Tips about Epcot, Kids, Magic Kingdom, Souvenirs and Special Events

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.

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

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

As regular visitors (from England) to the World, I know how many Mickey stickers you can be given on one trip. So this year, instead of putting them on our t-shirts, we took all of them home and my 7-year-old son gave them to his classmates as a "vacation present". There were enough for the whole class and they all immediately stuck them on to their homework folders, rather than on their clothes, so they can keep them. It was also a much healthier alternative to the usual sweets that the other children give out after they've been on holiday. - Louise Herrick

ANIMAL KINGDOM - To encourage our children to take some time and enjoy the magnificent Tree of Life, we created a Tree of Life Scavenger Hunt Game. Prior to our trip we created a list of 50 or so animals that we thought might be found on the Tree of Life. We made two copies of the list and then at the Animal Kingdom divided the family into two groups for the game. After deciding on a meeting place and time (20 minutes is plenty) each team travels around the tree marking off animals found. The team with the most animals wins. Note for each minute late, there is a penalty of one animal. Last time, the winning team each got a $10 souvenir. Another time the winning team got to choose the next ride. Have fun! - Diane Parkansky

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

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.

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.

Food & Wine Festival - I wanted to share my tip for managing your money and getting though the Festival lines easier. Decide on a budget for your Food and Wine allowance and put that dollar amount on a Disney Gift Card. Why?

-- It gives you a set limit to spend on food and beverages -- when you empty the card, you are done.

-- It's easier than using snacks off your dining plan. Save those for other days, as the samples you are buying aren't always good dollar exchange for the value of the snack credit. (Of course, it is a good value if you want the expensive, but small lobster roll from the USA booth.).

-- It's lighter than carrying all of those small bills and change, and easier than pulling out $4 here and $2.50 there!.

-- It gets you through the line faster than using cash or credit. You don't have to fumble for that change (or worry about losing your valuable credit card or Key to the World Card) and neither does the CM, you don't have to sign a receipt, give it back and then get a copy in return, and the balance on the card is reflected on the receipt they give you -- so you know exactly how much you have left..

We did this last year and you wouldn't believe the positive response we got from both CMs and guests who asked us about it in line. We put $100 on the card and it got us through most of the kiosks -- we actually were completely full by the time we ran out of money. We didn't drink a lot of wine, but boy did we eat! Wish I could be indulging there with all of you this year! - Nancy J.