Tips about Food & Beverage, Kids, Magic Kingdom, Packing, Planning and Souvenirs

Many seemingly "innocent" attractions have brief moments of darkness (Carousel of Progress and PeopleMover come to mind). Have your younger children wear "glow in the dark" type shirts to help avoid any darkness issues. - Julie from NW Florida

Pick up some 3M Command hooks with the removable adhesive and put them, along with some extra adhesive, into your suitcase. We are a family of six, and I have the problem of too many wet things and not enough room, too, and this seems to solve the problem. They're easily removed when you leave and don't take paint off the walls. - Beth McMeekin

The last trip to Walt Disney World, I brought three plastic hangers with me -- handy for drying bathing suits or any hand wash things. They can be hung on the shower rod or in the closet. - Gaylin in Vancouver

My way to dry bathing suits when there are a few of us in a room: I bring a bungee cord in my suitcase, then string it up on the balcony outside my room. Instant clothesline! - ckjrn1959

My husband and I did the 2015 four-day Disney Vacation Club Member's Cruise and then spent five days at the BoardWalk Villas. We realized that our shopping and all the DVC gifts we received during the cruise were not going to fit in our luggage and would add a lot of extra weight. I asked in the gift shop about mailing cruise items and was directed to the business center that is part of the Convention Center at the BoardWalk. We took all of our bags to the business center, including two pieces of art. They were carefully wrapped and put in a big box that we sent FedEx ground. The box arrived the same day we got home. It was so was nice to have our purchases right away. - Annette A.

Just saw saw that someone mentioned in a recent newsletter that they were used to traveling with a sound machine, and suggested that guests bring them to help drown out noise from traffic. Wanted to share my tip -- we found it helpful to just put the room's clock radio to a static channel. - Tracey DiMillo

I've just finished reading the latest in a great series of books about the World -- Ridley Pearson's "Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play." The Kingdom Keepers books are written for teens, but us older folks will love them, too. They're great suspense reads, and if you are familiar with and love WDW, you'll have all the settings visually in your head. If you're headed to Orlando, have your teens read them (preferably in order) before you go. They'll be searching out locations and will never get bored. - Maggie Rioux

Contact lens solution, glasses, and a spare set of contact lenses. (I forgot 'em a few trips ago and had to spend two days with one eye, since my prescription is so bad that most eye facilities don't stock them). - Michele

We took a nightlight for the room, and we brought a toddler toilet seat (our son would fall through otherwise). - Stephanie

I also bring on of those pop-up hampers that you can get for like $4. That way we can keep the dirty clothes separated. They have nice handles so I can take the whole hamper to the laundry room and throw a load in when the kids are swimming and then bring them back to the room. - Jamie

My entire crew is used to sleeping with a sound machine. On our first trip, I forgot to bring one, and needless to say we did not sleep well (there is no way to keep the bathroom fan or air conditioner running nonstop). So, if you are used to having one, make sure you take one along. They also cut down on the "traffic" noise from the hotel. - Heather

After my son's first trip to Disney when he picked up a nasty stomach bug, we've since learned to pack a travel-sized hand sanitizer to carry with us inside the parks. We use it to disinfect hands not only before eating, but also after EVERY encounter with the characters. When you stop to think about all the children who are touching and kissing Mickey, it just makes sense. My son stayed well all the way through the subsequent two visits to Disney. I can't say for sure that's what kept him well, but it certainly couldn't have hurt! - Terri in Bermuda

Clean out your closet! When we travelled to Walt Disney World (we now live in Florida), we would take clothes we never really wore. The clothing we brought, we disposed of after its use. Here are the benefits: We did not care how wet or dirty our son got; we had room for our souvenirs without adding baggage when we departed; and we had much less laundry to deal with when we got home. Also, it gave us a reason to buy an extra Disney shirt or two. - The Bornsteins

I had a great fear of my kids wandering away from us, so I made them bracelets with my cell phone number on it. For my 5-year-old daughter I bought girly, shimmery beads, and for my son (who's 4) I bought sporty beads (football, soccer ball and baseball). I also bought beads with numbers on them. I made them each a bracelet/anklet and put my cell phone number in between beads. This way they each had a cute bracelet/anklet to wear! They were also small enough that others could not read the numbers as they were walking by. It really helped me with my anxiety of losing the kids! - Jessica

I like to line the front and back of my suitcase with scented trash bags. That way, if it is raining when we leave and luggage is exposed to the elements, the clothing stays dry. Plus, I can put dirty clothes in the scented trash bags during the trip. - Michelle