Tips about Food & Beverage, Mousecellaneous, Planning, Souvenirs and Special Events

Be careful while driving on Disney property. We were there this past weekend and they had a speed trap set up right before the Contemporary resort. There were four or five sheriffs and one had a radar gun. They had a car pulled over and that person had a ticket in his hand and did not look too happy. The next day we saw two sheriffs over by Pop Century. Just drive the speed limit. - Suzy

I must say that one of our most recent "fun things" to do is visit the "snack bars" at the hotels. Who knew that you could get a Dole whip outside the Magic Kingdom? We are now making a stop at the Polynesian snack bar for Dole Whip and the super Polynesian chips, prepared fresh with each order. I also have to say that the Adult Grilled Cheese is to die for. Prices are great. It is usually not crowded and the food is delicious -- oops, almost forgot the great flatbreads.

Another favorite stop is the snack bar at the Wilderness Lodge. We used to love their hot dogs and they had great biscuits with sausage in the AM. Now we go for the fantastic cupcakes. Only $2.29 and they are delicious and huge--enough for two to share. I also had a grilled chicken salad prepared while I watched--asked for extra bleu cheese(freshly crumbled) ---It was one of the best salads I have had anywhere. Coronado Springs, our favorite place to stay, has wonderful pastries. Some evenings if we have had a buffet for lunch, we just make a snack run to the hotel "fast food" joints. Quick service--good price-- nice atmosphere in the hotels -- and the food is super.

We always tell everyone that the hotels are an adventure all their own. If you have the time, don't miss a chance to just wander for a little while at several of them. Have a snack and enjoy the atmosphere. - Christy Allen

Regarding the Birthday FastPass, we were in the Magic Kingdom for my son's 5th birthday and my husband went to the will-call window to get FastPasses for our group. The rest of our group entered the park and headed in different directions... we didn't realize that my husband would need the park tickets for each member of our party in order to get FastPasses for each of us. Unfortunately we spent the first hour of our day frantically calling (thank goodness for cell phones) to get our party back together at the front gate. - Keri

Instead of stopping at a grocery store on arrival we have found Garden Grocer to be a great delivery service for all those drinks, water, snacks and breakfast goods that make getting organized in the mornings especially easy. We order from the comfort of home, there's a discount for ordering a couple of months out, and we have the items delivered early on our arrival day. Bell Services hold them and refrigerate perishables and then when we arrive we simply ask to have them delivered to our room. It's so convenient and we love not having to actually stop and shop enroute to our hotel. - Moira

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read what other AllEars.Net readers have to say about this service in our Rate and Review section.

Flower and Garden Festival - The AllEars® Picture This! Photo Bloggers offer these tips:

-- Be sure to bring extra memory cards and an extra set of camera batteries. There are so many beautiful flowers you'll end up taking lots of photos.

-- Visit the various topiaries and exhibits during different times of the day; the sunlight will be different, resulting in a different photograph.

-- Learn how to use the Macro setting on your camera for closeup photos of the flowers: http://land.allears.net/blogs/photoblog/2009/03/he_can_call_me_a_flower_if_he.html

-- Topiary Photography Tips: http://land.allears.net/blogs/photoblog/2008/06/ready_llvl_at_fg_livin_la_vida_1.html

-- Remember the Flower and Garden festival is not just about flowers and blooms, but also about landscapes! http://land.allears.net/blogs/photoblog/2008/11/japanese_garden_1.html

Flower and Garden Festival - Here are some of AllEars® best tips for having fun among the flowers:

-- Be sure to pick up a special Flower and Garden guide when you enter Epcot so you know where the special seminars and exhibts are.
-- Go to the butterfly garden early in the morning. It gets crowded later in the day.

We have been planning a March 2009 family get-together at Disney World since last summer. Trying to read up on and make all the right choices has been overwhelming. Your AllEars.Net site and newsletter helped a lot. We are all driving from Canada and we are staying off-site, so attraction ticket prices with foreign exchange rates added on has been a wait-and-see decision. Until a trip to one of the Disney Stores in the Toronto area in February, that is. Much to our delight (and financial relief) we learned that the attraction tickets (including the 6.5% Florida tax) are currently priced in Canadian dollars and the prices are comparable to all of the other US-priced tickets out there. The brochure price is what you pay, as no other taxes are added. Our family group of 12 adults and one child are very happy to pass this information on to all of the Canadians who are planning a trip to Disney World in the near future. - Anne Hewton

In addition to free Wi-Fi at McDonald's, the Chik-Fil-A restaurant on Route 535 (Apopka Vineland Road), just south of I-4 also has free Wi-Fi. - JohnH

Wal-Mart is now carrying Disney shirts in the stores and online. However, they run small! I normally wear a 2X, but I feel much more comfortable in Wal-Mart's 3X or even 4X! - Jo-Anne Harris

For those of us who collect the pressed coins, here's an easy way to keep them safe and organized: I bought a business card book (the small one). It fits perfectly into my pack and I can look back to see which ones I have gotten. - Danny Gauthier

I have a tip for the vegetarians visiting Disney. At some counter service restaurants (Cosmic Ray's in particular) you can order just a bun and two slices of cheese for $1.79 and put whatever toppings you want from the topping bar. This works really well at Cosmic Ray's in Tomorrowland because they have a huge variety at the topping bar including sauteed mushrooms. - Angie

Debra Martin Koma shares a few tips for the upcoming ESPN The Weekend (February 27-March 1):

We went to ESPN The Weekend last year for the first time and found there are a few things to keep in mind to make the most of your time there:

-- While it is possible to get the autographs of the celebrities after they've been interviewed on the main stage under the Sorcerer Mickey Hat, an even better way is to wait until after one of the smaller shows in one of the other venues, such as the Theater of the Stars or after the Dream Job Experience. There will be fewer fans crowding around to meet the celebs who were on hand for the show, and they seem more relaxed and willing to chat and sign, and even pose for photographs, then.

-- Arrive early if you want to get in to the shows like the Dream Job Experience or Stump the Schwab, or any of them really. They fill up quickly. If you want to be close enough to see the athletes, you need to arrive early to make sure you can sit (or, in the case of the shows taking place on the Sorcerer's Hat stage, stand) up front.

-- Arriving at the shows early is also a good way to the catch the athletes for a quick autograph or a photo as they enter the venue.

-- If you plan to also ride the rides while in the Studios, be sure to get your Fastpasses early in the day. The park is much more crowded than usual, and all of those people have to go somewhere while they're waiting for the next show or motorcade -- you can bet they'll be on the rides, too.

http://allears.net/tp/mgm/espn.htm

Regarding hard to get dining reservations. If at first you don't succeed... Count back 45 days from the date of your desired reservation. Call that day to check for cancellations. The thinking behind this is your final payment for any Disney vacations is due 45 days prior to arrival. People may need to change travel dates or cancel before final payment is made. It worked for me with Chef Mickey's. I called 45 days prior to my desired reservation date and got a 5:00 ressie. The cast member and I were both shocked and surprised. Simply Magical! - Gina Thayer

I always take a spiral notebook along and leave it out in the room for "where we will be" notes. As family returns to the room/villa, they can see that, "Mom & Dad went to the main pool at 3:45 p.m., back to room at 6 p.m.," so they know where we are, and if they have time to jump into their suits and join us; or "left for Epcot at 9 a.m., remember dinner res 6 p.m. in Canada," etc. This notebook travels with us from year to year, and is fun to look through once in awhile! Of course, cell phones make communications like this not quite as necessary as in past years! - Karen Jacobi

T-REX, the restaurant, is loud. We brought earplugs, but only needed them during the meteor shower. I saw some people complaining about the ice room, but it was actually pretty cool (ha ha) to look at... We were seated in a room that had the woolly mammoth, the baby mammoth and some flyers. The Dino room was very cool as well, and one of the tables is surrounded by a dinosaur. Neither of my kids was overwhelmingly disappointed that they weren't in that room, though. They liked looking around. - Holly P.