Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage, Packing and Planning

We think one of the "hidden secrets" at Walt Disney World is The Wave restaurant at the Contemporary Resort. As a person with a variety of health problems, and always looking for the healthiest thing to eat, I found that this restaurant had the best and tastiest selection of healthy food anywhere. The multi-grain bread is out of this world, especially when used for the lunch Reuben. Not only that, but there are discounts for Disney Vacation Club members and no problems getting a table, especially for lunch. This is a great place for a break from the parks or just a special visit to the wonderful Contemporary Resort. - Helen Phelps

We had the free dining plan during our visit to the World in August (as did 90% of all guests, according to a cast member). Due to some poor planning and indecisiveness, we were unable to get any dining reservations during our stay. However, we did eat very well. We walked into every restaurant of our choice and waited less than 15 minutes! Only 30 minutes in Canada. The trick is that we planned our meals for either the opening time of the restaurant or 2 to 4 p.m. Plenty of tables are available at those times. - Joanne

Free Dining is sometimes offered with a resort package. My trip dates didn't include all of the free dining dates. I called Disney reservations to ask how I could take advantage of the free dining that is being offered and got a wonderful agent who checked into it for me. When she came back on the line, she had booked my trip for free dining for all 10 days. My tip is even if your dates are only partially covered, CALL! You may be able to get the whole trip included. It definitely made for a magical day in my house. - Stefanie

I just returned from WDW and found a great place on the Disney bus route to get water without having to take a city bus to Goodings. The Hess Mart across from Disney Springs West Side (Planet Hollywood) sells 24 17-oz. bottles of water for $4.99 (as well as other beverages). Take the DTD bus to the West Side stop and walk across the street to the Hess Mart. The DTD buses only stop at the West Side starting at 11 a.m. (which was something I didn't know). Thanks to the bellman at Saratoga Springs for the tip about the water. - pnazareth1

Restaurant.com currently has several restaurants at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels in their system, as well as House of Blues. Garden Grove, Shula's Steakhouse, Kimonos, Il Mulino New York Trattoria, and Todd English's bluezoo are all in there. You can get a $25 gift certificate for $10 (less if you search for a current promo code) and the certificates never expire. Make sure to read the restrictions on minimum purchase and days of the week they are valid, but overall these are a great deal! We use them at home all the time -- glad to know we can use them on vacation, too! - Tracy Roth

I had only visited WDW in January, November or December, so when I made my first hot summertime trip I didn't realize just how hot I would get. So here's my tip: pack twice the underthings you think you should. Coming back from the parks to rest midday may mean a quick dip in the pool or a quick shower and nap, but one thing is certain, you don't want to put on those same wet undergarments you just took off and they won't have had time to dry. So by the third day you have to do a load of wash already. If I had packed twice as many, I would have been able to wait until the sixth day of the trip to do some laundry. And laundry is not something that is high on my priority list when I'm in the "World." - Cheryl Hotard

I always pack extra large plastic zipper baggies to bring home wet bathing suits. I also pack plastic hangers, the ones that come with items from the stores, regular ones for bathing suits and ones with the clips for trunks. These let bathing suits dry quicker than flipping them over the shower rod. - Sue Pletsch

In order to cut down on food expenses, I always bring my crockpot along when we drive to Florida. I mix up dinner before we leave our condo for the day. When we return supper is done! I have also found make-ahead breakfast casseroles that cook in the crock while we sleep. If we eat a hearty breakfast we usually only need to eat one meal at the parks. - Theresa Denton

YACHT CLUB - Just returned from a stay at the Yacht Club resort and found that the Ale and Compass Lounge serves a continental breakfast each morning. Muffins, croissants, fruit, cereal & milk, juices, coffee and more. I stumbled upon this on my first morning and was pleased to see that I didn't have to go to the Beach Club or Boardwalk to get a quick breakfast. - Ruthie White

ALL PARKS - We have gone down to Walt Disney World 24 times and are looking forward to going again in November. My tip is that when you go, always take a break where there is a water feature. If you are over-warm, they will help cool you off and if you are not then the sound helps relax and focus your mind so you can enjoy the rest of your day. At Magic Kingdom, the best one is right next to the Splash Mountain ride. If you don't want to get wet, step back. In Epcot, they are all over. They are in every park and various places, so ENJOY. - Dana Lind

EDITOR'S NOTE: The water features Dana refers to include the various fountains, water play areas, and misters found around the parks, such as the squirting Tiki Gods in Magic Kingdom's Adventureland or the Cool Wash mister near Test Track in Epcot.

Magic Kingdom - On our May 2010 trip to WDW we ate, as always, at Pecos Bill's at the Magic Kingdom. We always order the veggie burgers. The cast member gave us our tray with only our drinks and sides. She told us the burgers were being prepared at the "Fixin's Bar" and we needed to go there to pick them up. The reason given was that they are prepared on a separate grill, away from meat, making them totally vegan. Other counter service restaurants which grill them in the kitchen told us they always use a separate grill. - Jeannie B.

Epcot - My husband and I recently learned of something called the "Wine Walk" at Epcot. For $20 you can purchase a passport at the France, Germany or Italy wine shops. The passport allows you to taste six different wines (two per country). The passport lists the two specific wines in each country. What is unique about the Wine Walk is that you do not have to use the whole passport in one trip. You can try a few and then save the rest for a future trip if you like. Each wine is a two-ounce pour, but Germany seems to be the only country that was very strict on this. Italy and France were a bit more liberal with their pours. Our favorite country for the tastings was Italy. Even though you only get about two ounces per taste, we felt it was a pretty good bargain as we would have paid about $35 if we bought each pour individually. - Tiffany Harmon

Epcot - My husband and I recently learned of something called the "Wine Walk" at Epcot. For $20 you can purchase a passport at the France, Germany or Italy wine shops. The passport allows you to taste six different wines (two per country). The passport lists the two specific wines in each country. What is unique about the Wine Walk is that you do not have to use the whole passport in one trip. You can try a few and then save the rest for a future trip if you like. Each wine is a two-ounce pour, but Germany seems to be the only country that was very strict on this. Italy and France were a bit more liberal with their pours. Our favorite country for the tastings was Italy. Even though you only get about two ounces per taste, we felt it was a pretty good bargain as we would have paid about $35 if we bought each pour individually. - Tiffany Harmon

Epcot - My husband and I recently learned of something called the "Wine Walk" at Epcot. For $20 you can purchase a passport at the France, Germany or Italy wine shops. The passport allows you to taste six different wines (two per country). The passport lists the two specific wines in each country. What is unique about the Wine Walk is that you do not have to use the whole passport in one trip. You can try a few and then save the rest for a future trip if you like. Each wine is a two-ounce pour, but Germany seems to be the only country that was very strict on this. Italy and France were a bit more liberal with their pours. Our favorite country for the tastings was Italy. Even though you only get about two ounces per taste, we felt it was a pretty good bargain as we would have paid about $35 if we bought each pour individually. - Tiffany Harmon

Epcot - My husband and I recently learned of something called the "Wine Walk" at Epcot. For $20 you can purchase a passport at the France, Germany or Italy wine shops. The passport allows you to taste six different wines (two per country). The passport lists the two specific wines in each country. What is unique about the Wine Walk is that you do not have to use the whole passport in one trip. You can try a few and then save the rest for a future trip if you like. Each wine is a two-ounce pour, but Germany seems to be the only country that was very strict on this. Italy and France were a bit more liberal with their pours. Our favorite country for the tastings was Italy. Even though you only get about two ounces per taste, we felt it was a pretty good bargain as we would have paid about $35 if we bought each pour individually. - Tiffany Harmon