Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage and Travel By Car

EPCOT - Take a look at the beautiful fountain outside the Imagination pavilion, it's slightly out of the ordinary. It's actually a *reverse* waterfall, with the water flowing up! Just watch it!

My sister, Mom, 2 year old niece and 7 year old nephew made the trip WDW by car. I suggested, to get us in the mood for our vacation, that we play a game that was WDW based. We started with the letter A in the alphabet and everyone in the car named something at WDW that started with A ~ everything from Aladdin to Alligator was mentioned. Then we went to B and on and on until we were through the entire alphabet. We found this game to be so fun that we played it 3 more times. This really made the trip a lot shorter for all and got everyone in a magical mood. It is easy enough for any age to play and you will be surprised with some of the things you can come up with. - Tammy Barton

As great as zipper-top bags are for holding snacks, you might want to think about hard plastic storage containers for them or something equally sturdy. I've witnessed a squirrel literally rip a hole in a reusable supermarket bag to get at the chips inside, no matter how many times we shooed him away. Anytime you're in a show or a ride with a long line the squirrels and birds have PLENTY of time to mess with your stuff that you've left in your stroller or scooter. - Aren

Want some help passing the time while traveling? Try Puzzlemaker from Discovery.com. (http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/ ) You can make your own crosswords, word searches, math puzzles, and tons more! They can be easy or tough, and you can print them directly from the site or import them into a spreadsheet so you can add graphics for a bit of fun. I've made word searches easy enough for my kindergarten-aged daughter and hard enough for my grandmother.

On a family trip to WDW in 2002, our minivan A/C went out. We tried for one day of 100-degree heat to tough it out. I finally gave in to the pleading of the family and called Midas in Kissimmee. I found the price was about the same as getting it repaired at home. Also by getting the work done at a nationwide company the warranty was good anywhere. National companies allowed us to ride home in A/C comfort, and the work was done in one day. - David Jackson

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

The portions at full service restaurants are typically very large. We order 1 or 2 appetizers and a dessert, or one entree and one appetizer and share. We get plenty to eat and save quite a bit on the food budget. In addition, there are no leftovers to tote around the park! - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you bywww.themouseforless.com and Mickey Birt

If you have the Disney Trivia game, you can take a few packs of trivia cards with you to Disney. Some of you may have a long road trip ahead of you, so the Disney trivia cards help you pass the time. You don't need the game board. Take a few stacks of cards and put them in a Ziploc bag.

Even if you fly to WDW, pack a stack of trivia cards anyway. Unless you're in a dark queue like Pirates of the Caribbean, you can pass a long wait quickly with trivia, and you may get an added side benefit... new friends in the queue line grateful for the diversion, too! - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Lori Wagner

If you like a big breakfast, the best deal in the parks is at the Trail's End Buffeteria at Fort Wilderness. It has the same general menu as many of the other buffets, but no characters, plus the price is only $15.99 per adult! Also, if you want the food at Hoop-De-Doo and don't want to pay $50+ per person to go, the supper menu at Trail's End is EXACTLY the same food for about $23 per adult. - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Mickey Birt

If you're driving to Florida, try audio books. You can borrow them from your library. Or, buy them from Cracker Barrel, keep the receipt, and return it to any Cracker Barrel when you're finished. They'll refund you the purchase price less $3 for each week you've had the book. You can find Cracker Barrel locations on your way at http://www.crackerbarrel.com/trip.cfm?doc_id=47/ Books on tape can also be rented at www.booksontape.com/ - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and its "List Mom", Binnie Betten

Save money by ordering water instead of sodas when you dine. It's better for you, and the savings can allow you to purchase one or more desserts to split. Everyone knows Disney has great desserts! - Jane

Bring a soft-sided cooler for your room and fill it with ice from the ice machines to keep beverages and food cold. If you use large zip-top bags to hold the ice, you will keep the contents dry and make it easier to change the ice. This is a way you can keep the fixings for a quick, inexpensive breakfast in the room, and beer or wine for the evening. - Daisimae

If you are driving to WDW, think about getting a small combination TV/DVD to entertain the kids -- watching Disney movies during the trip will get everyone in the spirit! - Laura B.

We like to do the character meals not only for the characters, but for the food as well. Many of the meals are buffet style, and that's great for children (and hungry men!). You know up front what it's going to cost. You're not limited to choosing one entree, and you don't need to wait to be served. The entertainment is just the "icing on the cake"! To me, these are plenty of reasons to do more than one character meal. It really makes you feel like you're in Disney!- Angela