Tips about Disney, Epcot, Food & Beverage, Planning and Souvenirs

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. We were with a group of adults and wanted to purchase a few beers after a long hot day at the parks to sit back and relax. I am not sure how much less expensive the bottles of beer were at the general store compared to River Roost Lounge but it was worth going a few extra steps for the savings!!! - Nancy T.

If you're like us, and the only thing you really need to purchase for your room once you're at Disney is bottled water, you might consider purchasing it at one of the Tiger Marts, located at the Exxon (soon to be Hess) gas stations on property. We did this on our last trip, and found it to be much easier and more convenient than buying it at Goodings (always crowded) or trying to locate a store off-site.

A gallon of water was $1.69 - which sure beat the $3.50 we paid (in desperation) for 1.5 liters at our hotel! The Tiger Marts have lots of other items, too - including snack foods, some frozen foods, and even Krispy Kreme donuts - and the prices seem to be about what you would expect in that type of convenience store, without the additional "Disney" inflation. - Laura Gilbreath

This tip is true in the All Star Resorts in regard to milk. I purchased a pint of milk in the General Store (gift shop) but in the food hall (food court) it was double the price for exactly the same bottle!!! - Hazel Brunt

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is true at all Disney Resorts

One night after the fireworks, we waited too long to find an ice cream vendor at Magic Kingdom. My daughter was very disappointed that she didn't get the Mickey Mouse bar, so we decided to stop in the Trading Post when we arrived back at Fort Wilderness. Lo and behold the ice cream bar was there, and for half the price they sold it at the parks! From that night on we had Mickey ice cream bars every evening when we arrived back at Fort Wilderness! - Felicia Gouge

This summer my best friend and I went to Disney World as a celebratory trip for graduating high school. We stayed at All-Star Music and because of our age we were unable to rent a car and used the bus system to get around the World. My cousin went to school in the area and had his car. He joined us on our trip for a few days. During those days, getting around was MUCH easier. We didn't have a preferred room and I must say that it didn't matter when we had the car because of where the parking is situated. Upon our return home, we looked up the cost of renting a small car and staying at a "value" resort compared to staying at a "moderate" resort and using the bus system. The value resort with the small car was actually cheaper than staying at the moderate resort. If you are at the age where you are able to rent a car, RENT THE CAR and stay at a value resort. After a long day, it's much nicer to get in the car instead of waiting for a bus. - Kelly T.

As far as the bus system goes, if you have your choice of the All Star resorts, go with the Sports resort. It's not my favorite surroundings but by far has the best bus system. You will be the first ones picked up (always getting a seat) and the first ones dropped off (great after a tiring day with the little ones). And lastly, always, always pay the extra for the preferred building - we learned the hard way four years ago. Now it's the preferred or a different resort! - Jessica

Wow! The fireworks show was awesome and it is now time to get your family back to the resort. You try to keep pace or even beat the crowd out of the park, only to see a line at the bus stop longer than the line to Mission: SPACE. Now is the time to consider a taxi. Recently we took a taxi from Epcot to Port Orleans-Riverside, and it was only $8.50. There were no lines and no wait. The taxi "pool" is right before you get to the bus depot when leaving Epcot. We also used a taxi when leaving Magic Kingdom. Here your best bet is to take the resort monorail to the Contemporary and then go the main entrance to get the cab. I forget how much it was, but we totally avoided the madhouse at the depot. One thing that you need to do when getting a cab: If you have more than four people, request a van. No, insist on a van. They may tell you they will send you two sedans, which will double the cost of the trip; if they do, send them away and make the request again. When I insisted on the van, we always had one. - Julius Trimbach

Don't overlook the "front seat" of the Disney buses. Strike up a conversation with the driver... they all are incredibly friendly, and are a WEALTH of helpful information, including park shortcuts, the latest events, the easiest methods of "how to get from here to there," etc. Most have a vast knowledge of Disney trivia as well... talking with the drivers is like a "mini vacation" in itself. - Jan Hardy EDITOR'S NOTE: Be aware for safety reasons, many drivers will choose to not have a conversation until the buses are stopped. They do enjoy guest interaction!

Don't throw out those popcorn buckets! They make excellent protection in your luggage for small breakable souvenirs, such as glass ornaments.- Lori Welch

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

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