Tips about Food & Beverage, Planning, Souvenirs and Travel

After having almost missed dinner because we did not have our confirmation number and they could not find us in the computer, I now keep all of our confirmation numbers, dining places, and times in the calendar on my cell phone. That way when I am in the park I have dining reservations literally a fingertip away -- no more forgetting them in the room. - pigget74

We drove to WDW from Pennsylvania with our two daughters, age 7 and 8. We knew the drive would be long and monotonous and although we were prepared with handheld games, DVDs, books on CD, and an array of activities, we knew we would ultimately hear the "Are We There Yet?" questions or, worse yet, the two girls arguing over everything from who was invading whose space to fighting over where to eat, etc. We came up with this plan: Each girl was given a roll of quarters. For every time they asked "Are We There Yet?" one too many times, or fought with each other a little too much, or just pushed Mom and Dad too far, we would take one quarter away. Any quarters the girls had left were theirs to use in the arcade of our resort at WDW. Amazingly enough, neither of our daughters lost one coin the whole trip and Mom and Dad weren't driven nuts in the car either! - Helen Kohr

I personally think Disney pins are a bit too expensive (and the clothes, too). Well, the answer to my problem was found on a trip to the Belz Outlet Mall right outside of WDW. We decided to stop at a shop called Character Warehouse. I ended up finding a few cheap shirts for about $5-$6 that sold for about $13 at WDW! And I also found Disney Pins for $.99! Some were even LIMITED EDITION! So, if you are a bargain hunter, this is a must-see! - Rachel
http://allears.net/btp/cware.htm

Just a word to Canadians traveling to WDW... We were looking forward to taking advantage of the Resort Airline Check-in service at WDW resorts for our trip home so we could travel hassle-free with our boarding passes in hand. However, we were disappointed to find out that even though we were traveling with Delta, and our first stop was New Jersey, we are still considered an international flight and international travelers (though welcome to use Magical Express) cannot get their boarding passes and have their luggage checked through. We would have appreciated knowing this ahead of time, but we had a great trip nonetheless. - Lori

Use your camera phone to take pictures of items you think you want. First, take a picture of the sign of the store where it is located. Then take pictures of the item and the tag of the item. Review nightly or at the end of your trip. Best of all, you can buy it from Disney Mail Order Merchandise when you're back home if you forget! - Crissy Stout

Adam and a number of others observed a slight problem with last's week tip on jet lag: I was just reading through the newsletter about time changes. While the information is correct about adjusting your body clock, the reader indicates that Florida is five hours behind the UK... that part is also correct. However, when you wake up in Florida at 7 a.m., your body does not think it is 2 a.m... it thinks it is noon. We in Hawaii would actually be five hours behind, and have trouble getting up early.

My husband and I were getting married at Disney World and wanted to have one of our wedding photos framed with all the character signatures -- as if they were our guests at our wedding. We went to a local frame shop at home and had the person make a photo mat large enough to fit a 4x6 and all the characters' signatures. It worked perfectly and we carried it in a huge Disney shopping bag that a Cast Member had given to us. We were able to fit Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Cinderella, Belle and Beast, Mary Poppins and Bert, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Snow White, Aurora, Minnie and many others on the back of the mat (and only my husband and I know they are there). It was a challenge to get all of them and a goal magical to accomplish! They usually have these types of mats at any craft store as well, and you can have them cut the way you want -- small or large. - Rob and Amy

On our last trip to WDW, my husband and I quickly tired of our 5-year-old son asking for every fascinating souvenir he saw. We came up with the idea of having our son keep a list of all the souvenirs he liked, and we promised that at the end of the trip we would go back for the one he finally decided was the best. While we still had to stop at a lot of souvenir stands, there was no whining or begging from the time we started the list. Charlie happily added to the list each day, and at the end purchased a wonderfully noisy blaster from the Star Wars shop at the Studios. - Cari Allyn Brooks

Don't forget to factor in the time difference! After a long journey by road, air, then road again, it is easy to attempt to hit the ground running and do masses on your first full day in the World. Be realistic! Remember that Florida is five hours behind our time, so when you get up on your first morning at 7 a.m., your body will still think it is 2 a.m.! I know there is a lot to do and never enough time to do everything you want to, and also that you need to try and act as though it really is 7 a.m. or you will never adjust, but equally do try to take things a little easy on your first day there - be kind to yourself! Nap in the afternoon if you need to. - Carolyn from the UK

As a vegetarian I was very concerned when my family wanted to go to the German pavilion in Epcot to have supper. Germans are known for their love of meat! I went in and asked the man at the front about vegetarian choices. He turned out to be the chef, who asked me what I liked to eat and then told me to get anything I would like from the buffet and he would be back. Oh my gosh, he came back with the best pasta dish I have ever eaten in my life! (I tried to coax him home with me, but to no avail.) If you don't see anything that you prefer on the buffet line, just ask. We now stop here every year when we come. - Lori Beros

I just got off the phone with WDW Dining and they have changed how far in advance you can book the Hoop Dee Do Revue -- from two years to 180 days. - Rich

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can now book seatings at most WDW sit down restaurants up to 180 days in advance.

This year I bought the travel BINGO cards at a store before we left for Disney World. I gave each of my children a card when we got in the car. The first round of BINGO was postage stamp, the next round was horizontal, etc. Each time one of the kids won, they would receive a Disney Dollar. The final round was a $10 Disney Dollar. Of course, no one wants to leave Disney World, so on the way home they played BINGO again. This time, while we were there, I had picked up a few pins, pens, an ornament, keychains, and a cup for the prizes. The grand prize was another $10 Disney Dollar to save for the next trip. - K. Watson

This year I bought the travel BINGO cards at a store before we left for Disney World. I gave each of my children a card when we got in the car. The first round of BINGO was postage stamp, the next round was horizontal, etc. Each time one of the kids won, they would receive a Disney Dollar. The final round was a $10 Disney Dollar. Of course, no one wants to leave Disney World, so on the way home they played BINGO again. This time, while we were there, I had picked up a few pins, pens, an ornament, keychains, and a cup for the prizes. The grand prize was another $10 Disney Dollar to save for the next trip. - K. Watson

We have accumulated so many Disney photo keychains over the years that I decided to use them to decorate our Christmas tree. I crochet around the keyring with red and green yarn. I make a loop and it is all set to hang. Now I have my own Disney Memories ornaments. - Joanne Dillon

In response to the tip from PJ from Huntsville, AL, regarding asking a restaurant for children's food even if it's not on the menu, that may be true for SOME of the restaurants, but definitely NOT true at Akershus in Norway at Epcot. We were at the Princess Lunch there, and there was nothing on the menu that my daughter would eat. I asked the server if it would be possible to get chicken fingers, french fries, anything at all, and she said no, only the food on the menu was available. So be warned -- if you have a picky eater, skip the Princess Lunch at Akershus in Norway, or at least eat before you go in -- and understand you will be paying just for your little one to meet the Princesses and not eat! An extra note: it is a great meet and greet -- five princesses were there (Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Aurora and Jasmine), and they were gracious, beautiful, and in no rush -- every single child got a picture and conversation with each of them. It was my daughter's birthday, and every single one of them wished her, "Happy Birthday, Princess!" It made her day, and mine! - DM from Mamaroneck, NY