Tips about Food & Beverage, Hollywood Studios, Mousecellaneous, Resorts and Souvenirs

All Resorts - If you have toddlers and/or crawling babies, it is a good idea to check the floor, including under the beds, for medications dropped from the previous resort guests. We found an unknown pill picked up by our one year old as he was scouting out the place. It only takes a minute and is well worth the effort! - Timothy

Before our current trip to the World we were trying to come up with a way to tell each of our water bottles apart in the insulated bag that we carry to the parks. We decided to use six different color ponytail holders, which we placed around each bottle. No confusion as to whose bottle was whose! - Gerrie Springer

All Resorts - We just returned from a visit to the World. We have a 3-year-old, so upon check-in I asked if I could have a stepstool in the room so he would be able to easily use the sink to wash hands and brush teeth. I am happy to report they were able to accommodate my request! It was great! I thought other parents traveling with toddlers would find this helpful. - Amy Devoe

Disney's Hollywood Studios - Since its introduction as a regular feature several years ago, the Jedi Training Academy has become an extremely popular interactive experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios. As a result, participating in the activity, which is held several times throughout the day, can be challenging. Here are some tips to help you snag an spot for your child to become a Padawan and feel The Force:

• Arrive Early: Sign-ups for the Jedi Training Academy start as soon as the park's turnstiles are opened (this includes Extra Magic Hour mornings); if the park is scheduled to open at 9 a.m., they tend to open about 15 minutes prior. This should be your first stop once you enter the park -- the earlier you sign up, the earlier the show you will get into. Spots fill up very quickly and it is not uncommon for all spots to be filled by 10 or 10:30 a.m., depending on park attendance.
• Have Your Children With You: As part of the sign-up process the cast members need to ask your children a couple of questions to make sure they will follow instructions and be safe on stage. Cast members will also ask the children how old they are to verify they are between the ages of 4 and 12. For this reason, you need to have your children with you. Spots cannot be saved for children who are not present.
• Plan on Committing an Hour for the Show: When you sign up for a particular show you will be asked to return to the sign-up location 30 minutes prior to the show time. This is to ensure that all the children participants are present before heading to the stage. With the show lasting 20 to 25 minutes, this means that the whole Jedi Training experience will take almost an hour out of your day. You should take this into account when signing up. If you have a dining reservation let the cast members know. They are generally very accommodating with getting you into a show that will work for you.
• Show Viewing Areas: The viewing area at the stage is first come/first serve and does fill up. If possible, have one parent go with the child to the check-in area and the other adult go to the stage area to secure a viewing spot.
• Know the Alternate Process: Once all guaranteed spots have been filled for the day, cast members will begin to sign up alternates. THIS DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOUR CHILD WILL GET INTO A SHOW, but it does give them the possibility of getting in if a child with a guaranteed spot does not show up. Alternates are numbered in the order in which they sign up and will be asked to return 20 minutes prior to any of the shows. An alternate must be present in order to be placed into the show and if multiple alternates show up, the lowest numbered alternate will get the available spot. For example, if alternates 3, 7, and 9 were present, number 3 will be placed into the show if a child with a guaranteed spot does not show up. Note that alternates can return for as many (or as few) shows as they want until they are placed into an available spot.

http://www.allears.net/tp/mgm/jedi_mgm.htm

Art of Animation - Six of us (four adults and two kids) recently stayed in a Cars suite [at Disney's Art of Animation Resort] for 10 days. It was great to have the extra space and having two bathrooms was especially nice. The only complaint we had was that some of the electrical outlets are at the perfect height to entice a curious 14-month-old and they have no child protective covers. I would strongly suggest that anyone traveling with a toddler bring their own. - j2mom

Unlike Florida Residents and Annual Passholders who can order Tables in Wonderland cards by phone or mail, Disney Vacation Club members must buy their TiW card in person, at a Guest Relations location. This is important for travelers to Disney's Vero Beach Resort (which takes Tables in Wonderland). You will need to do a drive-by to Disney Springs Guest Relations or another Guest Relations location to get your TiW card. - Donna Fesel

I just placed a merchandise mail order online and the cast member was able to offer me an annual pass discount as long as I emailed or faxed her a copy of my pass. - Michael Landman

All Resorts - On our trip in June 2012 we learned that they leave the scales on all night at the airport luggage check-in desk. This made it easy to find out if our suitcases were too heavy before we had to check them in the next morning. - Sharon H.

Buy a post card for each day of your Disney vacation on the first day. Each evening write down the day's highlights and mail the postcard to your home address from the hotel's front desk or postal box in the lobby. When you return home, you'll have a day by day 'mini journal' of what you did each day. So many of us plan to journal every day but after a day or two forget about it. Postcards are quick and easy! - Judith

Coronado Springs - The Pepper Market at Coronado Springs is now doing a regular breakfast buffet. No ticket and stamping, it's just pay one price (I think it was $15) and it's all you can eat. - Juli Ruffing

EDITOR'S NOTE: The $14.99 buffet service was tested at Pepper Market earlier this year, and has apparently been implemented full-time now. We have updated menus here:
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#cs

Coronado Springs - The Pepper Market at Coronado Springs is now doing a regular breakfast buffet. No ticket and stamping, it's just pay one price (I think it was $15) and it's all you can eat. - Juli Ruffing

EDITOR'S NOTE: The $14.99 buffet service was tested at Pepper Market earlier this year, and has apparently been implemented full-time now. We have updated menus here:
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#cs

Beach Club - We will be staying at the Beach Club in August. I recently called to add some room requests. When I requested a metal crib (the deluxe resorts used to have these, as opposed to the soft-sided Pack 'n' Plays), they informed me that they are no longer providing them. My son does not sleep well in Pack 'n' Plays. He is a tall 2-1/2-year-old. We requested a roll-away and will be transferring our son to a big boy bed this summer. The metal cribs were a nice feature that the deluxe resorts provided. - Sara

I was all set with extra batteries on our last trip, however finding a screwdriver was the problem. I will be packing one of the all-in-one screwdrivers I found at the dollar store next trip. - Jennifer C.

While visiting the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World last week I surprised my husband with the Mickey Mouse cake for his birthday. The staff put the leftover cake in a box for us. Since my family wasn't ready to return to the Pop Century yet we rented a locker by the entrance for $7.00 plus a $5.00 refundable deposit. It's air conditioned there and the cake stayed cool until we were done for the day. We kept the cake in the refrigerator in our room and nibbled on it the rest of our stay. The cake was great, by the way. - Marion Brandt

All Resorts - If you have diabetes, let the cast member know that you will need a special container for used medical supplies when you check in to your hotel. After checking in at Boardwalk, within 10 minutes housekeeping was at our door with a small haz-mat container. One less thing to worry about! - Judy Peek