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Epcot's Mission Possible - Saving The 'World,' One Mission At A Time!
by Mary Albright

I’m sure every one at some point has wanted to be a secret agent, saving the world from super villains. Walt Disney World has now made it possible for you to “save the world” at Epcot through its Kim Possible Secret Agent program, called Mission Possible, which is based on the Kim Possible cartoon series from the Disney Channel. Mission Possible is a relatively new activity at Epcot sends you to different part of the “world” -- meaning the World Showcase -- in search of clues to capture a super villain who is trying to take over the world. Ever since I heard about this activity, I could not wait to try it out. I had this picture in my head that it would be this giant scavenger hunt with a Disney twist. To start with, there are several recruiting stations, mostly in the Future World area of Epcot. You can’t miss the large signs directing you inside both sides of Innoventions where uniformed cast members are ready to get new recruits ready to save the world.

My sister and I decided to do Mission Possible together. As we approached the recruiting station, the cast member asked if we had done this before and offered to walk us through it. One person in your party has to swipe their park ticket to get started. Then the computer screen will ask you how many people are in your party. It eventually pops out a ticket that is similar to a FASTPASS and it tells you where to go to start your mission and your mission start time. Our Mission Possible ticket directed us to check in at the Kim Possible Field Station in Italy. On the computer screen, it gave us a picture of the field station so we knew what we were to look for. It looked like a wooden stall or kiosk from the picture.

So we headed over the Italy and located our field station. The Mission Possible cast member took our ticket and entered our mission number into her computer. Then she handed us a cell phone, which was really our “Kimmunicator.” She explained that this was how Wade (computer genius of Kim Possible fame) would communicate with us and how we would receive our clues in working on our mission. After scrolling through the instructions on how to use the Kimmunicator, which were very simple and straightforward, we waited for our first clue. These two 30-somethings were out to save the world!

Now I will not spoil the fun for anyone who plans to give these missions a try, but I will tell you that we enjoyed Mission Possible immensely! We went from place to place with all the giddiness of five-year-olds and completely got into hamming it up as we were directed by our Kimmunicator to "move away before anyone sees you."

At the end of your mission, you are given the opportunity to continue to save the world by taking on another mission, or you can turn in your Kimmunicator at the hidden drop off box in your mission area. If you decide to do another mission right away, the countries that are available will be shown on your Kimmunicator and you select the one you would like.

My sister and I did all seven missions. Each time we went to select a new missions, not all were available. The system seems to have a cap on how many people can be playing each mission at the same time. While I didn’t time each mission, I would suggest allotting at least 30 minutes per mission once you get your Kimmunicator. And that’s assuming you move from clue to clue with no stops to shop or eat in between. The cool part is that there is no time limit set on when you have to finish the mission. However, the system can be maxed out on participants. There seems to be a finite number of Kimmunicators that can be in use at any given time. You may be directed to turn your Kimmunicator in if capacity has been reached.v This activity is great for all ages. While we were on our missions, we saw some families working together, a group of kids together and even a mom with her young daughter in a stroller on a mission. You can be a commando secret agent, like we were, or take your time if you are with smaller children.

Disney did a fabulous job integrating hidden clues into the World Showcase pavilions. In some cases, I think unless you were playing Mission Possible, or really paying attention, you wouldn’t notice the additions. Which for us, made it that much more fun!

I also think it’s a great way to get families, especially those with small children, to explore Epcot in more ways than just hitting the Kidcot Funstops. The World Showcase is a great place to explore and this activity will help people see what more it has to offer them. I think it’s also a great activity for frequent visitors, like myself, because it also helps us re-discover the World Showcase.

So suit up, Secret Agents. The World (Walt Disney World, that is), is waiting to be saved!

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Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 08-13-2009 01:28 PM

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