Tips about Characters, Epcot, Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom and Resorts

Just a tip: one year, instead of using autograph books, we used the park maps to have autographed at the locations we saw the characters. The four park maps ended up being one of our favorite memories, and they were free, too! - Kim Camp

My daughter took a poster of all the princesses to Epcot. We unrolled it for each princess and the ladies said it was a good idea. We rolled it back up and kept it in a locker for the day. In the hotel we kept it in a frame. We drove so it was not an issue to take home. We just kept it in the frame. One of my daughter's favorite souvenirs of all of our trips. - Kim Peacock

I've read some great tips about bringing items (other than autograph books) for the characters to sign. We have also found that the books get forgotten once the vacation is over, so we've tried several different items. Here are a couple of additional thoughts: If you are bringing a shirt, they will not sign it if the child (or adult) is wearing it. Also if you are enjoying a character dinner, you will already know which characters you'll meet. Try to find a shirt that has those characters on it so each character can sign next to their image. When bringing an item (such as a t-shirt, hat, photo frame or ball) for the characters to sign, get the large chisel-tip markers. They are BIG so it's easier for the characters to grip and the signature shows up much better on the item. Don't be afraid to get creative! If you sew, bring fabric squares and make a quilt. How about buying the kids Disney backpacks or totes for the characters to sign? It will encourage them to carry their own stuff. Whatever you bring, just make sure it's something you don't mind hauling around the parks. So that Disney comforter is probably out of the question -- the pillowcase however... - Anne Cline Peterson

If you want any characters to sign clothing/pillowcases, you might want to invest in an embroidery hoop set (those two plastic or wooden rings that hold fabric taut). They're relatively cheap and come in all sizes. That, paired with a thicker marker will make it much easier for Mickey or Minnie to sign with their gloves. - Rachel L. Fridkin

I wanted to pass along that characters may not sign the shirt if a child is wearing it. Back in 2005 I did the same thing for my older daughter. She was 7 at the time. She wore a princess t-shirt that we'd purchased at the Disney Store to our breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. When we asked Snow White to sign the shirt, she said she couldn't if my daughter was wearing the shirt at the time. She said it was a rule that Disney has, I guess to protect the kids from inappropriate touching. So if you want a signed shirt, make sure you take the shirt instead of wearing it. - Beth McMeekin

When visiting a princess breakfast, bring along a Princess T-shirt from the Disney Store back home. Using a Sharpie, we asked the princesses to sign the shirt instead of an autograph book. (Our daughter is 3 and cannot read anyway.) Emma wore her Cinderella dress from home with shorts under to the breakfast. When the meal was over, we changed into the newly signed shirt and sent the Cinderella dress plus some new magnets back to the resort. She got compliments on the shirt all day long. Using a permanent Sharpie keeps the signatures looking like new. - Tracy Boylan

EDITOR'S NOTE: What really helps is if you have the shirt against something hard to write on, like the table or a clipboard. Also be sure to stretch out the fabric while it's being signed. Remember, not all characters may be able to sign T-shirts due to their "hands."

Every time we go to Disney I buy an autograph book so the girls can get their "needed" autographs and this can get quite expensive. I have tried in the past to buy a random book (not Disney) and that just would not do. I am also a scrapbooker (just a beginner) and after each visit I make a wonderful (in my opinion) scrapbook. Well, this year we are going to Disney and my youngest daughter is going to want to get autographs, so I decided to make a scrapbook page that the characters can sign. I will also have a place for my daughter's picture with the character. This will save me some money, plus it is a wonderful project for her and I to work on together, not to mention I will have the "whole" trip in one book autographs and all. - Teena Galatas

We were looking for something new and creative for acquiring autographs. My daughter is 9 and son is 10 and really into baseball. I went out and bought a pink baseball and a blue baseball. They took the balls to the character dinners and had them signed. When we got home I bought a protective baseball case and placed the balls in there. It was a great way to add their personality to the autographs. - Eric Berdan

During a recent visit to Walt Disney World our family stayed at Kidani Village. One of things we were curious about was quick dining. Many DVC members have expressed concerned about the lack of quick dining options at Kidani Village. It's understandable considering the size of the resort and the distance (about half a mile from front entrance to front entrance) to Jambo House to eat at the Mara (Jambo's counter service location).

I knew the pool bar had some food offerings and the gift shop inside the lobby (Johari Treasures) had some quick food items as well; however, I discovered something else. A private dining option is available at the Maji pool bar.

Here's how it works. Look for the phone and menu display at the Maji Pool Bar, pick it up and it will ring into the Sanaa kitchen. Make sure to reference your private dining number on your identification tent. Place your order with the Cast Member. They will give you an approximate wait time, a total, and ask you how you will pay; cash, credit, or room charge. Take your number tent to your pool chair and wait for the Cast Member to bring you the food. There is an adult menu and a kids menu to choose from. Each adult entree comes with specific side items and a pudding dessert. Kid's meals come with 2 sides and a chocolate cake dessert.

Something I found unusual is the resort does not have a fryer so you will not find any fried foods on the private dining menu. According to the Cast Member this was because of Disney's healthier foods initiative. We ordered a kid's pizza for our daughter which came with 2 sides; carrot sticks and fruit salad, a piece of chocolate cake for dessert and a bottle of water. The food came out in less than 15 minutes.

When you order through the private dining line you are charged a $3 trip charge and an automatic 18% gratuity. The total for our daughter's kid's meal was $12.75. There was some confusion whether the drink was included with the meal. When we called private dining they said yes, but the bottle of water did not come out, so we received one at the pool bar at no cost. You cannot use the Disney Dining Plan for this dining option.

The Maji pool bar also offers a very limited selection of quick foods you can order and receive from their refrigerator right away without going through private dining. Make sure to bring your resort refillable mug to the Kidani Village pool. They have a soda refilling station next to the bar; a nice feature and very convenient.

For those of you who stay at this resort the Johari Treasures gift shop also has some quick, cold food and breakfast options. There are cereals, breads and other breakfast fare to choose from. Potato chips and other afternoon or evening snacks are available as well. Many of the food items are eligible as snack credits on the Disney Dining Plan. You could very easily take this food to your villa and prepare it in your kitchen or kitchenette. The gift shop also houses a refillable mug station for soda, coffee, and tea; however, there is no hot chocolate.

Despite the lack of a quick service restaurant at Kidani Village there are still options to choose from if you don't want to walk, take the bus, or drive over to Jambo House. Be sure to check them out while you are enjoying this beautiful resort. - Aaron DelPrince

Share meals. If you're buying at the resort (we do, since I don't cook on vacation!), split entrees. Or get a double cheeseburger, cut it in half, and you've got two burgers at a fraction of the price of two full meals. Cast members have always accommodated our requests for an extra plate or extra silver. Their servings are large, and you won't go hungry! - Mark & Eileen Miller

My wife and I split an entree at table service restaurants. The portion sizes are usually more than one person can handle (or should handle anyway). Our server at the Sci-Fi Dine In split a milkshake for our 3 and 4 year old daughters to share also. Sharing really made sense for us, as my wife has had Lap Band surgery and is not able to eat much anyway--sharing made her feel less wasteful. - Jeremy Hardy

Eat at a more expensive restaurant for lunch rather than dinner, as the menu choices are similar but the prices are lower - so you can experience the restaurant of your choice for less. Also, check out the menus on Deb's site before you go. They've been updated recently, and the price of an entree can differ in price between otherwise "comparable" restaurants. - Jennifer J. Bogdanski, Esq

One of the best money-saving things we found on our last trip was the Rotisserie section at the Caribbean Beach food court. The turkey and chicken meals came with enough food (vegetable, mashed potatoes, etc.) that I was able to split the meal with my 2-year-old. Plus, I felt like we were eating something a little healthier than just hamburgers and hot dogs. - Elizabeth Doda

Even though a counter service restaurant offers meals in a combo form, it may be possible to buy the items separately. Recently, I did this at Pecos Bill's in Frontierland. I wanted the vegetarian burger, but didn't really want the fries that came with it. I asked and ended up saving almost $3. I was amazed at the difference in price. - Debbie

Eat at buffets to maximize your value for the cost. This is especially true for the breakfast/lunch time. If you time your ADR (advance dining reservation) so that they change out the breakfast menu for the lunch menu during the course of your meal, you basically get two meals in one, and you can satisfy the heartiest appetite. Also, if you can travel during the International Food & Wine Festival, you can enjoy eating around the world, which is extremely good and extremely filling at about the same cost as a counter-service meal. - Josh Olive