Tips about Countdown and Mousecellaneous

I just want to second this. I wore my Nike Prestos to Disney last year, and it was amazing how well my feet held up in these shoes. Not only did I save my feet from blisters, but, because the shoes are cloth, they are extremely light, so your legs are less tired. The cloth also dries much more quickly than traditional sneaker material, which is great for rainy days and water rides. They are around $80, but on a quick trip to the Nike Outlet on 192, I found them for $30-$40. I now have four pairs of them -- they are all I ever wear! - Vanessa Gold

We found THE MOST comfortable shoes ever! They are Nike Air Presto. They have a wide walking base, cloth tops and are slip on. Three out of the four of us (in our group) had these shoes and none of us had blisters or sore spots and our feet stayed cooler! I really can't say enough good things about them. They cost around $80. - Monica from Kansas City

On our last vacation to the World, I wanted to keep a journal, but didn't think of it until we checked into the Boardwalk. Soon after, we were browsing in the Boardwalk shops and I found the perfect journal -- the 100 Years of Magic autograph book! [or a regular Disney one works, too]. It's just the right size, allows for drawings/diagrams (since the pages aren't lined), has just the right amount of pages and is commemorative due to the 100 Years cover! I could easily carry it around and write in it during the day. When I got home, I tucked my journal, along with my photo album, tickets and any other stray items that reminded me of the trip in the zippered compartments of the pin traders bag that I also bought. (Yes, I have to admit there are pins from the trip in the bag, too.) It, too, has the 100 Years logo on it. Now whenever I want to relive the trip, I pull that bag out. - Nancy Prianti

I sure do like those battery-operated personal fans with mister spray! They are a great help for keeping cool in long lines, but, at $15 each, they are not cheap in the parks. While they cost half that in local drugstores, you also have to buy batteries and a strap for them. Therefore I decided to buy one in the park after all, especially since the seller gave me an extra set of batteries to go with them (but you have to ask for this!). Otherwise the batteries run out by the end of the day. Another seller, in Adventureland, said she'd replace the batteries if I showed her the receipt for purchase of the fan within a 2-3 day time span. A very worthwhile purchase that helped to keep my 6-year-old, and me, from the grumps! - Julie Seavello

After-park ideas: You could also take the boat at Disney's Hollywood Studios or Epcot over to the Boardwalk Resort and check things out there after the Studios or Epcot closes. We also did the Hoop Dee Doo Revue, which was great food and great fun, but hard to get to without a car. Marketplace and Disney Springs are always options when a park closes, too! - Christie Falck

I think the best thing that we did was to buy cylume sticks and little LED lights at Target before the trip. We hid them from our daughters and every night we brought out a light toy -- they loved them. (They didn't know where we bought them.) Everyone stopped and asked us about them. One other thing that helped was small elastic laces that we also brought so the girls could carry their drinks and we could also attach their lights to. - The Knight Family from Wyoming

I would just like to say that I love your website and can't wait for our trip to WDW at the end of May 2002. Your website and newsletter have really helped us out a lot!! Maybe my tip can help others out. Last year I bought a CamelBak (www.camelbak.com) for when I race my all-terrain vehicle in the hot and humid weather here in Connecticut. These drinking systems come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are very lightweight -- they are also hands-free. What I like about these is, it keeps your back nice and cool and is also snug against your body, so nothing is bouncing around. Some also have zippers and pockets to store your passes, money, and keys. Some can even hold most of your stuff, which will eliminate all other bags. Hopefully this tip will help others. I know I will be keeping cool on my trip!!! - Jeff and Cherie

A tip for Jacqui Bull on a trip journal, try using an old check register booklet as your diary. I find it perfect to fit in a pocket or my wife's purse. It's small but has about 25 pages, more than enough space to record "holiday" experiences at WDW. - Brian Phillips

My tip involves the keeping a diary of sorts -- after several visits to WDW and trying, unsuccessfully, to keep a journal for whatever reason -- I either left it behind, it was cumbersome to carry about, or I was just too moused out to fill it in at the end of the day -- I eventually hit on the perfect answer (for me, anyway). In the weeks up to our last visit in February, I printed one sheet of paper for every day of our holiday (as we call it here in the U.K.). Of course, I put Disney characters and the day/date on each one, as well as little reminders such as, "Have we got the Valentine's Pin?" and "Have we had a Dole whip in MK?" It was easy to write notes on the page throughout the day as we waited in line, etc., and the crumpled, but well-used sheet was exchanged each evening for the next day's. - Jacqui Bull

On a recent trip to Disney World, my feet were killing me by Day 2. Well, out came the EXTRA pair of memory foam insoles that I brought with me in my backpack. A trip to Guest Relations for a pair of scissors to cut to length and I was walking on pillows the rest of the week. - Craig

I just love your tips for getting children excited about their Walt Disney World trip. But what if your child is married and 28 years old? What I do is count the number of days until my daughter and her husband's trip, and then I send her an email that goes something like this: "Only 55 days to Go!" I send it every few days, and just change the number. She loves the emails and says they make her smile! See? You are never too old for the Magic. - Georgette A. from New Jersey

My 3-year-old daughter and I will be going to Walt Disney World for the first time next month. To get into the Disney spirit, I've been having the "Disney princesses" send her little cards every couple of days. I print a blank card and write a little note from a princess saying how excited she is to hear that my daughter is coming. Sometimes I mention a specific ride that we can go on (i.e., Snow White's Scary Adventures, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, etc.) that features the princess. Then I enclose pictures. Some pictures are of when my daughter met the princess at Disneyland. Some pictures are of the specific ride that I mentioned in the card, and some are just images of the princess that I found on the internet. My daughter loves this and we've been taping the cards on our wall next to the calendar where we're marking off the days until our trip. It's been a fun way for me to get her excited about the trip. - An ALL EARS® Reader

When my family was planning to go to WDW last Thanksgiving, my wife, Kathy, started a game we would play at the dinner table called "Who Am I?" The rules are simple. Describe yourself, either a character, ride, resort, restaurant, or anything that is found at WDW, with the fewest clues and have the others guess who or what you are. Some are simple like, "I'm small, green and fly from Cinderella Castle." Answer: Tinker Bell... It puts the family in a WDW frame of mind for the trip. We started playing it this past weekend, because my girls and I are trying to convince my wife to go during Thanksgiving this year! - Mark Oldmixon

I just wanted to echo the tip on the Disney Countdown. We count down to our trip to WDW, too. The family gets together and my husband prints out pages that say Days to Go and a large number on each page. Then we sit around the table clipping out pictures from our saved Disney catalogs and magazines and decorate each page. Once the calendar is up the girls take turns tearing off each day and the excitement builds as we get closer to the "Time to go to Disney World" page. It's not only a lot of fun to do, but is a great family activity that brings us closer each time we do it! - Bonnie Bailey

Our countdown ritual consists of placing 45 Disney toys and WDW souvenirs on top of a wall that separates our living room from our kitchen. Each night before we go to bed one of the kids gets to remove one of the toys. Because we fly to Orlando, the last item is always a small metal airplane with Mickey as its pilot. - Rich Boling