Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Kids, Mousecellaneous and Scrapbooking

I think that most people would agree that the water from the drinking fountains at Walt Disney World is barely drinkable. However, with the heat and humidity there you need to stay hydrated. Since I think the bottled water is too expensive I bring a refillable bottle to fill at the fountains. To make it taste all right I add a powdered drink mix. They come in single serving sizes, so just throw a few in your bag so you always have them. I usually get the green tea or white tea flavor so the taste isn't too strong so it's as close to water as you can get. - Moira

My favorite money-saving tip is to save on breakfast. We pack in our luggage, paper bowls, plastic silverware, cups, cereal, bagels, Pop-tarts and bottled water. (You will then have room when you go home for souvenirs.) You can either pick up milk and OJ at a resort shop or order all your groceries from gardengrocer.com for delivery right to your room. For the $12 delivery fee and a tip you will still be saving a ton of money just on bottled water alone! - Tina Snyder

We bring breakfast food with us and eat in our hotel room. Our usual assortment is instant oatmeal, granola bars, oranges, apples or bananas, bagels and cream cheese and orange juice. Everyone gets what they want and it saves LOTS of money and time in the mornings when we are anxious to get into the parks. We take some sort of snack with us -- usually trail mix -- to eat while in the long lines. It keeps the kids occupied. With the weather usually being so hot we don't get very hungry during the day, but purchase some snacks to share at lunch or in the afternoon. It is usually something like a turkey leg and popcorn, ice cream, etc. -- just something snacky. By dinner time we are usually pretty hungry so we eat something in the parks if it is a long day. Otherwise we go back to the hotel and eat in the restaurant or food court. We usually have snacks in the room for the evening--pretzels or cookies. We have used this method of saving a few dollars while still eating well while at Disney. For a family who wants to eat three full meals a day or big "sit-down" meals this wouldn't work, but it is perfect for us! - Jan Gruver

At buffets where beverages are included, you can order two drinks to start with (or change what you're drinking instead of getting a refill). I'm mainly an iced tea drinker, but I like to treat myself with a glass of rich and creamy calorie-filled chocolate milk. I always start with a request for both beverages, and then just have the iced tea subsequently refilled. - Jennifer Bogdanski

Just a comment on the sale of shuttle launch tickets. Any follower of the shuttle program knows that tickets can sell out quickly. NOT TO FRET! If you don't have a ticket to get onto the Cape Canaveral grounds, you can stop anywhere along the river at any parking area, or park and see the launch. You will see the shuttle as soon as it crosses your horizon and you will hear it. It is an amazing sight! You might even be better off not getting a ticket, because there is always a chance the launch will not happen for some reason. Go to a park, bring a blanket, some coffee (early morning launch) and enjoy the time. Go early and you will meet some interesting people along the way! - Geri Preisser

For anyone dining at the Tusker House for Donald's Safari Breakfast, please be aware that the buffet is not your typical 'stand in line' type of buffet. While we were at the AK last week eating, cast members at the Tusker House kept announcing that we did NOT have to just stand in line waiting to get to the food we wanted. Rather, the buffet was a free flowing buffet -- you could just jump in line where you wanted and grab a plate. Unfortunately, not many people were listening and some guests got very angry when I stepped in line to get some scrambled eggs for my daughters... So, the moral of this story is, please listen to the cast members at the Tusker House breakfast buffet! And be kind to other guests. - Traci Curth

Here's a tip for families from the U.K. In the U.S., lemonade is not a fizzy drink, it's a still drink. It's like old-fashioned, homemade cloudy lemonade. It's excellent if you don't want to fill your kids up with cola, especially, if they can't manage to eat all their dinner as they're so full of pop! Also you'll find variants like pomegranate lemonade in Disney. - Louise Herrick

I had been trying to get an ADR at 'Ohana for three weeks prior to our visit. I even checked daily during our actual week of vacation with no luck. Then it occurred to me that guests need to cancel the ADR by midnight prior to the day of the ADR or they are charged a fee per guest. The next morning I checked for an ADR at 7 a.m. and found an available table for the same evening at 6:35 p.m., which had the extra bonus of ending our evening watching Wishes from our dining table. - Ellen Bemis

I just finished reading my newsletter, and was especially interested in the letters from families with infants concerning diapers. It reminded me of a lesson that I learned the hard way a few years ago. We were traveling to WDW with our two children, the youngest of whom was 6 months old at the time. In order to save space in our luggage, I decided to only carry with me enough diapers and formula to get us through the day. Whenever we arrive in Orlando, our first stop is always at a local grocery store, where we stock up on bottled water, fruit, snacks, etc. I figured that I would just pick up a large bag of diapers and more formula when I was doing my shopping. I wasn't concerned about finding our particular brand of formula, because it is a very commonly used formula. I didn't have any trouble getting the diapers, but I couldn't find the formula anywhere. I asked a manager for help, and she had never even heard of the brand that was so common at home. I had to read the labels, and pick out another formula that appeared to be similar to what the baby was used to. Luckily, our daughter adjusted well to the new formula, and we all had a great trip. If she had not adjusted well, it could have ruined our trip. Tip for parents: Never assume that the baby items you need will be readily available at WDW or in the Orlando area. This may especially be important if your child must use a specific formula, or needs a certain type of diapers. If your child has sensitive skin, or allergies, you may also want to pack a specific sunscreen, soap or detergent. It's much safer to bring these items from home, or mail them ahead of you to your hotel. - Shannon Barrett

Please share with your readers that they will only find diapers in size 3 and 4 on Disney property. We were staying for 8 days and I decided that bringing all of the diapers I would need would waste valuable luggage space. I figured I would pay a premium price but would just resupply at the gift shop in the hotel. When I realized they only had size 3 or 4 I went on an exhaustive phone search to find something bigger (my 2-1/2 year-old is in size 6, or size 5 in an emergency). I was finally told by the woman at the child care center in Magic Kingdom that I would not find them anywhere - Disney properties only stock sizes 3 and 4. I finally had to take a taxi to Walgreens where they were nearly out of size 5 and 6 as well! I had to buy a brand I wasn't familiar with -- although they worked just fine. - Holly

I have a tip for anyone traveling with a child in diapers. I didn't want to take up space and weight in our suitcases, so I sent a box of diapers and wipes to Pop Century three days before we traveled to Walt Disney World. I called Pop Century and I was told to address the box to my attention with our reservation confirmation number and arrival date and they would make sure it was waiting for me when I checked-in. When I checked-in, I told the Cast Member that I sent a box via UPS, she retrieved the box and told me it would be delivered to our room when the room became available. I plan on doing the same thing when we travel to Walt Disney World in September 2009. - Dan Szczepaniak

In these difficult economic times, a trip to the World can be a difficult goal to accomplish, even without adding in all the extra expenses like a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. On our recent trip we decided that this was one of the extras we would have to forgo. Needless to say, my nine-year-old daughter was very disappointed! On the advice of a cast member, we took her and her younger brother to the Main Street Barbershop instead. My daughter had her hair pulled back and striped with colors of her choice, topped off with a liberal sprinkling of pixie dust for less than $20. Plus, she got at least as much, if not more attention than if we had gone with the traditional Boutique style! - Christie Lamphier

ALL PARKS - This is a tip for anyone who celebrates a special day or occasion on the same day every year at one of the Disney parks. My wife and I have celebrated every one of our 11 wedding anniversaries at Disneyland. To add to our tradition, we get a Fastpass that is marked for that day and covers the time that we were married, i.e. 4 p.m. Then we have a cast member take a picture of us in front of that attraction at the exact time that we said our "I Do's." Between the photo and the Fastpasses, it makes a nice keepsake of that specific day and time. The only drawback is we can see how we have aged over the years. Go out and CELEBRATE! - Michael Greening

Be careful while driving on Disney property. We were there this past weekend and they had a speed trap set up right before the Contemporary resort. There were four or five sheriffs and one had a radar gun. They had a car pulled over and that person had a ticket in his hand and did not look too happy. The next day we saw two sheriffs over by Pop Century. Just drive the speed limit. - Suzy

We live near Jacksonville and are self-diagnosed Disney addicts. We visit frequently and came up with a game we play for the day we arrive. The Monorail game is played by each family member picking a different color monorail and a favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom. As we drive onto Disney property we search for monorails. If your color of monorail is spotted first, you win. The attraction you picked becomes the first ride of the day. We usually start picking the color and ride months in advance, planning around closures. Selections can't be changed once we back out of the driveway. We love it. - H. Johnston