Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom, Planning, Souvenirs and Strollers

Save those receipts! Twice our receipts from food service locations at Walt Disney World included a 20 percent off total merchandise purchase (from store opening to 1 p.m.) coupon at the bottom, good at select locations, good through January 5. This happened at both Pizza Planet in Disney's Hollywood Studios and also at the Electric Umbrella at Epcot. - Cheyenna

EDITOR'S NOTE: This promotion usually runs several times a year. Be sure to check if your receipt is one that has the coupon.

We just returned from Walt Disney World after a week's visit. Although we had rented strollers on previous trips we were asked this time if we wanted to rent for "multiple days" instead of a "single day rental." You save 10% per day and -- the real bonus -- you don't have to wait in the stroller rental line every day! You just show your ticket to the cast member who actually gives you the stroller. At the end of your last day, you turn in the receipt and you still get the $1 refund for each day, without the hassle of returning your stroller each night. Wonderful! We also used the new preschool brochure for the Magic Kingdom. It has a few items for each area of the park. It was nice to have, especially for someone who doesn't want to do the research on what rides are appropriate for young children. It would be nice if they were displayed with all of the maps of the park. We found ours at the stroller rental. - Lori

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

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

ANIMAL KINGDOM - At the Harambe Fruit Market in Animal Kingdom, they now have a really nice fruit and cheese dish in addition to the other fruit choices. It contains apple slices -- probably half a good-sized apple, plus a nice bunch of grapes, and three slices each of cheddar and gouda. It was just about perfect for something light on a warm day. The price wasn't too bad, either, at $5.49 (2008 price). - Lynn Pernezny

We have found it very difficult in the past to manage maps, stroller, our other child and all the gear that goes with them. To maximize space, we trimmed the park maps from the PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook and had them laminated in an 8x10 sheet. We then placed velcro dots on the map and the canopy of the stroller. The night before, my husband and I would circle the attractions we really wanted to get to, including Fastpass information, and write our Priority Seating number and any other info we might need during the day. Our map was always available and in plain sight. We had many folks tell us what a great idea this was. A few Cast Members were even surprised to see how accurate and up-to-date the PassPorter's maps were. - Melissa Pagel

Similar to Lisa Dunn who wrote last week about staying at a Disney Springs resort on her first day in the World, we live in California and rarely arrive earlier than 9 or 10 p.m. on the first night. I realize rooms are pre-selected prior to arrival, but since we stay for nine or 10 nights, I've found when we check in early in the day, we sometimes have an opportunity to ask for a special location if our preference hasn't been already accommodated. That's less likely at 10 p.m. when most folks have already checked into the hotel. We have recently stayed at either the Hyatt in the Orlando airport or one of the other airport hotels. Because we are still running on west coast time, we're usually ready for dinner or a swim when we arrive and there are plenty of places to eat. I've found the room rates extremely reasonable at the near-airport locations -- often breakfast is included and the transportation from the airport to those hotels is free. - Lori Degliantoni

All Resorts - On our last trip to WDW we had a fridge in our room -- very handy! However, our fridge was too cold and it froze 12 bottles of water solid. At first I was mad but I took two of the frozen solid bottles to the park with me and it actually worked out great. It took a good part of the day for them to totally un-freeze, so we had cold water almost the whole day. If you have a fridge with a freezer, put bottled water in the freezer instead of the fridge and you'll have cold water much longer throughout a day at the parks. - BEARWIFME

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a great tip, but if you try it, don't fill the bottles up to the very top -- leave an inch or two, since the water will expand as it freezes.

If there are restaurants your family really wants to dine at during your vacation make those reservations ASAP after planning your trip. Most restaurants reserve up to 180 days in advance. If you wait until you are actually on your trip, especially now that it's coming into the busy season, you may be shut out or get very late times (like 9 p.m.). We reserved almost all of our favorites in advance, then tried to get a few last-minute reservations and had to settle for either 4 p.m. or 9 p.m. dinners. Some readers may find it hard to believe but the more popular restaurants really do get completely booked up 160-180 days in advance. - Maria Heuskin

EDITOR'S NOTE: Remember that having the Magic Your Way Plus Dining Package does NOT guarantee you a reservation at any restaurant -- you still need to make Advance Dining Reservations!

Another opinion regarding the tip about covering the strollers to protect against rain: stroller covers cost $7-$9 at most stores and can also be used safely with the child in the stroller, as it has a mesh for air to circulate. More (or at least equally) important, it's made of a stiffer plastic, which truly keeps the rain off the stroller. Ours was used during the rains before Hurricane Jeanne and the stroller stayed perfectly dry. We saw others with the rain ponchos covering the strollers. They would blow off, or the heavy rain would weigh them down and the accumulated water would drain in through the head opening. The humid air makes drying take a long time, even using a hairdryer (although that is the best way to get them dry before morning). If it's of importance to have a dry stroller (or a dry child in your stroller), an "authentic" stroller cover is definitely the way to go, and worth the money you pay for it. - Rhoda Smith

We are annual passholders and try to go often to Disney and stay at an onsite resort. The convenience of that is worth the extra money. The night before we check into our Disney resort, however, we stay at one of the Disney Springs within walking distance to Disney Springs. We usually don't get there until after 6 p.m. so it seems like a waste to pay for the Disney resort for just a few hours of use. The hotels in Disney Springs aren't very expensive compared to the Disney resorts and we feel that is a good use of our less than half-day at the World. Plus Disney Springs is the best place for things to do. They usually have some sort of fun going on, like a dance party for the kids, or performers of some kind. There are fabulous goodies to eat and great shopping. The Guest Services here is the best place to buy tickets and passes because it's hardly ever crowded. You can take care of so many things the night before and then wake up at the crack of dawn, drive to your choice of Disney resort, drop off your luggage with them and start right out for the parks having had a good night's sleep and fun the night before. It's really a great idea to consider, especially if you live in Florida and have your car with you. - Lisa Dunne

EPCOT - In Epcot, keep yourself cool and hydrated by visiting the Coca Cola-sponsored Club Cool. Inside are free samples of sodas from around the world. The two I enjoyed most were the Lychee Mello from Thailand and the Vegitabeta from Japan. - Kathleen Walsh

EPCOT - In Epcot, keep yourself cool and hydrated by visiting the Coca Cola-sponsored Club Cool. Inside are free samples of sodas from around the world. The two I enjoyed most were the Lychee Mello from Thailand and the Vegitabeta from Japan. - Kathleen Walsh