Tips about Food & Beverage, Mousecellaneous, Resorts, Souvenirs and Strollers

We brought our own stroller for the 2 yr old. Your tip on the Stroller for the BIG kids (9 & 7) was great for EPCOT. At the Pavillion area we let the two big ones into a double stroller and everyone was very happy. With all the walking through the World Showcase, the older kids were much happier using the stroller from place to place. We didn't mind pushing them as it gave us a chance to SEE the pavillions. They were excited to get the strollers and we kept them busy by handing them the camcorder for "Kids-Cam" time. The funniest movies are from the kids perspective going through Epcot via the strollers. - Chris Swanson

I had two kids with me and we rented the strollers for packages and for them to take a break every now and then. My kids are a 4'11" and 5 foot and they enjoyed the strollers. Some people may have thought it was crazy but they needed a break every now and then too. I personally think a stroller only makes the walking a little nicer having, gives you something to lean on while your walking and really makes a difference with not worrying over who is going to carry the back packs etc. - Neanie9

I would recommend that you don't assume that an older child 4 or 5 is too old for a stroller, there is alot of walking and usually alot of heat plus it helps to keep track of them, We were able to keep up a pretty good pace in the parks even to late at night by taking a break in the afternoon and putting the 5 year old in a stroller. - marsee

Don't take your own stroller! We almost did. I just thought my daughter would be so much more comfortable in her own and that the plastic ones at WDW would be hot and uncomfortable. After watching so many folks down there wrestling to get their strollers on and off the monorail and bus, and am grateful we rented. $7.00 gets you a stroller for the entire day and Perri was very comfortable. Plus if you change parks, it is nice to leave that one behind during the commute and pick up a new one at the next park. - Kelli Williams

If your youngest may possibly need a stroller (my youngest is currently 6), I would bring it. Additionally, I've been using our diaper bag as a carry-on. At the minimum, we use the stroller to trundle our "stuff", which is generally in the diaper bag - not valuable stuff (like cameras, wallets, etc...), but stuff like paper napkins, straws, water bottles, leftover food, maps for the parks you're not currently visiting, wipes, first aid kit, kleenex, hats, ponchos, sunglasses, whatever!, etc... We've been fortunate that our stroller/diaper bag (which is monogrammed) has never been stolen at Disney, so we continue to believe it will never be violated. It's even good for a tired 5 year old (and will likely be great for our tired 6 year old, who is still under 45 lbs!). Our stroller is now over 10 years old (so we won't worry if it *is* stolen) and is fairly light and easy to fold up (it's an umbrella style by MacLaren). - Audrey Ishizaki

If you are wanting to purchase fragile items like stemware or coffee mugs, consider ordering directly from The Disney Store online. They have many items that are available at the parks. This way they can ship it to you and it will be well-packaged with separate boxes for each item and bubble wrap. - Cindy Waters-Goodman

On our last trip in May, my husband came up with an idea for some extra storage in our 2.5 year olds stroller. He took a standard sized bicycle bag and used plastic cable ties to secure it to the front of the stroller beneath the seat. It was a great place to store items that we didn't need to get at frequently, i.e a change of clothes for our toddler, first aid supplies, etc. We have a Graco Lite Rider, but I think this would work on most full size strollers. The bike bag did not interfere in any way with the strollers operation, and best yet, it did not have to be removed when the stroller was folded. It really helped us maximize storage and stay organized.

Something else that we found useful...we secured one of those d-ring key chain clips to the stroller handle with a Velcro strap. It was a handy place to hang all of our souvenir shopping bags that we would accumulate! - Jackie Beering

Whether you bring your own stroller, or rent one at the parks (and sometimes they sell out-megabummer!) figure out a way to "customize" yours. For example, having a colorful scarf you can tie around the handle. There will be numerous times you will have to pick your stroller out of a parking lot of strollers as you come out of a ride, and there may be many that look just like yours. - Mindie Lou

I wanted to thank you for a tip I read about on your website. We chose to go to Disney during the hurricane season and although the hurricane never came on land, we did feel its effects. It rained every day at 4 p.m. (more than the usual daily Orlando shower). We have a 4 year old who required a stroller and was extremely afraid of getting his clothes wet. Luckily I had read about the stroller cover you can purchase at Babies R' Us which protects the stroller from rain. It was a lifesaver. Alex and our items that were stored under the stroller, remained dry everyday. It folds away like those playhut tents into a small, flat circle. It was the best ten dollars we spent! Alex was happy and so were we. - Angie and Bill

I shopped for months before the trip and purchased little items that were from Disney. At tag sales I found little Disney items that were from Happy Meals. By saving Kodak UPC codes I got 4 puppets for the kids. I found Disney coloring books at a discount store. Before the trip, I wrapped up a package for the children to open each day. That way we did not have to buy gifts each day. We allowed them to buy one gift at the end of the trip. - Sally O'Brien

My wife and I took our nephews to WDW in September for seven days. We stayed at the All Star Movies. To save money on food we brought down individual boxes of cereal from Michigan to eat for breakfast and then just bought milk every morning. That was like saving almost an entire meal a day. We also brought a backpack that was insulated like a cooler. We filled it every day with combos and fruit snacks. That way during the day if they weren't starving, but just needed a quick snack they would eat combos or a fruit snack instead of spending two to three dollars per person every couple hours for a snack. This also cut down on the number of meals we had to eat because they weren't as hungry. Typically we would end up eating breakfast in the morning with our already paid for cereal, eat a couple of snacks, have a late lunch between 2-3PM, have some more snacks, and then eat a late dinner at our hotel when we would return from the parks. We also bought the all you can drink cups at the hotel which made dinner about $2.00 cheaper per person every night. That adds up over seven days. With the savings it afforded us to be able to do a couple of extra things like a character breakfast and eating at the sci-fi drive-in restaurant. - Rocky Barra II

Here is our tip for saving money on trips to Walt Disney World and any other hotel for that matter. First of all, we bought a Coleman about the size of a six-pack. It cost about $7 at Wal-Mart. Next we bought a small coffee maker, big enough to make two cups. I think this cost about $12. We buy a pint of milk a day and keep it in the Coleman with ice to keep it cool. We take coffee with us, and sugar for that matter, and not forgetting some plastic cups and we are able to make coffee in the hotel room and use fresh milk. What a treat. And guess what? The coffee maker fits inside the Coleman for transportation, couldn't be better! With coffee at about a dollar a cup at least, you can see how much can be saved on a vacation of a week or two if people have 4-6cups a day in your room. The cost savings will easily pay for the Coleman and the coffee maker just on your first trip. Needless to say, we take plastic bowls and breakfast cereal with us to have our breakfast before setting out to the parks. - Dave and Jane Young

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

Don't forget to mention that a trip to the Kennedy Space Center is worth it. It's only an hour's drive and the backlot bus tour for the $20 was well worth it. Wow, unbelievable what this day trip offered. Not a lot of walking (so go after a day of hard walking around WDW. - David