Tips about Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom, Planning and Theme Parks

If you are a Florida resident we have a great deal for you. My family and I are annual passholders and frequently visit WDW. We have the Tables in Wonderland and it save's us 20% at most sit down restaurants. This card is $125.00 for the year. We saved that in one weekend. - The Hill's

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tables in Wonderland is now available to all annual passholders as well as to all Florida Residents.

We just returned from WDW, and wanted to tell everyone interested in character dining to not give up, thinking it is too late to get reservation for a meal. My girlfriend called at 6 p.m. and got us a reservation for 7:30 p.m. at the Liberty Tree Tavern. So even on the day of, and just hours before, it is still possible. Never assume that it is too late. - Dustin Wilson

Did you know you could order from any of the restaurants on the Boardwalk by just walking in and asking to place a to-go order. We did this our first night and it worked great. Took just 15 minutes for wings and two chicken Caesar salads. - Jennifer Lukoff

If you're a vegan or on a strict low-fat diet--or would simply like an extra-special vegetarian meal--call the Walt Disney World main switchboard (407) 824-2222 and ask to be transferred to the restaurant of your choice. Once connected, ask to speak directly with a chef, and explain your dietary needs. Have fun brainstorming with the chefs about your special meal. If you give them enough advance notice (usually a week will do), most Disney chefs are more than happy to purchase special items like rice milk, kamut or seitan to make your meal memorable. Remember to get your chef's full name and to let him or her know the date and time of your visit.

Go to Planet Hollywood and Rainforest Cafe for early dinners - have a good size breakfast - no or light lunch - arrive at either at about 3:30-4pm. Seating is faster - for even faster service sit at the bar. The scenery at both is just as nice to experience there and you don't have to wait for a table. - A. Halton

Please continue to encourage people that eating within the parks can be affordable. (Granted, it is just the 2 of us w/o children, and we do not drink alcohol.) We went on a Sunshine Getaway package [no longer offered] which included a BIG all-you-could-eat breakfast each day, which we scheduled at the earliest time available. Using The Unofficial Guide to WDW (book) we planned to eat as late a lunch as possible at specific restaurants, usually around 2-3. We found full menus and very generous portions, but for a considerably lower price than the dinner meals. Finally, we would stop by the food court at the Caribbean Beach Resort for a snack before bed time. Next time, I'll bring along the Poptarts, etc., and eliminate the need to pay for such. - Jenny Drake

We just returned from a stay at the Coronado Springs Resort. We crammed so much into the evening at the Magic Kingdom, that we decided to have a light snack, and eat once we got back to Coronado Springs. It was close to 11 pm when our bus got us back to the resort. Much to our displeasure, ALL restaurants close at 11pm and room service is even closed after 11 pm as well. Thank heavens for being in the lobby, by the fountain, when we saw a Domino's pizza delivery guy. We ended up ordering pizza and eating about 12:30! We could understand the restaurants closing, but room service as well? During the summer they should at least keep room service running until 1:00 am!!! So heads up if you try to eat a late dinner! - Debi T.

ALL PARKS - I found that if you get tired of waiting in long lines, and you don't mind splitting up your party ( maybe to 1, 2,or even 3) some attractions offer singles lines. These lines help fill up unused space. I tried this at Test Track and the normal wait time was 70 minutes. It took me 5 minutes on the singles line and I still got a seat with my parents. - Matthew

ALL PARKS - I found that if you get tired of waiting in long lines, and you don't mind splitting up your party ( maybe to 1, 2,or even 3) some attractions offer singles lines. These lines help fill up unused space. I tried this at Test Track and the normal wait time was 70 minutes. It took me 5 minutes on the singles line and I still got a seat with my parents. - Matthew

ALL PARKS - I found that if you get tired of waiting in long lines, and you don't mind splitting up your party ( maybe to 1, 2,or even 3) some attractions offer singles lines. These lines help fill up unused space. I tried this at Test Track and the normal wait time was 70 minutes. It took me 5 minutes on the singles line and I still got a seat with my parents. - Matthew

Lockers are available to rent at the 4 Theme Parks and 2 Water Parks. A Large Locker (17.5"h x 12"w x 16" d) is $10/day plus key deposit. The Small Locker (11"h x 9"w x 16" d) is $8/day plus key deposit. When visiting more than one park per day, simply return your locker key to receive your original $5 deposit. Then, present your receipt (plus the deposit) at the second theme park to gain access to another locker for the remainder of the day at no additional cost. Single-use, coin-operated lockers are located near Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios bus Information booths. The cost is one dollar. Quarters must be inserted each time the locker is locked. Larger-sized luggage lockers (23"h x 16"w x 29" deep) are also available for rent outside the Main Gate of Epcot.

With four children, we are always looking for a way to help smooth over areas that might turn into calamities. The very best thing that we found was to bring hip pouches with water bottles attached, and every night, we fill them up about halfway with water or juice. Then we freeze them overnight. (This even works if you do not have a freezer...get an ice chest, fill it with ice, and you are good to go!) Then in the morning, finish filling it up with your choice of beverage, and you will have a cool drink until early afternoon. At that point, you can refill from a water fountain or head to the room for a refill. We did this in May, and it really helped keep the costs down on those $2 and $3 drinks! - Modesta

When visiting WDW we like to bring our own bottles and fill them at the parks. Trouble is, we don't enjoy the sulfur taste of the water. Last year, we bought Brita Fill and Go water bottles at Target for about $7 each. Each filter lasts for 15 gallons and really helps get rid of the unpleasant taste. The bottles come with a filter and replacements are a couple dollars each. This is much more convenient than having to stop and buy bottled water and is very economical, too. I've also noticed that the cold water from the faucets in the Disney resorts is not too cold, so we fill the bottles with half water and half ice, which helps keep it cool for a couple of hours at least. - Terri Padavona

ALL PARKS - We had a fantastic time, but I am sure many others did not -- especially those folks who thought that noon was a good time to arrive at the Magic Kingdom. Remember my Golden Rule of Disney: always be at the entrance gate when the park opens. We took advantage of the one hour early park opening every day (Extra Magic Hour), and were finished with all major attractions and back at the hotel by 1 p.m. We'd spend a nice afternoon poolside and then return in the evening for a Priority Seating dinner and the show/parade. We did not use Fastpass once, and never stood in a line for more than 20 minutes, except for that misbehaving Test Track at Epcot. - Timothy Helm

ALL PARKS - While wandering around Walt Disney World, I like to carry a small plastic tube for paper souvenirs. I use a plastic tennis ball container that has a lid -- other similar tubes will work well. This allows me to store maps, menus, napkins and any other paper items without them being crushed, wrinkled or soaked. I just put them under a few heavy books when I get home. - Brian Brennan