Tips about Epcot, Mousecellaneous and Water Parks

My sister, her family and I took a trip to WDW, and before we left my brother-in-law thought it would be neat if we bought T-shirts that everyone would all wear one day. We decided to purchase The Incredibles red logo T-shirt for everyone. It was a success. We wore them on our Magic Kingdom day and everyone kept saying, "Look! The Incredibles!" or "Hey, where did you all get the shirts?" I am sure they probably sold the shirts somewhere on property but we bought them at The Disney Store before we left home. It also helped keep track of everyone. We are now in the process of finding another style of shirt for everyone to wear one day on our upcoming October trip. - Amy

One thing I find myself doing... as I read along the fantastic tips shared in the ALL EARS® weekly newsletter, I copy and paste segments of the tips and email them to myself, so I do not forget them. Later, I scroll through my email and print out or save the important tip to a folder on my PC. I even go as far as making a brightly colored folder for my "Disney Information," which becomes my lifeline for all things related to any future trip. It is easily carried along on the trip when the time comes and has my notes, tips, dining reservations, hotel information, grocery store lists... you get the idea. - Bonnie from PA

ALL PARKS - When a Cast Member asks you how many people are in your group, tell them the ENTIRE number in your group. The Cast Members are trying to group your entire party onto the ride at the same time. If you tell them a number less than your party, don't be surprised when your party gets split up. (You might be asked by up to three different Cast Members for your party size.)

My husband and I played a round of mini golf this past weekend at Fantasia Gardens and we accidentally timed it perfectly with Fantasmic! across the road at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The whimsical Fantasmic! music went quite well with the Fantasia golf course! It was such a treat. Plus, we could see the fireworks at the end of the show. Check to see what time Fantasmic! is and plan your tee time accordingly! - Kathryn

I was reading through your site for something new and fun at Disney that we hadn't done and that is a little less "Disney" so my husband might quit complaining about another trip to WDW. Well, I found it -- parasailing. After reading the reviews I decided to schedule two double tandem flights for two adults with two children, ages 7 and 10. Wow, was that great! The kids loved it and so did my husband and I. (Note: maximum combined weight is 300 lbs. per flight). We went to the Contemporary Resort marina, and the boat driver and instructor were both excellent at their jobs. - Crystal

ALL PARKS - As a teacher I have found the park maps to be a wonderful way to teach map skills to my first graders. I always make sure to pick up a handful for my students. I also laminate them and put them in our reading basket. Even laminated, they get a lot of wear. Too bad...I guess I'll have to go back for replacements! - Rae Vautrin

ALL PARKS - As a teacher I have found the park maps to be a wonderful way to teach map skills to my first graders. I always make sure to pick up a handful for my students. I also laminate them and put them in our reading basket. Even laminated, they get a lot of wear. Too bad...I guess I'll have to go back for replacements! - Rae Vautrin

ALL PARKS - When visiting the Disney parks, I usually like to pick up an extra guide map or two. I use them to decorate my cube walls at work and will also give extra copies to friends and family who may be planning their own trip in the near future. This helps them get a better idea of the park layout and make plans. - Kerry Kollasch

I have a comment to add to Josh's tips for larger guests (ALL EARS® Issue #342, April 11, 2006). He mentioned that he had tested Typhoon Lagoon water rides with the exception of Crush 'n' Gusher. When I visited in November '05 with my husband and two children, I went on Crush 'n' Gusher with my 8-year-old son and it was AWESOME! I was a little anxious about whether I would be able to manage this because of my weight and I had my husband try it out first (he is much closer to average weight). I am 5'4" and weigh about 290 lbs. We used the two-person raft and I sat in the back (as instructed by the attendant). The great thing about this water ride is that you can get yourself situated properly on the raft since you are resting on rollers, not water, before you are launched. The attendant had no problem waiting until we were ready. My son was so happy that I was able to ride with him. We went on all three slides, each being different in its hills and turns. The ride does have rollers throughout the slide to help propel you up the inclines. For a larger person, I would recommend keeping your backside raised up off of the bottom (the raft has a cut-out hole in each seat portion) as far as you can because hitting the rollers with your backside is quite a shock and can be painful. It didn't stop me from going on multiple times and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I did have some bruising the next day because of it. This evidently is not a problem with average weight individuals, as they don't sink down as far as a larger person. Also, Crush 'n' Gusher is somewhat hidden off to the right when you enter Typhoon Lagoon. It wasn't on the map when we went so we had to ask to find it. We didn't discover this area until late in the day and I wish we had found it much earlier. It has its own large chaise area, sand areas, and a walk-in pool area adjacent to the splash-down pool at the bottom of Crush 'n' Gusher that was beautifully landscaped (as would be expected). - Anne Marie

I have to tell everyone how great Typhoon Lagoon is! We had the most fun at this water park. I wasn't really into going, but I was really glad we did. They have this huge wave pool -- it is awesome. I have a 3-year-old and we were all able to go down the water slides with her. My husband went first, then I helped my daughter (gave her a push), and my husband caught her at the bottom. I was the last. This was GREAT! There was lots of stuff for kids... I would put it on your list of things to do! - Amy Facchini

Epcot - Since we're passholders, the kids have been so many times it can get boring for them. They've done the masks and passports at Epcot over and over. What I do before each trip is make up a new passport. I include a picture on the page and certain facts about the country that they need to find. It's interactive with the Cast Members in that country and they enjoy teaching the kids! For instance, in China, learn how to count from 1 to 10 in Chinese. In Germany, have a Cast Member tell you about the wall that used to separate their country. In America, what does the Liberty Bell stand for? As I said, the Cast Members love the interaction with the kids. They are proud to talk about their countries. As a prior homeschooling mom, I am always trying to sneak in a learning experience when I can and Epcot is the perfect place to do so without the kids realizing it! - Julie Turbide

Epcot - Since we're passholders, the kids have been so many times it can get boring for them. They've done the masks and passports at Epcot over and over. What I do before each trip is make up a new passport. I include a picture on the page and certain facts about the country that they need to find. It's interactive with the Cast Members in that country and they enjoy teaching the kids! For instance, in China, learn how to count from 1 to 10 in Chinese. In Germany, have a Cast Member tell you about the wall that used to separate their country. In America, what does the Liberty Bell stand for? As I said, the Cast Members love the interaction with the kids. They are proud to talk about their countries. As a prior homeschooling mom, I am always trying to sneak in a learning experience when I can and Epcot is the perfect place to do so without the kids realizing it! - Julie Turbide

ALL PARKS - My tip is for keeping track of your hats while on rides or shows at the World... I bought some carabiners that we put on the strap of our fanny packs. I learned the hard way to put it through a part of the strap so that the carabiner is trapped and can't fall off when you take the fanny pack off. When we step inside at WDW, we both take off our hats, and snap them to the carabiner on our fanny packs -- it's easy to keep track of, and we don't worry about losing our hats or leaving them behind. We even do this on the rides, and find we can ride most things with our fanny packs (and hats) left on our waist. For wet rides, we put the hat over our fanny pack, and it helps keep splashes off. - Jill Neill

Epcot - I just returned from a day at Epcot and wanted to give you a tip about Test Track. When I (5'3", 315 lbs.) asked the Cast Member at the end of the queue if I would fit, he told me that there was a mock car I could sit in. He called another Cast Member who escorted me to a private area. The car wasn't an exact copy of the cars in use, but was close. I found that I did not fit enough to be comfortable. The Cast Member showed me the side exit and I went on about my day. It was handled with care and privacy and I was never made to feel embarrassed. - L.

Epcot - I just returned from a day at Epcot and wanted to give you a tip about Test Track. When I (5'3", 315 lbs.) asked the Cast Member at the end of the queue if I would fit, he told me that there was a mock car I could sit in. He called another Cast Member who escorted me to a private area. The car wasn't an exact copy of the cars in use, but was close. I found that I did not fit enough to be comfortable. The Cast Member showed me the side exit and I went on about my day. It was handled with care and privacy and I was never made to feel embarrassed. - L.