Tips about Epcot and Keep The Magic Alive

ALL PARKS - I am from Colorado where we are on Mountain Time. In addition to feeling like it is two hours earlier when we are in Florida, we let our kids stay up later on vacation. This works out really well for Extra Magic Evening Hours. We were recently at the Magic Kingdom where the Extra Magic Evening Hours were from 9 p.m. to midnight. For us, it felt like 7 to 10 p.m. During that time, we went on all the kiddie rides with our 3- and 4-year olds with absolutely no lines! We were able to save the hot afternoons for the pool rather than waiting in lines. - Laura Moos

ALL PARKS - I am from Colorado where we are on Mountain Time. In addition to feeling like it is two hours earlier when we are in Florida, we let our kids stay up later on vacation. This works out really well for Extra Magic Evening Hours. We were recently at the Magic Kingdom where the Extra Magic Evening Hours were from 9 p.m. to midnight. For us, it felt like 7 to 10 p.m. During that time, we went on all the kiddie rides with our 3- and 4-year olds with absolutely no lines! We were able to save the hot afternoons for the pool rather than waiting in lines. - Laura Moos

Magic Kingdom and Epcot - My family and I just got back from Disney on June 8. We had a great time, but something I found very useful was that when we got to the park (around 11 a.m. -- we let the kids sleep in since we were at the park late the night before) the line for the monorail and ferryboat to Magic Kingdom was backed up to the ticket booths! So instead of wasting 30-45 minutes waiting to get on the monorail, we hopped over to Epcot since there was no line at all. We had 1:00 p.m. reservations at Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom, but we had enough time to see Turtle Talk with Crush (kids loved it!) and take a family shot in front of Spaceship Earth. This is definitely worth doing instead of standing on line. - Pamela Matzner

Magic Kingdom and Epcot - My family and I just got back from Disney on June 8. We had a great time, but something I found very useful was that when we got to the park (around 11 a.m. -- we let the kids sleep in since we were at the park late the night before) the line for the monorail and ferryboat to Magic Kingdom was backed up to the ticket booths! So instead of wasting 30-45 minutes waiting to get on the monorail, we hopped over to Epcot since there was no line at all. We had 1:00 p.m. reservations at Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom, but we had enough time to see Turtle Talk with Crush (kids loved it!) and take a family shot in front of Spaceship Earth. This is definitely worth doing instead of standing on line. - Pamela Matzner

ALL PARKS - I have been to Disney many times and always carry a bag of some sort with me for sunscreen, wallets, camera, ponchos, and other things of that nature. I found that a clear backpack will get you through the line at the security checkpoint quicker than it normally takes. Since security can see through the backpack they normally do not have to open it up. If you are worried about everyone seeing what you have in the clear backpack, than all you have to do is take a hand towel and pull it out before the security check point and, once through, place it in the backpack so that everything that you have cannot be easily seen. It also helps if you get a little wet and need to dry off. - Kelly Henrichsen

ALL PARKS - We put small inexpensive inflatable bath pillows (about $.79 to $1.50 at most drugstores) in our parkpacks. When we go to see a show on a hard wooden or steel bench, or are stuck with only a concrete curbside seat to view the parade, we take out our pillows, blow them up, and voila -- a nice soft cushie for our tushie! - Michele Abbamondi

Epcot - I just wanted to let people with younger children know that Epcot is a great place to go with the younger set. My friends avoid this park with smaller kids thinking that it's over their heads! We went in January and found that to be completely untrue. In fact, that was our 5-year-old's favorite park! We found tons of characters that had hardly any lines, and both our kids (the other one is age 2) loved the countries' Kidcot stations. They loved having a mission to get to every station, and enjoyed all the sights and experiences along the way! - Janelle Kreiling

Epcot - I just wanted to let people with younger children know that Epcot is a great place to go with the younger set. My friends avoid this park with smaller kids thinking that it's over their heads! We went in January and found that to be completely untrue. In fact, that was our 5-year-old's favorite park! We found tons of characters that had hardly any lines, and both our kids (the other one is age 2) loved the countries' Kidcot stations. They loved having a mission to get to every station, and enjoyed all the sights and experiences along the way! - Janelle Kreiling

We pop some popcorn, have the kids put on their favorite Disney costumes or mouse ears, and watch the home video from our previous trips! We can "ride" Goofy's Barnstormer right in the living room, sing along with "it's a small world," or remember the first time our daughter met Cinderella. Our favorite magic moment to relive is when Peter Pan stepped over to us during Spectromagic. He leaned down to the kids (and the camera) and said "Second star to the right and on til morning. I'll see you in Neverland. Toodles!" Also, look for Hidden Mickeys everywhere in life. My 3- and 5-year-olds are obsessed with Hidden Mickeys, and maybe it even sharpens their observation skills. (If not, it's still fun!) - Jennifer Shepard

Pining away this morning for WDW after our all too short holiday visit, I whipped up a batch of pancakes for the kids (and me!!!)in the shape of Mickey heads, just like at WDW. The kids were surpised and thrilled to start the day with a Hidden Mickey breakfast and we had a great time talking about our favorite part of the trip! The cakes were so easy, just some packaged pancake mix, and a little care on the griddle using a large spoon to make the ears and a 1/4 cup measure for the larger circle. Just make sure to use two spatulas to lift and flip, as the ears will fall of if you're not quick enough! - Stephanie Logan

I was reading the tip in last week's newsletter about the family that was between trips and "built" their own Magic Kingdom and Disney Studios. Our family, too, was sad between trips and then I found the "Magic Kingdom Game," available only at Toys R Us. It's actually the California Magic Kingdom, but it worked for us. It is a game where you travel around the park and visit "attractions," get Mickey's autograph, and have fun remembering your fun time there. I would definitely recommend this game to any family missing the magic! - JJ Marcum

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

ALL PARKS - If you have kids, bring a change of clothing for them to the parks! I know this must seem like something everyone knows, but we didn't! During our first trip ever to WDW last December my then 4-year-old daughter found the water sprinklers at Pooh's Playful Spot in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. She went in to play and the next thing I knew she was soaked from the water! It was tough, too, because it was a tad chilly and we didn't bring a change of clothing for her. Finding young kids' clothes at Disney is not easy! I did manage to get a pair of Mickey sweatpants, a T-shirt and a pair of socks for my daughter at one of the shops in Fantasyland. So my tip is to bring a change of clothes even for the 4-5 year olds! - Jennifer K.

I've found a perfect way to keep the magic going from my long ago trip to WDW and get my daily dose of Disney at the same time. I tune to MouseWorld Radio on Live365.com. I'm able to listen at work and be transported to WDW. Listening to the Magic Kingdom atmosphere music always puts me in a happy mood! - Donia Camarena

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks, Donia! We love MouseWorld Radio, too! And a big ALL EARS® hello to MouseWorld Radio's Mike Newell!

My husband and I were in Disney World last month and we took with us pins of our city. We know that Cast Members can only trade Disney pins, but we gave out our pins to Cast Members who made our trip extra magical. It was a great way to show our appreciation and a good conversation piece, too. The smiles on the faces of the Cast Members made us feel like we, too, had spread some Disney magic. - Sue from Pittsburgh