Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Hollywood Studios and Kids

Three of the restaurants at Disney Springs (Fulton's Crab House, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, and Portobello Yacht Club) are operated by the same parent company, Levy Restaurants. They have a Preferred Frequent Dining Program that you can use at any of those three restaurants and earn points that can be traded in for gift cards, etc. http://www.levyrestaurants.com - Erick

I am an annual passholder and have realized that my pass usually has discounts available during lunch hours and not dinner. We either make the latest reservation that would still give a discount for lunch, or eat a nice lunch and grab something not as expensive for dinner. We would actually switch and eat our bigger or more expensive meal at lunch, and then have a hot dog or delicious turkey leg for dinner, which was usually a bit lighter also! - Niki Koullias

Disney's Hollywood Studios - To add to a tip I read last week about going into the air-conditioned gift shop to wait for your family or friends: At Disney's Hollywood Studios, go just beyond the gift shop in the Tower of Terror and you can wait in the photo viewing area of the ride. It's dark and dungeon-like and has built-in wall seating. It's the perfect place to get out of the glaring sun and rest in the air conditioning while waiting for your party to exit the elevator down from their terrifying adventure! - Charleen Matson

ALL PARKS - While spending the day in Epcot in the hot weather, when my feet are hot from the pavement, I always change to another pair of socks and sprinkle on some baby powder. It's a quick refresher. - Claire Rozzi

EDITOR'S NOTE: this works great at all the parks!

ALL PARKS - While spending the day in Epcot in the hot weather, when my feet are hot from the pavement, I always change to another pair of socks and sprinkle on some baby powder. It's a quick refresher. - Claire Rozzi

EDITOR'S NOTE: this works great at all the parks!

ALL PARKS - If you are not going to ride an attraction with your family, meet them in the ride's air-conditioned gift shop. Most rides have a gift shop into which the ride will exit, so it's a convenient place to meet up with your family. - Angela H. Nisbett

ALL PARKS - If you are not going to ride an attraction with your family, meet them in the ride's air-conditioned gift shop. Most rides have a gift shop into which the ride will exit, so it's a convenient place to meet up with your family. - Angela H. Nisbett

Try to go to a character breakfast in one of the parks for the first 8 a.m. seating before the park opens. You get to enter the park around 7:45 a.m., get your stroller/wheelchairs, eat a great breakfast and be in the back of the park riding the rides at opening time while everybody else is waiting in lines and just starting to come into the park. For a great photo opportunity, eat at the Crystal Palace and on your way there take a picture of your family in front of the castle -- since the park isn't open yet, your family will be the only ones in the picture. It's the only time you can ever do that! - Elizabeth Donoho

ALL PARKS - On some of the rides, it was easier to stand up slightly when pulling the lap bar down (so that it actually fit closer to my lap than my belly) and then sit down properly for a snug fit. This worked especially well when I went on the rides with my younger children -- they felt more secure with the lap bar closer to them. I can honestly say that large-sized folks are easily accommodated at WDW -- so go, have a great time and don't worry! - Grace

ALL PARKS - On some of the rides, it was easier to stand up slightly when pulling the lap bar down (so that it actually fit closer to my lap than my belly) and then sit down properly for a snug fit. This worked especially well when I went on the rides with my younger children -- they felt more secure with the lap bar closer to them. I can honestly say that large-sized folks are easily accommodated at WDW -- so go, have a great time and don't worry! - Grace

Our 7-year-old daughter lost a tooth while on vacation at WDW. She is a pin collector, so we bought her a Blue Fairy pin and put it under her pillow in exchange for the lost tooth. She was thrilled that the Blue Fairy visited her and left her a special gift. - Michele Sickler

Magic Kingdom - Some people don't realize that many of the table service restaurants in the parks seat until park closing. We have found it's nice to have a late lunch, and then after watching the evening parade at the Magic Kingdom, go to the Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner. We've always been able to get seated as soon as we go in, even without reservations. When we've finished our wonderful meal, the park is practically empty and we can take our time walking down Main Street and not fighting a crowd. It really makes a nice, stress-free ending to an enjoyable day. - Stacey Kiefer

When my son and I fly he likes to bring both his Leapster and VideoNow Jr. Even though we use rechargeable batteries and I put fresh batteries in before we leave for the airport, they both eat batteries like there's no tomorrow. To change the batteries, I have to unscrew a couple of screws. Since screwdrivers are not allowed on airplanes now, I unscrewed the screws and used a piece of clear packing tape (the kind you use to close boxes that are being shipped) to hold the battery cover on. It is so much easier I never went back to using the screwdriver. - Julie Skinner

EPCOT - While at Epcot recently (in Future World, near the Mouse Gear entrance), I noticed that the soda/ice cream carts had a new item: chocolate/vanilla swirl push-up pops for only $1.00! That will be a great low-cost treat when it's hot! - Carol Kelley

EPCOT - While at Epcot recently (in Future World, near the Mouse Gear entrance), I noticed that the soda/ice cream carts had a new item: chocolate/vanilla swirl push-up pops for only $1.00! That will be a great low-cost treat when it's hot! - Carol Kelley