Tips about ECVs, Kids, Planning and Resorts

Going to a sit-down, outdoor presentation on a cold winter's night? Here's a simple, easy-to-carry way to keep your rump from freezing: bring one of those bubble-wrap filled envelopes of an appropriate size to sit on. The bubble-wrap insulates your nether regions from that cold, cold seat, is light as a feather and is easily carried in one of those many Disney World plastic bags you've acquired. It makes quite a difference! - Mamayama

If you are planning to rent an ECV and have the use of only one hand, make sure you have a conversation about that when making the reservation. My family rented an ECV for my sister, whose right hand is paralyzed, and it never occurred to me to ask for an ambidextrous ECV. The "forward" mechanism was controlled with the right thumb, requiring her to use a digit on the left to PULL the mechanism toward her while steering. By the end of the trip, her left hand was really ragged! The fellow from the rental company suggested renting a motorized wheelchair powered by a joystick next time, but warned that the company doesn't like to rent them to people who don't already know how to maneuver them, as they are difficult to handle. I'll remember that next time. Nonetheless, the ECV made SO much possible for all of us on this trip. It was well worth the investment, operational difficulties notwithstanding. - Susan Barnaby

We visited Disney's Hollywood Studios last week with our daughters, 16 and 2. While my 16-year-old loved the park, my 2-year-old found it very scary. If you have a little one who is timid, you may want to prepare them for this park or skip it all together. The Star Wars theme and characters are everywhere here. We were standing in line to meet Disney Junior characters when Star Wars music started playing and the characters marched right by us. She was terrified. We had to get out of line. Then we were stopped by a few stormtroopers while leaving Toy Story Mania. She started crying saying she wanted to go home... I saw several children crying when they had to walk by Darth Vader or a stormtrooper... I like Star Wars. But the constant shows that you can hear throughout the park with ominous-sounding music, the sound of scary voices (Kylo Ren and Darth Vader), and intimidating (to a small child) characters were just too much. Hopefully they will keep it localized to just the Star Wars area once it opens. - Jennifer D.

As adults we all know what to expect on our trips to Disney. But for young first-timers it's going to be a lot of firsts: plane ride, bus trip, rides, characters, hotel stay, etc. To prepare my 2-year-old for our upcoming trip, I've had him start watching YouTube videos of other family vacations to the world. Many show the plane ride, buses, different rides and character meet-ups. Now he's starting to get excited to go see Mickey Mouse. - Rachel

Magic Kingdom - My son is afraid of fireworks, but we wanted to stay in the Magic Kingdom. A cast member directed us to the Baby Care Center. The walls are soundproof for nursing moms. There was a TV and lots of books to entertain him. My son didn't hear a thing, and the rest of the night was tons of fun! - Mary Locker

Our daughter was 3 years old on her first trip to the Disney. We were concerned about getting separated from her and she wasn't quite old enough to memorize our cell phone numbers. We bought her a charm bracelet with a small heart. We had the heart engraved with her first name on one side and our cell phone numbers engraved on the back. All she had to do if she got lost was to show it to a cast member. (We practiced this when we got to the park.) Once we arrived, we discovered we could purchase Disney charms that we could easily add to the bracelet! She loved wearing it and as we prepare for our next trip, she is already talking about which charms she wants to add! - Buffy

When our 6-year-old broke her arm, we thought that swimming would be out of the question, a fact that, when discussed, brought nearly as many tears as the original injury -- until we were told about the waterproof cast materials they have! The office charged us a little out of pocket as insurance doesn't cover this "luxury" item, but it is well worth it. She can shower, wash her hands, and even swim -- something that is a necessity on those hot steamy Florida days! (There are also heavy rubber cast covers that I was investigating prior to finding out about the waterproof casts. My friend has used them and they work very well also.) - Naomi

"Darling Daughter" refused to wear boating shoes (the type that slip on easily and stay on all day). So I took a bottle holder strap from the Animal Kingdom, ran it through the straps of her sandals, back through itself and hung it from my shoulder whenever we went into the water parks. Even cast members commented it was a good idea. The pavement gets hot and shoes are a must moving between pools. If you have a kid who has a mind of her own, the strap trick is an easy way to keep the shoes with you at all times. It goes without saying that the straps should not be worn around the neck unless you get one with a safety release. And I'd never trust my daughter to keep track of them. This is really for the parents of stubborn kids. - Jackie Newman

We are traveling with my 2-1/2 year-old granddaughter early next year. I have witnessed, as well as heard from others about the "Fear Factor" getting the tots close to the characters can cause. Since she watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she only has that and her stuffed animals for size reference. So, I have been telling her about how Mickey is big like Mom and Dad. Then one day I spotted some sing-along DVDs Disney has for sale through their movie club: SingAlong Songs at Walt Disney World: Beach Party and Campout. They show kids around 10 years old interacting with full-size characters in a variety of settings and activities to go with the DVD title, singing songs together with the words dubbed below. She LOVES these DVDs! Fort Wilderness and Bay Lake (and the former Discovery Island) are featured on CAMPOUT. Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach and other beaches in the "World" are the settings for BEACH PARTY. Hopefully, these perspective videos will help her deal with the surprise size of the characters she meets!

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can purchase these DVDs and other Disney-related items, though the AllEars.Net Amazon Store:

Sing Along Beach Party DVD: http://astore.amazon.com/debsunoffiwaltdi/detail/B0009X75WO
Sing Along Campout DVD: http://astore.amazon.com/debsunoffiwaltdi/detail/B0009X75XI

I wanted to add a tip for parents after reading your Survival Guide for Parents (in last week's AllEars® Issue #572). We took foam earplugs for our daughters to use when watching the fireworks at night. Neither of our daughters, ages 6 and 10, like loud noises (especially fireworks), and the earplugs allowed us to watch the fireworks up close without the girls being upset by the loud noises. You squish the foam to make it small, insert it into the ear, and then it expands to have a custom fit. Well worth being able to enjoy the fireworks or other loud attractions without tears and fears. - Jennifer Danczyk

Polynesian - We recently returned from a six-night stay at the Polynesian. We stayed in the Tokelau House and found that walking to the Transportation and Ticket Center when going to Epcot was a timesaver versus taking the Resort Monorail through the Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom then to the Transportation and Ticket Center. - Lori C.

Free Dining is sometimes offered with a resort package. My trip dates didn't include all of the free dining dates. I called Disney reservations to ask how I could take advantage of the free dining that is being offered and got a wonderful agent who checked into it for me. When she came back on the line, she had booked my trip for free dining for all 10 days. My tip is even if your dates are only partially covered, CALL! You may be able to get the whole trip included. It definitely made for a magical day in my house. - Stefanie

All Resorts - Disney resorts themselves have a limited number of wheelchairs, which they will allow you to use for free for the length of your stay. I found this out when a member of my party fell and broke her ankle on property. If you go to the main desk, they'll ask you to "sign out" the wheelchair like a library book. It can be taken anywhere: your room, the parks, Disney Springs, off property. Best of all, unlike rented chairs, it doesn't need to be returned and picked up again daily. You just need to make sure it is returned before you leave. - Melody Townley

EDITOR'S NOTE: Please note, you can not check into the resort and expect a free wheelchair for your stay. The loaner chairs are for unexpected accidents as described above. If you need a wheelchair, push or electric, during your stay, AllEars recommends

http://www.buenavistascooters.com/

My husband and I have a 1-year-old little girl. We've found it very helpful to purchase disposable bibs and placemats when we travel. We found them at Target. They make mealtimes so much easier for all of us! No messy bib to put back in the bag. We can spread out her food on the table in front of her without the germs, and she can eat at her own pace. The disposable placemats have Disney themes (Disney Princess for girls and Cars for boys), and there are activities on them to keep kids busy. I hope this is helpful for other families traveling with little ones that are still learning how to feed themselves. - Mary Stogsdill

Magic Kingdom - Unfortunately, I am a victim of motion sickness. When I took my 7-year-old son to Magic Kingdom, he had no fear of riding the "big" rides by himself. I was able to stand in line with him and once we reached the ride, he got on, and I found the exit and waited for him to get off. However, we ran into a problem on two of the rides (Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad). Both of these rides have two exits depending on where you get on. So if you plan to do this, be aware and pick a good meeting place. In our case, before our trip, I ensured my son knew my cell phone number and we discussed how to find a cast member if he got lost. - Christine Crews