Tips about Food & Beverage, Planning and Running

If you are looking to have one of the world famous Monte Cristo Sandwiches at Disneyland, you have two choices: The Blue Bayou Restaurant or the Cafe Orleans. Although the Blue Bayou has wonderful atmosphere, the cost of the sandwich is double what it is at Cafe Orleans. Cafe Orleans is more of a small bistro type of restaurant. So if you are on a budget, you can get the same thing for half the price if you are willing to forgo the ambience. Also note that the Monte Cristo sandwich is available for lunch and dinner at Cafe Orleans, but is only on the lunch menu at Blue Bayou. - Janet Sherby

A tip for UK visitors: In shops, kids struggle to work out the cost of something in British pounds, as they have to add the sales tax and then do the currency conversion. When ours were younger I made little conversion charts with the GBP equivalent (with sales tax added) of up to $20. As long as they can add up, they can then work out what things are going to cost from their spending allowance without having to ask Mum or Dad all the time. - Juli Williamson

runDisney veteran Laura Gilbreath offers a few tips for those wishing to register for the 2016 Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend events: The Glass Slipper Challenge and the Enchanted 10K will sell out the fastest. If you wish to register for one of those be prepared to register as soon as registration opens. All adults must register using their own Active.com account now -- you may no longer register another adult. (Adults can still register participants who are under age 18.) If you do not have your own Active.com account then it is highly recommended that you sign up for one in advance (it's free), as it will speed up the registration process. If you do have an Active.com account, try to log in before registration day to make sure you know your user id and password. You do not need to supply proof of time information as part of the registration process -- you will do that a couple of months later.

Even though the price of a single bottle of water is now $3.00, there are 1.1 liter (51 oz.) bottles of water in some of the shops that are $4.50. They are a much better value than the single bottles sold at stands in the parks. And if you have any type of discount available to you -- such as Annual Pass, DVC, etc., you can get the 1.1 liter bottle for $3.60. - Mary Waite

Something we tried this last time we stayed at the Boardwalk Villas was to bring a water purifier that you connect to the kitchen faucet. This worked amazingly well! We didn't have to haul or buy a whole bunch of water bottles for our trip, you just keep refilling a glass or reusable container. You don't have the waste of the plastic bottles or have to drink the nasty-tasting Orlando water! Just write down a reminder to take your purifier off the faucet before you leave. When you get home, connect the purifier back to your own kitchen faucet! - Tammy

When making dining reservations using the Disney website make sure you log in before you select your reservation time. I lost two reservations to 'Ohana (on two separate occasions) because after I selected the reservation time the system prompted me to log in. Once I logged in, the system did not hold the reservation that I selected. Very disappointing! I sent a message to Disney regarding this problem and their solution was to be sure that you are logged in prior to searching for a dining reservation. - Sarah Kelley

We bring a sleeve of plastic disposable cups to the Disney parks in our backpack. That way we can buy two or three water bottles and share them among the five of us. The cups are light and when we buy five individual bottles no one ever finishes theirs. - Gail Geiser

For all those folks writing about nightlight options -- Make sure your wall-mounted hair dryer is plugged in! Each room I've ever stayed in, regardless of pixie dust level, has the built-in night light feature. Though, as a retired teacher, I admit that the cyalume sticks (glow sticks) are always fun! - Scott Stuart

As a new Disney Vacation Club member, I decided to give the Tables in Wonderland card a try. We had a dinner reservation almost every night, so it paid for itself within the week. I can also use it when we return next year since it's good for about 13 months. You automatically get charged gratuity of 18 percent, which is about what I'd tip anyway. The 20 percent discount from the card basically covers that gratuity and then some. It was definitely worth the $100. - Jennifer

We have vacationed many times at Walt Disney World since 1993. Oftentimes, I will ship a package a week in advance, filled with snacks and surprises. I've learned the hard way, if you're staying at a conference center resort (for example, the Contemporary or Bay Lake Tower) send the box via USPS. If it is shipped UPS or FedEx, you are charged a service/handling fee when you check-in and claim your package. - Ann

I have a runDisney tip. I make sure to pack an easy to carry "pack-away" bag in the clear, checked bag they provide. This way, I can transfer all of the items I checked into a manageable bag. The last thing I need after running 10 or 13 miles is to carry a shoulder-destroying string bag during the after-party! P.S. Next to the World, AllEars® might be my favorite thing. Thank you for all you do! - Molly Bryant Roberts

The gluten-free offerings [at 'Ohana] for my husband were excellent, and included lettuce wraps, chicken wings, all of the grilled meats and a special dessert. They did require my 10-year-old to be charged as an adult, which made the price tag high in my opinion, but the food was great. - A reader in the AllEars.Net Rate and Review section

When traveling to Orlando from the UK you tend to get to Orlando about 3 p.m. By the time you get to your Disney hotel it's about 6 p.m., so instead of rushing to the parks we head to Disney Springs, pick up our park tickets at Guest Relations (this saves doing it the next morning when you want to hit the parks), then go and have dinner and do some shopping. We are then fresh for the next morning. - Ruth

Save the little bottles of bubbles you get at weddings and bring them with you to Disney. Our daughter keeps one in her fanny pack. She has stopped many a potential meltdown by blowing bubbles for a fussy toddler as we waited in line. It's portable pixie dust! - Karen B

I carry a folded plastic shopping bag in my running belt during runDisney events. After crossing the finish line the bag comes in handy to carry the water, fruit, snacks and drinks that are given at the finish line. The bag also helps carry your items as you get your finish line photo taken. - Stephanie