Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Kids, Magic Kingdom and Packing

Pack a 4-cup coffee pot and folding cooler in your suitcase if staying at a value resort, saves a lot of money. We love the magic of staying at a Disney resort. We like to go every two years and look for ways to save money. - Bev

I just returned from chaperoning my son's band trip to Walt Disney World. I shared a room with another mom and, between the two of us, we had NUMEROUS gadgets (cell phones, iPods, cameras, batteries) that needed recharging. I wish I had packed a power strip or two so we could charge things without hunting all over the hotel room to find outlets. We had to unplug several lamps in order to get everything of ours plugged in. The power strip would make it less likely to leave behind a charger cord, too, if the power strip was located in a prominent location where it would be easily seen while packing at the end of the stay. - Debi Koehn EDITOR'S NOTE: You can also purchase electric outlets that allow 2 or more usb connects.

While Disney resorts don't have microwaves in the room, they do have at least one microwave for common use that is usually situated close to the food court. They are available 24 hours a day and can be a great money-saver. From a snack such as popcorn to soup or noodles, using the microwave to replace or supplement bought food can be a big money-saver. - Connie McGouldrick

If you are there for a week or longer, find out how much it is to take a cab for shopping. We did a roundtrip cab (having him even wait for us in parking lot) and it cost us $32 with tip to Walgreen's. We got much needed cold/flu supplies, drinks, and snacks. I added up just two of the tons of items we bought price for price for what they were in the gift shop, and there alone was our cab fare! - Dana Barish

For those staying at a value resort and driving, you might want to bring a small coffee maker if you have the room. Value resorts don't include coffee makers and if you are in a standard room at Art of Animation like we will be, it can be time-consuming to get that first cup of morning coffee. Standard rooms are a bit of a walk from the food court. We bought paper coffee cups and plastic spoons from our local "dollar store" and are bringing coffee, sugar and milk from home. I found a small coffee maker (5-cup maker) on clearance, so I have about $15 invested (not including coffee, sugar and milk, which I'd be using at home anyway) instead of almost $40 on refillable mugs, plus we can take the paper cups on our walk to the bus stop and just throw them out when we are done. - Lynn

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a cheap, healthy snack in the Animal Kingdom, check out the fruit cart in the Harambe Village of Africa. There's lots of fresh, ice cold fruit that's cheap and much healthier than ice cream or popcorn. Our family got apple slices with caramel, fresh oranges and bananas, and it was delicious. The cart also sells chips, water and drinks. - Katherine

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a cheap, healthy snack in the Animal Kingdom, check out the fruit cart in the Harambe Village of Africa. There's lots of fresh, ice cold fruit that's cheap and much healthier than ice cream or popcorn. Our family got apple slices with caramel, fresh oranges and bananas, and it was delicious. The cart also sells chips, water and drinks. - Katherine

Magic Kingdom - If you have young children who watch Playhouse Disney's "My Friends Tigger and Pooh", it may be wise to explain to them before you ride "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" that the story takes place before Pooh met Darby and Buster (the little girl and her dog who appear in the TV show). I have been showing my 2-year-old YouTube videos of some of the rides in preparation for our April visit to the world, when she watched Pooh she kept asking, "Where Darby? Where Buster?", it would not have occurred to me that she would notice that they were not there. - Melanie Dye

On our last stay, we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside for 10 nights. We were a bit worried: How could we enjoy some late night TV without waking our 5-year-old daughter? How would she fall asleep with the lights and TV on? We found a great solution. We bought our daughter a small dome tent (it packs up very compactly), which we shipped ahead of our arrival. When we got to the room, there was just enough space (once we rearranged a table and chair) to set her tent up in a corner. She loved it! She put all her "babies" in there each night with her, and couldn't wait to zip herself in for "camping out." Interestingly enough, the housekeeper brought in extra bedding unasked and one of those foam egg-crate pads to soften the "bed" inside the tent. Housekeeping also rearranged the "babies" around the tent each day. - Laura Suffi

Epcot - Just wanted to add to the reason to pick up a Passport kit from Epcot. I got one on our last trip and secretly had each country stamp and write Happy Birthday to my husband on the Passport. A month after we got home it was my husband's birthday. I put the Passport in a Mickey birthday card and he was very pleased and surprised with his multi-language greetings. - Sue S.

Epcot - Just wanted to add to the reason to pick up a Passport kit from Epcot. I got one on our last trip and secretly had each country stamp and write Happy Birthday to my husband on the Passport. A month after we got home it was my husband's birthday. I put the Passport in a Mickey birthday card and he was very pleased and surprised with his multi-language greetings. - Sue S.

Magic Kingdom - While stopping for a Photopass picture on our way to watch the "Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party," a cast member suggested we stand in the middle of the circle (next to the Walt and Mickey statue) in front of the castle to watch the show. The Street Party parade comes up main street and fills the circle. By standing in the circle you can move around and see all the various floats, dancers and characters. - Jim

Magic Kingdom - Just a little tip about viewing the Wishes fireworks outside of Magic Kingdom. If you go to the Transportation and Ticket Center via monorail you are able to get a very good view of the fireworks. They also play the music through the speakers so you can hear what is going on instead of just watching the fireworks without the music. You get all the excitment of feeling like you are in the Magic Kingdom during the fireworks without the huge crowd. - Aesha Richardson

Epcot - To save money, instead of buying the Epcot passport in the parks, create your own passport! You can make your own by cutting regular 8x11 paper into fours and stapling the pages together. You can have your children personalize the cover with their names, so Kidcot cast members don't have to ask them. And for each country, you can have children draw out the flag of that country. This can help prepare your children for the experience of World Showcase! Remember to leave the adjacent page empty for the special messages the cast members will be writing. - Ban-Hing Ng

Epcot - To save money, instead of buying the Epcot passport in the parks, create your own passport! You can make your own by cutting regular 8x11 paper into fours and stapling the pages together. You can have your children personalize the cover with their names, so Kidcot cast members don't have to ask them. And for each country, you can have children draw out the flag of that country. This can help prepare your children for the experience of World Showcase! Remember to leave the adjacent page empty for the special messages the cast members will be writing. - Ban-Hing Ng