Tips about ChildId, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Souvenirs
EPCOT - I really loved your article on overlooked attractions at EPCOT - we've actually managed to see most of the ones that you mentioned, but we'll be looking for the ones that we've missed. However, while you mentioned the butterfly garden, you didn't mention the rose garden. It's nothing other than a small, alternate path between Innoventions and the World Showcase Lagoon (on the right as you face the World Showcase Lagoon), but it's usually fairly deserted, and it is lined with hundreds of rose bushes, all different varieties.
My husband and I like to walk along this path (OK, I probably enjoy it more than my husband), stopping and looking at the beautiful roses and smelling the different fragrances. Most of the varieties are marked with a small plaque, so if you find something you really like, you could write it down. There are one or two benches along this path (although, there is NO shade), and I've sat and enjoyed the morning while watching families rush along the path completely missing the beautiful flowers. - Jill A. Neill
We tried to make it easy for someone to contact us if our child was to get lost. We simply put a piece of paper in my son's shorts every day that simply said "Daddy's cell phone," and the phone number. If he was to get lost, we told him to give it to a security guard or a store clerk and that they would call us right away. - Julie
We just got back from Orlando, where my 9-year-old son got temporarily "lost." We purchased a "Who's Shoes ID" before the trip and entered our cell phone numbers on the ID band. Within minutes, after our son showed his ID band to a Cast Member, he was back with us. This product is a must for anyone going to Disney, or any other place with large groups of people. We found ours at: http://www.whosshoesid.com/redirect.serv?00006613 - Bob Franklin
While my children were young, I would always dress them in the same color or same character (e.g. Tigger) that I was wearing. If you get separated, one of the first things the Cast Member will ask you is what are the children are wearing. [When this happened to me] in a pre-panic state I couldn't remember anything except that they had on Tigger shirts. Fortunately that was enough. - Denise
I was a lucky kid -- visited Disney three times before graduating high school... One of my favorite souvenirs from Disney is my sterling silver Doc charm. My sisters and I got silver charm bracelets while in elementary school, and whenever there was an "event" or trip we'd get a silver charm to commemorate it. I've since married and have three daughters of my own. The girls each have a silver charm bracelet and plan on adding another character charm for each of our visits to Disney. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be adding charms to their daughters' bracelets! - Suzanne Vallillo
I have one more tip related to Mary Cronin's idea. I hate walking on my treadmill. Has anyone actually recorded the walk from Spaceship Earth to the American Adventure to play back while walking the treadmill at home? My tape would always have to include a stop at Boulangerie Patisserie in France! YUM! - "Jungle" Jim Sirks
I read Mary Cronin's advisory to walk in order to be in shape for WDW, and I couldn't agree more. My wife and I are in our mid-50s and we have always wondered just how far we really do walk while at WDW, so we bought a pedometer and I wore it on our trip October 18-25. On the 18th and the 25th, our walking was limited to three hours each day due to our arrival and departure from WDW. Our first full day, which included Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we logged 8 miles -- for the week we were just shy of 40 miles! Believe me, we do not race around the parks. We walk at a normal pace, and we were astounded at the total. Our advice: start walking. - William Kested
EDITOR'S NOTE: ALWAYS be sure to break in any new pair of shoes/sneakers you have purchased for your trip.
Do lots of walking before you go to get in shape for walking at the World. This really pays off when you get there, in terms of stamina and enjoyment. We take family walks, and my husband and I also walk on a treadmill in the mornings. Just imagine you are walking from Spaceship Earth to the American Pavilion, or from the far end of one of the parking lot rows to the tram. If you're in better shape, you can pretend to jog from the rope at Tomorrowland to Space Mountain, or from the park entrance to Kilimanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom. Even if your style of Disney touring is a relaxed stroll, you will benefit from any walking that you do before you go. - Mary Cronin
Coming from Canada, with a 45 percent (loss) exchange rate at the time, moneysaving ideas were a must for our trip in Fall 2002. Before our trip I had printed off coupons for every restaurant and store we planned to visit.. The more I saved, the more I wanted to save. I packed everything from cereal to laundry soap so that I would not have to buy it in Orlando at an already inflated price, and with a high exchange rate for me. The best savings I got was on water. We purchased a case of 30 bottles of water at our local Wal-Mart for under $8 (Can). To have bought that at WDW, 30 bottles @ $2.50 US = $75, then add our exchange rate to that and we would have paid about $130 Canadian. Since we anticipated a lot of outlet shopping, we each brought two large suitcases. The 30 bottles were spread out among them, so the weight was not an issue. (But honestly, for that kind of savings, I would have carried them on my back.) Next time though, I'll pack two cases of water. Your website was invaluable to us while planning our vacation. Our daughters (ages 7 and 9 at the time of the vacation) agree that we had a year of WDW fun and excitement before we ever left our home in chilly Nova Scotia. By the time we got to WDW, they were READY. Our most valuable expenditure was in time spent preparing for the trip. - Greg L. from Canada
A few months ago someone suggested taking a soft-sided cooler with Ziploc bags to use in your room in lieu of renting a fridge at $10 a day. We took the suggestion one step further. I purchased a cooler with a plastic liner, took it home and put it in our luggage. Lo and behold it fit perfectly, which meant we would not have to worry about leaking Ziploc bags. And by packing our unmentionables inside the liner we did not lose any precious packing space. It worked out wonderfully and we saved $110 in the process. - Vonnie
I bought my kids inexpensive Disney character watches before we left home. I wrote their names and my husband's/my cell number on the inside of the band. I explained to them that if they got lost, they could take off the watch and show the phone numbers to a Cast Member (or a person from the airline in the airport). One of my daughters is extremely shy and would probably start to cry and not talk to a stranger if she was separated from us. This gave her a way to communicate in both the parks or the airport. - Hope
Even though my 5 year-old daughter has been to Disney four times already, she's a little scared about getting lost. Trying to think of a way to relieve her fears, I thought of a great idea. We have those two-way FRS radios that we got before our cell phones. The kids know how to use them, so I just thought that we could put one in a fanny pack (from previous Disney trips) for my 5-year-old and my 7-year-old son and get another for us to hold. They know to look for a Cast Member if they get separated from us, but now we can still be in constant communication with them and have them lead us right to where they are. When I told Amanda about this idea she went right to her room and found her pack and put the radio in it. We don't leave until July! Talk about prepared! - Jenn B. from Philadelphia
This isn't a new tip, just some feedback on a tip I saw last year on the ALL EARS® newsletter. The five of us (mom, dad, son and 2 daughters) recently spent Christmas and New Year's at the Contemporary. Even with the larger room, things were a little crowded, but thanks to the tip to hang an inexpensive shoe bag over the bathroom door for storing everyone's 'stuff', the bathroom was clutter-free. I think my oldest daughter took up half of it. This is by far the best tip we've taken away from your informative newsletter. - Keith Link
