Tips about Animal Kingdom, Mousecellaneous and Resorts

Contemporary - Though you can't just go to the top floor of the Contemporary to watch the fireworks, you can go to the third floor lookout (or the stairwells of the 4th-14th floors). Also, remember that the monorails stop when there are perimeter fireworks. - Kenny

ANIMAL KINGDOM - I recently went down to Walt Disney World as part of a family reunion. During this time I was showing some family members around Animal Kingdom to the more popular rides, when they mentioned that they would like to see "Flights of Wonder." Having never been a fan of live-action animal shows I assumed that this would be the low point of my day. However, after I sat down and the show got started I was really into it. It wasn't just a bunch of birds doing tricks. The two hosts were very comedic in their "performances" and had the audience rolling in the aisles. They even had kids as well as adults participate in part of the show. And, since all the birds were doing only their "natural" way of behaving, I didn't have to sit through any parrots on tricycles! I would suggest as people walk from the Safari over to Kali River Rapids they stop and take in this amazing show! - C00ltigger

Fort Wilderness - We seem to arrive at Fort Wilderness late in the afternoon after driving for several days. After setting up, it's too late to visit any of the parks. What we do is take the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge for some minor shopping (the Orlando paper) and then over to the Magic Kingdom. We don't go in, but exchange our vouchers for the park tickets. By that time of day, there's no line but a couple of Cast Members are still on duty. If we time it right, we can watch the fireworks from the boat on the way back. - David and Dayle Youngs

ANIMAL KINGDOM - When reviewing the secrets at the Animal Kingdom, I noticed that no one had written in about our favorite secret: Tamu Tamu Refreshments. It's a tasty little snack stop opposite Tusker House with a bonus: the ice cream floats come in souvenir Animal Kingdom cups (which we still use in the bathtub!) and souvenir straw/spoons. As regular straws are not available in the AK because they might hurt the animals, these straw/spoons (ours had Pluto climbing it) make a cute and fun souvenir to take home. - Annie & Howard

ANIMAL KINGDOM - We have taken both of the tours at Animal Kingdom (Wild by Design and Backstage Tales) and they were both WELL worth doing... We took the tour early one January morning and had the tour guide to ourselves. It was a great opportunity to see the park before it got crowded, and we were able to really spend time looking at all of the animals. Also, because you are wearing headphones, you can be a distance away from your tour guide and still hear everything he/she is telling you. (This is especially helpful after the park opens, and other guests are in the area where you are touring). - Sally Bunting

ANIMAL KINGDOM - Each time I visit the Animal Kingdom, I bring a small pair of binoculars or opera glasses. It so greatly enhances my enjoyment of the animals on the safari, the birds in their various environs, the architectural details, and the icons on the Tree of Life, by bringing them vividly close. - Marlene Kardamitchis

Grand Floridian - We found that the Gasparilla Grill at the Grand Floridian Resort provided decent food at just a small premium over counter service in the theme parks. The food available poolside at the waterside pool was very expensive; however, you could get a tray from Gasparilla's and bring your food out to the pool. - Michael Gizzi

When we travel to the World, we make sure to purchase as much as we can on our Magic Band. On one hand, there's no need to carry cash around, but the real benefit for frequent visitors is that at the end of your stay you get an itemized list of all expenditures. We still pay for it all with cash when we check out. After we get home and are settled in from our trip, we go through the list and use it to track exactly where we spent our money (dinner, lunch, toys, etc.). Doing this allows us to budget almost exactly how much money we will need for our next trip and there's no need to save all of your receipts to do it. - Fred Block

ALL PARKS - While spending the day in Epcot in the hot weather, when my feet are hot from the pavement, I always change to another pair of socks and sprinkle on some baby powder. It's a quick refresher. - Claire Rozzi

EDITOR'S NOTE: this works great at all the parks!

ALL PARKS - If you are not going to ride an attraction with your family, meet them in the ride's air-conditioned gift shop. Most rides have a gift shop into which the ride will exit, so it's a convenient place to meet up with your family. - Angela H. Nisbett

ALL PARKS - On some of the rides, it was easier to stand up slightly when pulling the lap bar down (so that it actually fit closer to my lap than my belly) and then sit down properly for a snug fit. This worked especially well when I went on the rides with my younger children -- they felt more secure with the lap bar closer to them. I can honestly say that large-sized folks are easily accommodated at WDW -- so go, have a great time and don't worry! - Grace

Port Orleans Fench Quarter - We had several problems with our room at Port Orleans French Quarter, the worst of which was being locked out three straight days due to a malfunctioning lock. Readers should know that there is a courtesy phone in the vending areas at each hotel that can be used to reach the front desk. This could have saved us the long walks back to the lobby had we been told! - Andrew from Boston

Save those receipts! Twice our receipts from food service locations at Walt Disney World included a 20 percent off total merchandise purchase (from store opening to 1 p.m.) coupon at the bottom, good at select locations, good through January 5. This happened at both Pizza Planet in Disney's Hollywood Studios and also at the Electric Umbrella at Epcot. - Cheyenna

EDITOR'S NOTE: This promotion usually runs several times a year. Be sure to check if your receipt is one that has the coupon.

POLYNESIAN RESORT - I had read on your wonderful site that you could watch Wishes! from the beaches of the Polynesian Resort. On a recent trip to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we decided to go check it out one night. We were sitting outside of 'Ohaha when we heard Jiminy Cricket give the 10-minutes-until-showtime announcement. We were almost hesitant to go out to the beach, thinking that we could hear the score inside the lobby, but to our surprise they were playing the score on the beach also. We had to sit by a speaker to hear the music as it was played very quietly. Get down to the beach early, sit near a speaker, and it will truly be magical just as it was for my family. - Shelley Leagan

ANIMAL KINGDOM - At the Harambe Fruit Market in Animal Kingdom, they now have a really nice fruit and cheese dish in addition to the other fruit choices. It contains apple slices -- probably half a good-sized apple, plus a nice bunch of grapes, and three slices each of cheddar and gouda. It was just about perfect for something light on a warm day. The price wasn't too bad, either, at $5.49 (2008 price). - Lynn Pernezny