Tips about Food & Beverage, Kids, Magic Kingdom, Planning and Travel

I don't know how many folks travel with teens but I travel with my 16-year-old son. We usually stay at the All Stars and the only place for us to change privately is the bathroom. This can cause problems if you have had a shower and it's all steamy. So to solve the problem and give us a little more privacy, I go to the dollar store and buy a cheap white or colored shower curtain. Then I get two of the 3M hooks (with Command adhesive) that have the pull tab to remove them from the wall. We then hang the shower curtain between the sink area and the bedroom area. When we aren't using the area we hang the shower curtain on one hook. But when one of us wishes to change, we just hook the curtain up and we have a nice private area to change. I discovered this about 10 years ago when I was traveling with three kids. This way the two girls could change in one room and the two boys in the other. Editor's Note: We've checked out these hooks by 3M with the Command adhesive, and they seem to really work as the manufacturer claims: they are specially designed so that they won't mark the walls or remove paint, and they don't leave a sticky residue behind.)

As great as zipper-top bags are for holding snacks, you might want to think about hard plastic storage containers for them or something equally sturdy. I've witnessed a squirrel literally rip a hole in a reusable supermarket bag to get at the chips inside, no matter how many times we shooed him away. Anytime you're in a show or a ride with a long line the squirrels and birds have PLENTY of time to mess with your stuff that you've left in your stroller or scooter. - Aren

Want some help passing the time while traveling? Try Puzzlemaker from Discovery.com. (http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/ ) You can make your own crosswords, word searches, math puzzles, and tons more! They can be easy or tough, and you can print them directly from the site or import them into a spreadsheet so you can add graphics for a bit of fun. I've made word searches easy enough for my kindergarten-aged daughter and hard enough for my grandmother.

We found it very helpful when traveling with our toddler to pack a plastic tablecloth and some plastic clothing pins we got at the dollar store. We stored them in a small Ziploc bag and threw them in the bottom of the stroller. When we would go into an attraction and had to leave the stroller outside with some of our other belongings, we would get the tablecloth out and cover the stroller with it and clip it down so it wouldn't blow away. There is nothing worse than returning to your stroller and finding out that while you were inside having a great time, there had been a passing thunderstorm (which happens all the time). Our stuff and the stroller were still dry. I can't tell you how many people thought we were the smartest people in the park! - Karen Rosenberger

On a family trip to WDW in 2002, our minivan A/C went out. We tried for one day of 100-degree heat to tough it out. I finally gave in to the pleading of the family and called Midas in Kissimmee. I found the price was about the same as getting it repaired at home. Also by getting the work done at a nationwide company the warranty was good anywhere. National companies allowed us to ride home in A/C comfort, and the work was done in one day. - David Jackson

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

We were in Disney World last month and noticed that there are new ways that the MagicBands interact with various attractions. At Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, there is an electronic poster in the queue that displays the name and home city of guests. At Mission: Space, there are video screens in the post-attraction room that will display the names of the guests who finished the ride, along with their hometown and their mission projection. At Space Mountain there are video screens along the moving walkway that display the names of the guests who finished the ride. At the end of "it's a small world," look for the video screen to display the names of the guests on the boat. There may be more attractions that may also implement this technology, so keep your eyes open in the queues and in the post-attraction areas. - Brian Kehoe

Make up labels with your name, your resort and the resort phone number. Place these labels on your cameras (including disposables), video equipment and even kids' backpacks. If these items are lost, this will increase your chances of getting them back. - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Binnie Betten

MAGIC KINGDOM - When two showings of a parade are offered at the Magic Kingdom in an evening, the second is almost always much less crowded and just as nice! - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Mike Boyer

The portions at full service restaurants are typically very large. We order 1 or 2 appetizers and a dessert, or one entree and one appetizer and share. We get plenty to eat and save quite a bit on the food budget. In addition, there are no leftovers to tote around the park! - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you bywww.themouseforless.com and Mickey Birt

If you have the Disney Trivia game, you can take a few packs of trivia cards with you to Disney. Some of you may have a long road trip ahead of you, so the Disney trivia cards help you pass the time. You don't need the game board. Take a few stacks of cards and put them in a Ziploc bag.

Even if you fly to WDW, pack a stack of trivia cards anyway. Unless you're in a dark queue like Pirates of the Caribbean, you can pass a long wait quickly with trivia, and you may get an added side benefit... new friends in the queue line grateful for the diversion, too! - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Lori Wagner

If you like a big breakfast, the best deal in the parks is at the Trail's End Buffeteria at Fort Wilderness. It has the same general menu as many of the other buffets, but no characters, plus the price is only $15.99 per adult! Also, if you want the food at Hoop-De-Doo and don't want to pay $50+ per person to go, the supper menu at Trail's End is EXACTLY the same food for about $23 per adult. - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Mickey Birt

Instead of signing up for each airline's weekly fare specials, visit www.smarterliving.com and subscribe to their weekly email. It gives you weekly fare specials from most airlines, including Southwest, in a single email. You can even customize your emails by choosing up to three departure cities in which you are interested -- then you'll only be notified of the fares departing from those particular cities. - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and Jackie

If you're driving to Florida, try audio books. You can borrow them from your library. Or, buy them from Cracker Barrel, keep the receipt, and return it to any Cracker Barrel when you're finished. They'll refund you the purchase price less $3 for each week you've had the book. You can find Cracker Barrel locations on your way at http://www.crackerbarrel.com/trip.cfm?doc_id=47/ Books on tape can also be rented at www.booksontape.com/ - Timeless Tip o' the Week brought to you by www.themouseforless.com and its "List Mom", Binnie Betten

Save money by ordering water instead of sodas when you dine. It's better for you, and the savings can allow you to purchase one or more desserts to split. Everyone knows Disney has great desserts! - Jane