Tips about Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Packing and Planning

If you're looking for Kosher food while visiting Walt Disney World, you'll find it now at Satu'li Canteen in Animal Kingdom (no longer at the Kusafiri Bakery). And it's also at both Liberty Inn and the Electric Umbrella in Epcot. By the way, the vendor for Kosher food has changed. It is no longer Weberman -- they now use Sterling. Thanks for the great site! Hopefully these updates will help others. - Josh

I just returned from a terrific stay at the Grand Floridian and wanted to share a unique experience if you're looking for something extra-special. My husband surprised me with an Intimate Dining Experience. It's a two-hour dining experience for up to four people, even if staying off-property, with a choice of locations throughout the resort, personalized menus and a butler. Ours was on a balcony of the Grand Floridian with a view of the lagoon and fireworks. It was arranged directly through the front desk at the Grand Floridian. - Denise D.

Magic Kingdom - An unexpected bonus tip happened one morning when we entered the Magic Kingdom park early. The opening music was playing. We headed to the Crystal Palace for an early breakfast. Near there was a flower garden, which also faced toward the Adventureland sign. Using my camcorder, I was able to have a few of the songs of the opening music playing as the background for the scenes I was shooting. It was an extra freebie. There are always new scenes to shoot and new movies to make. You could easily find your hardest decision to make is how many cameras to take. - Murry A.

Walt Disney World counter service restaurants frequently serve either Minute Maid Lemonade (which contains sugar) or Minute Maid Lemonade Light (which contains artificial sweetener) as fountain drinks, but no restaurant has both. I could tell which served which because on the wall menus regular Minute Maid lemonade has a black logo, while the Light version has a white logo. But beware! It appears some counter service restaurants have gone to the Light version even though the wall menu still sports the black regular Minute Maid logo. This happened to us recently in La Kringla Bakery in Epcot. To be sure which one you're getting, look at the actual picture on the fountain dispenser, not on the menu! - Anne

Magic Kingdom - Regarding Mike Scopa's article about saving time (AllEars® Issue #443, March 18, 2008): One of the queues that you can save a lot of time on is the Indy Speedway. The line goes up a ramp and then turns right. From there you can go down the first ramp or continue on the bridge to the second ramp. When I have been there lately, there are two lanes of cars running from the bottom of the first ramp and only one lane of cars on the second ramp. The second ramp is also further away. Therefore, do not go to the second ramp! - Sara

Schedule one evening to be at the perfect place and time to view a fabulous Florida sunset. Most regular visitors have their own favorite sunset view, but in the crush of other things to do, this is one of those "I wish I had done it" things you remember after you get home. It is one of those quiet moments that are most treasured later, and is a good "last evening at Disney" tradition to incorporate into your stay. Depending on your resort, cast members can usually suggest the best sunset view. One of my favorites is the point that juts into the lagoon at the Polynesian, but any western view over water is a winner. Another great place is at the Cantina in Mexico at Epcot. Get a cool drink and sit at a table by the water and just soak up the peace and beauty. - Mary Jane Walley

I thought that Alice McNutt Miller's post about money saving tips was spot on. Our family has enjoyed Disney World every few years and I always consult the AllEars® tips database while planning. One tip that I would add to Alice's list is considering travel during the room-only discount periods. This way you can combine frugal and fairly extravagant if you're willing to move from value/moderate to deluxe for a few days (especially to the BoardWalk area). Our kids felt like it was two vacations in one. - Jack

We just returned from a cruise and parks trip -- two days in the parks, then a four-day cruise, then two more days in the parks. We packed separate suitcases for the cruise and the parks days. We left our "parks" suitcase with bell services and they even transferred it to our next hotel. It was there waiting for us when we got off the cruise. Saved everyone time and energy of having one fewer bag to get on/off the ship. Another part of the Disney magic! - Sue and John Bower

Don't be too quick to dismiss the Deluxe resorts. For the UK visitor, free dining is usually not available at the Value resorts, while the Quick Service plan is included at the Moderates and the regular dining plan comes with Deluxe or Villas. We have found that it can often work out cheaper for us to book a villa when free dining is included than it would be to book at a Value resort and buy a dining plan or just pay for food as we went along. - Debi

I have a tip about an AllEars Hears item, which said WDW wedding packages start at $4,000. You can be married at The Swan and Dolphin resorts for much less and still receive some of the benefits of a Walt Disney World Wedding, including appearances by characters like Mickey and Minnie. Packages start at around $2,200. Shades of Green is another lower-cost option (for those who have family in the military). - C. Hayward

When we go to WDW we keep the kiddie meal Mickey-shaped plates as souvenirs. They wash up nicely (top-rack dishwasher) and have three compartments. I usually use one of the "ears" to put their cups into so that they don't tip them over. They last long, too. We've had ours since the summer! - Kari Svinarich

We traveled in December and noticed how the food available at the counter service restaurants has gotten healthier - giving more choices to those with Celiac Disease. Sit-down restaurants were wonderfully accommodating, of course! I did find out that one counter service location in each park has gluten-free pizza available. It is not on the menu, you have to ask for it. In Magic Kingdom it was Pinocchio's and at Epcot it is in the American Pavilion. Just ask Guest Services as the location may change. I also found gluten-free brownies and cookies in Wilderness Lodge and some of the counter service restaurants. I still brought an easy breakfast to eat in our hotel room to save time, but once I went out I didn't have to worry! What a pleasant vacation it was for this Celiac mom! - Kaercher Family

When traveling, bring your own soap for face and body, wrapped up in a face cloth and packed in a large secure zipper-lock bag. You never loose the "scent" of home nor do you have to use provided soap. Since you have your own soap products there's no need to worry about potential allergies to the provided soaps. - Ruth Ann Hastings

My husband and I were staying at All Star Music in October. We wanted to make sure that our luggage wasn't over the weight limit. We asked the concierge if they had a scale that we could use for our baggage. She told me that they did have one at the Magical Express check-in outside. We took our bags out to them and they had a large scale that they let us use free of charge. It's great to know ahead of time what the weight of your luggage is instead of being surprised at the airport with the fees. - Jennifer Baldovinos

When we travel to Disney World we usually worry about the 50 lb. limit coming home just like everyone else. We have learned to put a flat box with a pre-addressed label on it in the bottom of our luggage with a roll of packing tape. When we have made several purchases (non-breakable) we pack them in the box and take it to the desk at the hotel. They mail it to our home and it arrives shortly after we do. It extends the magic just a little longer when we open the box at home, and there are no worries about being over the weight limit at the airport. - Nancy Nickerson