A teen's look at this popular MousePlanet event
Thursday, August 28, 2003
by Sean, Magic Years writer
This past April, I had the honor of attending MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble
as a member of Team Disney Adventures. Now that the upcoming MouseAdventure
has been announced, I have decided to write a review of my experience
that I had last April. Even though this upcoming MouseAdventure is not
a Mad Scramble format, I think it will still give you a good idea of what
these popular events are like.
MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble is a game that relies not on points, but
on time. In order to win, teams must find and visit five stations in the
park. Each station has two worksheets that the teams must complete in
order to move on to the next station.
Each worksheet has a puzzle on it. For instance, on the Main Street puzzle,
teams had to identify certain windows and write down the name of the business
they belonged to on their worksheets. Teams have the option of giving
up one of the worksheets in exchange for a 15-minute time deduction. They
also have an “Extra Credit” packet that can either deduct or
add time to their scores. This extra credit packet contains such things
as an “EyeSpy” section, where teams correctly identify pictures
from around the park, and a “Bingo” game, where they collect
things such as Tabasco sauce from Rancho Del Zocalo and straws from Redd
Rockets Pizza Port. All this must be completed in three hours or less.
The team with the lowest time wins. Simple enough, right?
Well, do you know what a hurricane lamp is? Do you know where to find
one in New Orleans Square? Neither did I. That is, until I played MouseAdventure:
Mad Scramble. A hurricane lamp was one of the many items our team had
to locate in the many balconies above New Orleans Square. That is kind
of hard if you don't know what something looks like. Luckily, one of the
many wonderful MousePlanet staff members, Adrienne Krock, was able to
tell us what it looked like. We then were able to find it very quickly
right across from the hanging parasols.
So you may want to know what you, as a teen, can do to prepare for the
next MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble. First off, one thing of key importance
is to make sure you make your team up of people who enjoy the park and
would be interested in playing MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble. I also suggest
that you include at least one adult in your team, because (most) adults
have been around longer than you or me, they probably know a lot more
about Disneyland's history.
You can make your team entirely up of teens, but I suggest against it.
My team made the fatal mistake of doing that at the last MouseAdventure:
Mad Scramble and we failed horribly in areas of trivia that our parents
knew perfectly well. But it doesn't even have to be a parent who is with
you. It could be a cousin, a teacher, a neighbor, even your grandma!
You have to be in shape in order to participate in MouseAdventure: Mad
Scramble. The game entails lots of walking around the park. I recommend
wearing extra comfortable walking shoes, and getting plenty of exercise
before the big day. I even saw teams stretching and doing push-ups before
the game even started just to get ready! [We hope the exercisers were
just kidding around; we don't suggest that anyone work out before the
event. – editor.]
You should also bring plenty of water and snacks; you won't have time
to stop for refreshments. Lastly, every team member should bring a clipboard
and a pencil. That way, everyone can do something different as you compete
as long as you stay together as a team.
One of the best things about participating in MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble
is some of the incredible lengths teams go to in order to have good sprit.
From wearing matching T-shirts to dressing up in fez hats, teams go all
out to impress others. The lengths teams go through to create that true
“Disney spirit” is purely incredible.
So the big day arrives. You haven't been able to sleep all night because
of the suspense. You and your team head down to the Disneyland Resort.
As you enter the picnic area, you see a mass of people in a huge line.
Someone with a badge on that says “MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble Staff”
comes to you and asks, “MouseAdventure?” Your entire team, lost
for words in the huge jungle of people, can only nod in agreement.
“Right over there,” is the reply you hear as the staff member
walks over to the next team of bewildered guests. As you get in line,
you start talking to the team in front of you. You learn that they are
actually a team that has done it since the beginning. They have won so
many times, they have actually been forced into retirement, and are only
here to savor the fun of MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble once again. You
wonder if you will be like them one day…
After you sign in and take your team picture, all of the participants
of MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble move inside the park, where they take
a group picture in front of the castle. Afterwards, you all migrate to
Carnation Gardens, where the countdown begins.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1! You rip open the provided packet and
see where your first station is. You find the station and receive your
packets and worksheet. You immediately begin to attempt to figure out
the puzzle. For the next three hours, you go to three more stations and
complete seven more worksheets. At 2:59, you finally turn in your completed
packet. You anxiously wait until 4:30, when the scores will be released.
After several raffles, a crew member comes out with a small envelope
that holds the names of the winning teams. As the scores are read out,
you wonder if you will win. Only time will tell. Even if you don't win,
you know that as one of the younger people in the crowd, you will always
be ready for the next MouseAdventure, and that you are always ready to
take a position of immortality, such as the very first team you met while
you were in line ready to sign up…
As you can see, MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble is an entertaining and exciting
way to spend your day at the Disneyland Resort. You learn things you never
knew, you see things you've never seen, and you do things you never done
while attending this event. MouseAdventure: Mad Scramble is one of the
many ways you can really show the world how much you love Disney.
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Hi, I'm Sean. I'm 13 years old and live in Stevenson
Ranch, California, with my Dad, Mom, two sisters, and our dog, Roxie.
I have a annual pass to Disneyland and go as often as
I can.
I have been reading MousePlanet for about 2 years now,
and have loved every single article posted here. It's an honor to write
for them, and I hope that you will like my articles as much as I like
to write them.
See you at Disneyland!
Contact the Cool Kids here.
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