Tips about Food & Beverage, Magic Kingdom, Resorts and Travel

Save yourself time and money on hydration while roaming the parks. My husband and I each have a CamelBak hydration pack (they have packs with only a beverage bladder or models with decent-sized backpacks for the rest of your Disney necessities). A trip to the resort ice machine, a little powdered drink mix and you're good for the whole day. Plus, the ice in the pack keeps you cool on a hot day, even through the insulated padding. You'll save the cost of the CamelBak in the first couple of days plus no time waiting in line for an expensive bottle of water! - Karen Henny

If you are travelling with young children and your airline allocates seats (rather than a "sit-where-you-like" policy), don't board the plane first with the other families and people with disabilities. It takes a long time for a plane to fill up. Instead, take another trip to the toilet, refill a juice cup and board the plane last. Then you won't have a lot of waiting on the plane! - Caroline from the UK

Magic Kingdom - We have a GREAT spot for the afternoon parade in the Magic Kingdom but you have to get there early. After you cross over the bridge into Liberty Square there is a little cart where they handpaint umbrellas. Well, next to that cart is a much larger umbrella mounted into the ground -- SHADE! Even Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia thought it was a good spot -- while we were viewing the parade in June, they stopped and told us we were the smartest peasants they had seen all day. How kind!! Then the last float in the parade stopped right in front of us and all the characters came off to dance and interact with the crowd. It was awesome!! I am sharing this with everyone on one condition - you have to promise to let us have our spot when we are there next June. - Sharon Stieg

I don't know if it has been mentioned, but you can only make your online dining reservations if you have fewer than 10 people in your group. We have 14 in our group and I still had to call the group number to make our dining reservations. (For groups of 10 or more, call 407-939-5665.) - Melissa Speegle

When planning for The World we always leave a three-day window at the beginning and end of our trip, allowing us to check for the lowest airline rates before we book. We look at airports within a 1-1/2 hour driving distance from home to get the best airfare and always leave and return during the week rather than weekends to lower the rates. You might be surprised at the smaller airports that have direct as well as less expensive flights, as well as lower parking expenses. Also try to book an early morning flight to Disney allowing you to spend more time there. The same goes for your trip home -- book a late flight and have a late lunch/early dinner on your last day before heading to the airport. We always get asked by family and friends how can we afford to stay 10 days instead of seven but with proper planning and knowing a few tricks you too can become a "Disney Weasel" (my bride's name when planning our trip) and beat the Mouse for an extended stay! - JK

Travel from Tuesday to Tuesday. Airfare is consistently cheaper when you fly on Tuesdays. - jgdafamily

Always ask about discounts. Discounts for room reservations, dining, park tickets and tours are sometimes offered for AAA members, military, senior citizens, Disney Visa card holders, and Florida residents. It's always worth asking! - Justine Fellows

I check the airlines to see who is having the best deals. For our upcoming trip in August I bought tickets for $66 one way per person. We live in upstate NY so we are not close. Even though I get them a long way out I save a GREAT deal of money. - Dianne Spawn

My husband, 3-year-old daughter and I drove from New York to Lorton, Virginia, to catch the Amtrak Auto Train. I have to say that this was a very nice addition to our trip. We chose to reserve a bedroom, which included a toilet/shower stall within the room. When traveling with a toddler you need a bathroom at the ready. The room was just the right size for two adults and one child and the food options were fine. We chose to bring a portable DVD player and coloring books, both of which kept our daughter happy. If anyone is concerned about flying or would like the use of their personal car while in Florida, I highly suggest looking into the Auto Train! - Vickie Barca

Wilderness Lodge - Select resorts now have a Resort Photo Session that can be booked up to 30 days in advance of your stay. I just called and spoke to Sheri at the Wilderness Lodge Photo Pass Desk (it's in the lobby by the Mercantile) and was quoted the following: 20 minute private photo session at your resort. 2 Packages available: $49.95 includes sitting fee and 7 - 5x7's $99.95 includes above PLUS all the photos they took on a CD/ROM and the rights to the photo's so you can print them up later. I was told that they take no less than 50 pictures, so if this is a special occassion it might just be worth it to get the $99.95 package! - Elizabeth Kozdron

Magic Kingdom - I recently found out a service that the Magic Kingdom watch store offers. My husband's pin fell out of his glasses. The nearest glasses store was 20 minutes away and we did not have a car. I asked the front desk if there was a watch store in one of the parks. They directed me to the one in the Magic Kingdom. I thought maybe a watch store would have the tools to put the pin back in. The store told me to bring the glasses over. The man had the tools and many pins to try. He fixed the glasses free of charge. We were so, so happy! - Teresa Norman

During a recent visit to Walt Disney World our family stayed at Kidani Village. One of things we were curious about was quick dining. Many DVC members have expressed concerned about the lack of quick dining options at Kidani Village. It's understandable considering the size of the resort and the distance (about half a mile from front entrance to front entrance) to Jambo House to eat at the Mara (Jambo's counter service location).

I knew the pool bar had some food offerings and the gift shop inside the lobby (Johari Treasures) had some quick food items as well; however, I discovered something else. A private dining option is available at the Maji pool bar.

Here's how it works. Look for the phone and menu display at the Maji Pool Bar, pick it up and it will ring into the Sanaa kitchen. Make sure to reference your private dining number on your identification tent. Place your order with the Cast Member. They will give you an approximate wait time, a total, and ask you how you will pay; cash, credit, or room charge. Take your number tent to your pool chair and wait for the Cast Member to bring you the food. There is an adult menu and a kids menu to choose from. Each adult entree comes with specific side items and a pudding dessert. Kid's meals come with 2 sides and a chocolate cake dessert.

Something I found unusual is the resort does not have a fryer so you will not find any fried foods on the private dining menu. According to the Cast Member this was because of Disney's healthier foods initiative. We ordered a kid's pizza for our daughter which came with 2 sides; carrot sticks and fruit salad, a piece of chocolate cake for dessert and a bottle of water. The food came out in less than 15 minutes.

When you order through the private dining line you are charged a $3 trip charge and an automatic 18% gratuity. The total for our daughter's kid's meal was $12.75. There was some confusion whether the drink was included with the meal. When we called private dining they said yes, but the bottle of water did not come out, so we received one at the pool bar at no cost. You cannot use the Disney Dining Plan for this dining option.

The Maji pool bar also offers a very limited selection of quick foods you can order and receive from their refrigerator right away without going through private dining. Make sure to bring your resort refillable mug to the Kidani Village pool. They have a soda refilling station next to the bar; a nice feature and very convenient.

For those of you who stay at this resort the Johari Treasures gift shop also has some quick, cold food and breakfast options. There are cereals, breads and other breakfast fare to choose from. Potato chips and other afternoon or evening snacks are available as well. Many of the food items are eligible as snack credits on the Disney Dining Plan. You could very easily take this food to your villa and prepare it in your kitchen or kitchenette. The gift shop also houses a refillable mug station for soda, coffee, and tea; however, there is no hot chocolate.

Despite the lack of a quick service restaurant at Kidani Village there are still options to choose from if you don't want to walk, take the bus, or drive over to Jambo House. Be sure to check them out while you are enjoying this beautiful resort. - Aaron DelPrince

Share meals. If you're buying at the resort (we do, since I don't cook on vacation!), split entrees. Or get a double cheeseburger, cut it in half, and you've got two burgers at a fraction of the price of two full meals. Cast members have always accommodated our requests for an extra plate or extra silver. Their servings are large, and you won't go hungry! - Mark & Eileen Miller

My wife and I split an entree at table service restaurants. The portion sizes are usually more than one person can handle (or should handle anyway). Our server at the Sci-Fi Dine In split a milkshake for our 3 and 4 year old daughters to share also. Sharing really made sense for us, as my wife has had Lap Band surgery and is not able to eat much anyway--sharing made her feel less wasteful. - Jeremy Hardy

Eat at a more expensive restaurant for lunch rather than dinner, as the menu choices are similar but the prices are lower - so you can experience the restaurant of your choice for less. Also, check out the menus on Deb's site before you go. They've been updated recently, and the price of an entree can differ in price between otherwise "comparable" restaurants. - Jennifer J. Bogdanski, Esq