Tips about Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Photography, Planning and Resorts

If you're a teenage girl (like me) and you're going to Disney, bring your cellphone or iPod with you! It's nice to be able to listen to your music while waiting in line. Another thing: make sure you put your name and address on everything -- with iPods or mp3 players, stick some white tape on the back and write your info with a pen or marker, because Disney will return items if they find them! - Stephanie

If you're a teenage girl (like me) and you're going to Disney, bring your cellphone or iPod with you! It's nice to be able to listen to your music while waiting in line. Another thing: make sure you put your name and address on everything -- with iPods or mp3 players, stick some white tape on the back and write your info with a pen or marker, because Disney will return items if they find them! - Stephanie

Epcot - We are currently planning a trip to Disney. There are two pieces of information I discovered while making reservations that I would like to share, one about the spa and one about diving in The Seas in Epcot. Being a plus-sized woman, I asked about robe sizes available at the spa, and was delighted to learn that they have robes up to size 5X. In the past, I have brought my own robe so as not to be surprised by a robe that wasn't comfortable. Also, when making reservations to dive in the Living Seas, I was informed that wet suits were available to size 5X. Another wonderful surprise! Good information for visitors who may have ruled out this experience for fear of not fitting into a wet suit! - EL

Epcot - We are currently planning a trip to Disney. There are two pieces of information I discovered while making reservations that I would like to share, one about the spa and one about diving in The Seas in Epcot. Being a plus-sized woman, I asked about robe sizes available at the spa, and was delighted to learn that they have robes up to size 5X. In the past, I have brought my own robe so as not to be surprised by a robe that wasn't comfortable. Also, when making reservations to dive in the Living Seas, I was informed that wet suits were available to size 5X. Another wonderful surprise! Good information for visitors who may have ruled out this experience for fear of not fitting into a wet suit! - EL

Since dresser drawers are few in the rooms, bring along one of those hanging closet organizers for each child with at least seven slots. You can place your child's shorts, t-shirts, socks, underwear, etc. in the cubes thus saving on drawer space. - Barbara D.

Going through the metal detectors at the park entrances, you have to remove celebratory buttons and put them in the little bins with other metal objects. This can be a pain, especially if you're park-hopping! Consider wearing buttons on a lanyard or bag strap to make it easier to take them on and off. - Gilly R.

Going through the metal detectors at the park entrances, you have to remove celebratory buttons and put them in the little bins with other metal objects. This can be a pain, especially if you're park-hopping! Consider wearing buttons on a lanyard or bag strap to make it easier to take them on and off. - Gilly R.

I just returned from a terrific stay at the Grand Floridian and wanted to share a unique experience if you're looking for something extra-special. My husband surprised me with an Intimate Dining Experience. It's a two-hour dining experience for up to four people, even if staying off-property, with a choice of locations throughout the resort, personalized menus and a butler. Ours was on a balcony of the Grand Floridian with a view of the lagoon and fireworks. It was arranged directly through the front desk at the Grand Floridian. - Denise D.

Magic Kingdom - An unexpected bonus tip happened one morning when we entered the Magic Kingdom park early. The opening music was playing. We headed to the Crystal Palace for an early breakfast. Near there was a flower garden, which also faced toward the Adventureland sign. Using my camcorder, I was able to have a few of the songs of the opening music playing as the background for the scenes I was shooting. It was an extra freebie. There are always new scenes to shoot and new movies to make. You could easily find your hardest decision to make is how many cameras to take. - Murry A.

For those of you with the Wii game system, you can insert an SD card into the game and play games on the Photo Channel. You can view your photos as a slide show, draw on your photos, or send your photos to your Wii Friends. My son has fun with the photos he took at Disney by turning them into tile puzzles. The first time he did, I was unaware that the Wii had that capability, so to see his photos on the TV when he was playing the Wii was a little surprising to say the least! - Defessa

Epcot - If you've been to Le Cellier you already know there's more to the Canada pavilion than the beautiful landscaping. But I walked through the garden in Canada for years without ever noticing the wooden walkway that takes you through the waterfalls behind this wonderful setting. Don't miss it! - Emily Pickle

Epcot - If you've been to Le Cellier you already know there's more to the Canada pavilion than the beautiful landscaping. But I walked through the garden in Canada for years without ever noticing the wooden walkway that takes you through the waterfalls behind this wonderful setting. Don't miss it! - Emily Pickle

Magic Kingdom - Regarding Mike Scopa's article about saving time (AllEars® Issue #443, March 18, 2008): One of the queues that you can save a lot of time on is the Indy Speedway. The line goes up a ramp and then turns right. From there you can go down the first ramp or continue on the bridge to the second ramp. When I have been there lately, there are two lanes of cars running from the bottom of the first ramp and only one lane of cars on the second ramp. The second ramp is also further away. Therefore, do not go to the second ramp! - Sara

I thought that Alice McNutt Miller's post about money saving tips was spot on. Our family has enjoyed Disney World every few years and I always consult the AllEars® tips database while planning. One tip that I would add to Alice's list is considering travel during the room-only discount periods. This way you can combine frugal and fairly extravagant if you're willing to move from value/moderate to deluxe for a few days (especially to the BoardWalk area). Our kids felt like it was two vacations in one. - Jack

Don't be too quick to dismiss the Deluxe resorts. For the UK visitor, free dining is usually not available at the Value resorts, while the Quick Service plan is included at the Moderates and the regular dining plan comes with Deluxe or Villas. We have found that it can often work out cheaper for us to book a villa when free dining is included than it would be to book at a Value resort and buy a dining plan or just pay for food as we went along. - Debi