Tips about Air Travel, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Resorts and Souvenirs

ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE - I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but Animal Kingdom Lodge does not allow balloons inside the resort. Any balloons brought to the resort (from the theme parks, for example) will have to be checked with Bell Services for the duration of the guest's stay. They will be returned upon departure. This information might be helpful to families with younger children, so there are no disappointments when returning to the resort. - Susan

ALL RESORTS - My family and I live in Atlanta, but have annual passes to WDW. We go down 4 to 5 times a year and usually stay at Disney resorts. Over the last few trips I learned something that I want to share. When you check into your resort, call Housekeeping from your in-room phone and give the Cast Member your room number and preferred time you would like them to service your room. You can even change it day to day and every time I have asked, they have honored my request. If you know that your family will be going to a theme park until 11 a.m. and will be back for the kids to take a nap at 11:30 and don't want housekeeping to be waking them up, try this. When you get in at 11:30 the room will be clean and you don't have to worry about what time they will be knocking on the door. And this is available at all resorts from the Grand Floridian to the All Stars. - Bryan Ray

PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE - The last night of our vacation at WDW was as magical as all the others. When we got back to Port Orleans Riverside, we stopped at the food court. My husband said he would be back in a minute. When he returned he told me they had carriage rides and we were going on one now. A beautiful horse named Rob took us on a gentle quiet ride around Riverside, down by the river and over to French Quarter and back. It was a cool evening and they had quilts for you to snuggle under during the ride. This was such a great romantic way to spend our last evening in the most magical place in the world. - Marylee Beitler

FORT WILDERNESS RESORT - I enjoyed your review of the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. It brought back fond memories of our trip last December. Something I think worth mentioning for those going with kids are the pony rides. We traveled over a little early and enjoyed the ride. - Jim Morgenland EDITOR'S NOTE: The petting zoo is no longer operated at Fort Wilderness however, they do have pony rides for the younger children. Height and age restrictions are posted. Parents must walk the pony around a sandy path so be sure both parents and riders have closed toed shoes. Pony rides close at 5pm.

ALL RESORTS - Even if you have express checkout (where they hang your statement on your doorknob the morning of your departure saving you a trip to the front desk and a wait in line to check out) be sure to check your statement for errors! I always do this and have found errors such as overcharges, duplications, charges for things that were supposed to be free etc. A trip to the front desk, statement in hand, usually results in a quick fix. - Beth Eloheimo

ALL RESORTS - My wife and I just got back from Port Orleans Riverside and discovered a neat idea. All the TVs are in armoires. Tune into the daily happenings channel. They play just instrumental music in at least 60 minute groupings. Turn up the volume, close the cabinet door, and you have the Magic all evening long. On another channel they feature Disney Radio. Each evening from 7-10 they have audio stories. Again, just turn up the sound, close the door, and you've got more magic! - Jim Miller

ALL STAR RESORTS - When we stay at the All Star Resorts we like to make our room feel larger and also give our daughter more playing room. Simply push the two beds together against the wall and move the night stand and table between the beds and the door and these small All Star rooms become much more roomy. Just leave a note politely asking the housekeeping to leave the furniture the way you have arranged. - Amy Kearns

SHADES OF GREEN - With a military ID, you can purchase items at the Shades of Green Gift Shop that are VERY reasonably priced. For instance, we bought pins there for my son to trade in the parks: $3 for pins that are $6.50-$8.50 in WDW gift shops. - Joseph and Renee Witmer

SHADES OF GREEN - We stayed at the Shades of Green this past October during the National Car Rental Golf Tournament. The great perk of staying there was admission to the tournament was FREE! My husband got to see Tiger Woods in person for free. Needless to say we've made reservations for this year's tournament. - Connie Roberts

During my December trip to WDW, I found out that American Airlines would only allow me to check two bags at no charge. I suppose it wouldn't matter as much for a family traveling together (usually the case for me), but if you're a solo traveler, remember that American's baggage limit is two bags. - Mary Waite

EDITOR'S NOTE: This tip was submitted prior to the airlines charging extra for the first and/or second bags. Each airline has slightly different rules, so make sure you know them in advance!

I enjoyed the tip on customizing your luggage. One simple way we have found to personalize our luggage is to buy the iron-on character patches found in the Disney World gift shops. The patches run from $6 to $10, depending on the size. We use fabric glue to attach them on both sides of our suitcases. We now have a whole set of Mickey and Pooh themed luggage at much less cost than those selling in the parks. And it sure makes packing for those special trips more fun! - Joan F. of St. Louis, MO

When you arrive at Orlando airport, you'll find that your brand new Wal-Mart Samsonite is the same navy blue as 200 others coming out on that carousel! When you buy the bag, stop at the craft department and pick up a plastic stencil and a 3 oz. bottle of yellow craft paint. Stencil a design on the wide sides of each bag and beside each handle -- we also add a colorful braided bandanna to the handle. When we get to that baggage carousel we can spot our bags in a jiffy, and there's no way someone can grab ours by accident! - Brian Phillips

In this age of heightened security, authorities -- whether we like it or not -- are saying that locks on luggage may be destroyed if they feel the need to search your luggage. At the same time, people feel skittish about letting their luggage make the trip unprotected. Our solution has been to secure luggage with cable (or "zip") ties -- small enough to run through almost any zipper, or anywhere a padlock should go. They are easily removed by security personnel, if need be, at no great loss to you. In fact, on a recent trip, they added one of their own next to one of mine, and cinched it tighter than mine. You also can tell if someone has been through your bag with these. It also does not leave it vulnerable to others for the rest of the trip. One tip, however -- make sure you have either blunt-edge scissors (remember security!) or something else in your carry-on to remove them, or ask for help at the front desk of your hotel when you arrive. EDITOR'S NOTE: You can now purchase TSA approved locks to secure your suitcase. If TSA needs to open it for any reason they use a simple tool and will again close and lock the suitcase when finished.

I have just returned (today!) from traveling to Florida from the Midwest. Sadly, this trip did not include a stop at Disney World -- don't worry, I will make that up! I would, however, like to warn future visitors to Disney World who are traveling by air that current wartime security measures SLOW YOU DOWN! Plan for double the normal time required to check-in for tickets and going through security inspections at the airport. You might even consider coming up with a "bag of tricks" for the long waits in line for your little ones, similar to the things you would do while in line for Big Thunder Mountain, etc. It might be worth the extra thought to pack some surprises and goodies in their backpacks -- nutrition bars, juice boxes, small puzzle books. I always found that if I kept those goodies hidden and a mystery until travel time, the kids were kept busy for a long time. Good luck, and don't let the delays get you down. After all, it is all for the best, and just think of it as "Basic Training" for those long lines you may encounter at Disney. - Gombars

Alaska Airlines just announced nonstop service from Seattle to Orlando. Alaska is noted for its service and good prices (it's regularly named the best domestic airline in the country by Travel and Leisure magazine). Since it's a new service, they will certainly be offering great deals. Check www.AlaskaAir.com. - Doug K