Free Things at Disney World

1. "Co-pilot" the monorail - Just ask the cast member if you can ride up front. If nobody else has asked, they will usually let you ride. It's limited to 4 people. No strollers. They will give you an official monorail co-pilot's license at the end of your trip. Update: Since the Monorail crash in 2009, Disney is no longer allowing guests in the pilot's cabin.
2. Have Your Picture Taken - There are "Passport Photographers" throughout the parks who will take your picture and give you an id tag which you can use to retrieve your pictures on-line later. Even if you don't want to purchase the pictures from Disney the photographers are great because they are happy to take a picture with your camera, too. So just let them take your picture and ask them to take shot with your camera, too. That way you can get great shots with your entire family in them for free!
   
3. "Co-pilot" the paddle boat in the Magic Kingdom. I've never tried this personally, but I've been told it works just the monorail.
   
4. Transportation trading cards (ask Monorail workers, bus drivers, and boat workers) We found about these on our last trip. It sure made waiting a lot more fun. We usually didn't bother bus drivers during busy times. We were able to collect all the bus cards. We lacked only a couple of the monorail cards.
   
5. Club Cool - Sample free Coke from around the world in Epcot near Test Track. I've heard Beverly is especially good, hehe!
   
6. Ice water at restaurants - This is a real money saver! You can get free ice water at any restaurant. It's a lot better than getting it from the water fountains which are often not cold.
   
7. Waking up Tinkerbell - I had never heard of this one before but I'm looking forward to trying it on our next trip. In Tinkerbell's Treasures, located behind Cinderella Castle, you can request to wake up Tinkerbell if you are the first one there in the morning. If you arrive and Tinkerbell is not flying around the shop, just ask one of the CM's if you can wake her up. [Note: With the refurbishment of this shop, this has changed substantially and is now done several times during the day. The "drawer" where Tink used to "sleep" is gone, but the concept is essentially the same.]
   
8. Paintbrushes on Tom Sawyer's Island - This is one of those things that I've been told about but never been able to find. At the beginning of the day, Cast Members hide a number of paint brushes on Tom Sawyer's Island. They look like they've been used for white washing. If you find one and take to a CM, they will give you a reward.
   
9. Build a robot - In Epcot you can build your own robot. Update: When Sum of All Thrills went in, the build a robot area was removed.
   
10. Segway experience - In Epcot there is a free Segway experience where you can ride a Segway.
    
11. Charm Lanyard at Epcot - In Epcot Sharpie sponsors a free charm lanyard where kids can collect various charms at the Future World pavilions.
    
12. Mask with Charms at World Showcase - Similarly, in World Showcase they can collect charms in country and add them to a mask. Our kids really enjoyed this since it gave them something to look for in each country and a way to interact with somebody from that country.
    
13. Campfire sing-a-long and movie at Fort Wilderness - Outside the parks, you can still have fun. The campfire sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness is one of the neatest things that Disney offers. The outdoor movie is just a great way to watch a Disney classic. It makes you miss drive-ins.
    
14. Lobby tour at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge - We often take days off from the parks while on vacation. Sometimes we have gone and visited some of the other resorts on these days. I didn't realize there were official tours available, but now that I do, I'll be checking into these.