Tips about Air Travel, Food & Beverage, Planning and Resorts

If you do decide to go in summer (we went in August), take an extra pair of shoes. Afternoon showers can be mini flash floods. We put on ponchos, but streets flooded and our shoes were soaked. I held the dryer door shut for an hour at the Wilderness Lodge because the tumbling sneakers kept popping it open. The Disney magic was that I wasn't the only one. There were several of us having a good time laughing about the situation and comparing days and experiences. - CassyDix EDITOR'S NOTE: It's always a good idea to bring an extra pair of walking shoes/sneakers to Disney. If it looks like it might rain, put on your older or more waterproof shoes leaving the better/drier pair in the room. Sneakers DO take a while to dry but you can stuff them with newspaper and use the room hair dryer to help speed things up.

When you are leaving Disney and you have airline check-in at your hotel, make sure your flight information is accurate. We were leaving Disney, checked in at the resort airline check-in area, and were given boarding passes and a gate number at 10 a.m. At 9:53 a.m., we received a message on our home phone (in New Jersey) that our 2:35 flight had been canceled, but the airlines didn't notify anyone in the Disney resort check-in areas. Needless to say, we weren't checking messages (because we thought we would be home soon) and after sitting at the gate for an hour, they finally posted on the board that the flight was canceled. We were literally stranded at the airport until we managed to find a flight in Ft. Lauderdale, rented a car, drove down, and took the flight home the next day. - Dawn Schwartz

I especially like the calendar creator at www.disney.go.com/magicartist/index_main.html! It was great to mark our Disney trip and count down the days! - Jacqueline

Two tips when eating at El Pirata Y el Perico (especially on hot days): 1) Ask for extra sour cream when you get your entrees (none at the topping bar), the packets are a little small; 2) when on the dining plan, ask them to hold the ice cream bars until after you've eaten. It was 90 degrees when we ate, and the cast member at the window was kind enough to hold ours so we could enjoy them as ice cream rather than soup! - NOTE: El Pirata Y el Perico is only open seasonally - tusportsfan

Though we pack a suitcase within a suitcase for souvenirs, I'm always nervous of going over the 50-pound weight limit for checking a suitcase onto an airline. Suitcases weighing over 50 pounds are typically charged an additional fee. This trip, we purchased a 50-pound fish scale for $5.00 at a local department store prior to packing. The scale has a small hook that can connect to the handle of a suitcase and it has another handle for you to lift the suitcase and scale. We were able to pack and redistribute items where needed to insure that we did not exceed the 50-pound limit. - Denny Shealer

Fort Wilderness - When I took my son over to Fort Wilderness for an afternoon pony ride, we were so disappointed when he couldn't ride because he was wearing open-toed sandals. It is required that kids wear closed-toe shoes to ride the ponies at Fort Wilderness. - Robin Jones

EDITOR'S NOTE: Parents should also wear closed-toe shoes.

If you are going to Disney to celebrate a wedding, I have some suggestions of what to bring from home. I was told to bring white chalk just in case the bride's dress gets [dirtied] by the seagulls. (It happened to my niece at a beach wedding.) My daughter-in-law used the chalk when something spilled on her dress, but other options include Wite-Out or a Tide to Go pen. Another good idea is to pack a needle and thread in case buttons are loose on tuxes, etc. - Jean

Yacht and Beach Club - If you're staying at the Beach or Yacht Club and walking to and from Epcot here's a hint to make your trip easier. Most folks walk up over the ferry bridge. For two older adults who sit behind computers all day, that "up" part at the end of the day after walking all over Epcot was a killer. There is a path beside the overpass that goes down along the river. This seemed to us to be flatter and much easier when we were tired. - Jane and Al Boeck

For character breakfasts, I would recommend letting girls wear their princess dresses to the princess meals because it helps with the magical aspect of it. However, on extremely hot Florida days, try putting it on over their clothes a few minutes before your reservation or once you are seated. It will only take a moment and it will save the headache of your child whining about being hot. I put my daughter's dress on her after we sat down because I watched a slew of little girls crying outside while waiting in their hot and heavy dresses. - Mendy776

Here is my new favorite tip for air travel. I hate to pay a fortune for mediocre food at the airport. So I pack a "soup cup" in my carry-on bag, along with a plastic spoon and a few crackers or snack bar. These single-serving cups of dried soup mix are available at most grocery stores and are very affordable. They take up a lot of room, but they are much easier to transport than a sandwich. On the plane, I ask for two cups of hot water, stir it into the cup of soup, and then I have a hot meal, generally much cheaper than the airport fare! I often pack a cup for the return trip as well. It's especially good if you have allergies. Warning: the quality does vary among different brands, so try several. - Audress D. Johnson

While at WDW last week I found out that most of the Swan and Dolphin restaurants give a 20 percent discount when you show your AAA card. Exceptions are Il Mulino, bluezoo, Shula's, and Kimono's. - Michelle Buchecker

EDITOR'S NOTE: We double-checked this and found out it's true! Be sure to bring those AAA cards with you. Also, Disney Vacation Club Members get a similar 20 percent discount at the Swan and Dolphin restaurants. Kimono's does participate in the discount program, however.

We brought a travel-sized MagnaDoodle that we found especially handy at the water parks, where we would have a base camp, but would often split up to do different things. We would write messages to each other with the time and place we could be found. It actually became a fun game, as we got into giving clues to the names of the slides and rides. Overall, it was just a simple and fun way to communicate when you didn't want to have your cell phone with you. - Molly from Oregon

ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE - We arrived early at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner at Boma. As usual, we went straight through the lobby to the savannah to check out the animals. The guide there informed us that from 8-10 p.m., you could see the animals through complimentary use of night vision goggles at the animal overlook by the swimming pool. We checked it out after dinner -- it was fantastic! The guides have two night vision goggles for visitors to use, and wipe them down with antibacterial wipes whenever there's a change in families. It was fascinating and unique to look for the animals using the goggles! - hardroff

We just got back from Disney World today... please let your readers know that "Heelys" (skate sneakers) are not permitted in any amusement park in Florida. We were stopped by a Disney employee who informed us that we could be fined up to $150 by the sheriff! - Barbara Friedman

It can become cumbersome to search all the various airlines to compare the best prices. Go to www.kayak.com, as this search engine includes the regional airlines as well (JetBlue, Southwest, etc.). It lists all the flight options and then indicates who has the price including travel sites like Cheap Seats and Expedia. - C. Kiki Leech