Tips about Food & Beverage, Pins, Planning and Resorts

If you plan on visiting WDW during the winter months, buy several pairs of those "magic" stretch gloves before you leave for your trip. If a cold front comes through during your visit and you need gloves, you'll be happy you bought them before you left home. The parks sells them for $6.00 a pair. Quite a difference in price than what your local Wal-Mart sells them for. - Noreen Rachuba

I noticed the first time my girls were so caught up in the pin trading they were trading pins they had just purchased for different pins, just to trade them at the next store or ride. So i came up with this idea and it was great...Before you go to DisneyWorld, get online and shop for pins. Usually discontinued sets are a real bargin! Be sure and purchase original pins (no one wants a knock off).Ttake these pins on your trip and then you will have all the fun of trading and chance of getting a unique pin. not to mention the pins that you trade may be ones others are looking for! - Sam Knight

From time to time people want to know the location of the closest church to WDW. Now you can search: http://masstimes.org. You can search for services in any state and town. They even have city maps, too. I thought this might be helpful to anyone wanting to go to services while on vacation. Tina

MAGIC KINGDOM - I've found that making a lunch reservation as early as possible at Crystal Palace is far better than the breakfast. You can get to the park early and get a lot of stuff done before the crowds pour in and then take a break in the air conditioning! - Julie Budd

We have been going to WDW since our children were toddlers. Now they are all teenagers (and beyond), but this tip is still good. We have them bring plastic beverage holders that can clip onto a fanny belt. They start out with water, but if we ate a meal in the park, frequently there would still be some beverage left from the meal. The kids would fill the bottle with the leftover drink and take it with them. This has worked well over the years. - Anne Cioffi

If you go to the Winn-Dixie store, sign up for a free money saving card...you will save even more with each purchase! - Ricke Z

My wife and I have found a great way to save money on food if you have a car or the car service will make a grocery stop. We drive out to the Publix supermarket on Rte 192. The way we save on water is we buy several gallon jugs of Publix water and then a 50 oz bottle of the same water. We continue to refill the smaller bottle from the gallon jugs. Using the 50 oz bottle gives you a good supply of water for a good part of the day and saves a fortune by not having to pay the high theme park prices for a small bottle of water. The water may not be ice cold but it is very cheap. - Andy & Denise

We just returned from our trip to Disney World. The night we went to Fantasmic I knew we would be sitting for a while waiting for the show to begin. The best investment I made was buying one of those soft folding stadium seats. I carried it with me like a purse. Even used the side mesh pocket to carry drinks to our seats. We waited for over an hour and a half for the show to begin but I didn't mind - I was very comfortable with my seat padding and back support! - Marilyn Lewis

Be flexible with making your ADR dining arrangements. If the table you want is unavailable try different combinations -- 2 tables of 2 instead of one table of four; a 3-2 split rather than a table of 5, etc. Splitting up your group for just an hour or so may be the way to go, given that you're spending all day and all night together for several days on end. Splitting up may also allow you to gain more flexibility in changing ADR reservations without penalty if, after several days in the parks, someone in your party says "I don't need to see any more characters, I'll stay at the hotel, sleep late and meet you later, go and enjoy!" - Phylis

Pin Trading Backpacks - they are great because the straps are comfortable on the neck and back and they hold a lot of pins. The lanyards tend to be heavy, bother some folks/kids around the neck and sometimes the pins fall off. But beware......if you set the backpack down you may not see it again. My 12 yr old's backpack was stolen from a bench at the Wishing Well near the castle in the MK last week. We checked lost and found daily, but it was not returned. There was a Pal Mickey in it as well as probably $500 in pins. Make sure you put a luggage tag on it just as you would any other bag you're travelling with. - Michele M. McQuillen

GRAND FLORIDIAN - My tip is to enjoy the fireworks from the boat launch dock at the Grand Floridian. We had just finished the truly remarkable key lime creme brulee at Narcoossee's and some of us just wandered up to the dock. The lights lowered, the voice came over the speaker: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS! And with the lagoon shimmering before us, we enjoyed the wonderful sight of Wishes -- with all the music, but without the crowds of Main Street. Personally, I also love being in the big crowd, but it was truly magical, and totally free! Just hop the monorail over to the Grand Floridian and follow the signs to the boat. It was a wonderful moment! - Judy

If you are making your own drinks adding sugar or Kool-Aid powder to gallon water jugs, be sure to pack a funnel from home. I did this on the last trip and it made adding the powder and sugar to the containers a cinch! - Wendy Wilson

ALL RESORTS - If you need cash and hate paying those outrageous ATM fees, simply cash a personal check at the front desk. There is no charge for this service and they will cash up to $100 a day. - Bob and Kate Salazar

When we went to WDW on vacation last year, I packed one suitcase full of snacks and non-perishable food (i.e. mini cereal boxes, cereal bars, various pre-packaged snack packs, juice boxes). Our entire family was able to eat a quick breakfast before going to the parks, have mid-day park munchies, and late evening snacks. The suitcase was then used to bring home dirty laundry at the end of the trip. - Julie Duffy

ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE - This one is a reminder that the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a must-see even if you're not staying there! On cool, overcast days, the animal viewing can be better than the Safari ride! Walk to the end of any floor, going toward the pool area, and go onto the outside staircase. Climb to the top floor. It's amazing! The Lodge lobby is not to be missed! You pick up a visitor's pass ("does not include swimming privileges") at the Security guard's checkpoint and you are free to explore. Because my kids consider AK a "half-day" park, the Lodge is a great teaser first. Or if you just don't have time or inclination to do AK this trip, a visit to the Lodge will make you feel like you've been to Africa!! - Natalie Lipman