Tips about AllStar Resort and Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom - Just wanted your readers to know that the Magic Kingdom's barbershop not only cuts hair. For an additional amount, they will put fun colors, stars, pixie dust and other cool stuff in your hair, just for the fun of it. Ask for the glow in the dark cream, so when you go on the dark rides your hair lights up! All my kids love it. General prices for haircuts range from $15-$18. NOTE: It washes out very easily. - Jim Keenan

Magic Kingdom - I have found a way to beat the huge crowd leaving the park after the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. I delay my exit by visiting the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (it stays open late even if the park is closed) and getting an ice cream cone or hot fudge sundae. Then I find a bench (or a wall) and watch the crowds go by. When I am close to finishing my ice cream, I begin walking toward the exit and the crowds have thinned considerably. Also, when staying at a Disney resort, the line for either the bus or the boat isn't very long anymore and you aren't squished in like sardines. It is an enjoyable way to finish your evening at the Magic Kingdom. - Susan VanVleet

All Star Resorts - When my family of four (two adults/two teenagers) stayed at the All Star Music resort we brought along two twin-sized air mattresses and the electric pump to inflate them. My daughters slept on the air mattresses while my husband and I had the full sized beds to ourselves. We did need to push the full sized beds closer together to create enough room for the air mattresses and in the mornings we would need to flip one mattress on top of the other but this wasn't too big of a deal. The wonderful Cast Members who came in to clean our room didn't seem to be bothered by the air mattresses and they left our full sized beds where we had placed them. This was our great solution to the sleeping situation when it came to only being able to afford the value resort rooms but needing more space for sleeping. The cost of the air mattresses was actually less than paying for fold-out beds for the eight nights we were there and everyone had their own bed to stretch out in for a more relaxing night's sleep. - Lisa Cash

EDITOR'S NOTE: While this arrangement worked in this particular case, we wanted to note that most All-Star rooms are only meant to accommodate up to four individuals, plus one child in a crib. Bringing the air mattresses to squeeze more than four occupants in a room would be violating the hotel's fire codes.

All Star Resorts - My husband, 4-year-old son and I just returned from a fantastic 10-day WDW trip and one of the best things we did was ship a small coffee pot with filters and coffee packets to our All-Star resort ahead of time since they do not provide coffee pots in those rooms. What a treat it was to just wake up and make our own personal pot of coffee each morning. The 4-cup pot at Walmart was only $19.99, and the filters/coffee were inexpensive. - Laureen EDITOR'S NOTE: The Family Suites at Art of Animation and All Star Music have coffee pots.

All Star Resorts - If you're staying at the All Star Movies, one extremely useful tip is to use the bus for the All Star Music resort when coming back from the theme parks at night, and simply walk over to All Star Movies. The Music buses are by far less crowded than the Movies (seeing as the Movies is a more popular resort), and the short walk between the resorts is much more enjoyable than standing in line for an hour trying to get on the All Star Movies bus. - Lindsay P.

ALL PARKS - If you have kids, bring a change of clothing for them to the parks! I know this must seem like something everyone knows, but we didn't! During our first trip ever to WDW last December my then 4-year-old daughter found the water sprinklers at Pooh's Playful Spot in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. She went in to play and the next thing I knew she was soaked from the water! It was tough, too, because it was a tad chilly and we didn't bring a change of clothing for her. Finding young kids' clothes at Disney is not easy! I did manage to get a pair of Mickey sweatpants, a T-shirt and a pair of socks for my daughter at one of the shops in Fantasyland. So my tip is to bring a change of clothes even for the 4-5 year olds! - Jennifer K.

ALL PARKS - The last time we went to Disney World, we took along the cards from Trivial Pursuit Junior. My wife kept some in a zipper-type bag in her purse and when we had a long wait in line or were waiting for the buses to take us back to the hotel, she would get them out and we would have an informal trivia game. Many times we would involve other kids in line or on the bus and it was a great way to pass the time. Of course, Disney trivia cards would be a natural alternative. - Dave Ference

ALL PARKS - While standing in lines for rides that might have a long wait, my children bring along a deck of cards and take turns playing magician and guessing which card the other one picked. They also have a note pad each to write on and I get them to write down their favorite part of the day so far. Having some small snacks on hand also helps to keep them from getting bored. We bring animal cookies, crackers etc. -- nothing that is too messy. - Jackie Pluim

CHRISTMAS - My one tip would be for anyone who is thinking about going to the taping of the Christmas Parade -- DON'T, unless you want to totally waste a day of your vacation. They bring the first group in and don't make them move. The second group comes in and they are way in the back. I stood there from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and was not in any film. I even wore my red Christmas party sweatshirt and Minnie Santa hat. It was certainly hot! If you don't want to stand around and get pushed around don't go. - Bonnie Lock

MAGIC KINGDOM - For you Disney Princess enthusiasts, to ride Cinderella's particular horse on Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, look for the white horse with a gold ribbon tied around its tail. To help locate this mighty steed, ask a Cast Member. - Dee Dee Scarborough

ALL PARKS - When a Cast Member asks you how many people are in your group, tell them the ENTIRE number in your group. The Cast Members are trying to group your entire party onto the ride at the same time. If you tell them a number less than your party, don't be surprised when your party gets split up. (You might be asked by up to three different Cast Members for your party size.)

Magic Kingdom - If you ever walk past Space Mountain and it's been shut down for maintenance for a few minutes, jump on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. As the ride passes by Space Mountain, the lights will be turned on and you can see what the coaster actually looks like. As a repeat visitor to Disney World, I thought it was just about the coolest thing I'd seen all day, and it made the idea of going on the ride a lot less scary. - Allie

ALL PARKS - As a teacher I have found the park maps to be a wonderful way to teach map skills to my first graders. I always make sure to pick up a handful for my students. I also laminate them and put them in our reading basket. Even laminated, they get a lot of wear. Too bad...I guess I'll have to go back for replacements! - Rae Vautrin

ALL PARKS - When visiting the Disney parks, I usually like to pick up an extra guide map or two. I use them to decorate my cube walls at work and will also give extra copies to friends and family who may be planning their own trip in the near future. This helps them get a better idea of the park layout and make plans. - Kerry Kollasch

ALL PARKS - My tip is for keeping track of your hats while on rides or shows at the World... I bought some carabiners that we put on the strap of our fanny packs. I learned the hard way to put it through a part of the strap so that the carabiner is trapped and can't fall off when you take the fanny pack off. When we step inside at WDW, we both take off our hats, and snap them to the carabiner on our fanny packs -- it's easy to keep track of, and we don't worry about losing our hats or leaving them behind. We even do this on the rides, and find we can ride most things with our fanny packs (and hats) left on our waist. For wet rides, we put the hat over our fanny pack, and it helps keep splashes off. - Jill Neill