Tips about Animal Kingdom Lodge, Epcot, Kids, Magic Kingdom and Planning

I wanted to share a tip that we stumbled onto during our first trip six years ago when the kids were 11, 11, 8, 8, and 2. It was the 11 day/10 night "Disney 'till you puke" tour. Or so I thought until I got the WDW bug!

Anyhow, about the second day the four older kids started WHINING. You know what I mean: "I don't like that ... Do we have to go there ....he didn't have to ...." You get the picture. Ohmigosh, we were at the funnest place on the planet and they actually found things to whine about! I was stunned. And not about to go through the rest of the vacation with THAT going on. So, with perhaps the only moment of true brilliance I have ever had, I had an idea and the Whine Fine program was born.

It's pretty simple: we gave each kid a little ticket every morning. The ticket said "1 Free Whine". When they whined it would cost them a ticket. If they'd already used their ticket, the whine cost them $1 (of their own hard-earned spending money). If they didn't use the ticket for the day, they would still get a ticket the next day and now would have two free whines coming. Oh yeah, if, at the end of the vacation any of them actually had any tickets left, we paid them $1 for each ticket.

Kids are soooo funny. It took another couple of days for them to really "get" the program, but they did. Although one never really would admit she ever whined and you'd have to pry the ticket out of her hand. Then there was the one who slapped down two tickets AND a dollar so she could blast us about something! And I do believe there was some sort of black market trading going on too. But the rest of our vacation was MUCH more peaceful and relaxing.

And now, just imagine, these same four are all TEENAGERS. What were we thinking??? - Linda Cobb

We have been to Disney World several times now and have found that a small hand-held, battery-operated game can keep the kids busy during the long wait in the lines for the attractions. These fit nicely into their fanny packs. Every time we were in line for any length of time, they would pull them out and play as the line moved. It keeps them from complaining about the wait and they don't even realize how long they have been standing there. - Rhonda Cotham

I loved the tip about bringing along small electronic games for kids to play, but would like to add a postscript: Please, parents, turn off the sound if the game offers that option! Otherwise, other kids in line will be jealous and make their parents feel guilty for not having thought ahead. There's also the fact that some of your fellow line-standers could be driven quite nuts by the constant beeping of the games. - Richard S. from NJ

My tip is a simple way of helping the children keep within their spending limits. My two daughters both save well for their WDW trips, but spending their money produces different hazards for each of them. The youngest (12) would spend her savings for the whole two weeks in the first shop she visited; the eldest (16) would still be deciding what to spend it on in the airport going home, worried that she was spending too much, too soon!

To overcome their separate *difficulties*, we came up with this plan, which helps them both: At the beginning of the trip, they each divide their savings by the number of days they will be on vacation - this gives them a guideline as to what would be a sensible amount to be spending each day. They know that if they spend more than that amount one day, it will leave them less for the remaining days, and vice versa. Every morning, we count up how much they have left and divide it by the number of days remaining, giving them a new guideline for the day.

They know that if they've seen something expensive they want to buy, it's sensible to have a couple of 'lean' days to make up for the big purchase they want. On the other hand, if they've been frugal for a while, a couple of days of overindulgence won't break the bank. Of course, I'm always willing to negotiate a loan if they just *have* to have that extra something they can't afford - oh, and it all helps with the math homework, too! - Wolfe

After reading Sherry Theriault's tip about writing postcards while waiting in line or in restaurants, especially the part about, "I am about to ride Rock N Roller Coaster and you wouldn't believe how my heart is beating", I thought: what a great way to remember our own trip! I'm going to print out labels with our own address on them and mail postcards to ourselves for us to enjoy and relive the magic once we return. I keep a plastic storage box for each of my two children in which I put their artwork, school pictures and yearbooks, birthday cards, and special notes. It will be great to add postcards from our Walt Disney World vacations for them to read when they are adults! - Amy Mason

Last year, I read a tip on the web about using a tent as a "haven" for young children who need to bed down before others in their hotel room. This worked great last year with my son. It fit perfectly on top of the second double bed. He did nap-time, play-time and night-time all in his "cave". I found the PERFECT pop-up tent by Ozark Trail at my local Wal-Mart that folds up into a soft, 2' carrying disk w/straps. (My 6' husband can lay down in the thing!) It has two windows with flaps that tie up or Velcro down. I wanted an exact replica for his sister, but alas, Wal-Mart has discontinued them with no plans to restock! I immediately went to my best friend "E. Bay" for help. I found a NEW Ozark Trail Child's Pop-Up tent for $15 + shipping. So when we're not enjoying MK, we're playing camp-out in the den. Oh, and if you're at WDW in June, we'll be the ones with the well-rested children! - Bari Brumfield

The only really important advice I would add to this [bringing other people's children] is to make a copy of the other child's health insurance information and also have a signed or even notarized letter from the child's parents stating they will be traveling with you, to where, and on what dates. Hopefully you will never need to use it, but you never know! - Tara Felicio

Don't throw out those popcorn buckets! They make excellent protection in your luggage for small breakable souvenirs, such as glass ornaments.- Lori Welch

I have one more tip related to Mary Cronin's idea. I hate walking on my treadmill. Has anyone actually recorded the walk from Spaceship Earth to the American Adventure to play back while walking the treadmill at home? My tape would always have to include a stop at Boulangerie Patisserie in France! YUM! - "Jungle" Jim Sirks

I read Mary Cronin's advisory to walk in order to be in shape for WDW, and I couldn't agree more. My wife and I are in our mid-50s and we have always wondered just how far we really do walk while at WDW, so we bought a pedometer and I wore it on our trip October 18-25. On the 18th and the 25th, our walking was limited to three hours each day due to our arrival and departure from WDW. Our first full day, which included Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we logged 8 miles -- for the week we were just shy of 40 miles! Believe me, we do not race around the parks. We walk at a normal pace, and we were astounded at the total. Our advice: start walking. - William Kested EDITOR'S NOTE: ALWAYS be sure to break in any new pair of shoes/sneakers you have purchased for your trip.

Do lots of walking before you go to get in shape for walking at the World. This really pays off when you get there, in terms of stamina and enjoyment. We take family walks, and my husband and I also walk on a treadmill in the mornings. Just imagine you are walking from Spaceship Earth to the American Pavilion, or from the far end of one of the parking lot rows to the tram. If you're in better shape, you can pretend to jog from the rope at Tomorrowland to Space Mountain, or from the park entrance to Kilimanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom. Even if your style of Disney touring is a relaxed stroll, you will benefit from any walking that you do before you go. - Mary Cronin

Coming from Canada, with a 45 percent (loss) exchange rate at the time, moneysaving ideas were a must for our trip in Fall 2002. Before our trip I had printed off coupons for every restaurant and store we planned to visit.. The more I saved, the more I wanted to save. I packed everything from cereal to laundry soap so that I would not have to buy it in Orlando at an already inflated price, and with a high exchange rate for me. The best savings I got was on water. We purchased a case of 30 bottles of water at our local Wal-Mart for under $8 (Can). To have bought that at WDW, 30 bottles @ $2.50 US = $75, then add our exchange rate to that and we would have paid about $130 Canadian. Since we anticipated a lot of outlet shopping, we each brought two large suitcases. The 30 bottles were spread out among them, so the weight was not an issue. (But honestly, for that kind of savings, I would have carried them on my back.) Next time though, I'll pack two cases of water. Your website was invaluable to us while planning our vacation. Our daughters (ages 7 and 9 at the time of the vacation) agree that we had a year of WDW fun and excitement before we ever left our home in chilly Nova Scotia. By the time we got to WDW, they were READY. Our most valuable expenditure was in time spent preparing for the trip. - Greg L. from Canada

A few months ago someone suggested taking a soft-sided cooler with Ziploc bags to use in your room in lieu of renting a fridge at $10 a day. We took the suggestion one step further. I purchased a cooler with a plastic liner, took it home and put it in our luggage. Lo and behold it fit perfectly, which meant we would not have to worry about leaking Ziploc bags. And by packing our unmentionables inside the liner we did not lose any precious packing space. It worked out wonderfully and we saved $110 in the process. - Vonnie

Even though my 5 year-old daughter has been to Disney four times already, she's a little scared about getting lost. Trying to think of a way to relieve her fears, I thought of a great idea. We have those two-way FRS radios that we got before our cell phones. The kids know how to use them, so I just thought that we could put one in a fanny pack (from previous Disney trips) for my 5-year-old and my 7-year-old son and get another for us to hold. They know to look for a Cast Member if they get separated from us, but now we can still be in constant communication with them and have them lead us right to where they are. When I told Amanda about this idea she went right to her room and found her pack and put the radio in it. We don't leave until July! Talk about prepared! - Jenn B. from Philadelphia

This isn't a new tip, just some feedback on a tip I saw last year on the ALL EARS® newsletter. The five of us (mom, dad, son and 2 daughters) recently spent Christmas and New Year's at the Contemporary. Even with the larger room, things were a little crowded, but thanks to the tip to hang an inexpensive shoe bag over the bathroom door for storing everyone's 'stuff', the bathroom was clutter-free. I think my oldest daughter took up half of it. This is by far the best tip we've taken away from your informative newsletter. - Keith Link

Know your "high" seasons intimately! I called recently to get a room for a business trip to Orlando from November 29 to December 4, and was told by WDW reservations there were no rooms available. Same story from Shades of Green (I work for the Navy).

When I called back later that day and asked for November *30* to December 4, there were all sorts of rooms available (including discounted ones), in both Disney hotels and SoG! Seems the Thanksgiving crowd doesn't check out until Saturday. Bottom line: be flexible about your arrival and departure dates (stay in an off-site hotel the first or last night, if necessary), and don't be afraid to keep Disney personnel on the phone, asking about availability for this date or that date, as long it takes to get the answer you want!

Also: If you're active or retired U.S. military or a civilian working for the U.S. armed forces, and you don't already know about Shades of Green, you need to! All the details are at shadesofgreen.org. Right now SoG is being remodeled, but this actually represents an extraordinary opportunity! SoG is still taking reservations, they're just placing all guests in rooms apportioned to them from Disney hotels, at the normal SoG price (based on your rank or pay grade). A friend of mine got placed in Coronado Springs, but I scored what I consider the jackpot: the Contemporary Resort -- at $95/night! - Brent York

EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional information on Shades of Green can be found at:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_sog.htm