Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Mousecellaneous, Rain and Souvenirs

My husband and I like to drive over to Disney Springs and do a movie marathon at the AMC24 theater. If we are at the BoardWalk Villas as DVC members when it is pouring, we try to grab a rocking chair on the deck outside the main lobby, curl up with a book and we have a great view of the lagoon and BoardWalk. - Shelley Bordo-Bracken

We're headed down to the world very soon and we've been looking for ways to cut costs. At home, we've found you can save a lot by drinking water. Well, we find the water in Florida to taste a little funny because of the high content of sulfur so we didn't want to do that, but suddenly I remembered those little drink flavoring packets they have now to put into bottled water. The Crystal Light brand says to mix with 16.9 oz. of water but I've found I can go up to 24 oz. and it still tastes strong enough for me. Kool-Aid also makes the individual packets now for the kids and I noticed several other brands at the store. I can't wait to go down and use these. With drinks costing anywhere from $1.50 to around $5.00, I think this will be a huge savings for us! - Terri Daugherty

When purchasing milk, pay attention to the size and the price. During the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend I discovered at Saratoga Springs Spa & Resort, Artist Palette Restaurant a pint of milk was $1.99 and a quart of milk was $1.75. I bought the quart of milk for myself and my daughter. - Mark A. Carlson

The first thing I do each morning, no matter where I am, is drink an ice cold Diet Pepsi to wake me up. It is the only soda I really like. In Walt Disney World, though, there is not a Pepsi product anywhere. One night my husband even walked from Disney Springs to the Hess Station and they don't even carry any Pepsi products. So if you are like me and only like Diet Pepsi or a Pepsi product of any kind and won't have access to a rental car on your vacation, BRING IT WITH YOU! I wish I had known. I would have packed some in my suitcase and our mornings would have been much more pleasant. - Laurel Sloan

I'm always looking for a way to relive the magic of the parks, so this last trip my family and I purchased a bunch of little inexpensive souvenirs like keychains, magnets, coffee mugs, etc. (A great place to find these is in Disney Springs at Mickey's Mart: Everything $10 and Under.) I left them in the bags, sealed them shut with a Disney sticker, took them home and put them in a box in an out-of-the-way spot. Now every time I need a little Disney Magic I just go to the goodie box, pull out a bag, and it takes me right back to my favorite place in the world. I also made one for my son -- he loves to go to the magic box (as he calls it) and get a Mickey Mouse sucker, a small toy, or a Disney book. You could also decorate the box you put the goodies in. It's a fun craft for you and your child to do together. - Linda Wooden

Take your Hidden Mickey book and head over to a hotel on an adventure looking for them. We were on one of the floors by a room looking for one when a family came out. They were very surprised when we showed them that a Hidden Mickey was right by them. - Sharon Petrow

We bring "Disney games" with us. There is the Disney version of Guess Who, Disney Trivial Pursuit, Uno, Memory and many other board games. We order in room service, play Disney board games and watch Disney movies/TV. We also eat Disney "snacks." Walmart has Disney microwave popcorn, and local dollar stores and Walgreens have Disney candy and fruit snacks. - Christine Mercier

Don't forget to check out activities that might be going on at your resort! One rainy afternoon our extended group of nine gathered at tables in the food court area of the Port Orleans Riverside Resort. We had found tables by the windows and out of the way of people eating a late lunch to enjoy some card playing. We noticed that some Disney staff were setting up tables with an activity and had also brought out a dozen or so chef coats. One of the Cast Members approached our group and invited the kids (all four of them) to come don a chef's coat and join in the activity at the table. Each child got a large Mickey shaped sugar cookie and frosting and decorations to create their own MICKEY! It was a fun activity for the kids and a tasty treat as well! In case you were wondering, it was a free activity! - C. Hesse

Discover the beauty of the resort you are staying in, take a closer look at the lobby decorations, walk around and look out the public viewing areas. Or take a tour of a resort. If your resort has no tours, call the Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge and see if a tour is available. - Wendy from NY

I go resort hopping and go shopping. Each of the gift shops at the different resorts has the standard merchandise; then, as an added bonus, they have merchandise specific to that resort. So far, what I am trying to do is either collect a different beach towel or shirt with the resort's logo on them, or I stop by their snack bars and pick up a soda cup with the resort logo for about 11 dollars. With the mugs, I even have the ones that say Fall 2000, which I got at Epcot. - Debbie Jeffers

If it is after lunch and it looks like it will be a few hours of rain, the best thing to do is head back to the hotel and take a nap! Or, mom gets to do laundry while everyone else naps -- not so fun, but you get to chat with all the other moms in the laundry room about where they are from, what restaurants they ate at and enjoyed, etc. - Mary Ann Devine

Hop on the monorail and head to the Contemporary Resort! Riding the monorail in the rain is an experience in itself. We head to Chef Mickey's for a nice dinner or to The Wave for a quick bite. We always finish the trip with a stroll through the stores and admire the inside of the hotel. My family has enjoyed our "trip to the Contemporary". Cheryl Fer

Put the kids down for a nap and enjoy the short-lived rainstorm from your resort room with a good book! We did that each afternoon with our 1-year-old and 5-year-old. The 5-year-old didn't sleep but he did have some down time enjoying our spacious Ft. Wilderness Cabin. - JJ Marcum

If we have checked the weather and it sounds totally unbearable to go to the parks we plan on sleeping in. Just put on the Do Not Disturb sign and sleep in. When we get up, we order room service and actually sit back and enjoy the morning. After that, we spend the day wandering the other hotels and enjoying seeing what they have to offer. - Gloria Martin

On one of our trips to Disney the best place during the rain was Community Hall (Boardwalk Villas). Near one of the quiet pools is this recreation room that is totally Disney. It is a place that has tons of activities for the kids including: arts and crafts (for a small fee), movies, a ping pong table, a foosball table and video games. My kids love it so much they spend time here during sunny afternoons, too. The Belle Vue Lounge off of the lobby at the Boardwalk has games for you to play including Yahtzee and checkers. They have great couches inside, and right outside on the deck is a great place to sit and watch lightning. - Leanne Hackett