When “MouseAdventure Musical” sold out in a matter of hours on the very day we opened registration, we knew the event was going to be big. Thanks to some post-registration logistical wrangling, we were able to open up some additional spots in our competitive divisions.
Our advanced category teams were the first into the Paradise Pier Hotel ballroom at the Disneyland Resort on game day, and were quickly out with a minimum of instruction, since they are experts and know the drill. Next up to assemble in the ballroom were our basic category teams, followed by our non-competitive Day at the Park teams.
While advanced and basic teams were sent into Disneyland to receive their game packets, Day at the Park teams headed to Disney California Adventure to tackle the quests from last year's Road Trip game.
Basic teams got a card showing Toot, Whistle, Plunk, or Boom, which determined one of four initial startng points at different areas of the park, where they received their quests to begin tackling the tasks ahead of them.
In a hilarious coincidence, The Lost Falls Expedition purchased identical shirts (down to the brand and color) as those worn by MouseAdventure crew members; the only difference was the embroidery work. Photo by Kenji Luster.
Somehow the spring event managed to dodge any major weather issues, although temperatures rose throughout the day as the initial morning overcast skies gave way to sunshine. In addition, it was a pleasant surprise that no major game elements were closed or removed during the game; the day's only major hiccup was Disney security refusing to let crew members bring in small toy xylophones that teams would play to receive bonus points on a quest.
We did have one team drop a member because her non-playing daughter went into labor while visiting the park—that is a MouseAdventure first! Of course the smoothness of this event means that the fall event will experience record heat, flooding rains, a plague of locusts, and the closure of several attractions.
Once the advanced and competitive basic teams turned in at 4 p.m., our graders quickly headed to the Paradise Pier Hotel to begin the grading process, which has been greatly improved thanks to the use of barcoded answer sheets and Scantron forms. Non-competitive basic teams and Day at the Park teams were given an additional hour to complete their quests before turning them in for scoring. While the graders worked upstairs, event producers Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix and Joe Stevano were downstairs in the ballroom recapping the quests for those who returned to the ballroom.
Mickey crispy rice treats greet tired teams at the post-event gathering. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Those looking for a healthier treat could opt for vegetables, or cheese and crackers. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
For those who didn't attend the post-game festivities, we've provided a full recap of the quests, along with the winners of each division and detailed scores for every team. We've also included a survey for players to help us gauge interest in various aspects of the event and gather feedback for future events.
Quests | Photos | Results | Acknowledgements | Survey | Upcoming Events
Disneyland Quests
Do / Re / Me (30 points)
Teams were given images of signs from around Adventureland with the letters removed save for those associated with do, re, me and so on. Numbers next to the images identified the missing letter needed to make up the final word when placed in proper do, re, me order. For the final answer, teams had to identify what type of this item is “offered” in Adventureland.
Read in the correct order, the letters spelled “lessons.” Teams then needed to find another sign in Adventureland to answer the question.
- Correct answer – Banjo
Teams line the walkway in Fantasyland for game strategy sessions shortly after receiving their game packets. Photo by Kenji Luster.
…And the Hillbillies (30 points)
Using signs on the side of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, teams filled in the missing words in a series of phrases, then entered those into spaces to reveal a word in the highlighted boxes. For the final answer, teams had to find the indicated item in a Frontierland window display, and name the brand of that item.
The highlighted boxes revealed the word “harmonica” when read from bottom to top.
- Correct answer – The Magnet
Out of Toon (40 points)
Teams had to “toon” into objects around Toontown, and identify the missing text from a series of images. The missing letters identified from the signs were then subtracted from a list of letters. The remaining letters were unscrambled to form the name of a local business owner. Teams were asked to write the service that owner offers on their answer sheet.
The remaining letters spelled “Clara Cluck.”
- Correct answer – Singing lessons
This player stands right in front of Clara Cluck's Toontown window. Photo by Stephanie Wien.
High Frequency (40 points)
This quest used a codex in the form of paper strips that teams had to assemble into six paper rings that featured letters and symbols. Teams were given a series of six items to locate inside Innoventions, then write down the corresponding number or letter associated with those items. Teams located the answers on the paper rings and arranged them in a line in numerical order. When properly aligned, the letters in the grey boxes on the strips spelled out the item teams had to locate inside Innoventions.
The item to locate was “Fats Now and Forever music director.”
- Correct answer – J. Alfuso
- Common incorrect answer – Gregory Keith; Keith was the director, not the music director, so teams who didn't read carefully identified the wrong person.
Music Theory (50 points)
Teams hunted around Tomorrowland to fill in the blanks next to food items available around the area. Once all items were located, teams filled in the musical notes according to the numbers under specific letters to form a musical phrase. To correctly answer the quest, teams had to match the musical phrase to a display of sheet music near the exit of Innoventions and write the name of the song on their answer sheets.
- Correct answer – The Main Street Electrical Parade; we also accepted Baroque Hoedown.
Sound Waves (50 points)
Teams were given a grid of numbers and a list of items found on Main Street. Once teams found a number associated with a specific item, they placed a forward or backward slash in the matching numbered box based on the slash shown next to the item. Colored letters around the edge of the numbered grid were then used to translate an encoded phrase by following the row or column until they met a slash mark, then bouncing off until reaching the final letter.
When navigated successfully, the grid revealed the phrase, “What song's sheet music is pictured in the window for Two Brothers Tunemakers.”
- Correct answer – “it's a small world”
You've Got Rhythm (50 points)
Teams were given a series of multiple choice questions related to New Orleans Square, with each answer associated with a colored box. Once teams had their answers, they were told to head to Fowler's Harbor to verify them with crew members. Originally, we had intended for teams to play the tune corresponding to the colored boxes on toy xylophones and get an extra 10 points for correctly guessing the name of the song, however Disneyland security had other ideas and the toys stayed back in the ballroom.
- Correct answer – yellow, red, pink, red, pink, orange, yellow, yellow, green, green, blue
A crowded New Orleans Square can slow up MouseAdventure teams on the hunt for clues. Photo by Kenji Luster.
B Sharp (60 points)
This quest gave teams a twist on the traditional drop-down puzzle by using a piano keyboard. Teams searched Fantasyland for answers to a series of questions, then separated out only those letters from the answers that one would find on a musical scale. Some spaces were also marked with sharps or flats, which applied to all letters of that space. The identified “notes” were then used to select letters from the corresponding keys on the piano keyboard to reveal the question.
The correctly translated question was, “This Fantasyland attraction closes for parades.”
- Correct answer – Storybookland Canal Boats
- Common misinterpretation – Teams mistook the identified notes as meant to be crossed off and discarded, rather than selected for use.
This team sits right below one of the more elusive answers found on the B Sharp quest. Photo by Stephanie Wien.
[Basic only] Running Scales (up to 64 points)
This quest was a progressive scavenger hunt, with each correctly located item being twice the points of the previous one, for a maximum total of 64 points. The first item for teams was to obtain a Photopass and have their team photo taken. The subsequent items sent teams park-wide to locate the answers.
Crew member Matthew, seated, explains the progressive scavenger quest to a waiting Basic team in matching yellow shirts. Photo by Kenji Luster.
[Advanced only] Performing Arts (up to 64 points)
Advanced teams had to dust off their acting skills for this quest. Based on clues, teams were called on to act out a series of poses based on images or items around the park. Some of the poses included the Jedi trainee sequence from the Jedi Training Academy show, the movements of the surfer on the “it's a small world” clock, and the hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction poster.
Teams with fewer than three members had to pose a MouseAdventure crew member to complete certain tasks. Photo by Kenji Luster.
Hidden Quest (20 points)
The pages of trivia given to our Advanced and Basic teams had pieces of sheet music on the backside of the paper. When examined closely, several notes were a slightly different color and had small numbers underneath. Taking the fragment of lyrics right below those notes and arranging them in numerical order revealed the hidden question, “Time of the second Soundsational Parade.”
- Correct answer – 6:30
This player appears to be on the right track for the hidden quest. Photo by Stephanie Wien.
Disney California Adventure Quests [Advanced Teams]
In addition to Disneyland quests that both basic and advanced teams solved, advanced teams were also sent to Disney California Adventure for an additional set of quests.
Sight Reading (30 points)
This quest was a particularly evil paragraph based off of text in the Buena Vista Bugle newspaper. The listed series of letters corresponded to the titles of items in the paper, followed by numbers representing the line, word, and letter to be used from that article.
The correctly translated question was, “To see the Silver Lake Sisters at the world famous South Seas Club what phone number should you call for reservations?”
- Correct answer – PEABODY – 621
Cars Land Countdown (40 points)
Teams located answers and missing words to a series of questions in Cars Land, then translated a phrase using the indicated letter from each answer.
The correctly translated phrase was, “Back to My Routes track three.” The answer is found on one of the gold records inside Flo's.
- Correct answer – Overdrive
Sound Board (50 points)
We broke out the fancy technology for this quest, utilizing tablet computers to simulate sound mixing boards. Teams answered a series of questions around Paradise Pier, then performed the indicated math to arrive at whole numbers, which could include negative numbers. Teams then proceeded to MouseAdventure Central to dial their numbers into the sound boards, revealing the text that teams needed to complete.
The correctly translated text was, “Just add water.”
- Correct answer – Instant concert
Masters team The New Orleans Squares dial in the numbers on a tablet computer to reveal the encoded question. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Come Inside, It's Fun Inside (60 points)
Aiming to torture our teams, we sent them into the Disney Junior – Live on Stage show in Hollywood Land to answer a series of multiple choice questions about the show, lyrics, and characters. Depending on the selected answer, teams eliminated words from a sheet of words to reveal the final question.
The correctly revealed question was, “Who is in the glove balloon?” The balloon is located on the outside of the show building.
- Correct answer – Donald
Day at the Park Quests
Our Day at the Park event quests were taken from the recent Road Trip event, and are meant as a non-competitive introduction to MouseAdventure for new players.
Life is a Highway (50 points)
Teams were asked to identify a series of signs in Cars Land using only the number of words and letters on each. When they correctly located the string of Rust-eze signs that line the route between Pacific Wharf and Paradise Pier, they then had to determine the specified letter from each sign.
Read in the correct order (in this case, from bottom to top), the letters spelled “Population.” Teams then needed to find another sign in Cars Land to answer the question.
- Correct answer – 12
- Common incorrect answer – 8; knowing that the final answer was a number, some teams guessed we were looking for the 8 in Flo's V-8 Cafe.
I Saw the Signs (50 points)
Teams had to examine the exterior walls of Radiator Springs Curios to find the one item from a provided list of 41 signs, painted words, and license plates that could not be found among Lizzy's collection.
- Correct answer – A license plate that shows Rubberneck is in Carb County
High Hopes (50 points)
Playing on the idea of a bug's land as a roadside attraction, we created a word search with all of the World's Largest props to be found in Flik's Fun Fair, such as garden hoses, churro boxes, and drinking straws. The unused letters in the word search formed this final question: “Where is the grand prize winner going?”
- Correct answer – Flik's Fun Fair
Playing with the Queen of Hearts (50 points)
Don't you hate it when you discover you've lost a few cards from your deck? We asked teams to check out the House of Cards lounge and stage, then figure out which cards must have been missing from the deck used to build the Mad T Party structures.
- Correct answer – 9 of Diamonds, 6 and 10 of Spades
Just Around the River Bend (50 points)
Teams had to match Wilderness Explorer Badge symbols to the activities needed to earn them, then answer this final question “What is Kevin's favorite sweet treat?”
MouseAdventure quests are always answered based on data inside the parks, and sharp-eyed teams saw that Kevin was added to the list of creatures outside the Spirit Cave. Others relied on their memory of the movie Up for the answer, with mixed results.
- Correct answer – Chocolate
- Common incorrect answers – Ice cream; chocolate bar (accurate based on the movie, but not what was written on the sign)
Camptown Races (100 points)
This classic “unreliable witness” quest was set in Paradise Pier, and teams had to answer a series of 12 true/false questions to help identify a specific race horse at the Bulls Eye Stallion Stampede midway game. We threw in lots of tricky text to trip up unsuspecting players, but many caught on to our strategy and avoided the obvious traps.
- Correct answer – Ricochet
One of our Day at the Park teams turns in their answer sheet to staff members David and Amanda. Photo by Stephanie Wien.
Words Get in the Way (100 points)
Our take on the classic road trip game sent teams around Condor Flats to find nouns, verbs, and adjectives in signs around the area, then use those words to fill in a chart. The highlighted letters formed this question: “Brand of tires 'sold' in Fly n Buy.”
- Correct answer – E-Turn-O Tires; E-Turn-O
Heffalumps and Woozles (100 points)
This quest was also based on a classic activity book puzzle. We gave teams two sheets of stickers and asked them to reassemble them to form two of the beautiful tile murals on Buena Vista Street.
When the images were completed, teams followed a series of arrows and letters on the stickers to decode a question asking for the exact date the DCA Time Capsule would be opened.
- Correct answer – June 15, 2037
Hidden Quest (20 points)
The Condor Flats/Buena Vista Street packet also contained the least hidden Hidden Quest ever. If teams looked at the sticker sheets provided for “Heffalumps and Woozles” before they started that quest, they may have noticed that the letters across two rows spelled the words “Hidden Quest.” We also told teams that there would be stickers left over after completing the two tile murals for that quest.
The remaining stickers were taken from other murals around Buena Vista Street. When reassembled to re-create those murals, the hidden quest asked for the numbers (plural) of the Red Car Trolleys.
- Correct answer – 623 and 717
Event Photos
Instead of taking team photos before the event, each team was tasked with finding a Photopass photographer and posing for a photo. Photopass cards were collected by MouseAdventure staff and are still being consolidated by Disney. A collection of candid (in-game) photos are hosted on our Google+ page.
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| From MouseAdventure Musical-Candids |
Results
Results for MouseAdventure Musical were announced at the closing festivities on Sunday night, May 19. There were 740 possible points for Advanced teams, and 544 possible points for Basic teams in this event, including Trivia, and the Hidden Quest. No team had a perfect score; there were a tie for third place in the Advanced division that was decided by time of packet turn-in.
We recognized the top three teams in the Advanced and Returning Basic categories, and the top team in each of the New Basic Team and Family Team categories (Family teams include at least one player under 13). Winning teams received a prize package of Disney books, DVDs, and collectibles, as well as a trophy made from the toy xylophones that were to be used in the game.
Advanced Teams
First Place – Three Guys and a Girl (690 points)
Second Place – Upside-Down Cakes (688 points)
Third Place – YM's Majesty (684 points)
Basic Teams
First Place – Naboombu All-Stars (510 points)
Second Place – JBCM (508 points)
Third Place – the no name gang (498 points)
New Basic Team
A team is eligible to compete in the New Team category if more than half (two players out of a two-player team; two out of a three-player team; three out of a four-player team) of their players are new to MouseAdventure. With some returning teams having as many as 20 events under their belts, we want to give new players a fighting chance to reach the winner's circle. There were 29 new Basic teams for this event. The new team with the highest score is:
First Place – Hit it Skip (452 points)
Family Teams
A team is eligible to compete in the Family Teams category if they have one or more players age 13 or younger. There were 17 family teams in the competitive category for this event. The Family team winners in the Basic competitive category actually had the highest score of all Basic teams, but teams can only win in one category. The Best Family Team is:
First Place – Club 34 (518 points)
MouseAdventure Masters
MouseAdventure Masters are those teams who, after taking first-place honors in any competitive division three times, are honored with retirement from future competitions. MouseAdventure Masters teams can participate in future events at no charge, and help serve as a benchmark for up-and-coming teams. Simba's Pride joined the MouseAdventure crew for this event, helping to write quests, beta test, and staff the event.
Our two most recently crowned Masters Teams—The Heffatooies and The New Orleans Squares—participated in this event, and once again demonstrated why they deserve to be called Masters, earning the two highest scores in the advanced division for the event. The New Orleans Squares had a score of 706 points out of a possible 740, and The Heffatooies were close on their heels with a score of 702.
Scores Spreadsheet
Team T-Shirt Contest
We love seeing all of the effort our MouseAdventure teams put into T-shirts and coordinated outfits on game day, especially when they work the game theme into their designs.
We got feedback from the teams that you would like a little more time to finalize your designs, so we will target the Wednesday before game day for the deadline for our next event. Staff voting was tight for our winners this time around, and we awarded prizes to the best designs in our basic and advanced team categories.
Best T-shirt: Basic – Club 34. Our staff enjoyed this play off of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album.
Best T-shirt: Advanced – Tasty Abbott
Staff & Crew Acknowledgements
In alphabetical order and hopefully not omitting anyone:
- Event producers – Adrienne V-P, Joe
- MouseAdventure event staff – Adrienne K, Kevin K, Alex, Lani, David, Amanda, Jennifer R, Stephanie, Shoshana, Steven, Tony
- MouseAdventure volunteer event crew – Adam, Chris, Helga, Karin, Kenji, Ken, Teresa, Tommy, Matthew, Jenny, Danie, Kevin, Jennifer
- Post-event awards photography – Kenji
- Special thanks to the event staff at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel and the staff at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Plaza Hotel.
Survey
We're always working to make MouseAdventure better and more fun for our teams. We will be releasing a link to the survey in the coming days, so stay tuned for more information!
Upcoming Events
Keep in touch with MouseAdventure at MouseAdventure.com, on Facebook and on Twitter (@MouseAdventure) for all the latest updates on our next events.
We post MouseAdventure updates in our weekly Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Updates, as well as on the front page of our site. We also strongly encourage you to sign up for our MouseAdventure mailing list to receive updates about future events as they are announced. Note: This is an opt-in only mailing list, which means that we have not already added the names of former MouseAdventure players to this list. If you would like to receive these updates, you will need to sign up for the list.
Note: Certain Internet service providers—namely Earthlink, Hotmail and Go.com—have been known to block MouseAdventure email even to subscribers who specifically request it. If you sign up for our newsletters using one of these providers, we can almost guarantee you won't receive it. The same goes for important registration information and confirmation for teams. We encourage you to consider using an alternate email address from well-behaved (and free) providers such as Gmail or Yahoo to receive MouseAdventure email.
Sign up for the MouseAdventure Mailing List
Fall 2013 at Walt Disney World
MouseAdventure returns to Walt Disney World for World Explorers V, for a two-day, four-park plus event on November 16–17. You won't want to miss this ultimate challenge of your MouseAdventure skills. The World must be Explored!
Registration is not yet open for this event, so be sure you are signed up for our Walt Disney World MouseAdventure newsletter to be notified when it opens.
Fall 2013 at Disneyland Resort
We have no information about our Fall 2013 event yet, so be sure to get on our mailing list (preferably not Earthlink, Hotmail or Go.com) so you don't miss out. Registration for our spring event sold out in hours, so be sure you are signed up for the newsletter to get the first notice of registration.
