Tips about Epcot, Mousecellaneous, PhotoPass, Resorts and Souvenirs

Come up with a souvenir budget and stick to it. On my last solo trip to the World, I gave myself a $50 souvenir budget -- it was a fun challenge to stick to the budget and find great stuff. In fact, I had souvenir money left over! (If you've been several times, you might consider a trip taken without purchasing souvenirs.) Or, skip the extras, like Photopass photos, spa treatments, special tours, etc. I would always prefer to go all-out, but I find a trip to Disney on a budget is better than no trip to Disney at all! - Hilary Sommer

Just a comment on the sale of shuttle launch tickets. Any follower of the shuttle program knows that tickets can sell out quickly. NOT TO FRET! If you don't have a ticket to get onto the Cape Canaveral grounds, you can stop anywhere along the river at any parking area, or park and see the launch. You will see the shuttle as soon as it crosses your horizon and you will hear it. It is an amazing sight! You might even be better off not getting a ticket, because there is always a chance the launch will not happen for some reason. Go to a park, bring a blanket, some coffee (early morning launch) and enjoy the time. Go early and you will meet some interesting people along the way! - Geri Preisser

ALL PARKS - This is a tip for anyone who celebrates a special day or occasion on the same day every year at one of the Disney parks. My wife and I have celebrated every one of our 11 wedding anniversaries at Disneyland. To add to our tradition, we get a Fastpass that is marked for that day and covers the time that we were married, i.e. 4 p.m. Then we have a cast member take a picture of us in front of that attraction at the exact time that we said our "I Do's." Between the photo and the Fastpasses, it makes a nice keepsake of that specific day and time. The only drawback is we can see how we have aged over the years. Go out and CELEBRATE! - Michael Greening

Be careful while driving on Disney property. We were there this past weekend and they had a speed trap set up right before the Contemporary resort. There were four or five sheriffs and one had a radar gun. They had a car pulled over and that person had a ticket in his hand and did not look too happy. The next day we saw two sheriffs over by Pop Century. Just drive the speed limit. - Suzy

In addition to free Wi-Fi at McDonald's, the Chik-Fil-A restaurant on Route 535 (Apopka Vineland Road), just south of I-4 also has free Wi-Fi. - JohnH

Wal-Mart is now carrying Disney shirts in the stores and online. However, they run small! I normally wear a 2X, but I feel much more comfortable in Wal-Mart's 3X or even 4X! - Jo-Anne Harris

Here's a tip for families who use Disney Photopass, but can't afford either the high price to purchase many individual pictures or the approximately $100 to purchase the CD of all of your pictures. After our trip in December 2008, we had a Photopass with about 40 great pictures on it. Some shots we had also asked the photographer to take with our camera, but some were wonderful candid shots they captured while my kids spoke with characters or of our whole family together. I really wanted copies of some of these but could not afford to pay the price for many pictures. That's when I found the calendar option on the Photopass website. For $24.95 I was able to create a 2009 calendar with 13 of our best pictures on it -- one on the cover and 12 months. It just arrived today and I am really impressed with the color and quality of the photos as well as the size of the calendar. The pictures themselves are about 8" X 6" in size with a Disney border around them that makes the total size of the page about 11" X 8". Now we have a great keepsake of 13 memorable pictures from our trip that we could not otherwise have afforded! - Chris Lininger

For those of us who collect the pressed coins, here's an easy way to keep them safe and organized: I bought a business card book (the small one). It fits perfectly into my pack and I can look back to see which ones I have gotten. - Danny Gauthier

I wanted to mention that going to the parks for five days made the Memory Maker well worth it. Two tips: 1) They take lots of photos during the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but afterwards they do another shoot if you want more of a finished product. 2) For an extra $30 you can get all your photos on CD, but the real value is the 400 Disney Park photos. These are the best photos I have ever seen in this regard. Worth double what they are asking. No people in photos, right time of day, etc. - Dennis Schipper

You need not carry medications in an ice pack through the parks all day. The First Aid station has a fridge for guest meds, and they are happy to store them for you. The nurse on staff was polite and professional. She allowed my 7-year-old daughter to practice being a self-advocate, and listened patiently to her medical needs. It was a stress-free experience and we could enjoy Magic Kingdom without worrying about heat or spilling. - Tracy Boylan

I've noticed a lot of comments on the benefit of Photopass, but have yet to see this one. If you are going on a Disney vacation and know that you will be utilizing Photopass photographers and will want to purchase the pictures, you can go to the Photopass website and PRE-PURCHASE the photopass CD more cheaply before you travel as opposed to when you get back home from your vacation. I saved $25 and did not have to pay for them to ship it to me! - Christina Holland

Pay attention to the dates! Each photo is online for 30 days from when it was taken. Make sure you claim your photos on http://www.disneyphotopass.com/ before the 30 days are up. They will be deleted from the system and can't be restored.

Save your ID number in some way! Write it down or take a digital picture of it. If you have your ID, you have your photos, no matter what happens to the card. Also remember, you can have more than one card! The PhotoPass site allows you to enter multiple IDs.

Before you leave the parks on your last day, go to one of the photo centers and have them upload the photos from your digital camera. They will use your Photopass card and upload your photos to the same Photopass. This was much faster than doing it from home. Then when I got home and looked at the Photopass, I was able to use the pictures from the Disney photographers as well as my own photos to create a Photobook. The album is great. It was well worth the money I spent. - Susan Vaughan

ALL PARKS - Just wanted to share a fun tip for kids taking a foreign language at school (or adults trying to pick up a second language!). At each park, pick up a guide map in the foreign language. Your learner will only be allowed to look at that guide and will be responsible for finding and describing the rides and eateries your group is going to by translating the foreign language guide map for the rest of your group. (The guide maps are IDENTICAL to their English counterparts, by the way.) Even reading the FastPass rules becomes fun this way! (The maps are usually available on the front steps of City Hall at Magic Kingdom, as you come through the gates at Epcot, across from the stroller rental near the washrooms in AK and at the round photo/souvenir stand just after you enter the Studios. A lot of times they are out in dispensers and you do not even have to ask a cast member for a copy.) I've even had a cast member wish me well in French when I requested the map in French from him! - Jen from NYC

Coronado Springs - We want to let "winter" vacationers know that the outdoor pools are heated. We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort in October, and thought it was too cool to swim at night. One night I happened to see how cold the water was and to my surprise it was warmer than it was during the day. No one mentioned that the outdoor pools are heated! So fellow vacationers, enjoy the uncrowded pools under the stars, in the warm, warm heated pools. - Krista Hook