Tips about Food & Beverage, Mousecellaneous, My Disney Experience, Resorts and Souvenirs

I am writing to post a comment about the Disney website. It seems that ever since the My Disney Experience portion was launched, the website has become very slow and unresponsive. I have ended up calling to make my dining reservations since the system keeps timing out and Donald Duck appears to tell me the server has become too busy. The cast member told me to try using Google Chrome as my browser. While I have still not been able to make any dining reservations through a computer (neither a home or office one), Google Chrome definitely is faster than Internet Explorer. The cast member told me that many people are complaining about the same issues and that hopefully Disney is listening, as all the calls are recorded. - Tracey Etchberger

Boardwalk - When I was at Seashore Sweets at the BoardWalk in December, there was a jar of jellybeans on the counter near the registers. If you correctly guess the number of jellybeans in the jar, you get free ice cream. I correctly guessed and got a single scoop in a cup. There were many people who never noticed the jar, so be sure to ask about it. - Joel

Animal Kingdom Lodge - Be sure to check out what is happening at your resort. We recently returned from a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. They had many activities for kids, and most were free. Not only did they have crafts in the lobby, games at the pool, but they also had a sunset campfire with free marshmallows to roast. Also, be sure to walk around the grounds of the resort. At AKL we found savanna overlooks in many areas, and they often have someone who will answer questions about the animals. This is what makes Disney resorts so unique! - E. Horton

We just returned from a trip to Disney with my grandchildren. Of course, they want to buy everything. We found that by taking pictures of the item wanted (and the price) they could later go through the list and select the item they really wanted. It saved a lot of running around and they kids were able to "see" the items they were considering. - Stephen James

Join the Earl of Sandwich's Upper Crust sandwich club for free at: http://www.earlofsandwichusa.com/ Get $5 off added to your account 7 days after sign up. - Deb Wills

In reading the comments on the article about "Overcoming the Drop" (AllEars® Issue #735) it reminded me of a fun thing we do when the kids ride a new ride, especially one they have been scared to try. They "earn" a Disney pin for that attraction. We love picking out new ride pins with the kids and then love to show them off to friends and family when we return from our trip. - Jamie

I just noticed that there is a way to find out about refurbishments specifically for when I am visiting through My Disney Experience. Once I have set up my itinerary, I go to that day and under Plan and Manage I choose My Itinerary. Change the date to the day I am visiting a specific park, and under the Parks hours, click on the link "learn what you can do at... (Hollywood Studios, etc.)." When that opens, choose Attractions and a list of all the attractions opens. If you click on an attraction and there are no times available, it's not open on that day. - Cathy

When our son was much younger he always wanted another souvenir. Short of buying all of Disney World, we had a very small notebook and when he came upon another, "I need that!" we wrote all the information in his "souvenir handbook." At the end of the vacation he was able to go through the entire book and decide what he really wanted as his souvenir. After careful consideration he purchased his favorite. It stopped us from constantly having to say "no" and allowed him the control to really pick out the item that meant the most to him. Win-win situation! - Marti & Paul Linetzky

When using My Disney Experience and FastPass+ it's important to note that Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios both have Tiered Attractions for FastPass+ You can now only select one premiere attraction out of your three FastPass+ choices. Once you finalize, you can go back in and change an attraction or a time (pending availability).

When making online dining reservations, try using different variations of times. For example, I have noticed sometimes if I enter the time as just "lunch" or "dinner" I get no availability for that particular park or restaurant. If I check again using a specific time, sometimes availability shows up. I have done this when making reservations online at my computer and while in the parks using the mobile Disney app. - Terry Lewis

Regarding penny-pressing (or penny-squishing, as we call it): My husband soaks pre-1981 pennies in apple cider vinegar. This gets them nice and shiny and perfect for "squishing!" - Cindy Robinson

At my local Disney Store this morning, so excited to see a new line of "it's a small world" merchandise! Beautiful dolls that sing in both English and their native tongues, cute plush animals, all from the attraction! ADORABLE! - Denise EDITOR'S NOTE: If you no longer have a Disney store in your area, you can always shop at the Disney Store online

At my local Disney Store this morning, so excited to see a new line of "it's a small world" merchandise! Beautiful dolls that sing in both English and their native tongues, cute plush animals, all from the attraction! ADORABLE! - Denise EDITOR'S NOTE: If you no longer have a Disney store in your area, you can always shop at the Disney Store online

At my local Disney Store this morning, so excited to see a new line of "it's a small world" merchandise! Beautiful dolls that sing in both English and their native tongues, cute plush animals, all from the attraction! ADORABLE! - Denise EDITOR'S NOTE: If you no longer have a Disney store in your area, you can always shop at the Disney Store online

My daughter and her friends enjoyed pressing pennies and quarters while on our Disney trips. You can purchase a "book" to keep your pennies in. They have press machines in all the parks and resorts, even Disney Springs. They tried to get one for everything they did. We just purchased a new roll of pennies from the bank before the trip so that we had enough and they were all new and shiny. - Cindy Firmin