Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom, Rental Car and Souvenirs

If you're on a tight schedule and want to be seated as close to your ADR time as possible, it may be best to make reservations for earlier rather than later. On our trip this month, I noticed that the later our dinner reservation was, the longer it took to get seated. This becomes even worse if it rains. People already seated for their meal do not finish and leave the restaurant as quickly when they know it's raining outside. - Collette

Epcot - If the crowds are large and you didn't get to a good spot three hours early to watch IllumiNations, there is a restroom as you enter Norway. Across from the restrooms is a bench that provides a nice place to sit and watch IllumiNations. You can't see everything, but you're away from the crowds and you can see the globe and fireworks away from everyone on a comfy spot. - Anthony

Epcot - If the crowds are large and you didn't get to a good spot three hours early to watch IllumiNations, there is a restroom as you enter Norway. Across from the restrooms is a bench that provides a nice place to sit and watch IllumiNations. You can't see everything, but you're away from the crowds and you can see the globe and fireworks away from everyone on a comfy spot. - Anthony

If you're a AAA member, bring your card and ask about available discounts at restaurants. Some places outside the parks, like Earl of Sandwich at Disney Springs and Fresh at the Walt Disney World Dolphin, offer a better discount for AAA members than they do for AP holders or DVC members. - Laura Gilbreath

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a healthy breakfast alternative, try the oatmeal at Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom. It's a generous serving of oatmeal topped with fresh crisp chunks of apple, golden raisins, Craisins, and brown sugar. And at only $2.79 it's quite a bargain! - Laura Gilbreath

Don't go immediately to the t-shirts for your kids. Look at oversized sleep shirts instead. They'll still fit years later, while a regular t-shirt may not fit in a few months. In fact, my dad bought me one back when I was 12. I'm 21 now and still sleep in it! (Mickey glows in the dark. It's very cool.) - Lauren

Magic Kingdom - Be sure you catch "The Magic, The Memories, and You!" light show projected on the front of the castle in Magic Kingdom! It was one of the most amazing things I have seen in my many trips to Disney World. I was surprised it wasn't highlighted more and it was scheduled at off times (9:45 and 10:35 p.m.) when we were visiting. - William Sharp

Just want to add one note about car rental regarding the Sunpass. We have Fast Lane, the New England version, which can be used in other states. When we go away we bring it with us, and once the car is rented, simply log into our account on the Fast Lane website and add the rental car to our account. Get the benefits of zipping through the autolane without the rental company's fees. - Mike B.

ALL PARKS - On water rides use one-gallon freezer bags over your shoes and socks. (You can zip them shut right around the lower part of your leg.) Keeps your shoes and socks dry and they are easy to fold up and carry until the next water ride. - Dennis Garwood

Kudos to Mike Scopa for the very detailed article about car rentals in Walt Disney World (AllEars® Issue #615, July 5, 2011). As a professional road-warrior who has to rely on rental cars on a weekly basis, I'm intimately familiar with how the car-renting game works and I was very impressed at the thoroughness of his report. I would like to add a few more items to the list of things to consider when renting cars.

-- Check if your employer has a corporate rate with a particular car company. This could amount to more savings.

-- Some rental cars come equipped with SunPass for the toll roads. However, if you use that option instead of paying tolls with cash, the rental place may charge you an extra fee on top of the price of the toll.

-- This was implied in the article, but just to be clear. If you do not pre-pay for gas and forget to fill up before returning it, the rental place will charge you per gallon, at a much steeper price. So, unless stopping for gas will make you late for your flight, make sure to fill up!

-- Before you sign the rental contract, make sure to walk around the car and note any significant damages (quarter-sized dents, scratches more than 6 inches long) to the rental agent so they can mark those down on your contract. At an airport in San Francisco this week, an agent told me he had already walked around and inspected the car, but failed to notice a huge dent on the back bumper until I pointed it out. - Patricia O.

I just read the problem Denise Schlawin had with items melting in her family's luggage in the car. Don't forget that even if your room is not ready, you can check your bags with Bell Services at your resort. They will hold your luggage as long as you need them to. When your room is ready and you get back to your resort, go to the Bell Services desk and ask them to bring your luggage up to your room. It's better than 1) having items melt and possibly ruining clothing and 2) getting to your room THEN calling down to have the luggage brought up and waiting. We've waited for as long as an hour for our luggage, and have found going directly to the Bell Services desk to have the luggage brought up, they almost follow you directly to your room! - Elizabeth Kozdron

We recently returned from our trip to WDW! Such fun! We arrived early in the day, checked into our resort and headed straight for the parks. We left our luggage in the car and decided to unload it later on. We returned later in the day after temperatures in the 90s to find that several items had melted in the heat. Our deodorant and lip balms had melted and the packages of fruit snacks were melted into a giant "blob." My advice is to make sure to put anything that melts in a separate zipper-top bag and put it in a cooler. - Denise Schlawin

We have been Disney Vacation Club members since 2004 and have been staying in villas since, often times for 7-14 nights. Finally, during this last trip it dawned on me that it would be really nice to have magnets to put on the fridge to hold park hour schedules, ADR schedule, etc. So we did manage to find some magnets that we loved and used them for the remainder of our time. It made it so much easier for all to be able to see the ADR schedule along with park hours! Now I have added those magnets to future packing lists! - Lisa Fredsbo

I just finished reading Mike Scopa's feature about car rentals during a Disney World vacation. It is much-needed information, as I found out last year when planning my family's most recent trip. We spent six nights at Pop Century Resort and then took the three-night Disney Cruise. The cost of Disney transportation from our resort to Port Canaveral was extremely prohibitive and the thought of loading all of our luggage onto a Disney bus to get to the "moderate" hotels to rent an Alamo car was unappealing! The solution came from Enterprise Rent a Car. Their advertising slogan is "We'll pick you up!" and that they did. I made our reservation prior to arriving in FL and then called the morning of check-out and they came to pick up my husband to rent the car. It was very convenient and did not cost anything additional. Thank you for all the amazing information about everything Disney, you made our trip the, "trip of a lifetime!" and I would not have been able to do it without you! - Stephanie Lundgren Parker

In response to Mike Scopa's excellent article, I take one more step when renting a car. Knowing for sure that I am headed to the World for a vacation, I immediately make a car reservation for the best deal I can find. Check back often after that as prices will fluctuate like airline prices (though usually not as much) and better deals can sometimes be had. You can cancel a reservation easily with no penalties if you find a better deal later. - Mike Nowicki