Tips about Food & Beverage, PhotoPass, Planning and Souvenirs

Last year I bought my husband the "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs" cookbook. This year when we went, my husband brought the book and requested (at each dining establishment) that the chef sign the page in our book that had the recipe from their kitchen. It was a treat for both the chefs as well as my family when, on occasion, the chef came out to our table. Now we have started a family tradition that we can continue as adults while our kids work on the autographs of the characters. - dollydawne

Remember when you're purchasing merchandise at Walt Disney World and using Disney's shipping to send it out of state, sales tax should not be charged. Sometimes new cast members don’t know this or long-time veterans simply forget. Be sure to check your sales receipt. - Jack Spence

I print out clear labels with all of our information and bring along extra to label everything that we get new at the parks, from our cups to our PhotoPass. The extra labels are great in case you do forget to label something before you leave and the clear labels blend right in. - Cara Martin

I print out clear labels with all of our information and bring along extra to label everything that we get new at the parks, from our cups to our PhotoPass. The extra labels are great in case you do forget to label something before you leave and the clear labels blend right in. - Cara Martin

Even if you are not a fan of food on the bone, don't let that stop you from going to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. I let our hotel concierge know my aversion to food on the bone and he called over to Hoop-Dee-Doo. When we arrived I was served one of the most tender, juicy and well-seasoned boneless, skinless chicken breasts I have ever had. Great also for those watching their weight. The restaurant requests that you let them know at least 12 hours in advance. Enjoy the show! - Michelle Buchecker

My 10-year-old son had scout camp this summer. I wanted to include a few essentials in his backpack, but I knew they would end up lost at the bottom. I got a plastic coupon organizer (the accordion wallet type) and put bandages in one section, bug repellant in another, along with hand wipes, sunscreen, etc. It worked so well that I have added the coupon organizer to my "Disney supplies." I think it will keep our trip backpack organized as well! I plan to add in individual packs of over-the-counter medicines. - Beth Spellman

With the necessity of ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) and keeping track of all those reservation numbers, I decided this year to type a list of our reservations. I included the date, time, and name/location. Then I shrunk the text, printed it and laminated it. It was smaller than a credit card! I put a hole in it, placed it on a carabiner and hung it on my backpack. It was always handy and ready for use and easier to make any needed changes! - Marie from Long Island

If you lose your PhotoPass card, as we did this past week on our vacation, don't despair! A cast member in the PhotoPass place in Magic Kingdom (Exposition Hall) was able to locate all the pictures that were on the lost card and transfer them to another PhotoPass card that we had. How? By using the time and date stamp on my digital camera, I was able to tell the cast member the exact date and time that we were at a certain place with a certain character and they were able to find all of our pictures in no time at all. Of course the best thing to do is to either take a picture of the back of all your PhotoPass cards or write down the numbers, but if you forget to do that those photos don't have to be lost! - KTiede8587

If you go to the water parks early in your trip and you have pictures taken, your PhotoPass has a stretchy bracelet so that you can wear it on your wrist. Use this pass for all of your photos in the parks. The bracelet clicks open and can be put on your lanyard, or you can wear it around your wrist for the whole trip. - Tim Banic

If you happen to have a clear plastic holder for your Keys to the World Cards, put your PhotoPass card with the scan showing through the clear plastic. Whenever you get your photo taken by a PhotoPass cast member, all the CM has to do is scan your card and it can be done without even taking the card out. After many times fumbling for our PhotoPass card, I'm so glad a CM saw me and told me about this. It sure saved some time and was so easy. I had the clear plastic holder attached to a lanyard around my neck, which made for even easier scanning! - DawnMaree Welch

I traveled with a group of 14 this past June. We ended up with three sets of photos to view. Don't buy three CDs of pictures; just email Guest Services and tell them the email addresses and passwords that were used, and all the PhotoPass numbers. They will set up one site and you'll be able to order one CD of pictures. This process took us two weeks to complete with emails to Guest Services and questions for us to answer, but it was well worth the savings. Guest Services will extend the expiration dates of passes so you won't lose any pictures. Always contact Guest Services when in question about anything, as they really do help. - Karen

Regarding that tip about not being able to combine PhotoPass cards, you can, but they all have to be uploaded onto one account. So the reader who shared that tip could have gotten all of her photos on one CD had all the different cards been uploaded onto one account, rather than each family member making their own account. - Justine Annucci-Bonomolo

In response to the recommendation to wear Crocs at the parks, after seeing everyone in Crocs on our trip to Disney in 2006, I decided to wear them on our trip this April. (My kids are quite fans of them as well.) By Day Two, I had blisters on the tops of both feet. At a visit to the nurse for much needed bandages at the Magic Kingdom, she confirmed that quite a few people stop in due to blisters from their Crocs. By the end of the week, my one son had blisters as well. We still love our Crocs, but definitely suggest taking bandages and a backup pair of shoes! - Kelly P.

Twenty-four members of our family just returned from a wonderful 10-day trip to the World. We accumulated 15 (no exaggeration!) PhotoPass cards along the way. Because we are all related, we just whipped out any old card whenever one was needed, not keeping track of whose card was whose. The problem arose when we returned home and the three of us who ended up with cards in our possession decided to upload the photos. To our dismay, we could share photos with each other but not combine our PhotoPasses onto one CD. This meant purchasing three CDs at $125 each in order to have all my own kids' pictures. The lesson: keep your own family's photos on your own card(s) so you can get them all on one CD when you return home. - Melanie Deware

I purchased an all-inclusive 12-day package for Disney World in November 2010 for travel in March 2011. The total cost of the package including airfare was approximately $9,000. In addition, I purchased the Travel Insurance for $134. We had an extreme family medical emergency five days into our trip and had to fly home. Not only were Disney cast members helpful and understanding, right down to providing us with a voucher for cab fare to the airport, the Disney Travel Company made all the arrangements for our travel home. Disney Travel Company also called me a few days later to help me file a claim for trip interruption reimbursement and for the reimbursement of airfare and medical expenses. I was reimbursed approximately $7,000 in expenses that I would have spent additionally if I had not purchased the travel insurance. The $134 I spent on the travel insurance was the wisest investment I have ever made. I highly recommend purchasing Disney's Travel Insurance when purchasing a Disney package. - deAnna Hellstrom