Tips about Air Travel, Food & Beverage and Souvenirs

Last year I bought my husband the "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs" cookbook. This year when we went, my husband brought the book and requested (at each dining establishment) that the chef sign the page in our book that had the recipe from their kitchen. It was a treat for both the chefs as well as my family when, on occasion, the chef came out to our table. Now we have started a family tradition that we can continue as adults while our kids work on the autographs of the characters. - dollydawne

Remember when you're purchasing merchandise at Walt Disney World and using Disney's shipping to send it out of state, sales tax should not be charged. Sometimes new cast members don’t know this or long-time veterans simply forget. Be sure to check your sales receipt. - Jack Spence

Even if you are not a fan of food on the bone, don't let that stop you from going to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. I let our hotel concierge know my aversion to food on the bone and he called over to Hoop-Dee-Doo. When we arrived I was served one of the most tender, juicy and well-seasoned boneless, skinless chicken breasts I have ever had. Great also for those watching their weight. The restaurant requests that you let them know at least 12 hours in advance. Enjoy the show! - Michelle Buchecker

With the necessity of ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) and keeping track of all those reservation numbers, I decided this year to type a list of our reservations. I included the date, time, and name/location. Then I shrunk the text, printed it and laminated it. It was smaller than a credit card! I put a hole in it, placed it on a carabiner and hung it on my backpack. It was always handy and ready for use and easier to make any needed changes! - Marie from Long Island

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

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

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

At Disneyshopping.com, you can customize polo shirts with embroidered characters and names up to eight characters long. For children and adults, the cost is only $12.50 per shirt! Check often and look for special codes on the site, and you can get an additional discount. With a 20% off code, I ordered seven shirts this past weekend for $82.50 including shipping. We're going to wear them on our next trip! - Dayshel Harwood

I spent most of a week visiting most every store on Disney property looking for a cell phone charm. All I seemed to come across were the Disney Mobile charms at more than $18 each. I finally found just what I was looking for -– a keychain! The keychain had four or five cell phone loops on the ring, and each loop held a metal charm representing a different WDW park. One loop had the castle; another, Mickey's sorcerer's hat; a third had Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life; and one had Spaceship Earth. On the keychain there also were two rubber charms: a Dreams Come True tag and Sorcerer Mickey. And this keychain with six charms cost under $8! I chose to use the castle and the sorcerer's hat, then added Mickey ears, Mickey's hand, and Mickey's red pants charms that I found in the "make your own charm bracelet" collection. Each of these charms has a lobster clasp that easily attached to the metal ring on the cell phone loop from the keychain. Yes, I probably spent more than the Disney Mobile charm, but instead of one charm, I now have nine to choose from! - Vicki Stephens

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.

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

Fort Wilderness - This year I took my family to dinner at the Trail's End Restaurant at Fort Wilderness Campground. We made a night of it: we started at the Wilderness Lodge, then took the boat ride to Fort Wilderness to our priority seating at Trail's End, which is a very reasonably priced buffet. Then we watched the Wishes fireworks on the beach and the Electric Water Pageant from the boat dock. The kids loved the boat ride and the ducks on the beach. It makes for a lovely and relaxing evening! You could put together a similar evening at any of the Magic Kingdom resorts, although the Trail's End doesn't tend to book up early and it's inexpensive. - Dawn Goodwin

Our standard black roll-on and carry-on suitcases were just like everyone's, and were hard to spot until I took some fabric paint and a large dog pawprint stamp and added bright yellow pawprints all over my suitcases. You could use any large simple stamp and a bright color to personalize your luggage. When my luggage comes down the carousel I sure get a lot of comments, and have no trouble picking out which is mine. - Merrily Westlake