Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom and Special Events

CHRISTMAS - On our last visit to Disney, we booked a 7:30 p.m. dinner at the Sci Fi Dine in Theater. After our meal, the park was ready to close and was almost completely empty. We walked around the corner from the restaurant to the Osborne Lights and to our amazement we practically had the place to ourselves. Music was still playing and the lights seemed to be glowing just for my family and friends. It was magical to stand there in the radiance of those lights and the holiday spirit was certainly upon us. - Eileen Fuzer from NJ

CHRISTMAS - Our favorite way to see the Osborne Lights is to spend the afternoon at the Hollywood Studios. Make an Advance Dining Reservation at either Mama Melrose or The Hollywood Brown Derby and enjoy the rest of the afternoon riding our favorite rides or seeing a couple of shows. About 30 minutes before the scheduled lighting, head over to the Streets of America Backlot area and stand near the Muppet Vision/Star Tours end of the street. Enjoy all the dancing lights and music. Stay in this general area for a while until the crowds thin a bit. Get some hot chocolate in a souvenir mug and have a good time watching the people watching the lights. If you wait for about 30 minutes after the lights start, you should have no problem walking through the rest of the display without any trouble. Happy Holidays! - Debbie Wills (not Deb Wills!)

CHRISTMAS - This tip is helpful any time of year, but for Christmas season we use red and green glow sticks or necklaces and tie them to our stroller to help us find it a little easier in the dark! We used pink for my daughter's birthday visit while at the Pirate & Princess Party. Any added touch to personalize your stroller is helpful, especially when the strollers are moved around while you are on the ride (the stroller parking in Fantasyland is always busy and the cast members constantly keep things organized to run smoothly). - Suzanne from NH

Blogger Kristin Ford shares the following tips for navigating Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party:

-- Guests can collect their special Christmas Party Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom cards beginning at 4 p.m. if they have their party wristbands. Get this done early so you don't forget and then save it for another day at the Magic Kingdom when you're not trying to get to all the party entertainment.

-- Club Tinsel, the dance party inside Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, typically does not get very crowded, so it's the perfect place to take a break from crowds or from waiting for other entertainment. You could even pick up hot chocolate and peppermint bark cookies at the nearby Lunching Pad and sit at one of the many tables in the restaurant.

-- The Magic Kingdom continues to offer allergy-friendly and healthy snack alternatives to those who prefer to skip the cookies. In the past, individual packets of apple slices and apple juice were available at each station upon request.

-- If you want to see new Zootopia characters Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, get in line before the party officially starts at 7 p.m. Reports from the first week of the parties say the pair began greeting guests early, as long as you have your party wristband. At the very least, you'll save party time by getting what are sure to be long lines out of the way before most holiday entertainment starts.

Be sure to check out Kristin's blog for more tips and for what's new for 2016 at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

MVMCP - AllEars offers some tips:

-- Take advantage of the 4 p.m. entry into the Magic Kingdom. Your Christmas Party ticket will get you into the park, no need to use a day on your general admission tickets.

-- Watch the Castle Lighting Ceremony shortly after dusk (check your guide map for the time).

-- Take advantage of the special Character photo opportunities that seem to change each year. 2016 includes Zootopia's Nick and Judy, Sandy Claws, all 7 of the Dwarfs, Princesses with their Prince. -- The Treat Stations have special gluten-free and sugar-free cookies available upon request. You can also get sugar-free hot chocolate.

-- There is a new castle show - Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration.

-- Find someplace other than Main Street (which gets very crowded) to watch the parade, which begins in Frontierland.

-- Attraction wait times are generally lower later in the evening.

Epcot - Let me start by saying, like so many others, I always look forward to your newsletter. After reading one of the "tips" this week, I was reminded of a really special Father's Day gift we did for my husband the last time we were in Disney. (Father's Day just happened to be during our trip) I purchased a khaki hat with the little Mickey on the front and we took it to every country in Epcot and had them write "Happy Father's Day" in their native language. They were all more than happy to do it for us & thought it was the neatest idea they ever saw. Now there is a special keepsake for my Disney loving hubby! - Sheri H.

Epcot - Let me start by saying, like so many others, I always look forward to your newsletter. After reading one of the "tips" this week, I was reminded of a really special Father's Day gift we did for my husband the last time we were in Disney. (Father's Day just happened to be during our trip) I purchased a khaki hat with the little Mickey on the front and we took it to every country in Epcot and had them write "Happy Father's Day" in their native language. They were all more than happy to do it for us & thought it was the neatest idea they ever saw. Now there is a special keepsake for my Disney loving hubby! - Sheri H.

MNSSHP - If you are going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and are usually the type who does NOT stake out a place for the parade, make an exception for this party. We got a spot in Frontierland just as they were putting up the ropes for the second parade. For the next half hour we watched the "people parade" going by and it was great fun to see all of the costumes worn by guests as they passed by. And make sure you watch the gravediggers behind the Haunted Mansion float. They were the highlight of the parade for us. - Sue VanVleet

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

My kids, ages 7 and 9, take me to Disney World for a three-day weekend about six times a year. Through our many trips, we have come to learn that it's necessary for us to have enough energy to enjoy ourselves and eat as healthy as possible. It also cuts down on the whining that occurs when kids are bored and tired and hungry, and saves us some money as well. As a routine, each night each kid packs himself parent-approved snack bags, brought from home or bought in the gift store, divided up into those little snack bags (fruit roll-ups, Chip n' Dale pretzels, raisins, grapes, etc.). My kids are usually OK with about four to six little snacks apiece. The kids are then responsible for their own fanny pack all day and can help themselves to what snack they want when they want without whining or fighting or arguing. I keep additional snack baggies in my purse for those times when we indulge in some Cheetohs or chips in the park so the kids can share more easily or save for later. It works well for us!! - Ellen Holbrook

Another place that serves real coffee (including espresso drinks) is the walk-up window at Pepper Market at the Coronado Springs Resort. The latte I ordered there was actually larger and cheaper than the one I usually get at my local Starbucks. - Anne Hickling

Food & Wine Festival - We just came back from WDW and wanted to let your readers know that you can use the snack option to pay for food at the Epcot Food and Wine festival. We used all of our snack options as we made our way around the countires and were so full that we didn't need to use our table service credit for dinner. We saved it for our last day and enjoyed lunch at the Coral Reef. It really worked out well because we always have extra snack credits that we need to use up on our last day. - Jackie Davidson

For your vegetarian readers -- We had dinner last week at the Garden Grill at the Land in Epcot, and I was talking with our server about vegetarian options. Usually I request a child's dinner in addition to the usual family style fare (even though we travel without kids), because it gives me a few more side dishes to snack on. However, the server told me that they are now serving a vegetable couscous for those who want a vegetarian option. He said they had just started offering it. I'm not usually a fan of couscous, but it was wonderful! I also still sampled the sides from the regular dinner plates. I definitely felt like I had a healthier dinner, instead of just filling up on mashed potatoes and mac and cheese! - Shelley

On our way out of the park, my daughter and I spied a silhouette cart down a side alley of Main Street, USA. It was after midnight, but the young woman was still doing silhouettes. We hurried over and she cheerily did one more silhouette for us. We were done in about 15 minutes, and for only about $15 including a frame, I think it's one of the best and most unique souvenirs at Walt Disney World. It's a special keepsake for my 9-year-old daughter of our fun marathon day at Magic Kingdom. - Natalie H.