Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Souvenirs

Save all your shopping at the World of Disney for one day. If you ship everything home, $8.95 for under $100 or $13.95 for anything over $100, you will save sales tax and not have to worry about packing everything in a suitcase!! This was a big plus for us. Discounts are sometimes available.

Suggest your child start a collection - whether it's key chains, postcards, or whatever. It may be a bit pricey (esp. key chains) but they can collect them or give them as presents. - Keely

Before you spend too much money in the gift shops in and around the world, I'd recommend checking out the character warehouse shop in the Beltz outlet mall. On our last trip, I found some identical items to the ones on sale in the world at 50 - 75% off! There was quite a variety of items, but as with most outlet mall shopping, you have to do some digging. Items available included themepark clothing, resort logo clothing, plush characters, pins, and lots of character themed clothing. - Boris Beckert

Did you know you could order from any of the restaurants on the Boardwalk by just walking in and asking to place a to-go order. We did this our first night and it worked great. Took just 15 minutes for wings and two chicken Caesar salads. - Jennifer Lukoff

If you're a vegan or on a strict low-fat diet--or would simply like an extra-special vegetarian meal--call the Walt Disney World main switchboard (407) 824-2222 and ask to be transferred to the restaurant of your choice. Once connected, ask to speak directly with a chef, and explain your dietary needs. Have fun brainstorming with the chefs about your special meal. If you give them enough advance notice (usually a week will do), most Disney chefs are more than happy to purchase special items like rice milk, kamut or seitan to make your meal memorable. Remember to get your chef's full name and to let him or her know the date and time of your visit.

Go to Planet Hollywood and Rainforest Cafe for early dinners - have a good size breakfast - no or light lunch - arrive at either at about 3:30-4pm. Seating is faster - for even faster service sit at the bar. The scenery at both is just as nice to experience there and you don't have to wait for a table. - A. Halton

Please continue to encourage people that eating within the parks can be affordable. (Granted, it is just the 2 of us w/o children, and we do not drink alcohol.) We went on a Sunshine Getaway package [no longer offered] which included a BIG all-you-could-eat breakfast each day, which we scheduled at the earliest time available. Using The Unofficial Guide to WDW (book) we planned to eat as late a lunch as possible at specific restaurants, usually around 2-3. We found full menus and very generous portions, but for a considerably lower price than the dinner meals. Finally, we would stop by the food court at the Caribbean Beach Resort for a snack before bed time. Next time, I'll bring along the Poptarts, etc., and eliminate the need to pay for such. - Jenny Drake

We just returned from a stay at the Coronado Springs Resort. We crammed so much into the evening at the Magic Kingdom, that we decided to have a light snack, and eat once we got back to Coronado Springs. It was close to 11 pm when our bus got us back to the resort. Much to our displeasure, ALL restaurants close at 11pm and room service is even closed after 11 pm as well. Thank heavens for being in the lobby, by the fountain, when we saw a Domino's pizza delivery guy. We ended up ordering pizza and eating about 12:30! We could understand the restaurants closing, but room service as well? During the summer they should at least keep room service running until 1:00 am!!! So heads up if you try to eat a late dinner! - Debi T.

ALL PARKS - I found that if you get tired of waiting in long lines, and you don't mind splitting up your party ( maybe to 1, 2,or even 3) some attractions offer singles lines. These lines help fill up unused space. I tried this at Test Track and the normal wait time was 70 minutes. It took me 5 minutes on the singles line and I still got a seat with my parents. - Matthew

The one thing we found at Disney was that everyone was extremely nice, even the other visitors. Don't be afraid to talk to people. Disney is made for kids, and adults who are kids at heart. - The Percey's

I just returned from Disney last week and I'd like to offer this tip. In the past, when I've visited the Disney outlets in the Belz factory stores, items also on sale in the parks were sold in the outlet at theme park prices. Not so this year. I bought sweatshirts, available for $58 in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, for only $25, and Pooh bear mask/whistles for half price. If you have a car, I recommend checking out both stores as they have slightly different merchandise. I was able to purchase several official Disney gifts that had a higher value than I could normally afford. - Sam

It seems like more and more often I am seeing discussions about bad experiences with Cast Members. I can honestly say that in more than 13 trips to the "World" over the last five years, I have never had such a negative experience. I would like to think that part of the reason for this is how my family and I treat the Cast Members. A smile, a please, and a thank you seem to make all the difference in the world! So my tip is "give some of the magic back to a Cast Member." Go out of your way to be nice to a Cast Member after you see another guest treat him or her badly. Open a door for them, ask them about their hometown, or sincerely thank them for their help. I cannot imagine how the Cast Members manage to keep their smiles on all day, and to provide the level of service that they do day-in and day-out. To me, that is the greatest magic in all of WDW and they deserve to get some of that magic in return! - Scott Hart

If you plan to have a pedicure done just before your Disney trip, so that your pinkies will be looking their best while lounging around the pool or resort room, DO NOT let the pedicurist file away any of those nice calluses you might have on the bottom of your feet. You will need those calluses for the miles of walking you will be doing. I was so proud of my nice soft feet after my pedicure, until the end of the first day when I realized my nice soft skin was forming blisters in the area where the calluses had been buffed away. Luckily I had moleskin with me to help protect the tender new skin. Get your toenails polished if you wish, but leave those calluses! - Bev Carson

If you have had a wonderful experience at Walt Disney World with an individual Cast Member, or at an attraction or hotel, please let WDW know! As a Cast Member, I can tell you that getting an email or letter from a guest telling me that some "little" thing I did made their vacation is THE biggest thrill! You can stop by Guest Relations at any one of the Parks or at Guest Services at a Disney hotel, or just go to the Disney website. Your message WILL be passed along to the Cast Member, attraction or hotel. - A Cast Member

Last week Glo From Miami's Souven-EARS ideas dealt with bringing inexpensive items back home for the office or classmates. Several readers wrote with more suggestions:

Liz: In Epcot, some of the carts have unusual and inexpensive musical items. We brought back wooden flutes for everyone in the class and they were only $1 each!

Suttonelz7: The Mickey-shaped straws they sell at most of the resort food courts are very inexpensive souvenirs. I got the straws for 25 cents apiece when I went in 2001. I was able to bring back souvenirs for all my staff for less than $20 and they all loved them.

Marilyn Flage: I always bring back Disney emery boards. I figure that is a gift everyone can use. I usually find 4-5 different designs, so I let my fellow workers pick which they prefer and then I have the leftovers to use myself.