Tips about Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Souvenirs

Magic Kingdom - After my trip to the World last week with my sister, I have a couple tips.

1) A lot of people leave the Magic Kingdom right after Wishes, but if you wait a little bit longer, you'll be treated to a replay of "The Magic, the Memories and You" on certain nights (and not just Extra Magic Hour nights). Best of all, you'll get excellent views during the second show! Last Thursday, Wishes was at 10 p.m. and the park would close at 11 p.m. We stayed around for a while and they announced they would be replaying TMTMAY. Since the Hub was virtually empty at that point, we could just lie down in front of the castle and watch as it was filled with magic all over again. That moment was one of the highlights of our trip!

2) Your writer Jack Spence always says to stop and smell the roses, and we took his advice to heart on this trip. We're glad we did! On Monday during EMH night, we were walking about Frontierland when we noticed the checkers board in front of the Shootin' Arcade. Our initial reaction was to just keep going to the next ride (we can play checkers while at home, right?), but then we decided to pause and play a little. It was so much fun! At one point a cast member stopped by to ask who was winning. In the end I won, and now my sister wants revenge on our next visit. That brief "stop and smell the roses" moment has now turned into a tradition that we'll have to repeat on our next trips to the World. - Patricia Ogura

For those wishing to use the web while at the resorts: If you have a smartphone, check if it can be used as a wireless hotspot (also known as tethering). Verizon charges $20/month for tethering with a hotspot-enabled 3G phone (I use a Droid X), which is a great deal when compared to the resorts' $9.95 per 24 contiguous hours fee. There is no cancellation fee for this feature, so you can activate it just for the month you'll be staying at the resort. Plus, you're no longer limited to the length of the ethernet cable. It sure came in handy on my stay at Caribbean Beach last week! A few things to consider: speed is dependent on 3G signal strength in your room, and there's usually a data cap per month (mine is 2GB). - Patricia

Pick up some 3M Command hooks with the removable adhesive and put them, along with some extra adhesive, into your suitcase. We are a family of six, and I have the problem of too many wet things and not enough room, too, and this seems to solve the problem. They're easily removed when you leave and don't take paint off the walls. - Beth McMeekin

The last trip to Walt Disney World, I brought three plastic hangers with me -- handy for drying bathing suits or any hand wash things. They can be hung on the shower rod or in the closet. - Gaylin in Vancouver

My way to dry bathing suits when there are a few of us in a room: I bring a bungee cord in my suitcase, then string it up on the balcony outside my room. Instant clothesline! - ckjrn1959

Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma

My husband and I did the 2015 four-day Disney Vacation Club Member's Cruise and then spent five days at the BoardWalk Villas. We realized that our shopping and all the DVC gifts we received during the cruise were not going to fit in our luggage and would add a lot of extra weight. I asked in the gift shop about mailing cruise items and was directed to the business center that is part of the Convention Center at the BoardWalk. We took all of our bags to the business center, including two pieces of art. They were carefully wrapped and put in a big box that we sent FedEx ground. The box arrived the same day we got home. It was so was nice to have our purchases right away. - Annette A.

Just saw saw that someone mentioned in a recent newsletter that they were used to traveling with a sound machine, and suggested that guests bring them to help drown out noise from traffic. Wanted to share my tip -- we found it helpful to just put the room's clock radio to a static channel. - Tracey DiMillo

Contact lens solution, glasses, and a spare set of contact lenses. (I forgot 'em a few trips ago and had to spend two days with one eye, since my prescription is so bad that most eye facilities don't stock them). - Michele

Here's a must-have! Take along a "plug-in" air freshener with your favorite scent. Not only does your room smell good, but you have a nice glow of a nightlight to keep from tripping over your suitcases at night. - Judy Shock

Whenever we go on vacation I always bring a power strip to charge all of our electronics (cell phone, camera, DVD player, iPod, etc.) The rooms never have enough outlets and are usually in an akward spot. This helps so much and you never have dead batteries. - Julie Pagano

We've found it helpful to bring address labels from home to use in the gift shops. Rather than writing out our address each time we send our purchase back to the room, we just peel and stick. It saves a lot of time. - Gavin Shannon

This is for brides-to-be who are interested in planning their wedding at Walt Disney World, but who are not into the traditional Disney Wedding Pavilion: be aware that there are unique sites available for your ceremony and reception. When we mentioned to our Disney wedding planner that Animal Kingdom was our favorite theme park, she told us about a wonderful site in Harambe. Our daughter and son-in-law had a truly magical outdoor wedding ceremony in the candlelit Tamu Tamu courtyard with a fabulous dessert reception to follow at Tusker House. - Debbie Gneshin

As a cast member who frequently responds, "I'm sorry, we don't have that size," "I'm sorry, we sold out of those yesterday," and "Yes, those are the only ones we have left. I'm sorry," I want to recommend that if you are visiting to compete in a sporting event at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, buy event-specific merchandise the first day, as soon as you can. It happens with every event -- we run out of event merchandise as soon as the event starts, so get yours as soon as possible! - Anonymouse

Please do not feed the birds. We all know this is wrong, but many an enjoyable Disney lunch is ruined by this. Birds are not supposed to eat popcorn and turkey legs! - Bonnie C.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Disney does post signs to this effect and prints a gentle reminder on its paper napkins, but it bears repeating. It's very unhealthy to feed "people food" to the birds, squirrels and other animals around the parks.