Tips about Characters, Epcot, Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous and Planning

Magic Kingdom - Regarding Mike Scopa's article about saving time (AllEars® Issue #443, March 18, 2008): One of the queues that you can save a lot of time on is the Indy Speedway. The line goes up a ramp and then turns right. From there you can go down the first ramp or continue on the bridge to the second ramp. When I have been there lately, there are two lanes of cars running from the bottom of the first ramp and only one lane of cars on the second ramp. The second ramp is also further away. Therefore, do not go to the second ramp! - Sara

Schedule one evening to be at the perfect place and time to view a fabulous Florida sunset. Most regular visitors have their own favorite sunset view, but in the crush of other things to do, this is one of those "I wish I had done it" things you remember after you get home. It is one of those quiet moments that are most treasured later, and is a good "last evening at Disney" tradition to incorporate into your stay. Depending on your resort, cast members can usually suggest the best sunset view. One of my favorites is the point that juts into the lagoon at the Polynesian, but any western view over water is a winner. Another great place is at the Cantina in Mexico at Epcot. Get a cool drink and sit at a table by the water and just soak up the peace and beauty. - Mary Jane Walley

I thought that Alice McNutt Miller's post about money saving tips was spot on. Our family has enjoyed Disney World every few years and I always consult the AllEars® tips database while planning. One tip that I would add to Alice's list is considering travel during the room-only discount periods. This way you can combine frugal and fairly extravagant if you're willing to move from value/moderate to deluxe for a few days (especially to the BoardWalk area). Our kids felt like it was two vacations in one. - Jack

Don't be too quick to dismiss the Deluxe resorts. For the UK visitor, free dining is usually not available at the Value resorts, while the Quick Service plan is included at the Moderates and the regular dining plan comes with Deluxe or Villas. We have found that it can often work out cheaper for us to book a villa when free dining is included than it would be to book at a Value resort and buy a dining plan or just pay for food as we went along. - Debi

I have a tip about an AllEars Hears item, which said WDW wedding packages start at $4,000. You can be married at The Swan and Dolphin resorts for much less and still receive some of the benefits of a Walt Disney World Wedding, including appearances by characters like Mickey and Minnie. Packages start at around $2,200. Shades of Green is another lower-cost option (for those who have family in the military). - C. Hayward

I wanted to capture my daughters' first trip to WDW by collecting character autographs. However, with my girls being 3 years old and 16 months, a collection of autographs in a book wouldn't be much fun for them, so I decided I would make them a blanket of autographs. I pre-washed a heavyweight white cotton fabric and cut it into 7"x10" panels. I found iron-on appliques of Disney characters. I also cut out extra blank panels. I cut foam core to the same size as the panels and secured the panels with binder clips. I found fabric markers that worked well, but the X-tra large chisel tip Sharpies (in various colors) worked great. The characters, especially the princesses, loved being able to sign next to their applique. With the blank panels, I asked characters to sign as big as they wished. I used iron-on transfers to transfer the photos of those characters onto fabric. I then sewed the panels together with a backing fabric and both girls ended up with a custom blanket to commemorate their trip. - Kelly Ostroski

When we go to WDW we keep the kiddie meal Mickey-shaped plates as souvenirs. They wash up nicely (top-rack dishwasher) and have three compartments. I usually use one of the "ears" to put their cups into so that they don't tip them over. They last long, too. We've had ours since the summer! - Kari Svinarich

We visited Walt Disney World this past July with five children ranging from 2 to 14 years old. We found the best place to line up for character photos was at Epcot's Character Connection. It is air-conditioned and the staff were very friendly and interacted with the children and adults. The characters went out of their way to please and play with my 2-year-old. An experience as an adult I will never forget: Pluto kneeling on the floor, nose-to-nose with my 2-year-old, and Minnie and his first kiss. - Valerie Fisher

We traveled in December and noticed how the food available at the counter service restaurants has gotten healthier - giving more choices to those with Celiac Disease. Sit-down restaurants were wonderfully accommodating, of course! I did find out that one counter service location in each park has gluten-free pizza available. It is not on the menu, you have to ask for it. In Magic Kingdom it was Pinocchio's and at Epcot it is in the American Pavilion. Just ask Guest Services as the location may change. I also found gluten-free brownies and cookies in Wilderness Lodge and some of the counter service restaurants. I still brought an easy breakfast to eat in our hotel room to save time, but once I went out I didn't have to worry! What a pleasant vacation it was for this Celiac mom! - Kaercher Family

This past year we went to Disney two times in three months. My daughter is 3 and loved the characters and getting autographs and pictures with them! The first time we went I purchased an autograph book that had a space for the picture, for I believe $12.99 The second time we went she said she wanted to get ALL the autographs AGAIN! So I picked up 4x6 index cards on a spiral ring. The characters signed the unlined side and when we got home I put them in a small 4x6 photo album. All it cost was $3. We put a postcard with the year in the front and now we have a wonderful photo album and autograph book! - Tiffany

Epcot - For anyone with ties to General Motors, make sure to take advantage of the GM suite at Test Track. There is a great lounge with a huge window overlooking the park and you can get free drinks while you relax. You can also bypass the line and get right on the ride (better than Fastpass). You just need to present the appropriate GM identification card. - Shan Haase

Epcot - For anyone with ties to General Motors, make sure to take advantage of the GM suite at Test Track. There is a great lounge with a huge window overlooking the park and you can get free drinks while you relax. You can also bypass the line and get right on the ride (better than Fastpass). You just need to present the appropriate GM identification card. - Shan Haase

Last year I bought my husband the "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs" cookbook. This year when we went, my husband brought the book and requested (at each dining establishment) that the chef sign the page in our book that had the recipe from their kitchen. It was a treat for both the chefs as well as my family when, on occasion, the chef came out to our table. Now we have started a family tradition that we can continue as adults while our kids work on the autographs of the characters. - dollydawne

Last year I bought my husband the "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs" cookbook. This year when we went, my husband brought the book and requested (at each dining establishment) that the chef sign the page in our book that had the recipe from their kitchen. It was a treat for both the chefs as well as my family when, on occasion, the chef came out to our table. Now we have started a family tradition that we can continue as adults while our kids work on the autographs of the characters. - dollydawne

For our recent trip to Disney World, I purchased an inexpensive 11 x 14 picture frame. The photo opening was for a 5 x 7, so the white mat around the edges was quite large. We had a great time collecting character autographs on the white mat! They had no trouble at all writing with our black Sharpie. Several cast members thought that the idea was really cool. Carrying it around was a breeze, too -- I just wrapped the top and bottom in two plastic grocery bags (so the entire mat would be covered in case of rain) and tied one of the bags to the edge of our stroller. Now we have a family photo with Mickey displayed in it, and a great keepsake of all the characters we love! - Whitney Pruitt