Tips about Food & Beverage, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Water Parks

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.

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

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

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

When visiting the water parks, we always start the day by establishing a home base at a couple of lawn chairs. Because of the children's different ages, we often split up in twos with me and the younger daughter going on some attractions, and Dad and older daughter going on the more adventurous attractions. So to keep tabs on each other, we leave a spiral notepad, a pen, and an inexpensive watch so that we can keep up with each other throughout the day. We leave each other notes including the time so the other twosome can have an idea of when we will be back. - Linda Hanson

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.

MAGIC KINGDOM - The little containers that the individual chocolate cakes come in at the Columbia Harbor House (and other places on property) make great little recycled "terrariums" to start seeds and tiny plants in. Just remember to poke little holes in the top for air to get in or the contents will get moldy! They can be reused several times and are a fun way for kids to remember thier Disney vacation later on in the year. - Lynn Quintieri

My kids, ages 7 and 9, take me to Disney World for a three-day weekend about six times a year. Through our many trips, we have come to learn that it's necessary for us to have enough energy to enjoy ourselves and eat as healthy as possible. It also cuts down on the whining that occurs when kids are bored and tired and hungry, and saves us some money as well. As a routine, each night each kid packs himself parent-approved snack bags, brought from home or bought in the gift store, divided up into those little snack bags (fruit roll-ups, Chip n' Dale pretzels, raisins, grapes, etc.). My kids are usually OK with about four to six little snacks apiece. The kids are then responsible for their own fanny pack all day and can help themselves to what snack they want when they want without whining or fighting or arguing. I keep additional snack baggies in my purse for those times when we indulge in some Cheetohs or chips in the park so the kids can share more easily or save for later. It works well for us!! - Ellen Holbrook

Another place that serves real coffee (including espresso drinks) is the walk-up window at Pepper Market at the Coronado Springs Resort. The latte I ordered there was actually larger and cheaper than the one I usually get at my local Starbucks. - Anne Hickling

The plastic weight tags on the Disney balloons make wonderful decorative ties on curtains and blinds at home. - Andrea M. Eis

For your vegetarian readers -- We had dinner last week at the Garden Grill at the Land in Epcot, and I was talking with our server about vegetarian options. Usually I request a child's dinner in addition to the usual family style fare (even though we travel without kids), because it gives me a few more side dishes to snack on. However, the server told me that they are now serving a vegetable couscous for those who want a vegetarian option. He said they had just started offering it. I'm not usually a fan of couscous, but it was wonderful! I also still sampled the sides from the regular dinner plates. I definitely felt like I had a healthier dinner, instead of just filling up on mashed potatoes and mac and cheese! - Shelley

My family and I have always enjoyed looking for Hidden Mickeys around Disney World. I had a great idea for a Hidden Mickeys activity for the readers. We all hate when our trip to Disney is over and we have to go back to the real world, but that's no reason we have to let go of the magic. While visiting Chicago, my wife and I were standing outside a restaurant and I noticed a Hidden Mickey on the sidewalk in a grate around a tree. I'm sure if we look around we can find Hidden Mickeys all over. Just a thought. - Mike L.

We always get a ton of round Mickey stickers from cast members and I feel guilty wasting them at the end of each night when I pull them off of everything the kids have stuck them to. Now, I keep them and use them to repair torn game boxes at home. They are the perfect size, are durable, and remind us of our Disney trip each time we pull out a game with a repaired box! - Kari Svinarich