Tips about Food & Beverage, Planning, Resorts and Rewards

Old Key West - We just enjoyed a wonderful week at Disney's Old Key West. However, we wondered why we spent so much time (greater than 45 minutes on a couple occasions!) waiting for buses to take us to the parks. After inquiring (finally) with the concierge, we were told that if the bus filled prior to our stop at Hospitality House, the bus driver would automatically skip this stop and a bus would only stop when vacant. Our tip -- walk the extra three minutes to the Peninsular Rd. bus stop and enjoy an empty bus each time! - Jen Tesoriero

EDITOR'S NOTE: We are afraid that the concierge gave you some erroneous information. Buses at OKW make all of the stops since many times people will use a park bus (any park bus) as an internal shuttle to the Hospitality House as they all stop there last before heading out to a park. This is especially true in the mornings and around dinner time.

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

POLYNESIAN RESORT - I just returned from a magical nine days in the World. It could have just as easily been a disaster. As soon as I checked into my room at the Polynesian, I went to charge my cell phone. Unfortunately I realized that I had forgotten to bring my charger. I thought I'd be incommunicado for the entire trip. Since my husband and I often take our kids in seperate directions, I was really worried about how we would manage our days. Thinking it was a slim chance, I inquired at the concierge desk. What a pleasant surprise when they brought out a bin of about 20-25 cell phone chargers for me to look through and find the right one. I was able to borrow it a few times during my trip so that I always had my phone ready and charged. - Vicky

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a great idea, but don't depend on it, as not all resorts can accommodate you like this. Go ahead, ask Senior Editor Debra Martin Koma how she knows...

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

I make many ADRs for every trip I take to Disney. When it comes to checking in at some restaurants it can, at times, be a noisy, bustling and confusing atmosphere. To make it easier on both myself and the host, I neatly write my name and confirmation number for each ADR on individual sticky notes, which I hand to the host when I check in. I've found that having the information on paper in front of them cuts down on any confusion (about the spelling of my name, etc.) and allows them to look up the reservation more effeciently and quickly. - Juliette Miranda

Wilderness Lodge - Just returned from a week at WL and they now have a photopass counter in the hotel as well as sessions (for a fee) with photographers for pictures around the lodge - Lesley

I have been very nervous about making Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs), especially since I feel like I am making them "last minute" with only about a month to go before our trip. After several phone calls, trying to get character meals booked and a couple of other "fun" reservations for my family, I realized that my notes were a mess and I couldn't decipher them all. With more than a little hesitation I called WDW-DINE and expected to get an unhappy CM who would have to go through many computer screens and so forth to help me sort it all out. However, I did one thing right. I made all the reservations under the same phone number (my cell) and I knew what that number was. Just by typing in my number the CM was able to pull up all my reservations in one list and read them back to me. So my tip: make sure you make your ADRs all under the same phone number, and know that number. It would have been very easy for me to have mistakenly used my husband's cell number for some, or our home number, or our hotel number, especially since the ADRs were made over a period of a few weeks and multiple phone calls (looking for cancellations, etc). - Rebecca Addison

Forgive me for recycling these old tips I learned a few years ago. I am a planner and before I leave home (UK), I prepare all my "mousekeeping" tips in separate envelopes with a little message of thanks and the date to be given. This saves a great deal of time -- more time for the World -- and a lot of scrabbling in purses and wallets for the requisite amount. Before travelling and when changing my currency I always ask for small denominations so I am prepared for those immediate gratuities (luggage, valet parking, etc). I am already writing my envelopes for our next trip, September '08 -- Boardwalk Villas!

We took a short trip to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and it rained quite frequently. We have two children in strollers, and the best thing we bought prior to the trip were two $10 stroller covers. Our girls were comfortable and dry, even when it was pouring and windy. There were a lot of people using ponchos, but we noticed that they did not stay on the strollers like ours did. When it stopped raining, we put them in the storage area under each stroller (ours are the larger umbrella strollers). - Angie

If you're a teenage girl (like me) and you're going to Disney, bring your cellphone or iPod with you! It's nice to be able to listen to your music while waiting in line. Another thing: make sure you put your name and address on everything -- with iPods or mp3 players, stick some white tape on the back and write your info with a pen or marker, because Disney will return items if they find them! - Stephanie

If you're a teenage girl (like me) and you're going to Disney, bring your cellphone or iPod with you! It's nice to be able to listen to your music while waiting in line. Another thing: make sure you put your name and address on everything -- with iPods or mp3 players, stick some white tape on the back and write your info with a pen or marker, because Disney will return items if they find them! - Stephanie

If you like Sweet'N Low artificial sweetener, bring lots with you. The parks only have Splenda and Equal (although the resorts had Sweet'N Low). - jnscook

Since dresser drawers are few in the rooms, bring along one of those hanging closet organizers for each child with at least seven slots. You can place your child's shorts, t-shirts, socks, underwear, etc. in the cubes thus saving on drawer space. - Barbara D.

If you're looking for Kosher food while visiting Walt Disney World, you'll find it now at Satu'li Canteen in Animal Kingdom (no longer at the Kusafiri Bakery). And it's also at both Liberty Inn and the Electric Umbrella in Epcot. By the way, the vendor for Kosher food has changed. It is no longer Weberman -- they now use Sterling. Thanks for the great site! Hopefully these updates will help others. - Josh