Tips about Disney Cruise Line, Magic Kingdom, Resorts and Souvenirs

All Resorts - If you have toddlers and/or crawling babies, it is a good idea to check the floor, including under the beds, for medications dropped from the previous resort guests. We found an unknown pill picked up by our one year old as he was scouting out the place. It only takes a minute and is well worth the effort! - Timothy

All Resorts - We just returned from a visit to the World. We have a 3-year-old, so upon check-in I asked if I could have a stepstool in the room so he would be able to easily use the sink to wash hands and brush teeth. I am happy to report they were able to accommodate my request! It was great! I thought other parents traveling with toddlers would find this helpful. - Amy Devoe

Magic Kingdom - During our recent trip to Walt Disney World, my son enjoyed playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. The only problem was carrying the cards and sorting through them. We saw several folks carrying binders with the clear sleeves used for baseball cards. A great idea. It keeps the cards "organized" and keeps them clean. You can see all your cards, and know which ones you need when trading. Since getting home, we have put our cards into a binder and are ready for our next visit. - Joelle Rehberg

AllEars.Net Team Member Gloria recently returned from a family cruise on the Disney Dream -- with a party of 12! Here are some of her tips for "cruising by the dozen" -- and just on Disney cruising in general:

-- If you have your own transportation, get to the port early, as early as 10:30 or 11 a.m. The line to register the kids for the Oceaneer's Club activities can get quite long and they begin boarding the ship right about noon. If you're in the first few groups, you can go directly to Cabana's and have a leisurely lunch while you wait for your room to be ready.

-- You have two options for parking at the port: in the garage ($90) or on a surface lot ($110). We chose the surface lot because we were told the lines to get out of the parking garage can get pretty crazy. We walked off the ship, over to the car and were on our way with no wait at all. Well worth the extra $20 if you're in any hurry (and we were since we wanted to go to WDW for the day). Got to WDW right at 9 a.m. for park opening.

-- Read the directions to use the Wave phones. We didn't, and couldn't figure out why they weren't working! You must dial a 41 first if you're going phone to room or room to phone. Phone to phone, just dial the phone number. Wave phones work on Castaway Cay.

-- It is futile to try and limit soda and ice cream for the kids. Just explain to them that the cruise is special and regular rules apply once back on land.

-- It's hard to find 12 seats together at the buffets. Stick to the table service dining when possible.

-- Take an iPod with soft music or white noise. It is VERY quiet at night (except for kids [not ours!] running down the hallways).

-- We stored lots of "junk" in the coffee table. The top opens and there's lots of room for things you don't need, but don't want to lose. Just don't forget to empty it when you pack the last night.

-- Try to schedule a short nap (or at least an hour of relaxing time) each day if you plan on any of the late-night adult activities. Morning comes very early on the ship and you don't want to be dragging all the rest of the day.

-- Remy is awesome, but only worth the $75 up-charge if you truly enjoy food and food preparation as an "art," and understand that this is an "experience" and not just another great meal.

-- The second family beach (near Pelican Plunge) on Castaway Cay is much less crowded than the one near Scuttle's Cove.

-- Cookie's BBQ on the island is outstanding! Get off the ship if for no other reason than to have lunch, and don't pass up the ribs!

-- Bring a couple bottles of pump/foam soap for the bathrooms. It's much less messy than those little bars of soap.

-- Be sure to keep your smart phone on airplane mode (except when using it to access WiFi is you purchase a package). Otherwise, texts, "push" messages and e-mails may come through at international data rates.

-- Lost Key to the World cards are not a problem; just get a replacement from Guest Services. You WILL need your Key to the World cards to debark on the last day, so don't pack it in your luggage.

-- Bed rails are available. Think about doing without a porta-crib. It makes your room much less crowded to just use the bottom bunk with a rail for a little one if at all possible.

-- Don't forget that Disney will let you bring aboard wine in your carry on luggage (NOT in your checked luggage!). You cannot carry an opened bottle around the ship. If you take an unopened bottle to dinner, there might be a corkage fee.

-- If characters are scheduled to appear twice during a day (around 4:30 and 7:15 usually), go to the earlier appearances and get there a bit early. The lines are MUCH shorter than the evening appearances.

-- Don't wait until the last night to go to Shutters (for your photos). It's a zoo! Same advice for any souvenir shopping. The stores are really crowded on the last night, so shop earlier in your cruise.

-- If your gratuities are not pre-paid, go to Guest Services the second or third night of the cruise to take care of it. If you wait until the last day, you will have a much longer wait in line.

Magic Kingdom - On a recent trip we viewed the Magic Kingdom fireworks from just outside the entrance. We enjoyed a park bench to ourselves and had a lovely view of the display over the train station. Immediately afterward, we headed for the buses and with our "head start" easily caught the first one back to our resort. - Susan Reynolds

Art of Animation - Six of us (four adults and two kids) recently stayed in a Cars suite [at Disney's Art of Animation Resort] for 10 days. It was great to have the extra space and having two bathrooms was especially nice. The only complaint we had was that some of the electrical outlets are at the perfect height to entice a curious 14-month-old and they have no child protective covers. I would strongly suggest that anyone traveling with a toddler bring their own. - j2mom

We just completed the 7-day Eastern Carribean Cruise onboard the new Disney Fantasy (which of course was amazing). I'm a vegetarian who is trying to go vegan and discovered that at Tow Mater's Grill and/or Fillmore's Food on Deck 11, you can ask the counter person for a veggie burger. It turns out that not only do they have them on hand, but they are grilled and ready to serve as well. These appear to be a hand-made variety (not like a Garden or Boca Burger) and they are not posted on the regular lunch menu. I was also able to request these at the BBQ at Castaway Cay. It made lunches much more enjoyable! No other cruise line handles people with special diet considerations better than Disney! - Sharie Van Wells

I just placed a merchandise mail order online and the cast member was able to offer me an annual pass discount as long as I emailed or faxed her a copy of my pass. - Michael Landman

All Resorts - On our trip in June 2012 we learned that they leave the scales on all night at the airport luggage check-in desk. This made it easy to find out if our suitcases were too heavy before we had to check them in the next morning. - Sharon H.

Coronado Springs - The Pepper Market at Coronado Springs is now doing a regular breakfast buffet. No ticket and stamping, it's just pay one price (I think it was $15) and it's all you can eat. - Juli Ruffing

EDITOR'S NOTE: The $14.99 buffet service was tested at Pepper Market earlier this year, and has apparently been implemented full-time now. We have updated menus here:
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#cs

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.

ALL PARKS - Just a reminder to check when counter service restaurants close. We were at Disney's Hollywood Studios three weeks ago, counting on eating our meal at one of the counter service restaurants. All were closed by 8:15, except for the one closest to Fantasmic, so we had to eat at Mama Melrose's and pay $150. It was a lovely meal, but we were on the dining plan and had carefully planned when to use our dining credits. - Ellen

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