Tips about Disney Dining Plan, Epcot and Souvenirs
Epcot - Just got back from Walt Disney World and wanted to share that the exclusive photo session for Disney Visa cardholders (in Epcot's Innoventions) has extended its hours. It is now available daily from 1 to 7 p.m. Thanks to the extended activity time, there wasn't an overly long wait during either of our two visits there. - Randy
For those Disney fans who loved the SpectroMagic Parade in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and miss it as much as I do, you now have an opportunity to buy the music. The full 14-minute song is available for purchase in the iTtunes store for $3.99. My wife and I now have it on our iPods and enjoy taking a 14-minute trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth (without having to travel to Tokyo). - Patrick Markham
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We will be going to WDW for our 19th trip in two weeks -- can't wait! One of the best tips we can offer is to definitely go to the parks at night -- they all look so different as the sun goes down. The sun setting and the darkness coming -- it really brings out the beautiful lighting and colors of the parks. Animal Kingdom will be open in the evenings when the Rivers of Light show debuts in 2016. I just wish Walt Disney could come back for one day and see the beauty and magic that he created! - Trudy
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One of the best things I found to buy with the Disney Dining Plan Snack Credits are single serving items at the resort's quick service dining area. We go down to the quick service dining on the first morning and buy a couple bagels, some yogurt, single-serve cereals boxes, single-serve milk, bananas, and muffins. We bring them back to the room and use them for our breakfasts in the room each morning. We never have leftover credits that way and don't have to use a meal credit for breakfast. If you don't have a refrigerator in your room, bring a soft collapsible cooler bag, fill it with ice and put your cold stuff inside, replenishing the ice each morning. - Linda Brantner
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Ever since my son was small, I have purchased Disney plush characters at home, at either a drug store or when The Disney Store has sales. I bring them hidden in our luggage and surprise him with one every day we're at WDW. He believes it's Disney magic that he gets a fun, new toy every day! He doesn't ask for as many toys from the parks and I save a ton of money not having to pay retail prices! - Nancy Cohan
A great way to save money is pre-purchase Disney souvenirs for your kids before you leave for your trip. You can then surprise them every morning with something new. Whether it just be a dollar store Mickey sticker book or a new t-shirt, your child will love it and you will save money! My mother did this on our 1998 trip and to this day I can remember receiving something every morning from a character. - Jessica Stahl
The $1 section of Target and Michaels craft stores always have Disney items. Check out your local Disney Store and Disneystore.com to buy items for the kids before you get there and present them as a gift. I am not going to lie, we still buy stuff at the parks, but give the kids a limit. Also if you drive like we do, check out the Disney outlets in St. Augustine and Orlando. - Michelle G.
For someone who wants to visit the parks often and have a souvenir each time without spending a ton of money, postcards are the key! Postcards are like miniature art. Upon your return, they can be framed, made into a collage, or even turned into a border around the room. On the back, you can also write the date or even a message about unique details from that trip. - Crissy Stout
We love the Disney dining plan, but have learned that three meals a day, even counter service, can be a bit much, and if one of the meals is a buffet -- calorie overload! We discovered that by having a late breakfast (often snack credits) on a buffet day, we could save that counter-service credit. Then, on our last day, we could use it, plus any leftover snack credits, to get food to take on the plane ride home that afternoon. Earl of Sandwich makes sandwiches that are wrapped well enough to be carried around, and Goofy's Candy company has lots of bags of candy that are one snack credit each. By taking an extra-large tote purse with me, I could carry two sandwiches, two cookies, and whatever candies we got and not have to rely on buying airline food. Next time, we may try combining two of our table-service credits and eating an upscale meal! - Joyce A. Deen
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The Disney Dining Plan is a must, especially since we usually get it for free in the fall. We also bring a case of water bottles and cereal to eat in the room for breakfast. - Tammy W.
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At the end of our last trip, we had quite a few counter service meals remaining. Since we had a 17 hour drive ahead of us, we went to Disney Springs the morning of our departure. There we used our free dining plan meals that remained. We purchased breakfast pizzas as well as regular pizzas which we later used for lunch [storing them in the cooler and eating cold}. Wolfgang Pucks has great food! This saved us purchasing meals an entire day as we had leftovers. We also earlier in the week spent a day at the coast, using our free dining plan to purchase sandwiches/sides and drinks to take along for a picnic lunch. - Joyce Anderson
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All the way in the back of Morocco (in Epcot) across from the restaurant is an area where characters sometimes appear (especially during rain)... but late at night it's empty back there and there is a great backdrop for taking photos. There is a carpet and a wall painted to look like the city where Aladdin and Jasmine live. We spent a good 20 minutes back there with our Princess Jasmine fresh out of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique before anyone else came in and got some great shots! - Cathy
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