Tips about Characters, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Planning, Resorts and Souvenirs

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

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

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

Remember when you're purchasing merchandise at Walt Disney World and using Disney's shipping to send it out of state, sales tax should not be charged. Sometimes new cast members don’t know this or long-time veterans simply forget. Be sure to check your sales receipt. - Jack Spence

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

I love having Disney reminders everywhere. I think it is wonderful that even pets can get into the action. But what if you are like us and have a feathered pet? Well, we bought our parakeet, Mr. Freeze, a Mickey-shaped pet tag and hung it in his cage! He really enjoyed looking at it and playing with it. It was shiny, reflective and noisy. We then purchased a pet tag in the shape of a star with Tinker Bell, and he is in LOVE! Each time I clean his cage, he guards it with his... beak. So even if you don't have a furry pet, check out some of the pet items and see if they will work to share the magic with everyone in your family! - Kimberly K. Lawton

Fort Wilderness - I recently returned from Fort Wilderness and discovered that the "petting farm" is now called the "pony pond." There are a few Shetland ponies and miniature ponies but no other animals and there is no more feeding. We really enjoyed seeing "Qes," one of the horses in the stable we had seen the day before pulling the trolley down Main Street, USA. - Josh Steiner

I print out clear labels with all of our information and bring along extra to label everything that we get new at the parks, from our cups to our PhotoPass. The extra labels are great in case you do forget to label something before you leave and the clear labels blend right in. - Cara Martin

My 10-year-old son had scout camp this summer. I wanted to include a few essentials in his backpack, but I knew they would end up lost at the bottom. I got a plastic coupon organizer (the accordion wallet type) and put bandages in one section, bug repellant in another, along with hand wipes, sunscreen, etc. It worked so well that I have added the coupon organizer to my "Disney supplies." I think it will keep our trip backpack organized as well! I plan to add in individual packs of over-the-counter medicines. - Beth Spellman

We have received many compliments on our idea for character autographs and thought we would share our idea with your readers. My daughters are 9 and 14 years old, a little too old for autograph books (their idea), so we purchased canvas backpacks at our local arts and crafts store for a few dollars. We brought along several permanent markers and a stiff piece of cardboard to insert into the backpack so the characters have a nice surface to write on. Paperclips to hold the fabric and cardboard are helpful. We have been told they appreciate this, as it makes signing easier. The girls can carry their packs with them to the parks and add signatures whenever they see a new character. It makes a nice fashion statement to be seen walking around with designer signatures on their backs. - Rubykorner10

We've said this before, but it should be mentioned again: put your name and address on your items when you're touring the parks! On the first day in the parks I bought autograph books for my daughters. When we purchased them, the cast member told me to make sure I put our name and address inside each book, because if it ever got lost, they would mail it back to us. Lo and behold, one of my daughters "misplaced" her book within that first hour. We retraced our steps, but the book was nowhere to be found. Imagine my surprise when we received a package from WDW addressed to my daughter when we got home -- it was the missing book! - Pam Etheridge