Tips about Animal, Epcot, Kids, Mousecellaneous and Planning

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

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

My daughter, Kathleen, had a wiggly tooth on our recent trip to Disney World and the Tooth Fairy normally leaves her a gold dollar in return for her tooth. However, the Tooth Fairy had a momentary lapse about Kathleen going to Disney World and left the gold dollars at home. After searching high and low for a gold dollar, the Tooth Fairy was about to give up when a Cast Member suggested a Disney Dollar. Lo and behold, here was the answer! The Tooth Fairy went searching and found a wonderfully crisp Cinderella Disney Dollar to place under the pillow. Not only was my daughter thrilled to get a Cinderella Disney Dollar, but it also has this year's imprint on the dollar. Additionally because she was at WDW, the Tooth Fairy obviously thought that losing the tooth there meant an even more special reward. My daughter is still talking about her Disney tooth. - Roxanne

Before we go to the Parks I always go on eBay and buy packages of 100 or more glow bracelets. They are incredibly cheap in bulk and can be linked together for necklaces just like the much more expensive park ones. The kids can mix up the colors and have as many as they want by stacking them up necks, arms and legs so you can identify your little folks even in the darkest places. We even attach them to our stroller and bags to make them easier to find. The unbroken ones keep for up to a year or more and you can find tons of ways to use any leftovers during the year, like giving them away to trick-or-treaters at Halloween instead of candy (this is a REAL hit with the kids and parents around here), or wear them to July 4th fireworks, evening sports events, etc. - Nita Furlong

A certain "mart" store carries glow bracelets and necklaces around Halloween (quickly approaching) for only about 88 cents each! Needless to say, I grabbed a few to eliminate that extra expense, and so my kids have just a good a time as all the other kids who have glowing items at the SpectroMagic parade. Extra tip: If your trip is not until AFTER Halloween, the bracelets/necklaces go on sale (which is when I bought mine!) for HALF PRICE! 44 cents each! We're on countdown! - Angelique Williams

While school shopping at an office supply store we found these really neat fiber optic pens at each register. A press of the button changes the colors from red, blue and green to mixes, with it finally going into a mode where it rotates between the colors. The best part? They are only $2 each AND they are functioning pens! So far I've seen them at three different locations here in New England (always at the register). I've already bought eight and put them away for our next WDW trip. This is a very cheap way to get out of buying light-up toys from the carts at night! - Jody LaFerriere

I thought I would share my son's way of spreading Disney magic. I carry small surprises for him on vacation. One day while waiting for a bus, I gave him a sheet of Disney stickers to keep him occupied. To my amazement and delight, my son gave every one of his stickers away. He gave them to the bus drivers, cast members in the parks and at the resorts, and he even gave them to the characters at Liberty Tree Tavern. He gave one to Chip, Minnie, and Goofy, but forgot to give one to Dale... a few minutes later Dale pulled Chip by the hand to our table and points at Chip's sticker. Our son asked if he wanted one, too. Dale nodded his head and when our son gave him a sticker Dale started jumping up and down and made a really big scene. Everyone else was just staring and laughing not knowing what was going on. It just goes to show you that even Chip and Dale need some magic, too! - Kelly Adams

EDITOR'S NOTE: Editor-in-Chief Deb Wills has carried Disney stickers with her everywhere she goes for quite some time. As she notes, you just never know when a child (or even an adult, for that matter) will need a happy diversion!

I enjoyed Joshua Olive's article on the little something extra and also his point that it can be the Cast Member you only see for a few moments that makes the difference. We have our own way of thanking folks -- my husband does origami and always carries paper with him to keep his hands busy. On our trips to WDW, when we see a Cast Member that we think needs a special thank you (because they never get noticed), he'll give them a small origami model -- a butterfly or an elephant, for example. We've thanked bus drivers, Fastpass checkers, and even a woman who was busing tables in the eating area of a counter-service restaurant. - Maggie Rioux

Your tip about deodorant reminds me of a trip we took not too long ago. On our Epcot day, my husband realized at around noon that he forgot to put on deodorant. Luckily we weren't far from the France pavilion. The perfume shop sells fancy French men's deodorant! He was able to get some, and it smelled very nice. I actually liked it better than what he usually wears! It certainly was better than not wearing any, and we didn't even have to leave the park -- a bargain in my opinion! (And actually the price wasn't bad at all.) - An anonymous reader

EPCOT - Soarin' has become one of Epcot's most popular attractions, but many miss the chance to enhance the experience. When the attraction is loaded, guests are asked to remove loose-fitting shoes/sandals and leave them on the attraction floor. I recommend that you DO take your footwear off, for two reasons. One, it is cool to leave your shoes on the floor and then be swept away from them as the ride lifts and sweeps forward (and later, almost magically, to be returned to your original position and waiting footwear). Two, and more importantly, the sensation of bare feet dangling during the ride is so much more enjoyable. This may sound strange, but you can almost feel your feet dipping into the ocean surf or brushing against the orange trees. Try it and see what I mean. - Rich Czarnecki

EPCOT - Soarin' has become one of Epcot's most popular attractions, but many miss the chance to enhance the experience. When the attraction is loaded, guests are asked to remove loose-fitting shoes/sandals and leave them on the attraction floor. I recommend that you DO take your footwear off, for two reasons. One, it is cool to leave your shoes on the floor and then be swept away from them as the ride lifts and sweeps forward (and later, almost magically, to be returned to your original position and waiting footwear). Two, and more importantly, the sensation of bare feet dangling during the ride is so much more enjoyable. This may sound strange, but you can almost feel your feet dipping into the ocean surf or brushing against the orange trees. Try it and see what I mean. - Rich Czarnecki

My son (who is now 11) and I go to a Disney park every year. We have visited Disneyland six times so far, Disneyland Paris once and we are going to WDW for the third time in September. He was only 2 on our first Disney trip. Each trip I purchase several t-shirts for the both of us. I always try and get at least one with the year printed on it. (They do a new style each year.) I have saved all of them. In 5 or 6 years I plan to have them made into a quilt. I will give him the quilt when he leaves for college. His first t-shirt is so tiny compared to the newer ones and I know they will just keep getting bigger! I hope that when he looks at it he remembers all of the Magical Memories we have shared at Disney. - Shellie Bandy

Disneyshopping.com has t-shirts with Disney characters that you can personalize and they are very reasonable. There are several designs to chose from and they can say whatever you want. "The Smiths' Magical Adventure" or "The Smiths on Holiday," for example. It's fun. - ErinNGreg

Here is a fun twist on that (wearing identical t-shirts) idea. My family recently went to WDW for our 10th trip together. We had t-shirts made at our local sports shop before the trip (for about $15 each). "WDW Trip #10" was on the front of the shirts. On the back, each person got to customize. They all said "I'm here for" and the person got to pick what they were most excited about to fill in the rest of the sentence. Mine said "I'm here for the safari!" What an experience! Cast members and other guests commented on our shirts all day! We felt like VIPs. It was one of my favorite Disney experiences. - Dsnygrl8!

My sister, her family and I took a trip to WDW, and before we left my brother-in-law thought it would be neat if we bought T-shirts that everyone would all wear one day. We decided to purchase The Incredibles red logo T-shirt for everyone. It was a success. We wore them on our Magic Kingdom day and everyone kept saying, "Look! The Incredibles!" or "Hey, where did you all get the shirts?" I am sure they probably sold the shirts somewhere on property but we bought them at The Disney Store before we left home. It also helped keep track of everyone. We are now in the process of finding another style of shirt for everyone to wear one day on our upcoming October trip. - Amy