Tips about Characters and Souvenirs

Don't take a normal-sized ink pen for the characters to use while signing the kiddos' autograph book. Remember, most of them have thick padded gloves on which makes it hard to hold a small/thin pen. We just purchased (June '07) a HUGE pen from our local office supply store. It is the size of a very large cigar -- I think you could hold it if you were wearing a catcher's mitt! It's a novelty pen of course but it is exactly what Mickey and Minnie need to be able to hold and write. Cost? Less than $3. - John Brock

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more character meet and greet tips, visit: http://allears.net/tp/fur.htm

When my family and I went to Disney World last November we knew we wanted to do something with the character autographs that we could use. Before we left for our trip, my mom cut fabric squares and ironed on fabric paper to make the fabric stiffer. I bought a small clipboard and fabric markers. I also bought grippers to put on the markers because the characters need a fat marker to hold on to. We had each character sign a fabric square. When we got home, my mom made two twin size quilts for my two boys. This is something they will enjoy for many years. - Pollyanna

For character breakfasts, I would recommend letting girls wear their princess dresses to the princess meals because it helps with the magical aspect of it. However, on extremely hot Florida days, try putting it on over their clothes a few minutes before your reservation or once you are seated. It will only take a moment and it will save the headache of your child whining about being hot. I put my daughter's dress on her after we sat down because I watched a slew of little girls crying outside while waiting in their hot and heavy dresses. - Mendy776

At Disneyshopping.com, you can customize polo shirts with embroidered characters and names up to eight characters long. For children and adults, the cost is only $12.50 per shirt! Check often and look for special codes on the site, and you can get an additional discount. With a 20% off code, I ordered seven shirts this past weekend for $82.50 including shipping. We're going to wear them on our next trip! - Dayshel Harwood

I spent most of a week visiting most every store on Disney property looking for a cell phone charm. All I seemed to come across were the Disney Mobile charms at more than $18 each. I finally found just what I was looking for -– a keychain! The keychain had four or five cell phone loops on the ring, and each loop held a metal charm representing a different WDW park. One loop had the castle; another, Mickey's sorcerer's hat; a third had Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life; and one had Spaceship Earth. On the keychain there also were two rubber charms: a Dreams Come True tag and Sorcerer Mickey. And this keychain with six charms cost under $8! I chose to use the castle and the sorcerer's hat, then added Mickey ears, Mickey's hand, and Mickey's red pants charms that I found in the "make your own charm bracelet" collection. Each of these charms has a lobster clasp that easily attached to the metal ring on the cell phone loop from the keychain. Yes, I probably spent more than the Disney Mobile charm, but instead of one charm, I now have nine to choose from! - Vicki Stephens

Tip for first timers at a Character Meal -- understand that the characters have a predetermined rotating path around the restaurant. It would be helpful if you assure your kids that their turn is coming soon. There was one family [at our character meal] who felt they were being skipped over and continually sent their kids to interrupt the characters at our table! If your meal is complete and you have not visited with a certain character, just let your server know. They typically do all they can to remedy the situation ASAP. - Jennifer Shepard

I'm always looking for a way to relive the magic of the parks, so this last trip my family and I purchased a bunch of little inexpensive souvenirs like keychains, magnets, coffee mugs, etc. (A great place to find these is in Disney Springs at Mickey's Mart: Everything $10 and Under.) I left them in the bags, sealed them shut with a Disney sticker, took them home and put them in a box in an out-of-the-way spot. Now every time I need a little Disney Magic I just go to the goodie box, pull out a bag, and it takes me right back to my favorite place in the world. I also made one for my son -- he loves to go to the magic box (as he calls it) and get a Mickey Mouse sucker, a small toy, or a Disney book. You could also decorate the box you put the goodies in. It's a fun craft for you and your child to do together. - Linda Wooden

I am adding to a tip in the October 17 newsletter regarding shipping of merchandise from your resort. We just returned from a weeklong stay at the Wilderness Lodge and had a large box (weighing 29 pounds) shipped home on the morning of our departure from the WL. When we first inquired about shipping rates, we also were rather stunned to find out the outrageous cost. The gift shop (going strictly by dollar amount of items shipped) would have cost us $76. We were instructed (for comparison) to see what the cost would be to ship through the front desk instead. Going through the front desk was much cheaper -- $23 UPS -- and our merchandise arrived at our home about three days after we did. We chose UPS, but they also ship FedEx and DHL. - Debbie

Be forewarned that shipping charges at the resorts have skyrocketed. The manager and cashier could not figure out why my items, which were $15.95 to ship previously, rang up at $112.95! It took about 30 minutes before they found out about the new rate charts. The shipping is based on retail price, not weight. Mailing home souvenirs is no longer cost-effective. We bought a new suitcase instead. - Sandy Schneider

For everyone taking souvenirs home, be careful what you choose when flying. We decided to purchase a princess cup that had the floating glitter and water inside the glass and packed it in our carry-on with the rest of the things we purchased. Well, the airlines considered that a liquid and it couldn't be in our carry-on. It was too late to put it in with our luggage because it had already been checked in, so we had to consider it as a loss. So, when buying this kind of souvenir remember to pack it in with your luggage or go with one of the many other cute cups they have! - Lisa P., and several other readers

We were just in the World a few weeks ago and wanted to buy a snowglobe. With the new FAA regulations, we knew that we would not be able to bring it on board in our carry-on and did not want to have it in our luggage in case of it breaking. We spoke to a Cast Member who told us that they are encouraging people to have the snowglobes shipped home. It is a great way to do it... you don't pay tax if it is being shipped out of state, you have the Disney guarantee, so if it breaks they replace it, and it is a fun little thing to get in the mail the week after you come back from vacation -- the Disney magic keeps on going! - Laurie Fay

Just came back from a business trip and was informed by my little princess that I needed to bring a snowglobe back with me. Didn't get a chance to shop at Disney Springs so I thought I would pick one up at the airport gift shop. Wrong! Due to the new FAA regulations, snowglobes can't be carried on anymore. I was still able to check it into my luggage before boarding, thankfully. - Adam Guthy

When we go to get our traveler's checks and cash for our Disney trip, we always get a roll of quarters and a roll of pennies. We place them in a small convenient pocket in our park bag and whenever we see a smashed penny machine we are ready without having to search for 51 cents! - Glenn Vines

I would like to give your readers a tip about the Mail Order department at Disney. I have found that unless it is a "Disney Park exclusive", you are better to go home and shop around. My son went home dejected after our last trip due to the fact that we couldn't find the "air gun" that he played with at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. We were told that he could find it in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. Well, we looked and looked but came up empty-handed. So, when we went home I did a search for the gun and found out what it was called. I later purchased the toy at our local Walmart for only $7. Disney had wanted $20. My advice: go home and hit the internet if you don't have to have it right that moment. - Dawn Clark

If you plan on sending postcards, take advantage of the pack of 10 postcards sold throughout Walt Disney World and in resort gift shops. On our last trip in October, a pack of the Magic Kingdom cards cost $4. This is much cheaper than buying individual postcards. If I have leftovers, I just save them for our next trip since the images are standard fare (castle, characters, Splash Mountain...). I believe that there are different packs for each of the parks, too. I'll be returning to WDW next week with six postcards in hand. - Janice Dion