Tips about Food & Beverage, Laundry and Resorts

I like to bring an extra sandwich-sized zipper-top bag to the parks with me. That way if the kids don't finish a meal we can take some of it with us as a snack for later. - Ingrid

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

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

Pop Century - Just stayed at Pop Century for the first time and really enjoyed the resort. Wanted to mention that the "Mom's Night Out" dinners at the food court are fabulous for about $10! The fried chicken was excellent. Sad to report that those dinners are no longer served in metal TV dinner trays, though. - Susan

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

All Resorts - My wife and I get to go to Walt Disney World fairly often, so we always build "relax" time into our trips. Sometimes, that means going back to the resort for a quick nap in the middle of the afternoon. We find that turning on the "WDW Today" channel on the TV provides the perfect background music for this. "The nap channel" (as we call it) provides soft, instrumental versions of Disney songs. We hop in bed, turn the volume down a bit, and drift off to a rejuvenating sleep. And while I can't prove it, I'm pretty sure the music helps to make magical dreams! - Brian Lawrence

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

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

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

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

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.

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