Tips about Food & Wine Festival and Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom - Just a little tip about viewing the Wishes fireworks outside of Magic Kingdom. If you go to the Transportation and Ticket Center via monorail you are able to get a very good view of the fireworks. They also play the music through the speakers so you can hear what is going on instead of just watching the fireworks without the music. You get all the excitment of feeling like you are in the Magic Kingdom during the fireworks without the huge crowd. - Aesha Richardson

MAGIC KINGDOM - Even though we've been to the Magic Kingdom five times in the past 18 months and are avid listeners to Disney podcasts, we just recently discovered the hidden gem of the Harmony Barbershop. What a bargain! For $21.50 (plus tip) my son got a haircut AND his hair painted and sprinkled with confetti AND my daughter had her hair done in pony tails with paint and glitter! MUCH cheaper than Bibbidi Bobbidi and SO many compliments to them, which they loved! It is off the beaten path, in the corner between the firehouse and Emporium, so you need to keep an eye out for the striped barbershop pole (which can be a challenge to see during Christmas season). It is first come, first serve so get there early. And as a special treat you may get a performance by the Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet! What a find! We will definitely be holding off on haircuts before our next trip in order to do this again. By the way, the paint and glitter come out pretty easily even after two days -- would recommend a comb for the confetti though. - Becky Koehl

Epcot - We went to WDW in October to avoid the crowds. It was almost sucessful! Epcot was jammed like New Year's Eve because of the Food and Wine Festival. My suggestion is to go to Epcot very early in the morning to catch the normal stuff and then come back later to enjoy the Festival! - William

Epcot - We went to WDW in October to avoid the crowds. It was almost sucessful! Epcot was jammed like New Year's Eve because of the Food and Wine Festival. My suggestion is to go to Epcot very early in the morning to catch the normal stuff and then come back later to enjoy the Festival! - William

Magic Kingdom - We have a GREAT spot for the afternoon parade in the Magic Kingdom but you have to get there early. After you cross over the bridge into Liberty Square there is a little cart where they handpaint umbrellas. Well, next to that cart is a much larger umbrella mounted into the ground -- SHADE! Even Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia thought it was a good spot -- while we were viewing the parade in June, they stopped and told us we were the smartest peasants they had seen all day. How kind!! Then the last float in the parade stopped right in front of us and all the characters came off to dance and interact with the crowd. It was awesome!! I am sharing this with everyone on one condition - you have to promise to let us have our spot when we are there next June. - Sharon Stieg

Magic Kingdom - I recently found out a service that the Magic Kingdom watch store offers. My husband's pin fell out of his glasses. The nearest glasses store was 20 minutes away and we did not have a car. I asked the front desk if there was a watch store in one of the parks. They directed me to the one in the Magic Kingdom. I thought maybe a watch store would have the tools to put the pin back in. The store told me to bring the glasses over. The man had the tools and many pins to try. He fixed the glasses free of charge. We were so, so happy! - Teresa Norman

ALL PARKS - This is a tip for anyone who celebrates a special day or occasion on the same day every year at one of the Disney parks. My wife and I have celebrated every one of our 11 wedding anniversaries at Disneyland. To add to our tradition, we get a Fastpass that is marked for that day and covers the time that we were married, i.e. 4 p.m. Then we have a cast member take a picture of us in front of that attraction at the exact time that we said our "I Do's." Between the photo and the Fastpasses, it makes a nice keepsake of that specific day and time. The only drawback is we can see how we have aged over the years. Go out and CELEBRATE! - Michael Greening

You need not carry medications in an ice pack through the parks all day. The First Aid station has a fridge for guest meds, and they are happy to store them for you. The nurse on staff was polite and professional. She allowed my 7-year-old daughter to practice being a self-advocate, and listened patiently to her medical needs. It was a stress-free experience and we could enjoy Magic Kingdom without worrying about heat or spilling. - Tracy Boylan

ALL PARKS - Just wanted to share a fun tip for kids taking a foreign language at school (or adults trying to pick up a second language!). At each park, pick up a guide map in the foreign language. Your learner will only be allowed to look at that guide and will be responsible for finding and describing the rides and eateries your group is going to by translating the foreign language guide map for the rest of your group. (The guide maps are IDENTICAL to their English counterparts, by the way.) Even reading the FastPass rules becomes fun this way! (The maps are usually available on the front steps of City Hall at Magic Kingdom, as you come through the gates at Epcot, across from the stroller rental near the washrooms in AK and at the round photo/souvenir stand just after you enter the Studios. A lot of times they are out in dispensers and you do not even have to ask a cast member for a copy.) I've even had a cast member wish me well in French when I requested the map in French from him! - Jen from NYC

MAGIC KINGDOM - The little containers that the individual chocolate cakes come in at the Columbia Harbor House (and other places on property) make great little recycled "terrariums" to start seeds and tiny plants in. Just remember to poke little holes in the top for air to get in or the contents will get moldy! They can be reused several times and are a fun way for kids to remember thier Disney vacation later on in the year. - Lynn Quintieri

MAGIC KINGDOM - The little containers that the individual chocolate cakes come in at the Columbia Harbor House (and other places on property) make great little recycled "terrariums" to start seeds and tiny plants in. Just remember to poke little holes in the top for air to get in or the contents will get moldy! They can be reused several times and are a fun way for kids to remember thier Disney vacation later on in the year. - Lynn Quintieri

Food & Wine Festival - We just came back from WDW and wanted to let your readers know that you can use the snack option to pay for food at the Epcot Food and Wine festival. We used all of our snack options as we made our way around the countires and were so full that we didn't need to use our table service credit for dinner. We saved it for our last day and enjoyed lunch at the Coral Reef. It really worked out well because we always have extra snack credits that we need to use up on our last day. - Jackie Davidson

On our way out of the park, my daughter and I spied a silhouette cart down a side alley of Main Street, USA. It was after midnight, but the young woman was still doing silhouettes. We hurried over and she cheerily did one more silhouette for us. We were done in about 15 minutes, and for only about $15 including a frame, I think it's one of the best and most unique souvenirs at Walt Disney World. It's a special keepsake for my 9-year-old daughter of our fun marathon day at Magic Kingdom. - Natalie H.

Food & Wine Festival - I wanted to share my tip for managing your money and getting though the Festival lines easier. Decide on a budget for your Food and Wine allowance and put that dollar amount on a Disney Gift Card. Why?

-- It gives you a set limit to spend on food and beverages -- when you empty the card, you are done.

-- It's easier than using snacks off your dining plan. Save those for other days, as the samples you are buying aren't always good dollar exchange for the value of the snack credit. (Of course, it is a good value if you want the expensive, but small lobster roll from the USA booth.).

-- It's lighter than carrying all of those small bills and change, and easier than pulling out $4 here and $2.50 there!.

-- It gets you through the line faster than using cash or credit. You don't have to fumble for that change (or worry about losing your valuable credit card or Key to the World Card) and neither does the CM, you don't have to sign a receipt, give it back and then get a copy in return, and the balance on the card is reflected on the receipt they give you -- so you know exactly how much you have left..

We did this last year and you wouldn't believe the positive response we got from both CMs and guests who asked us about it in line. We put $100 on the card and it got us through most of the kiosks -- we actually were completely full by the time we ran out of money. We didn't drink a lot of wine, but boy did we eat! Wish I could be indulging there with all of you this year! - Nancy J.

Food & Wine Festival - This will be our fourth year in a row for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Some things we have learned over the years:

-- The signature dining experiences are well worth it. They fill up fast, so watch for the schedule and book as soon as you can. Be adventuresome!

-- The special kiosks set up for sampling food and wine have very short lines during the week, Monday-Thursday. It gets crazy Friday and Saturday nights. So do your sampling during the week and save the weekends for hard-ticket events such as wine and cheese tastings and signature dining!

-- Disney gift cards are great for paying at the food and wine kiosks. If you're local or staying at a hotel without room charge privileges, such as the Swan or Dolphin, or off-property, it is easier/safer than dealing with a credit card, chasing around for cash, or managing change from a bunch of small transactions.

-- Give everything a try. You might find something new you really like.

-- Sample more dishes and leave room for even more by sharing with a friend!

-- Give yourself time to graze all afternoon and evening. Rather than making full ADRs for every day, plan to go kiosk hopping for a meal or two during your stay. The selections typically include small servings of salads, meats, fish, vegetables, soups, and desserts in addition to wines and beers. You can have a lot of fun feeding yourself a progressive dinner while touring around World Showcase.

-- Don't try to do it all in one day! There's too much to learn, enjoy, and experience! - Janet S.