Tips about Food & Beverage, Kids, Mousecellaneous and Sun & Heat Tips

For all those with peanut and/or tree nut allergies, make sure you have a meal at the Be Our Guest Restaurant (which was breathtaking, by the way). The chef advised us that no nuts are used on premises, and although the bread was made in a facility that may have resulted in cross contamination, ALL of the desserts were safe for those with peanut/tree nut allergies! My son was able to pick his own cupcake for dessert, and I'm not sure who was more excited -- him or me. The chef just had to prepare the cupcake without the garnish, which did not take away from it at all. Not to mention the cupcakes are amazing! I would highly recommend Be Our Guest, as most other sit-down restaurants are only able to offer ice cream without the Mickey sprinkles for dessert! - April Slavin

One year when we were doing the Magic Kingdom it was very hot, so we were looking for a nice cool place to relax and get out of the heat while we were waiting until it was time to use our FastPass. We tried some air-conditioned stores and restaurants, but with so many people in them they just weren't really cooling us off. I had a brilliant idea and it worked -- we left the park, jumped on the monorail, and just rode it around for an hour. No one was on it, so it was nice and cool, and quiet, too! I had a headache, but after cooling off and relaxing in the quiet we all felt great and went back to the park. My son and husband even had a nap -- they can sleep anywhere! - LT

When our family stays on property we like to have breakfast at our hotel. The last time we went we stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort so our room was pretty far from the food court. We didn't want to walk all the way back to the room to brush our teeth again after we had eaten and then walk again to get on the bus to head to the park. To solve this problem I purchased a few disposable toothbrushes. They are little pre-packaged toothbrushes that have a little bit of toothpaste on them. They are small enough to fit in your bag so you can take them with you to the parks to use after lunch and dinner, too. Just toss them in the garbage when you are done with them! - Nicole Benko

The Ghirardelli Soda Fountain at Disney Springs now has soy milk for their coffee drinks. It does not show up on the menu. They do not charge anything extra for it. - A. D. Johnson

Magic Kingdom - It's easy for small children to become over-stimulated by all the input at Disney World, especially Magic Kingdom, and certainly Fantasyland. When taking my granddaughter for her first time, just after her 2nd birthday, we purposely visited Adventureland, doing Aladdin's Magic Carpet first, and then Frontierland on her first morning. On her second morning we visited Fantasyland, riding Dumbo first. She enjoyed the attractions at Fantasyland more, I think, after getting acquainted with the park on her first morning. We have continued the "two mornings" routine at Magic Kingdom, beginning with Adventureland, since that first trip. Our trip when my granddaughter was 5 brought home especially how overwhelming all the sights and sounds of Main Street and Magic Kingdom can be. She thought she remembered, but the reality was something else. She definitely had that deer in the headlights expression on her face, walking down Main Street. Except for our old standby, Aladdin's Magic Carpet -- she greeted that ride enthusiastically. On the trip when she was 7, I thought we would probably do something else first, but she insisted that the Carpets were tradition. And that's what we did first. At rope drop, we're almost the only ones in line. It's like our own private carpet ride. - Kim

ALL PARKS - I have three kids and live a couple hours away from Disney. My children range in age from 5 to 14. One of the most useful tips I could give is to pack a pair of flip-flops in your backpack for water rides. Before you get in line, change from your tennis shoes to flip-flops and then you can change back into your dry tennis shoes after the ride. - Elizabeth

Christmas - Just a tip for booking the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package: Use the online system and try calling. I called and was told there was no availability for any shows at any restaurant on the two days I was considering. I prepared myself to just make a "regular" dining reservation and stand in the longer line. But when I got to disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/ I noticed a radio button that said "Dining Event." And what do you know? "Holidays around the World - Candlelight Processional" was a choice. Looks like you can also book Fantasmic, Victoria & Albert's Chef's Table, etc., which I don't remember being able to book in the past either. I was able to find a TON of choices for the dates and times that the Disney Reservation Center told me were unavailable for the Candlelight Processional -- including some of the "harder to find" restaurants. Cheers! - Gregory

The best investment of my recent trip at Disney was two notebooks and a couple of pencils. They were real lifesavers to entertain the girls while we were waiting, or just when they were bored. They used them at restaurants, on the buses, in the stroller, in the lines, waiting at the shows... and they also used them as autograph books. They ended up being the most useful thing I brought with me! - Melanie

We love the refillable mugs at the Disney resorts and find them to be a great value. Before leaving home, I purchase disposable dishcloths and spray them with a foamy dish-washing detergent, let them dry and place in a zipper top bag. Just dampen the wipes to thoroughly clean the mugs with soap and water. Each wipe lasts for several washings. No leftover, sticky residue; just a nice clean mug. Especially great if one member of the family has the sniffles. - Linda Jacobs

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

We recently went to Walt Disney World with a 7-year-old and 5-year-old. We rented a stroller with a glider board, which saved the day. Both kids were able to either sit in the stroller or stand on the board, and we never heard, "I'm too tired of walking." The stroller also came with a storage area underneath, a mini-cooler bag and a parent tray to hold a few bottles of water! - Scott Paul

I enjoyed reading the article on tips for taking children on an airplane (AllEars® Issue #661, May 22, 2012). It reminded me of the first time I took my four young children (age 6 months, 4, 8 and 10 years) on a plane. We were going to meet up with Dad who was doing work out of state, so I was on my own with them. To prepare for the flight we did "airplane practice" at home. I lined up chairs in our living room in rows like on a plane. We practiced how we would walk through the airport in a row like a mama duck and her ducklings. They carried their backpacks. We practiced talking to the flight attendants and having snacks. We practiced appropriate behavior on the plane and I told them they could only go to the airplane bathroom one time. (I knew my son would think it was cool and want to keep going in there.) That trip was many years ago, before the enhanced security requirements implemented by TSA, but we did practice walking through security as well. The funny thing is they still remember having airplane practice and they are 15, 19, 23 and 25. We were reminiscing a few weeks ago about that very thing. They were laughing so hard about airplane practice and walking like a row of ducklings. The practice really worked because I got several compliments on how well they behaved on that trip. - Jennie Blakeney

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