Tips about Epcot, Kids, Resorts, Rewards and Souvenirs
Pop Century - If staying at the Pop Century Resort, you might want to bring along a noise maker or a fan. The rooms are very quiet, not a lot of background air conditioner noise like you get at many hotels. To muffle the sound of people outside, we always bring a fan. - Jenifer Markham
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I noticed in last week's AllEars Hears that someone mentioned the removal of the a la carte menu from the Grand Floridian Garden View Lounge's afternoon tea. Be sure if you see something like that to ask about it. We noticed the same thing, but asked and were still able to get everything we wanted a la carte, including the cheese plate (which had disappeared from the menu entirely). They have been changing the tea process and the strawberries and cream are now pre-made and are no longer gluten-free, so always be sure to ask questions every time you go somewhere! - Melissa Barlett
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When we were at Disney World, we ordered self-contained cereal bowls and other fruit snacks from an online service. They arrived at Pop Century a day or so before us. Pop Century held the packages and delivered them to our room when we arrived. We then picked up milk every morning. It was quick and easy and saved some money. I did not use them all, so Pop Century helped me send the remainder back home. - Brenda Fitzsimmons
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We packed small boxes of cereal in our suitcase when we flew to the World. We stayed on WDW property. We got styrofoam cups from the resort food court, and bought milk from the resort convenience store. The kids were able to eat breakfast in our room as soon as they got up. We did not have to use a dining plan for the meal. It allowed us to get to the parks sooner by having things organized this way. As long as the children were fed, we were good to go. It also freed up some space in our suitcase on the way home for some souvenirs. - Dana from Nova Scotia, Canada
Boardwalk Villas - I have a money-saving tip for all of the BoardWalk hotel guests staying without cars. As DVC members we almost always stay at our home resort, the Boardwalk. We also use Magical Express and never bother to rent a car while there. (Gotta love that free Disney transportation!) Luckily there is a Hess station across the street from our resort entrance. On our first day there my husband and I will unpack one of our large suitcases and wheel it on over to that Hess station where we fill up on gallons of water, bottles of soda, orange juice and beer, plus some snacks and simple breakfast foods to stock our hotel fridge. We may look a little strange loading all that up into a suitcase and walking back to our hotel but we are able to stock up on drinks for a whole week at less than half the cost of the resort. - Erin
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It's great to be on vacation knowing you worked ahead of time to pay the trip off in advance and won't have a large bill waiting upon your return. However, I earn a bit more by saving the cash/expense money I expect for tips and other spending and add it to my credit card right before I leave. This way I charge the tips and other items and earn the "points" on my card for a future use! And there are no worries about losing the cash. Same planning, just getting a little "extra" for another trip! - Lisa
Don't forget to take advantage of any discounts when you're shopping. There are discounts of 10 percent or more for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members, Disney VISA Cardholders and D23 members, possibly even AAA members. Sometimes the cast members are nice enough to remind you, but sometimes even they forget, so always be sure to ask! - Debbie
Ever since my son was small, I have purchased Disney plush characters at home, at either a drug store or when The Disney Store has sales. I bring them hidden in our luggage and surprise him with one every day we're at WDW. He believes it's Disney magic that he gets a fun, new toy every day! He doesn't ask for as many toys from the parks and I save a ton of money not having to pay retail prices! - Nancy Cohan
A great way to save money is pre-purchase Disney souvenirs for your kids before you leave for your trip. You can then surprise them every morning with something new. Whether it just be a dollar store Mickey sticker book or a new t-shirt, your child will love it and you will save money! My mother did this on our 1998 trip and to this day I can remember receiving something every morning from a character. - Jessica Stahl
The $1 section of Target and Michaels craft stores always have Disney items. Check out your local Disney Store and Disneystore.com to buy items for the kids before you get there and present them as a gift. I am not going to lie, we still buy stuff at the parks, but give the kids a limit. Also if you drive like we do, check out the Disney outlets in St. Augustine and Orlando. - Michelle G.
For someone who wants to visit the parks often and have a souvenir each time without spending a ton of money, postcards are the key! Postcards are like miniature art. Upon your return, they can be framed, made into a collage, or even turned into a border around the room. On the back, you can also write the date or even a message about unique details from that trip. - Crissy Stout
Put money you would spend on food onto American Express gift cards, especially if they can be purchased as part of a school fundraiser (http://www.shopwithscrip.com)!. - Cindy
