Tips about Food & Beverage, Planning, Resorts and Theme Parks

ALL PARKS - We just got back from WDW, and want to let everyone know the new Extra Magic Hours (nighttime) and special ticketed events, be sure to have your Magic Band or hard ticket handy as you may be asked to show you are staying at a resort or have tickets for an event.

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.

Going through the metal detectors at the park entrances, you have to remove celebratory buttons and put them in the little bins with other metal objects. This can be a pain, especially if you're park-hopping! Consider wearing buttons on a lanyard or bag strap to make it easier to take them on and off. - Gilly R.

Going through the metal detectors at the park entrances, you have to remove celebratory buttons and put them in the little bins with other metal objects. This can be a pain, especially if you're park-hopping! Consider wearing buttons on a lanyard or bag strap to make it easier to take them on and off. - Gilly R.

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

I just returned from a terrific stay at the Grand Floridian and wanted to share a unique experience if you're looking for something extra-special. My husband surprised me with an Intimate Dining Experience. It's a two-hour dining experience for up to four people, even if staying off-property, with a choice of locations throughout the resort, personalized menus and a butler. Ours was on a balcony of the Grand Floridian with a view of the lagoon and fireworks. It was arranged directly through the front desk at the Grand Floridian. - Denise D.

I just returned from a terrific stay at the Grand Floridian and wanted to share a unique experience if you're looking for something extra-special. My husband surprised me with an Intimate Dining Experience. It's a two-hour dining experience for up to four people, even if staying off-property, with a choice of locations throughout the resort, personalized menus and a butler. Ours was on a balcony of the Grand Floridian with a view of the lagoon and fireworks. It was arranged directly through the front desk at the Grand Floridian. - Denise D.

Walt Disney World counter service restaurants frequently serve either Minute Maid Lemonade (which contains sugar) or Minute Maid Lemonade Light (which contains artificial sweetener) as fountain drinks, but no restaurant has both. I could tell which served which because on the wall menus regular Minute Maid lemonade has a black logo, while the Light version has a white logo. But beware! It appears some counter service restaurants have gone to the Light version even though the wall menu still sports the black regular Minute Maid logo. This happened to us recently in La Kringla Bakery in Epcot. To be sure which one you're getting, look at the actual picture on the fountain dispenser, not on the menu! - Anne