Tips about Characters, Food & Beverage, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Resorts

We just returned from a great five days down at WDW... One thing I discovered this trip was how many cards I ended up carrying around: park ticket, hotel room key, Disney Visa redemption card, Photopass card (or cards, because we always end up with more than one), Fastpasses... whew! That's a lot, and that's not even counting what's usually in my wallet, like a credit card and ID. I was constantly afraid I would lose something. My uncle (I have to credit him on this one) came up with a great solution: he picked up a small business card case (around $5) at an office supply store to keep all of his important cards in. He always had his Fastpasses ready to get in line while the rest of us were still digging through our pockets. I've already picked one up and it's in my "things to take to Walt Disney World" pile for our next trip! - Nathan Jones EDITOR'S NOTE: Magic Bands have eliminated a few cards to carry around the parks. However you will still want to carry your Annual Pass card (for discounts), photo ID, and if you have it, your Tables in Wonderland Card

If you are there for a week or longer, find out how much it is to take a cab for shopping. We did a roundtrip cab (having him even wait for us in parking lot) and it cost us $32 with tip to Walgreen's. We got much needed cold/flu supplies, drinks, and snacks. I added up just two of the tons of items we bought price for price for what they were in the gift shop, and there alone was our cab fare! - Dana Barish

Try to be the first family in Epcot's character meet and greet! My husband saw the characters go in immediately after the Epcot opening countdown. Everyone was heading towards Soarin', and he suggested we go see the characters first. We were the first family in, and we were in for a surprise... our son got to be with all of the characters at the same time!! He spent a full five minutes with them, and then they dispersed to their regular separate areas before the next child's turn. Being first definitely paid off! - Danielle Mazurek

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a cheap, healthy snack in the Animal Kingdom, check out the fruit cart in the Harambe Village of Africa. There's lots of fresh, ice cold fruit that's cheap and much healthier than ice cream or popcorn. Our family got apple slices with caramel, fresh oranges and bananas, and it was delicious. The cart also sells chips, water and drinks. - Katherine

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a cheap, healthy snack in the Animal Kingdom, check out the fruit cart in the Harambe Village of Africa. There's lots of fresh, ice cold fruit that's cheap and much healthier than ice cream or popcorn. Our family got apple slices with caramel, fresh oranges and bananas, and it was delicious. The cart also sells chips, water and drinks. - Katherine

Animal Kingdom Lodge - If you are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House, I would strongly suggest considering renting a car. My husband, 4-year-old and I have just returned from a 14-night trip and found that with the completion of Kidani Village, the bus transportation picks up and drops off at Kidani FIRST. This meant that when the bus transportation arrived at Jambo House to go to the parks, it was sometimes already full (standing room only) and on the return journey from the parks we had to drive past Jambo House to drop off and collect new people at Kidani before going to Jambo House.

Our son likes to collect autographs in his Disney autograph book not only of the characters, but also from friends he makes while waiting in line for a ride or waiting for a show to start. The autograph includes their hometown, and maybe an email address or Facebook info so that we can stay in touch and exchange pictures and videos from our trip. It also makes little ones feel special to be asked for their autograph. - Kim & John Dell'Agnese

Instead of having the characters sign a book, our girls collect hugs. The characters love it as they get to interact with people instead of just standing there for a picture, then to try and sign a book that'll just sit on the shelf back home. We take pictures of the hugs and put together a collage that the girls hang on their walls. Much more fun and engaging, and we don't have to lug around two books and pens. One time, we were last in line for the Winnie-the-Pooh characters. Eeyore loved our daughter so much, he sat there hugging her for almost five minutes and playing with her. The handlers kept trying to have the characters go in the back, but he was having too much fun. We have some great pictures and memories. - Mike Palladino

The BoardWalk often offers jugglers and magicians in the evening. My son loves just sitting and watching all of the performers. But we just returned from our rainiest Disney trip ever. We certainly thought that the performers would not be on the BoardWalk on those nights. We were right, they weren't -- but, to my son's delight, we found that they perform indoors on those nights. We found the performers near the bar area and also in the lobby. - Kelly

Since my son is too young for an autograph book, we brought 8"x10" photo mats for the characters to sign. I bought two, one for Chef Mickey's and one for Crystal Palace, and markers for the characters to use. Once I got home, I put a picture for our group at the restaurants and they are now proudly displayed in our home. It is a great way to display the autographs and a wonderful way to remember the magic with my son. - Megan P.

One thing you can have the characters sign is a post card. You can then send it to a loved one. They love it and won't be so upset that they didn't get to go. - Diane Williams

It rained on December 4 all day and we had trouble hunting down Princess Tiana. We were told by a number of cast members that she wouldn't be coming out at her usual meet and greet in front of Liberty Square Riverboat. We finally asked a cast member stationed at the tip board, who made a phone call and found out she was at the Town Square Exposition Hall. I never knew what was in there, but we found Princess Tiana, Santa, Pooh and Tigger, Woodland Donald, and Scrooge McDuck with hardly any lines. If it's raining, check there for characters. - Rebekah McMullan

Our family has found an easy way to keep track of our dining information during a Disney trip. I use my cell phone's calendar to enter the times and confirmation numbers of all our meals. My phone is always with me, so I don't have to carry an extra list. If we're really trying to pack a lot into our day, I set my alarm to go off a half hour before our reservation. Having our confirmation number handy helped us out a couple years ago when our reservation got mixed up. - Deborah Shauan

Our most recent trip to Disney was a very busy one between extra activities and dinner reservations. Before leaving home, I prepared a schedule, which upon arrival I posted on the fridge (we stayed in a villa) with magnets I brought from home. This way, everyone knew where and when they needed to be somewhere. - Ann

All Resorts - Remember that Disney Gift Cards are not honored to cover valet parking. - Nalyn Marcus