Tips about Christmas, Kids, Resorts and Souvenirs

Beach Club - We will be staying at the Beach Club in August. I recently called to add some room requests. When I requested a metal crib (the deluxe resorts used to have these, as opposed to the soft-sided Pack 'n' Plays), they informed me that they are no longer providing them. My son does not sleep well in Pack 'n' Plays. He is a tall 2-1/2-year-old. We requested a roll-away and will be transferring our son to a big boy bed this summer. The metal cribs were a nice feature that the deluxe resorts provided. - Sara

All Resorts - If you have diabetes, let the cast member know that you will need a special container for used medical supplies when you check in to your hotel. After checking in at Boardwalk, within 10 minutes housekeeping was at our door with a small haz-mat container. One less thing to worry about! - Judy Peek

Wilderness Lodge - We are staying at Wilderness Lodge and have a room overlooking the pool area. We also have a couple of kids and tired grownups who like to nap during the afternoon. Unfortunately, Wilderness Lodge has a daily pool party blasting loud music, so be aware and request a garden view if this will be a problem for you. Luckily, we have our sound machine to help drown out the noise, but I wish I had known this. I might have stayed elsewhere. - Melanie Drake

EDITOR'S NOTE: The main pools at many Disney resorts feature similar afternoon parties and poolside activities, which tend to be quite noisy.

As a long-haul flying mum of four children (who have all flown from a very young age) I would like to add "KEEP CALM" to your tip list. If you get worked up about what 'might' happen, the chances are that the children will sense this and become nervous themselves. Treat every flight as if it is a perfectly normal way to travel and your child will soon become relaxed about flying. A distraction technique we used when our children were younger (and still do to a lesser extent today) was to have a 'goody bag' full of wrapped gifts. I used small things like toys, puzzles, colouring sets and candy all with a Disney theme and they were allowed to pick something from the bag every hour if they were good (UK to Florida flights can take more than eight hours!). I always included a few extra in case of delays, for friends made on the plane and to use on the final leg on the resort bus. - Debi

Parents who are traveling with little ones who have problems with their ears on planes might want to purchase EarPlanes. They are special ear plugs that help ease pressure during flight. They come in adult and child sizes. I had horrible issues with my ears when I was little and this was the only product that worked! Best of all they're only about $4/pair. - Emily Scotti

If you have small children that wear diapers at night, we found it extremely helpful to bring their pajamas and diaper to the park and change them there. This was great on late nights and made it easy to put them to bed even if they fell asleep on the way to the hotel. - Kelley

We always like bringing pieces of WDW home with us. One of our favorite restaurants, Liberty Tree Tavern, sells the glass mugs that are used in the restaurant for only $5 each. We brought a few home with us and love using them. They make a fun, inexpensive souvenir that we actually can use every day. - Lori Craig

For all of us bigger guys, Disney looks to have made XXL tees actually a XXL size again. In the past two years XXL tees were cut much smaller than a true XXL, so we can now get a shirt that fits again. - John Sloboda

We were in Disney World over New Year's with my daughter, her husband, my 9-month-old grandson and 2-year-old granddaughter. Between naps, waiting on lines, going on rides and just enjoying ourselves we found we didn't change our grandson as often as usual. We realized later on that we should have used an overnight diaper during the trip so we didn't need to worry about leakage issues. We thought it was a good tip to share. - Debi Johnson

Most floral departments at grocery stores carry a plastic clip resembling a small clothes pin. We use these with the park balloons. You can attach the balloon strings (with the Mickey weights) to the clip and then clip to the stoller or the child. That way you are not fussing with tied on balloons at the bus stops! - Natalie

Most floral departments at grocery stores carry a plastic clip resembling a small clothes pin. We use these with the park balloons. You can attach the balloon strings (with the Mickey weights) to the clip and then clip to the stoller or the child. That way you are not fussing with tied on balloons at the bus stops! - Natalie

A tip to add to some of the great ones already listed: Pack a foldable, hard plastic toilet seat cover for bathroom trips with little ones. (Available at many large discount retail chains.) - Creole Mom

If you're going to have different sleeping arrangements in the hotel than you do at home (two kids in a bed, the whole family sleeping in one room), start preparing your kids in advance. Let them figure out who they're comfortable sleeping next to and if it will work, so they are not miserable at bedtime. Of course, they'll be so tired they may not care, but a little prep may help! Our 2-1/2-year-old pretty much only sleeps well in his crib, with a dark room, silence, and no one else in the room. So, we have to get him used to having one other person next to him in bed and other distractions in the room during the wind-down time. (Dad's snoring, too, yikes!) - Kara

Pop Century - We arrived at Pop Century before our room was ready. We were hot, tired and in need of a shower before hitting the parks, but had several hours before our room was available. On a whim, we checked around by the pool and found that there is a restroom with showers and changing facilities at each pool in Pop. So we got our suits and toiletries out of the car, had a quick swim and then the shower we so needed, and were still off to the parks two hours earlier than if we had waited for our room! - Becky Hecker

Polynesian Resort - In late August we had a character breakfast planned at 'Ohana. When our server greeted us and offered juice and coffee, on a whim I asked about getting a French press of 100 percent Kona coffee, which they serve over at Kona Cafe. The server had never served one herself, but was happy to oblige our request! The coffee was the same price as next door, $7.99 for the pot, and worth every penny. After enduring Nescafe for more than a week, the fresh Kona coffee was like liquid gold to us! It was so good that we nearly ordered a second pot of it. For $7.99 this is a great way to perfect the 'Ohana breakfast experience. The French press serves about four cups of coffee. And remember that this is 100 perent Kona, not a blend like at the coffee bar. - Doug H.