Tips about Epcot, Kids, Mousecellaneous, Planning, Resorts and Special Needs

I purchased an all-inclusive 12-day package for Disney World in November 2010 for travel in March 2011. The total cost of the package including airfare was approximately $9,000. In addition, I purchased the Travel Insurance for $134. We had an extreme family medical emergency five days into our trip and had to fly home. Not only were Disney cast members helpful and understanding, right down to providing us with a voucher for cab fare to the airport, the Disney Travel Company made all the arrangements for our travel home. Disney Travel Company also called me a few days later to help me file a claim for trip interruption reimbursement and for the reimbursement of airfare and medical expenses. I was reimbursed approximately $7,000 in expenses that I would have spent additionally if I had not purchased the travel insurance. The $134 I spent on the travel insurance was the wisest investment I have ever made. I highly recommend purchasing Disney's Travel Insurance when purchasing a Disney package. - deAnna Hellstrom

I wanted to make our family reunion trip special for all involved. Six months before we were to go to Disney World I bought everyone matching T-shirts. I figured we could all wear them one day in the parks. I had buttons made and also a refrigerator magnet that was inscribed with "Our Trip to Disney World 2007." Each family also received a Disney guidebook so everyone could be a part of the planning. Some of our family had never been before. But... the tip I really want to share is to keep the magic alive even after the trip. I decided to make up a 25-question trivia contest and send it to everyone in our party after we returned home. The questions consisted of different aspects of our trip... for example: "What was the name of the director who performed as a street performer in Disney's Hollywood Studios?"; "What ride did we go on first after we entered Magic Kingdom?"; "Where did we all eat for lunch in Animal Kingdom?"; "What section did we sit in when we watched Fantasmic?", etc.

I had a great time making the questions up. I also bought a 2007 Disney magnet before I left. That was the prize for the person who got the most answers correct. My whole family had a lot of fun receiving this in the mail a couple of weeks later (we're spread out between the U.S. and Canada). Not only did they enjoy answering the questions to see if they would win but it also brought back all the wonderful memories of our trip! This certainly made the magic last a little longer. - Heather Willis

We discovered this year a wonderful solution to the problem of shoes and socks getting soaked during trips to WDW during "rainy season." Instead of tennis shoes, wear "Crocs." Don't buy the knock offs you see at Target, etc., because they are not comfortable for walking so much. The original Crocs (although expensive, they are less expensive than good tennis shoes) are rubbery and extremely comfortable. The more you wear them the more comfortable they become because they seem to "mold" to your feet. Rain water washes off of them and your feet remain dry and comfortable. Disney even offers their own Crocs with Mickey holes instead of round ones. They are about $5.00 more than the Crocs in the stores, but we think they are worth it! LOL! - Laura Lester

If you do decide to go in summer (we went in August), take an extra pair of shoes. Afternoon showers can be mini flash floods. We put on ponchos, but streets flooded and our shoes were soaked. I held the dryer door shut for an hour at the Wilderness Lodge because the tumbling sneakers kept popping it open. The Disney magic was that I wasn't the only one. There were several of us having a good time laughing about the situation and comparing days and experiences. - CassyDix EDITOR'S NOTE: It's always a good idea to bring an extra pair of walking shoes/sneakers to Disney. If it looks like it might rain, put on your older or more waterproof shoes leaving the better/drier pair in the room. Sneakers DO take a while to dry but you can stuff them with newspaper and use the room hair dryer to help speed things up.

We spent six days in the parks at Disney with three kids, 2, 5, and 7 years old. Late in our vacation, after several days of standing in line with grumpy, hot and tired kids, we figured out that if you get a frozen treat and take a break it makes the world of difference and extends the day. Toward the end we took two breaks to fight the 90-degree heat, but those were the smoothest days we had. It was well worth the cost of a frozen pop or five. - Tim Prouty

I especially like the calendar creator at www.disney.go.com/magicartist/index_main.html! It was great to mark our Disney trip and count down the days! - Jacqueline

Fort Wilderness - When I took my son over to Fort Wilderness for an afternoon pony ride, we were so disappointed when he couldn't ride because he was wearing open-toed sandals. It is required that kids wear closed-toe shoes to ride the ponies at Fort Wilderness. - Robin Jones

EDITOR'S NOTE: Parents should also wear closed-toe shoes.

Fort Wilderness - When I took my son over to Fort Wilderness for an afternoon pony ride, we were so disappointed when he couldn't ride because he was wearing open-toed sandals. It is required that kids wear closed-toe shoes to ride the ponies at Fort Wilderness. - Robin Jones

EDITOR'S NOTE: Parents should also wear closed-toe shoes.

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

My husband has to wear glasses every day of his life. He has a pretty strong prescription and cannot wear contacts on a regular basis, because they really bother his eyes. On a previous trip to Disney, he wore his glasses as usual, but had difficulty getting the 3-D glasses to fit over his prescription lenses. This caused him not to be able to see any 3-D effects in the attractions throughout the park. On our visit in April of this year, he wore daily disposable contacts, which he can do for about a week or so without having a problem. He was able to wear the 3-D glasses and see all of the 3-D effects like the rest of the audience. He really enjoyed these attractions this time. It also seemed to help him if we could sit as close to the middle of the theater as we could get. Since he wore the contacts, he was also able to wear normal sunglasses and did not have to keep switching between his prescription glasses and his prescription sunglasses all day. - Angie Hashemi

Being an eye doctor, I thought I would add some advice concerning the 3-D movies in the Disney parks. If you are monocular (one eyed), then you can't see true 3-D or if you have amblopia (lazy eye), your depth perception will be greatly reduced. We must have binocular vision to take full advantage of 3-D in stereo vision. Therefore, if you have these eye conditions, you might as well go ride Peter Pan while your family enjoys the show! - Scott Keating

If you are going to Disney to celebrate a wedding, I have some suggestions of what to bring from home. I was told to bring white chalk just in case the bride's dress gets [dirtied] by the seagulls. (It happened to my niece at a beach wedding.) My daughter-in-law used the chalk when something spilled on her dress, but other options include Wite-Out or a Tide to Go pen. Another good idea is to pack a needle and thread in case buttons are loose on tuxes, etc. - Jean

Yacht and Beach Club - If you're staying at the Beach or Yacht Club and walking to and from Epcot here's a hint to make your trip easier. Most folks walk up over the ferry bridge. For two older adults who sit behind computers all day, that "up" part at the end of the day after walking all over Epcot was a killer. There is a path beside the overpass that goes down along the river. This seemed to us to be flatter and much easier when we were tired. - Jane and Al Boeck

If your little ones are craving their favorite movie while on vacation, as my 2-year-old nephew (Toy Story 2) and my 5-year-old nephew (anything Power Rangers) were, bring along a portable DVD player. Many of the resort TVs have front plug-ins that will allow you to plug the DVD player to the large TV. They loved it. - Wendy J.