Tips about Food & Beverage, Planning, Souvenirs and Travel

Last week, Jill Murtha mentioned double-checking your Mr. Potato Head arms before purchasing to make sure they fit. Another tip when purchasing the Mr./Mrs. Potato Heads is to put pieces inside the potatoes before you put them in the box. You pay for whatever you can fit in the box, so you might as well get your money's worth. You can get quite a few extra pieces this way. - Elaine Frazee

I just read over the section on postcards and remembered a crazy idea I had with them. On one trip to Disney World, a friend asked me to get Mickey's autograph. Not wanting to come back with a piece of paper, I bought several different postcards of Mickey. I waited in line to meet the Mouse and when I got to him, I asked if he would give me his autograph on the postcard. He took the postcard, looked at it for a brief second, and then gave me a thumbs up and signed the postcard. It's a great way to add a little magic to the postcard. I would suggest mailing autographed postcards to kids and family members as well. - Skip Broome

If you buy one of those Mr. Potato Head toys where you can fill the box up with whatever parts you want from the bins, double-check that the "arms" fit into the arm holes. Our 7-year-old recently purchased a Mr. Potato Head at Once Upon A Toy at Disney Springs, and after we got back to the hotel room we found that the pegs in the arms were too small for the arm holes so the arms wouldn't stay in their sockets! Luckily we were able to exchange them for a new pair of arms at a different toy store at Disney's Hollywood Studios. When we were exchanging them, we noticed that the bin of arms varied a lot in the size of the pegs -- some were bigger and fit fine, while many others were too small and didn't fit. So, a word of advice: check to make sure that your Mr. Potato Head parts fit into the potato before purchasing them! - Jill Murtha

For those who are staying in Home Away from Home accommodations and are interested in grocery delivery, I would highly recommend a company called WeGoShop. They are a national grocery shopping and delivery company, and their Orlando location is run by a husband and wife team who are very nice people. You can email them your exact order (including product brand names, sizes and quantity), your hotel and the time you'd like your delivery, and they will be there with your groceries safely stowed in a large plastic container. They will charge you cost for the items you've bought, as well as a modest delivery charge. Their website is at www.wegoshop.com. Our groceries were just as we'd asked for them, and they even brought them to Bell Services for us as our room wasn't ready yet. - Jessica Slivak

When I know a trip to WDW is approaching, as I reach the last of the shampoo, conditioner, etc., I stash the almost empty bottle aside, then pack it for the trip. When I run out, I discard the bottle and there is automatically more room for Mickey stuff to bring home! - Jenny Drake

A great souvenir to buy from the China pavilion in Epcot is bamboo. The plant costs about $1-$1.50 and comes with care instructions. You can also buy a vase for the plant starting at about $3. - Jen Wolf

If your child likes to collect the pressed pennies from each area in the park, buy the book that holds them. Buying the pennies will cut down on your child asking for everything in the park. You just have to spend 51 cents! - Randi Gold

This tip will alleviate many of the "how much longer" questions. My husband makes copies of maps of each state that we drive through for each of our children. He then tapes them all together and labels them 1-20 at the different cities and towns that we will pass. He then gives me the "master copy." Each time I call out a number of a town that we pass, everyone pulls out their map and draws a line to that number. No one has to ask how much further because they can look at their map and compare how far they've come to how far they must go. - Lisa Fisher

My 4-year-old son has a real problem with loud noises, but refused to wear ear plugs. We would put a pair in and he would pull them right back out. Before we left I contacted a store that specialized in hunting equipment and ordered a pair of the smallest child-sized headphones used at target ranges to muffle sound. They fit him perfectly and when we were in the parks, if there was even a hint of loud noises coming, we would just slip them on. My son actually went through the Haunted Mansion four times without a hitch. It was the best $17 I ever spent and I got quite a few comments of, "Oh, I wish we had thought of that." - Bonnie Schweizer

For those of you looking for low-priced souvenirs that will be both fun and useful, you should really consider the Mickey Mouse ears ice cube tray! I bought one for $4 at World of Disney, and have been smiling ever since. I'll definitely buy some for my friends as souvenirs on my next trip! - Michele Cardona

The Gooding's Store at Crossroads in Lake Buena Vista will deliver right to your resort. Your order must be at least $50 and there is a $10 delivery charge. You can order via Internet or fax before you leave home and they will guarantee delivery on the day of your arrival, usually late in the afternoon. Your order will be delivered to the concierge (or the office) of your resort. They will also deliver personalized birthday cakes! No alcohol delivery is allowed, but they do deliver perishables. To place an order: Phone: 407-827-1200; Fax: 407-827-1219; Website: http://shop.goodings.com/ - Glo from Miami

I just wanted to let you know of a tip I found out this past trip. A friend who was with me can't eat sesame seeds, but most hamburger buns in the parks have the seeds on them. After pulling the seeds off the bun the first few times, he asked the cashier if they could give him a burger with two bottom buns. When the Cast Member heard it was because of the seeds, she said that they could make him a burger with a seedless bun. She added that most fast food counters in the parks have a supply of seedless buns on hand. You just have to request them. - Rob Steere

We have driven several times to Disney from Massachusetts with three boys currently ages 11, 7,and 3. Patience is number one. We make sure we have our toll moneys already set out in baggies which makes for easy passage when driving through the nights. The best investment we made for about 30 dollars was a power converter for our boys to plug their game cube into along with our portable T.V.. Another useful toy if you don't have tv or gamecube is the gameboy. Best of all are the good old fashioned mad libs and invisible marker coloring books. Happy driving!! - dollydawne in MA

We also found that most of the motels along the 95 corridor have what they call family suites that can accomonate more then 4 ( we thought we would have to get two rooms) they are alot cheaper then getting two rooms! - Jennie and Glenn Wallace

When my then 7 year old was bored on the drive from New York State to the Mouse House a few years ago, I gave her the video camera and told her to tape our vacation drive. That kept her amused for hours. When I got home I finally viewed the tape she did. Well I thought she was going to tape South of the Border signs, world's largest Canada Dry soda can etc etc and instead it was all of herself goofing around in the back seat. I laughed so hard when I watched it. Well worth the long drive. - Elaine Taddeo