Tips about Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom and Souvenirs

CHRISTMAS - Our family always checks out the key rings at WDW. A lot of the key rings are suitable to be used as Christmas ornaments or jewelry. On our most recent trip we purchased a monorail key ring to use as a Christmas ornament. We saw a glass monorail ornament that was twice the price and I wasn't sure it would survive the plane trip home. We also bought a key ring that had a Tinker Bell charm on it. I removed the charm (silver) and placed it on a chain to wear as a necklace. The key ring cost $6 compared to the actual Tinker Bell charms that were $12. - Ronda

As great as zipper-top bags are for holding snacks, you might want to think about hard plastic storage containers for them or something equally sturdy. I've witnessed a squirrel literally rip a hole in a reusable supermarket bag to get at the chips inside, no matter how many times we shooed him away. Anytime you're in a show or a ride with a long line the squirrels and birds have PLENTY of time to mess with your stuff that you've left in your stroller or scooter. - Aren

As great as zipper-top bags are for holding snacks, you might want to think about hard plastic storage containers for them or something equally sturdy. I've witnessed a squirrel literally rip a hole in a reusable supermarket bag to get at the chips inside, no matter how many times we shooed him away. Anytime you're in a show or a ride with a long line the squirrels and birds have PLENTY of time to mess with your stuff that you've left in your stroller or scooter. - Aren

As great as zipper-top bags are for holding snacks, you might want to think about hard plastic storage containers for them or something equally sturdy. I've witnessed a squirrel literally rip a hole in a reusable supermarket bag to get at the chips inside, no matter how many times we shooed him away. Anytime you're in a show or a ride with a long line the squirrels and birds have PLENTY of time to mess with your stuff that you've left in your stroller or scooter. - Aren

ANIMAL KINGDOM - See how many animals you can find in the Tree of Life.

ANIMAL KINGDOM - View the Tree of Life at different times during the day. As the sun and the shadows move you will see different animals appear.

ANIMAL KINGDOM - As you wander into the Animal Kingdom, keep your eyes open for DeVine, the walking vine.

ANIMAL KINGDOM - Two special behind the scenes tours are offered (for an additional cost) at Animal Kingdom, Wild Africa Trek and Backstage Tails. For more information visit www.allears.net/btp/tours.htm

ANIMAL KINGDOM - Don't rush through the tree roots on your way to It's Tough to Be a Bug... this journey provides an excellent up-close view of many of the animal sculptures.

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

Missed buying that souvenir before your trip ended? You can call Disney Merchandising and have any WDW park or resort item shipped to you. Call 1-407-363-6200. For Disneyland merchandise, call DelivEARS at 1-800-362-4533 to have it shipped via UPS. - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Mike C. and Jennifer

ANIMAL KINGDOM - If you're planning to go on Kali River Rapids, bring a large garbage bag with you and put your things inside before you put them in the holder in the center of the raft. That way everything will stay dry even if there is some water in the holder, and you can easily gather everything when it's time to get off. - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Laura B.