Tips about Epcot, Mousecellaneous and Other

My tip of the week goes along with this week's tip to pay off your vacation ahead of time... I pay it ahead using my Disney Visa card, then pay off thecard at the end of the month. Then, I can redeem the Disney Reward dollars ahead of time and take THEM to Disney World along with us. It's not only a tip, but a pretty dollarless tip, too. No interest, no room bill, plenty of reward dollars. Works great! - Mickeymac

ALL PARKS - What our tip is, is to tie a bright bandana on the luggage rack or one of the mirrors of your car/minivan/truck that face the tram pick up area. We tied a bright colorful bandana nearest the tram pick up side on our while rented minivan, each day of our 11 day trip to WDW. It didn't matter what park we were at or what row we parked at. All we had to remember was the section, (example, stage, donald, unicorn, etc) we always found our van many times from very far away. We also used the bandana's on our stroller and on our luggage. - Clemley

ALL PARKS - What our tip is, is to tie a bright bandana on the luggage rack or one of the mirrors of your car/minivan/truck that face the tram pick up area. We tied a bright colorful bandana nearest the tram pick up side on our while rented minivan, each day of our 11 day trip to WDW. It didn't matter what park we were at or what row we parked at. All we had to remember was the section, (example, stage, donald, unicorn, etc) we always found our van many times from very far away. We also used the bandana's on our stroller and on our luggage. - Clemley

On a recent Disney trip I decided to forgo bringing my purse and just buy a cheap, small man's wallet. I just popped my ID, credit cards, ticket and a few dollars in, and off I would go. I could skip the bag line and not worry about where my money and information was. It made airport check-in a breeze also. I still use it today and leave all my other seldom-used cards in my larger wallet in my purse. How often do you really use all that other stuff you drag around with you? - Donna

Want to get prepped for your Hidden Mickey hunt at WDW, Disney style? Just watch Lion King 1 1/2. There are so many Hidden Mickeys in this movie that I lost count! - Alea L.

ALL PARKS - We read complaints about some of the attractions being too loud so we carried a set of earplugs in our fanny packs and found that they helped tremendously! We could still hear well, but our ears were much more comfortable. The earplugs don't take up any room at all either! - Diane Taylor

ALL PARKS - We read complaints about some of the attractions being too loud so we carried a set of earplugs in our fanny packs and found that they helped tremendously! We could still hear well, but our ears were much more comfortable. The earplugs don't take up any room at all either! - Diane Taylor

ALL PARKS - Many of the guidebooks suggest getting to the parks an hour before the scheduled opening, saying that they will let you in before the stated time. The last time we were at Disney, two years ago, we were able to do this. We were able to walk to the Castle at the Magic Kingdom where there was a rope up until it officially opened. Last week, though, we were not able to get into the park until five minutes before the stated opening. This is something to keep in mind when you are traveling with young children. There is nothing to see or keep them occupied while waiting for the park to open. On the plus side, we were the first to run all the way to Fantasyland, were able to ride Dumbo by ourselves, and then got to stay on for a second ride. - Lori Dobrez

EDITOR'S NOTE: Although what Lori says is true --you are now kept waiting outside the park until it officially opens -- Disney resort guests can take advantage of the Extra Magic Hour program, which allows you to enter designated parks on certain days one hour earlier than the stated park time. For details, visit: http://allears.net/tp/emhour.htm

EPCOT - Make sure to mention the priceless moment when your toddler sees the SpaceShip Earth for the first time, and how their eyes light up and they start pointing and squealing. It is a great photo opportunity. - David Reich

EPCOT - Make sure to mention the priceless moment when your toddler sees the SpaceShip Earth for the first time, and how their eyes light up and they start pointing and squealing. It is a great photo opportunity. - David Reich

EPCOT - On Spaceship Earth, wheelchair guests should see the Cast Member in front of the attraction. You will then be taken to another area to board the ride vehicles. Wheelchair guests need to transfer from the wheelchair to a ride vehicle.

EPCOT - On Spaceship Earth, wheelchair guests should see the Cast Member in front of the attraction. You will then be taken to another area to board the ride vehicles. Wheelchair guests need to transfer from the wheelchair to a ride vehicle.

EPCOT - On occasion, your Spaceship Earth *time vehicle* may stop momentarily. This usually is to allow persons in wheelchairs to transfer in and out of the ride vehicle.

EPCOT - On occasion, your Spaceship Earth *time vehicle* may stop momentarily. This usually is to allow persons in wheelchairs to transfer in and out of the ride vehicle.

EPCOT - Portions of Spaceship Earth are very dark. For the last third of the ride your vehicle will be backwards, rotating to face forward just before you exit.