Tips about Epcot, PhotoPass, Resorts and Souvenirs

Wilderness Lodge - Select resorts now have a Resort Photo Session that can be booked up to 30 days in advance of your stay. I just called and spoke to Sheri at the Wilderness Lodge Photo Pass Desk (it's in the lobby by the Mercantile) and was quoted the following: 20 minute private photo session at your resort. 2 Packages available: $49.95 includes sitting fee and 7 - 5x7's $99.95 includes above PLUS all the photos they took on a CD/ROM and the rights to the photo's so you can print them up later. I was told that they take no less than 50 pictures, so if this is a special occassion it might just be worth it to get the $99.95 package! - Elizabeth Kozdron

Birthday souvenir idea for Epcot: When we recently went to Epcot for my husband's birthday, I made him a birthday tag (4x6 size) which I laminated and attached to a lanyard (you can find those at a craft store or make your own). On one side, it had his picture superimposed over a picture we had taken from an earlier trip at Epcot, and it said "I'm Celebrating My Birthday at Epcot!" On the back, I listed all the countries in order on the left side, leaving a space between. Then on our visit, as we traveled to every country, he asked a Disney Cast Member to wish him Happy Birthday in their native language! It is one of our favorite keepsakes ever, and we've prominently displayed it in our vacation scrapbook. - Beth Adams

When we leave Disney with all of our souvenirs, they seem to go by the wayside once we get home, so I have started putting all of the "Disney stuff" away in a bag. When we go back to the magical land, it's ready to pack and take back with us. My kids have usually forgotten about everything, so it seems like new and I don't have to repurchase all the stuff. This also works well with Disney plush toys, hats and light-up gadgets. I also like to purchase Disney-related things throughout the year as I see them and add them to the bag. - Deb Gorman

To save on impulse souvenir purchases-shop online and at your local Disney Store ahead of time. I pack a new Mickey item for each child in our luggage and they wake up to a gift left by... Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse, etc. Throw on some glitter and they'll definitely believe the fairies were there. Trading pin sets can also be purchased this way and save you a ton of money. - Angela Manzi

Since your best souvenirs will be your memories anyway, go cheap on the ones you buy. You can collect postcards or pressed pennies for a fraction of the cost of most souvenirs for sale in the gift shops. - Josh

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

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

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