Tips about Characters, Mousecellaneous and Planning

We are annual passholders and try to go often to Disney and stay at an onsite resort. The convenience of that is worth the extra money. The night before we check into our Disney resort, however, we stay at one of the Disney Springs within walking distance to Disney Springs. We usually don't get there until after 6 p.m. so it seems like a waste to pay for the Disney resort for just a few hours of use. The hotels in Disney Springs aren't very expensive compared to the Disney resorts and we feel that is a good use of our less than half-day at the World. Plus Disney Springs is the best place for things to do. They usually have some sort of fun going on, like a dance party for the kids, or performers of some kind. There are fabulous goodies to eat and great shopping. The Guest Services here is the best place to buy tickets and passes because it's hardly ever crowded. You can take care of so many things the night before and then wake up at the crack of dawn, drive to your choice of Disney resort, drop off your luggage with them and start right out for the parks having had a good night's sleep and fun the night before. It's really a great idea to consider, especially if you live in Florida and have your car with you. - Lisa Dunne

Velcro makes a 3/4-inch x 10-foot roll with the hooks on one side and the loops on the other so it sticks to itself. I bought mine in Walmart but I've also seen it in Home Depot. I cut it off in one-foot lengths to attach a mug or folded windbreaker to my belt loop. It has a hundred uses, and rolls up to fit in a pocket or backpack. - Brian Phillips

When my wife and I took our nieces (ages 7 and 9) to Disney World two years ago, they especially wanted to meet Cinderella. I had already made reservations for the Cinderella breakfast in the castle, but I didn't tell the girls right away. Instead, I said only that if we were very lucky maybe Cinderella would invite us to meet her in her castle. In the meantime, my wife, Kathy, purchased some invitation cards at one of the shops, with Cinderella and the castle on the cover. She filled out the invitation from "Princess Cinderella," and, the day before the breakfast, secretly left them on the girls' pillows as we left the room for the day. When we returned, the girls found the invitations and were thrilled that Cinderella had personally invited them to breakfast! Also, don't give up if you can't get reservations for breakfast in the castle or for other popular character meals. If the meal is all booked up, try calling again for reservations just a day or two before the meal (or even the day of). Often there are cancellations. It worked for me! - Dennis Driggers

We generally start planning at least a year in advance. I have a plastic tub that is labeled "WDW stuff." I place our heavy-duty hotel mugs in it so they are already packed. I also buy things throughout the year for the trip: toothbrushes, toothpaste, magic gloves and whatever else we normally use during our week-long trip. I also go to my local laundromat and pick up boxes of laundry detergent for $.50 a box. One box cleans two loads and is a lot cheaper than the hotel laundry dispenser. I also pack several dryer sheets in a freezer bag and place them in my suitcase. It keeps the clothes smelling nice and I have dryer sheets for use while there. One nice thing about the bin is that, for those times that we drive to WDW, we just put the lid on it and pack it in the van. After we arrive to the hotel we empty it out and use that as our clothes hamper for dirty clothes. It works great for those trips to the hotel laundry. - Sirena Penn

It goes without saying that kids will get more out of your Disney trip if they are familiar with the Disney characters and movies. Our 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Jaelyn, watches Disney videos and DVDs all year round, but right before a trip, we let her watch even more than usual. She knows the names of every character we see at WDW, and has no fear of them. We don't have the Disney Channel anymore, but we borrow Rolie Polie Olie, Bear in the Big Blue House, and many more DVDs from our local library. They can pull up a list of all the Bear videos in the system and order them from other libraries. Introduce your children to Disney characters before your WDW vacation and they will feel like they are meeting old friends when they see them in the parks. - Alea Laughery

Hang on to your hat! My husband wears a baseball cap to prevent sunburn. He was astounded to have it fly off his head on the Tower of Terror. He was very relieved he caught it. What he didn't realize was that our brand new annual passes had been in his front shirt pocket. They, too, had levitated. Fortunately, the Cast Member saw them and called our names. WHEW! - TJ

A Cast Member wrote in to remind us about some dos and don'ts concerning character autographs: "Please do not bring crayons, golf pencils or small tiny pens for the characters to sign with. Remember most characters have very large hands (or paws) and cannot hold these small items very well. Characters LOVE thick Sharpie pens and now they have retractable ones. These are great." For other helpful hints visit: http://allears.net/tp/fur.htm

When you have WDW resort hotel reservations, the cancellation policy on the confirmation says you must cancel five days before scheduled arrival or forfeit the deposit, equal to the first night's stay. What that actually means is that you must cancel six days ahead, because what they are looking for is for there to be five days between the time you call and the arrival date. For example, we found out the hard way that you can't call on Sunday to cancel a Friday reservation. - Rhame Nelson

For $.79 at your local Target store you can purchase a clear plastic coupon holder in the office supply department. It's 5" x 7" in size, has a Velcro closure, and is perfect for holding your tickets, money, etc. It keeps everything from getting wet on the water rides and is easy to find in your backpack! I never go to WDW without mine! - Noreen Rachuba EDITOR'S NOTE: Magic Bands eliminate the need to carry many cards, but for those you do, this is a great suggestion.

I just read over the section on postcards and remembered a crazy idea I had with them. On one trip to Disney World, a friend asked me to get Mickey's autograph. Not wanting to come back with a piece of paper, I bought several different postcards of Mickey. I waited in line to meet the Mouse and when I got to him, I asked if he would give me his autograph on the postcard. He took the postcard, looked at it for a brief second, and then gave me a thumbs up and signed the postcard. It's a great way to add a little magic to the postcard. I would suggest mailing autographed postcards to kids and family members as well. - Skip Broome

I brought Dawn DishWipes with us and washed out our refillable mug in our room sink every night. My mug just never felt truly clean on any of our other trips when I would just rinse it well with hot water. The wipes come in a clear plastic box and are dry, so I just put a bunch in a Ziploc bag. Dina

I took a 5x7 Creative Memories album (they now have a 7x7 album with Mickey Mouse on it) and every time that we saw a character, the kids would get them to sign the album on one side and then I would take their picture and place it on the other side. Bring lots of extra refills -- I think we went through the album and then at least 1 1/2 refill packs for autographs. P. Hall

We just got back today from a week at Walt Disney World. We found that by far the best place to get character autographs is in the Animal Kingdom in Camp Minnie-Mickey. Just go as soon as the Festival of the Lion King starts and you can walk right up to the characters with no line. My kids were the only ones in line for Mickey and Minnie and the Cast Member encouraged tons of pictures and different poses. I also suggest that you buy your autograph books before you go so your kids can get autographs as they come into the park! - Lisa Frieden

We had great luck booking the Illuminations Cruise over the years. We have done it several times. This year we booked the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Cruise. I think it is a little more available. We enjoyed it much more. There was a lot more "cruising" before the show and the backdrop of the castle and Magic Kingdom was fantastic. - Margaret

When I know a trip to WDW is approaching, as I reach the last of the shampoo, conditioner, etc., I stash the almost empty bottle aside, then pack it for the trip. When I run out, I discard the bottle and there is automatically more room for Mickey stuff to bring home! - Jenny Drake