Tips about Epcot and Photography

After frantically trying to figure out how to identify our camera if lost, I walked past a pet ID tag engraving machine and immediately thought, "Wow, that will work!" I got the smallest tag I could find, engraved our name and cell phone number on it, and hung it from the wrist strap. Problem solved and it was simple and cheap! - Lisa Bufo

Epcot - When in Epcot's World Showcase pavilions, I try to have my children say at least one phrase in the native language of the Kidcot host or hostess. It is amazing the response that can be elicited from a simple "Cheers!", "Hola, buenos dias!" or my favaorite "as salaam alekem" (Morocco). We have ALWAYS been met with incredible warmth and extra kindness. Take the time to learn a few easy phrases, stand back and watch a world of smiles unfold! - Tom McManus

Epcot - When in Epcot's World Showcase pavilions, I try to have my children say at least one phrase in the native language of the Kidcot host or hostess. It is amazing the response that can be elicited from a simple "Cheers!", "Hola, buenos dias!" or my favaorite "as salaam alekem" (Morocco). We have ALWAYS been met with incredible warmth and extra kindness. Take the time to learn a few easy phrases, stand back and watch a world of smiles unfold! - Tom McManus

On our last trip to Walt Disney World, there were three families traveling together. My parents, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew, and my husband, three children and myself. We took almost 900 pictures among all of us. I am attempting to organize them in a timeline fashion. I thought I could just load them and then organize them by date/time taken. Unfortunately, all our cameras were not in sync. My sister-in-law lives in another time zone and my mom's camera was about five minutes off from mine. Needless to say, it is an organization nightmare right now... though I am enjoying looking at all the pictures! My tip would be, if you are travelling with a group and will be sharing all your photos, synchronize the times of your digital cameras at the beginning of the trip to make it easier to organize all the photos when you get home. - Elizabeth Doda

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

We're heading to the land of the Mouse tomorrow and of course, plan on lots of picture-taking. As soon as I purchase a memory card for my camera, I take a picture of a placard I've made up with the message: "If found, please call phone number 301-XXX-XXXX to arrange for return." Then I "lock" this picture on the card, so even when I move my pics to my computer, this one in particular remains. - Kelly S. Firmbach

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

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

This tip is for all fans with video cameras. On our recent Disney trip we filmed a total of six video cassettes, which we packed in our check-in luggage as we usually do. When we played them at home, we found that four of the six tapes were blank. We called a professional photographer who told us that they were erased when they went through the airport scanner and there was nothing we could do to recover them. His advice is to ALWAYS carry on your video cassettes in a clear plastic bag, hand them to security and ask them to check them without putting them through the scanner. Please, please follow this advice to avoid the heartbreak we experienced! - Tracy

Epcot - Let me start by saying, like so many others, I always look forward to your newsletter. After reading one of the "tips" this week, I was reminded of a really special Father's Day gift we did for my husband the last time we were in Disney. (Father's Day just happened to be during our trip) I purchased a khaki hat with the little Mickey on the front and we took it to every country in Epcot and had them write "Happy Father's Day" in their native language. They were all more than happy to do it for us & thought it was the neatest idea they ever saw. Now there is a special keepsake for my Disney loving hubby! - Sheri H.

Epcot - Let me start by saying, like so many others, I always look forward to your newsletter. After reading one of the "tips" this week, I was reminded of a really special Father's Day gift we did for my husband the last time we were in Disney. (Father's Day just happened to be during our trip) I purchased a khaki hat with the little Mickey on the front and we took it to every country in Epcot and had them write "Happy Father's Day" in their native language. They were all more than happy to do it for us & thought it was the neatest idea they ever saw. Now there is a special keepsake for my Disney loving hubby! - Sheri H.

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

Epcot - While paying for a purchase for my wife at Morocco in the World Showcase, the cast member asked if I would like to have her name, written in Arabic, on the inside of the box? It gave me an idea. I purchased some Disney stationery and went to every country asking for a cast member to write my wife's name in their native language. They all cheerfully did this! Then I placed it in a Mickey frame. Needless to say it was a very inexpensive gift and my wife loved it! - Gene Scott

Following on with the tip to change memory cards every day, in case you lose your camera -- I created a document on my computer with a note: "Please return memory card to..." with my address. I take a picture of that document on each new memory card. Hopefully if the camera is recovered I will at least get my memory card and priceless pictures returned! - Kristeen Kohrs

My advice to anyone bringing a digital camera to Disney World is to change your memory card every day! We lost our digital camera at Epcot last month, and it still hasn't been recovered. I do not miss the camera as much as the photos that were lost from my children's first three days at the parks. I can't say enough about the kind staff members at Epcot guest services. They did everything they could to help us recreate our lost photos. - Rebecca Sherfey