Tips about Health, Kids, Magic Kingdom and Resorts

Epcot - If going to Epcot with elementary school-aged kids, play Agent P! Even if you have never watched Phineas and Ferb, you should play the game. It made the World Showcase so much more interesting for my 8- and 10-year-olds. I enjoyed it also and my husband liked the fact that he could sit and have a beer at the Rose and Crown while we did our secret agent thing in the United Kingdom. - Margaret

Epcot - If going to Epcot with elementary school-aged kids, play Agent P! Even if you have never watched Phineas and Ferb, you should play the game. It made the World Showcase so much more interesting for my 8- and 10-year-olds. I enjoyed it also and my husband liked the fact that he could sit and have a beer at the Rose and Crown while we did our secret agent thing in the United Kingdom. - Margaret

Animal Kingdom Lodge - On a recent trip to Walt Disney World we had dinner at Boma. After dinner we walked around the grounds out back (as we had first-timers with us) and were surprised to find that night-vision binoculars were available to view the animals in the dark. We all enjoyed this very much and saw many animals. Also the cast members who supervised this activity were very helpful and informative about the animals and the country where they were from. We really learned a lot! - Jane Carvalho

If you have dietary concerns, don't assume you know your "safe" foods, especially at buffets. When recently dining at Cape May Cafe for dinner, I told the chef that I had a shellfish allergy. Surprisingly, he warned me not to eat the steamed corn or steamed potatoes -- they are both steamed with shellfish/fish. The chef offered to make them separately for me, saying it would take only 15-20 minutes.

Another time I was unable to have the chicken dish at Yachtsman Steakhouse because it was fried with seafood.

A friend was also at a buffet with an onion allergy and told not to eat the corn as it was steamed in a broth that contained onions.

Better to be safe than sorry! Be sure to tell the hostess, server and if needed, ask for a chef. - Deb Wills

Boardwalk - When I was at Seashore Sweets at the BoardWalk in December, there was a jar of jellybeans on the counter near the registers. If you correctly guess the number of jellybeans in the jar, you get free ice cream. I correctly guessed and got a single scoop in a cup. There were many people who never noticed the jar, so be sure to ask about it. - Joel

Animal Kingdom Lodge - Be sure to check out what is happening at your resort. We recently returned from a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. They had many activities for kids, and most were free. Not only did they have crafts in the lobby, games at the pool, but they also had a sunset campfire with free marshmallows to roast. Also, be sure to walk around the grounds of the resort. At AKL we found savanna overlooks in many areas, and they often have someone who will answer questions about the animals. This is what makes Disney resorts so unique! - E. Horton

My adult daughter got this idea when her daughter was 5 and it's worked for several trips. She rounds up all of her daughter's Disney-themed t-shirts and her Disney beanie babies (luckily we can drive to Walt Disney World) and brings them along on the trip. Each morning a special friend or two get to go to the parks with her daughter. She seldom HAS to have something she sees in a store. - Kim from Missouri

We just returned from a trip to Disney with my grandchildren. Of course, they want to buy everything. We found that by taking pictures of the item wanted (and the price) they could later go through the list and select the item they really wanted. It saved a lot of running around and they kids were able to "see" the items they were considering. - Stephen James

In reading the comments on the article about "Overcoming the Drop" (AllEars® Issue #735) it reminded me of a fun thing we do when the kids ride a new ride, especially one they have been scared to try. They "earn" a Disney pin for that attraction. We love picking out new ride pins with the kids and then love to show them off to friends and family when we return from our trip. - Jamie

When our son was much younger he always wanted another souvenir. Short of buying all of Disney World, we had a very small notebook and when he came upon another, "I need that!" we wrote all the information in his "souvenir handbook." At the end of the vacation he was able to go through the entire book and decide what he really wanted as his souvenir. After careful consideration he purchased his favorite. It stopped us from constantly having to say "no" and allowed him the control to really pick out the item that meant the most to him. Win-win situation! - Marti & Paul Linetzky

You can also ship baby items to your resort so they are there when you arrive. Address all boxes with the name the reservation is under, reservation number, date of arrival, and resort name and address. Do not send a month in advance as then you will risk boxes being misplaced but instead try to have a box arrive no more then a week in advance. When you check in let them know you have a box that was shipped and they will get that for you and arrange for it to be delivered to your room. Please note that some convention resorts might have a small fee for box shipments.

The Walt Disney World Lost and Found department is amazing! My designer sunglasses flew off during Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and I thought they were gone for good. I called the Lost and Found department and described what day and location I lost them, gave a description of the glasses, and to my surprise, in true Disney Magic they were found! (Allow 24-48 hours for cast members to process your lost items.) - Michelle

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can report missing items at Guest Relations in the theme parks, but if you don't discover the item has been lost until you get home, try calling Theme Parks Lost & Found: (407) 824-4245. They're open seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. EST. Give them a description of the item and where you lost it, and if it's been turned in, they'll let you know.

My daughter is severely allergic to some laundry detergents, so much so that she ended up in the ER twice in July covered in hives from head to foot due to allergic reactions when we were on vacation. The first night we were at our Disney hotel last week I noticed her scratching and moving around a lot. I quickly realized the sheets were bothering her, even though we have stayed at Disney on many other occasions without issue. The next morning I went to Guest Services and they were only too happy to change out all the bedding on our beds with items washed in a specialty detergent designed for those with sensitive skin. From then on she slept peacefully and I didn't have to be concerned that this vacation would once again send us to the ER! One more reason to love Disney! - Catherine

For those Disney fans who loved the SpectroMagic Parade in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and miss it as much as I do, you now have an opportunity to buy the music. The full 14-minute song is available for purchase in the iTtunes store for $3.99. My wife and I now have it on our iPods and enjoy taking a 14-minute trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth (without having to travel to Tokyo). - Patrick Markham

We will be going to WDW for our 19th trip in two weeks -- can't wait! One of the best tips we can offer is to definitely go to the parks at night -- they all look so different as the sun goes down. The sun setting and the darkness coming -- it really brings out the beautiful lighting and colors of the parks. Animal Kingdom will be open in the evenings when the Rivers of Light show debuts in 2016. I just wish Walt Disney could come back for one day and see the beauty and magic that he created! - Trudy