Tips about Boardwalk Villas, Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Souvenirs

We think one of the "hidden secrets" at Walt Disney World is The Wave restaurant at the Contemporary Resort. As a person with a variety of health problems, and always looking for the healthiest thing to eat, I found that this restaurant had the best and tastiest selection of healthy food anywhere. The multi-grain bread is out of this world, especially when used for the lunch Reuben. Not only that, but there are discounts for Disney Vacation Club members and no problems getting a table, especially for lunch. This is a great place for a break from the parks or just a special visit to the wonderful Contemporary Resort. - Helen Phelps

We had the free dining plan during our visit to the World in August (as did 90% of all guests, according to a cast member). Due to some poor planning and indecisiveness, we were unable to get any dining reservations during our stay. However, we did eat very well. We walked into every restaurant of our choice and waited less than 15 minutes! Only 30 minutes in Canada. The trick is that we planned our meals for either the opening time of the restaurant or 2 to 4 p.m. Plenty of tables are available at those times. - Joanne

Magic Kingdom - My son is afraid of fireworks, but we wanted to stay in the Magic Kingdom. A cast member directed us to the Baby Care Center. The walls are soundproof for nursing moms. There was a TV and lots of books to entertain him. My son didn't hear a thing, and the rest of the night was tons of fun! - Mary Locker

Every day, several cell phones are lost at Walt Disney World. When a phone is lost, you not only lose communications, you also lose the important phone numbers stored in them. Though the wireless companies encourage you to donate your old phones when you upgrade, I suggest that you hang onto one and its charger as a spare and toss them into your suitcase when you pack. Odds are that you'll never need to use it, but should the worst happen while you're visiting the Mouse, you might be able to switch your phone number to the old phone by contacting your carrier. In a couple minutes, you have a working phone again. If you subscribe to some kind of "Backup Assistant", you might also be able to download your contacts to the spare phone. (Note that only someone who is authorized on the account and knows the password can make that change.) It may not be the shiny new Blackberry that you just got, but that old Motorola Razr is better than no phone for that week. - Mike J.

Free Dining is sometimes offered with a resort package. My trip dates didn't include all of the free dining dates. I called Disney reservations to ask how I could take advantage of the free dining that is being offered and got a wonderful agent who checked into it for me. When she came back on the line, she had booked my trip for free dining for all 10 days. My tip is even if your dates are only partially covered, CALL! You may be able to get the whole trip included. It definitely made for a magical day in my house. - Stefanie

I just returned from WDW and found a great place on the Disney bus route to get water without having to take a city bus to Goodings. The Hess Mart across from Disney Springs West Side (Planet Hollywood) sells 24 17-oz. bottles of water for $4.99 (as well as other beverages). Take the DTD bus to the West Side stop and walk across the street to the Hess Mart. The DTD buses only stop at the West Side starting at 11 a.m. (which was something I didn't know). Thanks to the bellman at Saratoga Springs for the tip about the water. - pnazareth1

Restaurant.com currently has several restaurants at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels in their system, as well as House of Blues. Garden Grove, Shula's Steakhouse, Kimonos, Il Mulino New York Trattoria, and Todd English's bluezoo are all in there. You can get a $25 gift certificate for $10 (less if you search for a current promo code) and the certificates never expire. Make sure to read the restrictions on minimum purchase and days of the week they are valid, but overall these are a great deal! We use them at home all the time -- glad to know we can use them on vacation, too! - Tracy Roth

Magic Kingdom - I read about another reader having problems making reservations for the Harmony Barber Shop. I called 407-WDW-PLAY and the cast member helped me immediately, there was no confusion. She also told me that there are some appointments available BEFORE 9 a.m., some days as early as 8:05 a.m. Might give you a head start on your Magic Kingdom day. - Marianne

Magic Kingdom - I read about another reader having problems making reservations for the Harmony Barber Shop. I called 407-WDW-PLAY and the cast member helped me immediately, there was no confusion. She also told me that there are some appointments available BEFORE 9 a.m., some days as early as 8:05 a.m. Might give you a head start on your Magic Kingdom day. - Marianne

Magic Kingdom - I read about another reader having problems making reservations for the Harmony Barber Shop. I called 407-WDW-PLAY and the cast member helped me immediately, there was no confusion. She also told me that there are some appointments available BEFORE 9 a.m., some days as early as 8:05 a.m. Might give you a head start on your Magic Kingdom day. - Marianne

Shopping in the World is an adventure in itself! We have found some shops offer discounts that are not always advertised. My solution is to ask whenever I am making a purchase. Since we are DVC members, have a Disney Visa and have been Annual Passholders, it never hurts to ask if there are any shopping discounts. Most times, the cast member will ask to see the card before the purchase. It's much easier to ask before the transaction, than to remember when you're walking away. - jsbow

I have two little Disney fans, 2 and 4 years old who love the night lights. Buying new light toys at each park can get expensive, not to mention they take up room in the luggage when we have to leave. To save money and room, I started bringing our own light toys. I bought a pack of 10 light bracelets from a discount store for $1. The container hides nicely in the diaper bag, and the kids don't know I have them. When the kids see the light carts on the streets, I bring out my surprise and they love it. They each get four bracelets, one for each arm and leg, and one left for Mom and Dad. The kids get so much attention going home on the bus, because they have something different. We've even had people ask us where we purchased them. We have also saved our light sticks from Halloween and used them at Disney. As long as they stay sealed they are good for up to a year. - Kelly Pride

I've always kept receipts and written records of all our trips to WDW, starting in September 1971. In the '90s when we bought our first computer I put it all in. I can tell you the dates, the resort and room number, room rate, who joined us and the highlights of each of the 62 visits (430 nights) that we have stayed in Disney resorts. I also include highlights of each trip, like meeting Miss America and Bob Hope in the Studios, my wife singing with Bob Jackson in the Cotton Co-op and all the other magical moments we have enjoyed. - Mike Shook

In order to cut down on food expenses, I always bring my crockpot along when we drive to Florida. I mix up dinner before we leave our condo for the day. When we return supper is done! I have also found make-ahead breakfast casseroles that cook in the crock while we sleep. If we eat a hearty breakfast we usually only need to eat one meal at the parks. - Theresa Denton

Another helpful hint to those parents whose children like to collect rocks. My kids each bought rocks at the store next to Country Bear Jamboree. While my 7-year-old daughter put hers in the checked luggage, my 11-year-old son put his in his carry-on (and in the mild chaos of making sure everything was packed, it never occurred to me to not have him pack it there). Well, a fist-sized round rock will get you extra time in the security area! Due to its size and shape, they had to pull the carry-on to open it up for extra screening to see what the unidentifiable object (the rock!) was. Amusingly, the security officer asked before he even opened it up if my son had bought a rock as a souvenir... evidently he's seen many come through. So save yourselves the extra time getting through security and pack any rocks in your checked luggage. - Vickie