictures and, as soon as you have found ten of them, there's a little surprise waiting.


Sadly, those series of computer programs wasn't continued. While I was looking for something similar in 2006, I found a DVD package with imagery of all parks, commented by some more or less fitting characters. Half an hour of footage for each park, not really comparable with the details of the Explorer (although it is high res video material this time) - but at least something.

To all the folks who have been to WDW lately: Is there a newer version of those DVDs out now? Or are they gone, too?

[Polynesian Princess]

I loved the WDW Explorer software! I liked the original more than the updated one and my sisters and I used it a lot to get our fix. We loved looking at all of the attractions, taking the tours, and playing the trivia game. I'm actually not sure we ever found 10 hidden Mickeys though even though we looked very hard, lol. I think it helped me learn my way around the parks too. I'd love to see an updated version of the program, but unfortunately I think they won't do it since they have a website now and that's where most people will look for info.

[SimonTemplar]

I have the first two versions they released (I think that's all they did), and both work fine on Windows XP. Shortly after they released the second version, is when the information available on various websites made it an outdated means of entertainment, etc. The information is kind of dated in places, but it's still cool to look through and explore. I just fired mine up again about 2-3 weeks ago and had fun with it. Hope you enjoy it!

[yodiwan1]

this all sounds very interesting...WHAT THE HECK IS IT?!?! LOL I have never heard of it before, and can I still buy it?

[Arvorenn]

this all sounds very interesting...WHAT THE HECK IS IT?!?! LOL I have never heard of it before, and can I still buy it?

You can't buy it at the Parks any more, but there are a few copies on ebay - ranging from $5 to $40 (the latter for a still sealed copy, apparently for collectors).
As for what it is: I guess I'll have to post some screenshots to describe it better - I'll try to remember to do that tomorrow..

[Polynesian Princess]

this all sounds very interesting...WHAT THE HECK IS IT?!?! LOL I have never heard of it before, and can I still buy it?

It's essentially an interactive map where you can click on everything on the Disney property - the attractions, hotels, golf courses, etc. Each of these items has a narration that describes what it is and provides some "behind the scenes" type information while showing pictures or videos. It also had some "tours" (I believe only in the second edition?) that you could take that would show you attractions around a theme (like little kids, grown ups, etc.) There was also a fun trivia game that has lots of hard questions. And of course you could search for Hidden Mickeys along the way. Much of the information is obviously outdated as the program is over 10 years old, but it's still very enjoyable. I've even ran it on Windows 7.

[Amy]

Shoot ~ all this talk is making me want to search the boxes I have with old computer stuff in them to see if I still have my game

[leblanan]

I have one of those, haven't used it in years! Itd probably be fun to pull it out and see what's changed, and what was considered "brand new" on it. I remember the hidden mickey game, I think I got them all but 2.

[packwingfn]

I used to love this!!! I had both and would use one of them before any trips to get me excited and I believe the start of me becoming addicted to WDW when I was only 13/14

[secondstar]

I own an older version, which I purchased it in 2000. I haven't tried installing it on my newer computers. Since I upgraded systems, I haven't touched it. I loved it when it was on my older system, though.

[northernmousefan2007]

I was just watching a few YouTube videos of the game to see what it was like. Looks pretty cool.

[yodiwan1]

if anyone has a copy they dont want to use anymore let me know, I would love to try it!!!

[lonepalm]

I have the original version, and the second version. I think they are great. I have had them since they first came out and revisit them every so often. Definitely worth the buy if you can find it at a reasonable price. They should work on any version of Windows (if it is greater than XP, you probably will have to set the XP compatibility mode and run as administrator)!