Tips about Disney Dining Plan, Epcot, Mousecellaneous, Planning, Resorts and Souvenirs

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

Old Key West - We just enjoyed a wonderful week at Disney's Old Key West. However, we wondered why we spent so much time (greater than 45 minutes on a couple occasions!) waiting for buses to take us to the parks. After inquiring (finally) with the concierge, we were told that if the bus filled prior to our stop at Hospitality House, the bus driver would automatically skip this stop and a bus would only stop when vacant. Our tip -- walk the extra three minutes to the Peninsular Rd. bus stop and enjoy an empty bus each time! - Jen Tesoriero

EDITOR'S NOTE: We are afraid that the concierge gave you some erroneous information. Buses at OKW make all of the stops since many times people will use a park bus (any park bus) as an internal shuttle to the Hospitality House as they all stop there last before heading out to a park. This is especially true in the mornings and around dinner time.

POLYNESIAN RESORT - I just returned from a magical nine days in the World. It could have just as easily been a disaster. As soon as I checked into my room at the Polynesian, I went to charge my cell phone. Unfortunately I realized that I had forgotten to bring my charger. I thought I'd be incommunicado for the entire trip. Since my husband and I often take our kids in seperate directions, I was really worried about how we would manage our days. Thinking it was a slim chance, I inquired at the concierge desk. What a pleasant surprise when they brought out a bin of about 20-25 cell phone chargers for me to look through and find the right one. I was able to borrow it a few times during my trip so that I always had my phone ready and charged. - Vicky

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a great idea, but don't depend on it, as not all resorts can accommodate you like this. Go ahead, ask Senior Editor Debra Martin Koma how she knows...

The plastic weight tags on the Disney balloons make wonderful decorative ties on curtains and blinds at home. - Andrea M. Eis

Food & Wine Festival - We just came back from WDW and wanted to let your readers know that you can use the snack option to pay for food at the Epcot Food and Wine festival. We used all of our snack options as we made our way around the countires and were so full that we didn't need to use our table service credit for dinner. We saved it for our last day and enjoyed lunch at the Coral Reef. It really worked out well because we always have extra snack credits that we need to use up on our last day. - Jackie Davidson

We ate a fantastic meal at Boatwright's (Port Orleans) with great service. Regarding the Disney Dining Plan, it's good to know that the smoothies listed at the top of the menu are included as drink options with your Table Service Credit. They were so delicious and filling that they served as desserts, allowing us to pack our apple pies and fresh fruits for breakfast the next day. - Teressa

My family and I have always enjoyed looking for Hidden Mickeys around Disney World. I had a great idea for a Hidden Mickeys activity for the readers. We all hate when our trip to Disney is over and we have to go back to the real world, but that's no reason we have to let go of the magic. While visiting Chicago, my wife and I were standing outside a restaurant and I noticed a Hidden Mickey on the sidewalk in a grate around a tree. I'm sure if we look around we can find Hidden Mickeys all over. Just a thought. - Mike L.

On our way out of the park, my daughter and I spied a silhouette cart down a side alley of Main Street, USA. It was after midnight, but the young woman was still doing silhouettes. We hurried over and she cheerily did one more silhouette for us. We were done in about 15 minutes, and for only about $15 including a frame, I think it's one of the best and most unique souvenirs at Walt Disney World. It's a special keepsake for my 9-year-old daughter of our fun marathon day at Magic Kingdom. - Natalie H.

We always get a ton of round Mickey stickers from cast members and I feel guilty wasting them at the end of each night when I pull them off of everything the kids have stuck them to. Now, I keep them and use them to repair torn game boxes at home. They are the perfect size, are durable, and remind us of our Disney trip each time we pull out a game with a repaired box! - Kari Svinarich

A note for Disney Visa Card holders: We used our Disney Dream Reward Dollars to pay for the tips that are no longer included in the Disney Dining Plan. Saved us a bunch. - Joe Napierkowski

Wilderness Lodge - Just returned from a week at WL and they now have a photopass counter in the hotel as well as sessions (for a fee) with photographers for pictures around the lodge - Lesley

Another use for the flashing hoops, other than hanging them around your neck -- We attracted smiles and positive comments when we attached the light-up/flashing hoops to the wheels of my husband's wheelchair. We fed them through the spokes and as he wheeled along they added a bit of fun and uniqueness. As an added bonus, when moving around the parks after dark (we used them in the Studios and Epcot) they make the chair very visible, especially in crowds. Because they can be turned off, the power cell is fairly long lasting and we have been able to reuse them on our second visit. We're taking them with us to Hong Kong Disneyland in early September, which we are very much looking forward to. - Jo Cowan