Tips about Characters and Resorts

For character autographs, we're bringing a few little Golden Books with us to character meals to ask the characters to sign the inside of their book (even a Sharpie marker tends to fade on the cover). You can find almost any title with a set of characters (for Pooh) or princesses, etc. They don't take up much room in my bag and are a great way to keep a 3-year-old entertained during waits in the park that day. - Katharine

All Resorts - Disney resort guests should take advantage of theme park and resort delivery options. Any package can be delivered to the front of the four main theme parks (and also the "back" [International Gateway] for Epcot). If you plan on staying in the park for about three hours after your purchase you can send your package -- large or small -- free of charge to Package Pickup. No more worrying about carrying that favorite souvenir on Space Mountain or Rock 'n' Roller Coaster! If you are a WDW resort guest you can have your purchases delivered directly to your resort. Packages will be sent to the main gift shop at your resort on the day after your purchase. (The resort delivery option is not available on the last day/night of your stay because packages may not arrive before you depart the resort, but you can still send your packages to the front of the park for Package Pickup.) - Rob C.

Animal Kingdom Lodge - A reader writes in about the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" at Sanaa that we reported on last week: The best way to book the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" offering is to call the Safari line for Wanyama Safari at (407) 938-4755. That gets you the Animal Kingdom Lodge Itinerary Planning Office. Calling the Kidani Front Desk will actually get you the call center, and they know almost nothing about the new offering and can't book it.

Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma

Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma

We are traveling with my 2-1/2 year-old granddaughter early next year. I have witnessed, as well as heard from others about the "Fear Factor" getting the tots close to the characters can cause. Since she watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she only has that and her stuffed animals for size reference. So, I have been telling her about how Mickey is big like Mom and Dad. Then one day I spotted some sing-along DVDs Disney has for sale through their movie club: SingAlong Songs at Walt Disney World: Beach Party and Campout. They show kids around 10 years old interacting with full-size characters in a variety of settings and activities to go with the DVD title, singing songs together with the words dubbed below. She LOVES these DVDs! Fort Wilderness and Bay Lake (and the former Discovery Island) are featured on CAMPOUT. Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach and other beaches in the "World" are the settings for BEACH PARTY. Hopefully, these perspective videos will help her deal with the surprise size of the characters she meets!

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can purchase these DVDs and other Disney-related items, though the AllEars.Net Amazon Store:

Sing Along Beach Party DVD: http://astore.amazon.com/debsunoffiwaltdi/detail/B0009X75WO
Sing Along Campout DVD: http://astore.amazon.com/debsunoffiwaltdi/detail/B0009X75XI

Polynesian - We recently returned from a six-night stay at the Polynesian. We stayed in the Tokelau House and found that walking to the Transportation and Ticket Center when going to Epcot was a timesaver versus taking the Resort Monorail through the Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom then to the Transportation and Ticket Center. - Lori C.

All Resorts - Disney resorts themselves have a limited number of wheelchairs, which they will allow you to use for free for the length of your stay. I found this out when a member of my party fell and broke her ankle on property. If you go to the main desk, they'll ask you to "sign out" the wheelchair like a library book. It can be taken anywhere: your room, the parks, Disney Springs, off property. Best of all, unlike rented chairs, it doesn't need to be returned and picked up again daily. You just need to make sure it is returned before you leave. - Melody Townley

EDITOR'S NOTE: Please note, you can not check into the resort and expect a free wheelchair for your stay. The loaner chairs are for unexpected accidents as described above. If you need a wheelchair, push or electric, during your stay, AllEars recommends

http://www.buenavistascooters.com/

If you do autograph collecting with your kids, be sure to write the child's name (or have the child write it) on the inside cover of the autograph book. When we went to visit Ariel, my daughter asked her, "Do you remember me?" Ariel, with an amazing degree of subtlety, snuck a quick peek inside the cover of the autograph book and replied, "Well of course I do, Anna!" Our daughter never noticed the sneak peek, and was absolutely delighted that Ariel "remembered" her. - Cari Brooks

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

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

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

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 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.