Tips about Characters, Kids, Magic Kingdom, Resorts and Souvenirs

YACHT CLUB - Just returned from a stay at the Yacht Club resort and found that the Ale and Compass Lounge serves a continental breakfast each morning. Muffins, croissants, fruit, cereal & milk, juices, coffee and more. I stumbled upon this on my first morning and was pleased to see that I didn't have to go to the Beach Club or Boardwalk to get a quick breakfast. - Ruthie White

ALL PARKS - We have gone down to Walt Disney World 24 times and are looking forward to going again in November. My tip is that when you go, always take a break where there is a water feature. If you are over-warm, they will help cool you off and if you are not then the sound helps relax and focus your mind so you can enjoy the rest of your day. At Magic Kingdom, the best one is right next to the Splash Mountain ride. If you don't want to get wet, step back. In Epcot, they are all over. They are in every park and various places, so ENJOY. - Dana Lind

EDITOR'S NOTE: The water features Dana refers to include the various fountains, water play areas, and misters found around the parks, such as the squirting Tiki Gods in Magic Kingdom's Adventureland or the Cool Wash mister near Test Track in Epcot.

Animal Kingdom Lodge - We recently stayed at Jambo House in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. While there, we noticed a sign stating that all balloons had to be kept in the luggage holding room for the duration of the guest's stay. Apparently, they are concerned that balloons will find their way onto the savanna, and cause problems for the animals. You may want to reconsider purchasing a balloon, if staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! - Paul and Kris Munson

Magic Kingdom - On our May 2010 trip to WDW we ate, as always, at Pecos Bill's at the Magic Kingdom. We always order the veggie burgers. The cast member gave us our tray with only our drinks and sides. She told us the burgers were being prepared at the "Fixin's Bar" and we needed to go there to pick them up. The reason given was that they are prepared on a separate grill, away from meat, making them totally vegan. Other counter service restaurants which grill them in the kitchen told us they always use a separate grill. - Jeannie B.

First just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the wonderful and very useful tips you post -- I have used more than a few on our trips. My tip is for anyone traveling to WDW by car with kids. A few days before we leave, I head to one of our local "dollar stores" and purchase toys or games they can play in the car. When the inevitable "I'm bored" virus goes around, I pull out a new game/toy and have peace for another hour or so, then repeat the process. The things I buy only cost a dollar or two so if they get "lost" in the car it's no big deal and the joy "mine" of having a peaceful ride... priceless! - Tina McCall

On our last trip to Walt Disney World, when our girls ordered kids' meals we saved the Mickey-shaped plates they were served in. I cleaned them and once we returned home I pasted/taped snapshots of our girls in each compartment. Makes for a really cute, one of a kind souvenir that doesn't cost an arm and leg. - Karen Connell

The entire Disney World resort now has 3" Vinylmation trading. Shops that sell Vinylmation have a trading box out on the cash register that contains three Vinylmation figures. Like a pin-trading lanyard, you are free to trade from this box. In addition, some locations have large, black "mystery boxes" containing about 25 Vinylmation figures that you cannot see beforehand. You pick a number and they trade the Vinylmation that is located in that number's corresponding box. It was a lot of fun. - Nikki

I just returned from Disney and I took some bubble wrap with me this time, because I knew I wanted the Roaming Mickey from Epcot, and I also knew its box would take up way too much room in my luggage. This was a great idea, it doesn't weigh anything and I can pack it flat, it doesn't take up any room at all. I am going to do this every time I go on vacation now, and I don't have to worry about not buying that breakable item that I see and fall in love with! - Melanie

While Disney resorts don't have microwaves in the room, they do have at least one microwave for common use that is usually situated close to the food court. They are available 24 hours a day and can be a great money-saver. From a snack such as popcorn to soup or noodles, using the microwave to replace or supplement bought food can be a big money-saver. - Connie McGouldrick

I've heard of people having the characters sign shirts or postcards and the like. One year, we bought a nice hardback copy of a biography about Walt Disney and got the characters to sign the inside and back covers and blank pages at the beginning and end of the book. It kind of turned into an informal tribute to Walt Disney; having character signatures in a book about the man who started the Disney magic we enjoy today. - Josh Bunting

We tackled going to Walt Disney World with three boys ages 10, 8, and 5 who wanted to buy everything they had in front of them like this: We had them hold up the item they wanted and we took a picture of it. The day before we left, while I was packing, they went through the pictures to pick the one thing they liked the best. Now we knew what to look for, as well as having some extra pictures for memories. If we were going to a park, we used the Shop Disney Parks app, which we had downloaded. It told us where to go and in one case had the item delivered to Guest Relations at the front of the park. The app will also tell you what delivery options are available (to your room, to guest relations, or to your home). - Robbie Haines

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

Magic Kingdom - If you have young children who watch Playhouse Disney's "My Friends Tigger and Pooh", it may be wise to explain to them before you ride "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" that the story takes place before Pooh met Darby and Buster (the little girl and her dog who appear in the TV show). I have been showing my 2-year-old YouTube videos of some of the rides in preparation for our April visit to the world, when she watched Pooh she kept asking, "Where Darby? Where Buster?", it would not have occurred to me that she would notice that they were not there. - Melanie Dye

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