Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Keep The Magic Alive, Magic Kingdom and Planning

A game my sister and I play is "20 Questions". Usually one person has 20 questions to find out what the other person is thinking of in one of three categories - person, place, or animal. You ask yes or no questions, and if you don't get the answer by question 20, you lose. We play this Disney style. We call it "Disney 20 Questions" (original, huh?), and our categories are "Attraction, Restaurant, or Character". Attractions include anything from Voyage of the Little Mermaid to Mission: Space. We have a blast (no pun intended) playing this, and it helps us relive our favorite Disney memories. - Jenny Beck

We live in Australia and only make it to WDW every 4 years. Both of our children (8 and 5) have visited twice and love to remember the trips. When it seems like it is too long to wait for our next trip we pull out some of the paper plates and cups from our last trip and cook something like chicken strips and mjacaroni cheese which we usually only eat at WDW), and have a Disney dinner. We also like to make s'mores for our friends just like we learnt at the Port Orleans campfire. - Sandie Morthen

I was at a Lenox outlet store last week and guess what I found? A necklace with Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer! On the back is engraved "Keep the magic alive". A perfect daily reminder right around your neck. - Tiffany Bailey

Kingdom Hearts. This PS2 video game allows you to actually become a character in some of your favorite Disney films. Your character actually gets to explore the scenery of films like "Alice in Wonderland", "Tarzan", "Nightmare Before Christmas" and many others. Along the way, you battle Maleficent, Hades, Jafar and other Disney Villains with Goofy, Donald and several Disney heroes at your side. - Mike

Check the local TV listings for the Travel Channel and the Food Network. Both regularly have programs featuring Walt Disney World. - Mike

I like to look at my Disney vacation pictures from years gone by and see how the parks have changed and relive my wonderful vacations. I also subscribe to the Disney Magazine. I have the Fantasmic CD and a CD I made at the Imagination Pavillion with all Disney songs from the parks/rides. - Connie La Tempa

We've found a great way ~ Internet radio "hub" Live 365 has a number of broadcasters/stations that play Disney music - everything from soundtracks to ambient park music, even some sound bites from attractions! We don't realize how we relate hearing ambient park music to "feeling" like we're there, until we listen to it at home! Just go the the Live 365 website, and search "Disney" or "Walt Disney World". A list of stations that play that music are listed, complete with short descriptions of the type of music they play. It's a great way to feel like you're at the park, when you're at home! - Cindy W.

One of my favorite things to do for a quick Disney fix, when a trip is not in the near future is play a video I bought on a previous trip. This video travels throughout the 4 theme parks showing the various attractions (the name escapes me..."Around the World"?). I think you can still purchase it from WDW directly. Also the free promotional planning tapes/DVD from Disney are loads of fun. Sometimes I'll even watch a Sing-Along tape with the kids (Campout or Beach Party at WDW or even Disneyland fun). Finally, Some days I just listen to my CD's of the theme park rides and show. It is a great way to remember the fun had on the last trip and anticipate the next trip. - Holly Bryfogle

Visit a Disney Store...if you can still find one in your area! 🙂 -Tony

To keep the Disney fun going between trips, I bought a small dry-erase board, hung it in the bathroom, and my husband and I take turns playing Hangman. The answers we come up with are anything Disney related from Disney movies to the parks to something we've read on AllEars®.Net. We've been playing for many, many months and still haven't run out of creative answers. We even made up fun rules like if one of us happens to guess the answer before guessing any letters, the winner gets a one-hour massage from the other person. (This is challenging, but very possible!) - Paulette Kusmierz

Scotchgard those canvas sneakers before you leave home for WDW! Apply several coats, and allow plenty of drying time between applications. Dry feet make those sudden Florida downpours a whole lot more bearable! - Mary Mitchell

Greetings from Alaska! I just read a tip from another reader about bringing snack size bags of Gatorade powder to add to water. Recently, I bought a round plastic container that has three compartments to hold servings of powdered baby formula to use in our upcoming trip to WDW. It has a top that twists to allow an opening to pour the contents of one compartment at a time. I think the container is made by Munchkin, and I found it in the baby products section of one of our local stores. Next time I'm out shopping, I'll pick up another container to use for Gatorade powder. - Anne-Lise Hagevig

I'm organizing a Disney World family reunion for 13 people, ranging in age from 5 up to 79. We all have various Disney experiences from total rookie to very experienced. Needless to say, it's been interesting. My tip is how to get everyone informed of important data needed every day of the stay. I used the template in Word for business cards and made up paper cards with the following information:

1. Their name (so they can easily identify their packet)
2. Everyone's cell phone numbers (we'll use these for communication since we'll be spliting up every day)
3. The resort phone number and a place to put the room number on it once we know it
4. For the five year old, I made a card that said "Hi, my name is Jane Doe and I'm traveling with my mother Mary Doe. I just turned five years old" - I did this on the advice from a Cast Member who said that lots of kids who get lost clam up and even forget their own name, let alone their parent's name. Also, all the reservations are in my name so even doing a search on the five year old's last name wouldn't turn up anything.
5. For the adults, everyone will have a card listing what the five year old is wearing that day - I did this on the advice of the same Cast Member who said that's the first thing they ask lost parents - what their child is wearing. Most can't remember.

I put all this information into inexpensive holders (the kind you use for sports cards works well and costs about 25 cents each). Everyone can easily slip their admission ticket, room key (the five year old will not have one), driver's license, and a credit card into the holder too. This way, all daily information and ID are in one handy packet. - Sheri Niklewski

ALL PARKS - I purchased "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" book before our trip. I tore out the pages in the back of the book (the ones that suggest which attractions to see and in which order -- a very valuable tool) and laminated them. I then punched a hole in a corner of each page. As we set off for a certain park for the day, I would attach that set of pages with a binder ring to my fanny pack. I then had a quick reference guide for all the attractions and restaurants in that park. It was outside my fanny pack so I could look at it quickly without having to open my fanny pack each time. It was laminated so if it rained, the pages were not ruined, and they could withstand a lot of abuse. I took along a Sharpie marker and marked off each attraction as we visited it so I could see at a glance where we'd been and where we were supposed to go next. It worked out very well for our trip. - Lisa Kent

ALL PARKS - I purchased "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" book before our trip. I tore out the pages in the back of the book (the ones that suggest which attractions to see and in which order -- a very valuable tool) and laminated them. I then punched a hole in a corner of each page. As we set off for a certain park for the day, I would attach that set of pages with a binder ring to my fanny pack. I then had a quick reference guide for all the attractions and restaurants in that park. It was outside my fanny pack so I could look at it quickly without having to open my fanny pack each time. It was laminated so if it rained, the pages were not ruined, and they could withstand a lot of abuse. I took along a Sharpie marker and marked off each attraction as we visited it so I could see at a glance where we'd been and where we were supposed to go next. It worked out very well for our trip. - Lisa Kent