Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Kids, Resorts and Transportation

I just returned from WDW and I stayed at the Old Key West resort. As most people know, the general store at OKW is highly priced for food. What I found out this time is that there is a Sam's Club about 10 minutes away on Orange Blossom Drive. My wife and I went there and bought all of the food for the stay and spent a whole lot less money! Just an FYI for Sam's Club members staying at OKW who want to get food at a decent cost. - Joseph Potts

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks, Joseph! There are actually a few Sam's Clubs in the WDW area. Visit their website at http://www.samsclub.com and click on Club Locator to get directions.

In January, our daughter attended the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party (at the Grand Floridian). We got to take pictures of her when we dropped her off, but were a little disappointed we didn't get any of her with Alice and the Mad Hatter. They do give you one Polaroid, but we are avid scrapbookers and needed more. Well, when I developed film from our trip there were several pictures of Emily with the characters at the Tea Party! I forgot that Emily had her own camera at the party. She had taken pictures, and also Cast Members had taken several pictures of her with the characters using her camera. Tip: Send your little ones with their own camera. Hers was a Fisher Price, but you could send disposable camera, too. The pictures will be great! - Lisa Stewart

For more information on the Tea Party, go to: http://allears.net/pl/grandadven.htm

We just returned from our first trip to WDW. WOW, what a wonderful experience -- but it could get really expensive! I was concerned about keeping up an active pace and having "Disney" food to sustain us, as there were six adults in our party (two in their 20s and four greater than!). We used Federal Express to mail a package of snacks to ourselves, to arrive at our resort the day of our arrival. We packed pears, apples and dried cranberries, packaged sausage and cheese (wrapped in cold packaging), crackers, fruit cookies and boxed juices. We packed our backpacks every day from these items. Everything traveled well. We were really grateful around 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for our nutritious snacks. We keep up a 12-13 hour a day activity agenda, but still didn't see it all! We are going back next year. - Loraine Dressler

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. We were with a group of adults and wanted to purchase a few beers after a long hot day at the parks to sit back and relax. I am not sure how much less expensive the bottles of beer were at the general store compared to River Roost Lounge but it was worth going a few extra steps for the savings!!! - Nancy T.

If you're like us, and the only thing you really need to purchase for your room once you're at Disney is bottled water, you might consider purchasing it at one of the Tiger Marts, located at the Exxon (soon to be Hess) gas stations on property. We did this on our last trip, and found it to be much easier and more convenient than buying it at Goodings (always crowded) or trying to locate a store off-site.

A gallon of water was $1.69 - which sure beat the $3.50 we paid (in desperation) for 1.5 liters at our hotel! The Tiger Marts have lots of other items, too - including snack foods, some frozen foods, and even Krispy Kreme donuts - and the prices seem to be about what you would expect in that type of convenience store, without the additional "Disney" inflation. - Laura Gilbreath

This tip is true in the All Star Resorts in regard to milk. I purchased a pint of milk in the General Store (gift shop) but in the food hall (food court) it was double the price for exactly the same bottle!!! - Hazel Brunt

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is true at all Disney Resorts

One night after the fireworks, we waited too long to find an ice cream vendor at Magic Kingdom. My daughter was very disappointed that she didn't get the Mickey Mouse bar, so we decided to stop in the Trading Post when we arrived back at Fort Wilderness. Lo and behold the ice cream bar was there, and for half the price they sold it at the parks! From that night on we had Mickey ice cream bars every evening when we arrived back at Fort Wilderness! - Felicia Gouge

This summer my best friend and I went to Disney World as a celebratory trip for graduating high school. We stayed at All-Star Music and because of our age we were unable to rent a car and used the bus system to get around the World. My cousin went to school in the area and had his car. He joined us on our trip for a few days. During those days, getting around was MUCH easier. We didn't have a preferred room and I must say that it didn't matter when we had the car because of where the parking is situated. Upon our return home, we looked up the cost of renting a small car and staying at a "value" resort compared to staying at a "moderate" resort and using the bus system. The value resort with the small car was actually cheaper than staying at the moderate resort. If you are at the age where you are able to rent a car, RENT THE CAR and stay at a value resort. After a long day, it's much nicer to get in the car instead of waiting for a bus. - Kelly T.

As far as the bus system goes, if you have your choice of the All Star resorts, go with the Sports resort. It's not my favorite surroundings but by far has the best bus system. You will be the first ones picked up (always getting a seat) and the first ones dropped off (great after a tiring day with the little ones). And lastly, always, always pay the extra for the preferred building - we learned the hard way four years ago. Now it's the preferred or a different resort! - Jessica

Wow! The fireworks show was awesome and it is now time to get your family back to the resort. You try to keep pace or even beat the crowd out of the park, only to see a line at the bus stop longer than the line to Mission: SPACE. Now is the time to consider a taxi. Recently we took a taxi from Epcot to Port Orleans-Riverside, and it was only $8.50. There were no lines and no wait. The taxi "pool" is right before you get to the bus depot when leaving Epcot. We also used a taxi when leaving Magic Kingdom. Here your best bet is to take the resort monorail to the Contemporary and then go the main entrance to get the cab. I forget how much it was, but we totally avoided the madhouse at the depot. One thing that you need to do when getting a cab: If you have more than four people, request a van. No, insist on a van. They may tell you they will send you two sedans, which will double the cost of the trip; if they do, send them away and make the request again. When I insisted on the van, we always had one. - Julius Trimbach

I just wanted to comment about the tip to fill up at the Disney resort gas stations. This year, Dollar Rent-a-Car changed its policy to say that you must fill your tank within five miles of the airport and present a receipt showing this. I was informed of this when I picked up the car. I do not know how well they monitor this though, because I was not asked for proof when I returned my car. - Nicole Streit

I just thought I'd let people know that there is a Circle K gas station that, while not specifically on the way to the airport, is not difficult to get to. Essentially, if you are taking the 417 from WDW, you will normally exit onto Boggy Creek Road and turn left to get to the airport. To get to the gas station, turn right off the exit ramp and follow the road about 1-2 miles. The Circle K will be on your right at a traffic signal. The gas here is normally $0.10-$0.15/gallon cheaper than the Car Care Centers. - Pam K.

Here is a tip for anyone renting a car. There are no convenient gas stations near the airport, so plan to fill up at one of these three convenient locations: 1) Magic Kingdom Car Care Center, easiest access leaving MK or any MK resort. 2) Boardwalk gas station, easiest access from any Epcot resort. 3) There is a gas station on 536 just before you get on 417. This is perhaps the most convenient since the best way to get back to the airport is to take 536 to 417 directly to the airport. Also, don't worry about refueling charges, fill up at any of the above locations and after the short 15-mile trip to the airport your tank will still read FULL. - Jason Diffendal

Don't overlook the "front seat" of the Disney buses. Strike up a conversation with the driver... they all are incredibly friendly, and are a WEALTH of helpful information, including park shortcuts, the latest events, the easiest methods of "how to get from here to there," etc. Most have a vast knowledge of Disney trivia as well... talking with the drivers is like a "mini vacation" in itself. - Jan Hardy EDITOR'S NOTE: Be aware for safety reasons, many drivers will choose to not have a conversation until the buses are stopped. They do enjoy guest interaction!

Even though you have a confirmed car rental reservation made, keep checking back with all the car rental companies online until right before you go. You can often find a better price has appeared than what you have reserved. - Jack Marshall