Tips about Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Photography, Planning and Souvenirs

After 5 trips to WDW, you start to realize that you are taking the same pictures over and over again! Here are a few suggestions of pictures you may not have taken yet!

*Try to take at least one picture per country in the World Showcase.
*Take a picture of the same spot twice. Once during the day, and once when it's all lit up at night!
*Take a picture of one of the shows or parades in progress and turn the camera to capture your little one's reaction!!!
*Aim up! Inside many of the resort lobbies and restaurants, you'll find themed ceilings that make very interesting pictures! We were waiting for the parade and I had my husband hold my daughter up above me and I was able to take a cool picture of her with the decorations strung across the street above as a backdrop.
*At Christmastime, you'll see Mickey and pals in several different outfits. See how many different outfits you can capture Mickey wearing. (At any given time you can catch the characters in "Park Appropriate" outfits, so you can do this anytime of the year.) - Alea Laughery

When we returned home, I couldn't wait to get back all the pictures of the two of them together with the characters and their grandparents. We were very disappointed that the negatives for five of the rolls were damaged during processing. We were heartbroken that we didn't get one picture of the kids with Mickey or many of the other characters. Next time we will have our film processed while we are there. That way if there are any pictures that don't come out, we can be sure to go back and try again. Although it may cost a little more, we won't lose the memories. - Jennifer, Binghamton, New York

Antenna Toppers -- They make a good identifier for a rental car in a parking lot. - Monte Kremin

One of our favorite souvenir items from Walt Disney World is picture frames. We have gotten quite a collection over the years. It is a wonderful way to remember your trip and you can fill them with pictures of your trip and look at them every day. We also have a collection of magnets, license plates and beach towels. - Deb Curl

This summer, my family decided to give back a little to the Cast Members who make each stay even more magical. Before leaving home, we printed (using print programs that are out there on the Web) character thank you cards. Each card had a different princess or Tinker Bell on it, and said something nice like, "We put your service to the test, and you're the best!" or "Thank you for making our vacation magical!" We added our family name, hometown, and "Summer 2004." We printed them out, and each member of our family got a sheet of their own to color. After coloring, we laminated them. Once in the park, we handed them out to Cast Members who we felt had gone above and beyond the call of "normal magic." Most of the Cast Members we handed them out to were so surprised and thanked *us*! We really enjoyed doing this, and I feel sure that it will be a new tradition for our family. - Ashlee Farris

MAGIC KINGDOM - For a fun experience, visit the Harmony Barbershop in the Magic Kingdom! Prices for haircuts are $15- $18 for children, $19 for adults, plus tip.

After traveling to Disney four days after September 11th and having all of my pictures come back with a "hazy" appearance due to the x-rays at the airport, I learned a great trick: I take along film mailers (York, Clark) which they provide for free and mail them directly from the Disney Hotels. They pay the postage and I have my pictures usually by the time I get back home. I simply write out checks before I leave home, put them in the mailers and keep them with my money so I don't lose them. They also offer to e-mail your pictures for a reasonable amount of money. When I first did this, I realized that I needed some tape to seal the envelope but the Disney staff were more than happy to provide me with some even though they have their own film developing. Now I always pack the mailers. Hope this comes in handy. - Dawn Hewitt

Magic Kingdom - On my last trip to WDW I had my 9 month old with me. After running out of formula, I asked around and none of the cast members knew where I could get any within WDW. After taking a $30.00 cab ride to the nearest grocery store, I found out that WDW does stock the popular brands of formula, among other baby necessities, at a small baby store by the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. - Cara Nelson

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each of the 4 theme parks at Walt Disney World have a Baby Care Center (usually located near the First Aid building). They have a variety of items for sale.

If you plan on visiting WDW during the winter months, buy several pairs of those "magic" stretch gloves before you leave for your trip. If a cold front comes through during your visit and you need gloves, you'll be happy you bought them before you left home. The parks sells them for $6.00 a pair. Quite a difference in price than what your local Wal-Mart sells them for. - Noreen Rachuba

During the course of our Disney vacation, we accumulated a huge number of plastic Disney bags. Instead of throwing them away after we removed our purchases, we kept them in a drawer in our room and used them to wrap and cushion breakable items that we were carrying on the plane on the wayhome. - Erin

From time to time people want to know the location of the closest church to WDW. Now you can search: http://masstimes.org. You can search for services in any state and town. They even have city maps, too. I thought this might be helpful to anyone wanting to go to services while on vacation. Tina

MAGIC KINGDOM - If you are using your own stroller to go to the Magic Kingdom take the Ferry Boat rather than the Monorail. You won't have to fold your stroller. Just stroll on and stroll off!!! - MyersFam1

ALL PARKS - On our last trip to Disney we brought our own 2 way radios. This came in extremely handy and we were able to separate and change plans as we needed. We had to share the frequency with quite a few other people, but if you don't mind waiting your turn, it really is a convenient way to communicate if you decide to split up. - Sharmon Simonetti

ALL PARKS - On our last trip to Disney we brought our own 2 way radios. This came in extremely handy and we were able to separate and change plans as we needed. We had to share the frequency with quite a few other people, but if you don't mind waiting your turn, it really is a convenient way to communicate if you decide to split up. - Sharmon Simonetti

ALL PARKS - Assign a meeting place IN THE SHADE! Meeting by the fountain at Epcot is great except it can be brutal in the afternoon sun. Better to meet at one of the Innovations cafes where you can stay cool and relax if your party is late. - D. Hamilton