Tips about Kids, Kids and Money and Resorts
Port Orleans Riverside - We just returned from a trip to the World, staying at Port Orleans Riverside. My daughter wanted to get a hair wrap at the station located behind the hotel. The price listed was $2 per inch. I should have asked before we even started what all the charges would be, but I didn't, and once her hair was wrapped I was informed that we HAD to purchase $5 worth of beads -- any other beads would be an additional $5. After all the hair is wrapped and beaded, THEN they measure the hair. What I thought was going to be maybe a $20 cost ended up being $30... I was really disappointed in the whole transaction. Make sure you ask what ALL the charges will be before you get any hair wraps! - Sharmon S.
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On previous trips to Walt Disney World, my preschooler would never leave her 3-D glasses on during Mickey's PhilharMagic or other 3-D movies in the parks. However, we just went to see The Lion King in 3-D at the theater, and she left those glasses on the whole time. They are smaller and shaped more like sunglasses. AND, the kid's glasses are special Lion King gifts for the kids to keep. If you see the movie in the next two weeks, save your kids' glasses and take them with you to WDW! They are a fun Lion King reminder, are much better fitted to their little faces, and might actually stay on! - Rhoda Smith
This is a tip for anyone who is traveling to Disney World with first-timer children. We all know that the Magic Kingdom is usually children's favorite of all of the parks. How many times have I watched as miserable children are being dragged into Epcot crying that they would rather be at the Magic Kingdom? My suggestion is to consider NOT visiting Magic Kingdom on the first day of the trip. This way, the children will be free to enjoy each park without comparing it to the Magic Kingdom. I suggest Animal Kingdom the first day, then Hollywood Studios, then Epcot, then Magic Kingdom. I have suggested this to several friends who have taken children on their first trips and they were very grateful. The children appreciated the other parks so much more and plus it makes finally getting to the Magic Kingdom that much better. - Kevin
If your child has a favorite stuffed animal or toy he or she can't part with (like my son with his Duffy bear), try placing a tracking device in or on it. Most are small enough so your child won't notice and the device can be linked to your phone. We have used Tile, for example, and it works great! - Rachel
All Resorts - Disney resort guests should take advantage of theme park and resort delivery options. Any package can be delivered to the front of the four main theme parks (and also the "back" [International Gateway] for Epcot). If you plan on staying in the park for about three hours after your purchase you can send your package -- large or small -- free of charge to Package Pickup. No more worrying about carrying that favorite souvenir on Space Mountain or Rock 'n' Roller Coaster! If you are a WDW resort guest you can have your purchases delivered directly to your resort. Packages will be sent to the main gift shop at your resort on the day after your purchase. (The resort delivery option is not available on the last day/night of your stay because packages may not arrive before you depart the resort, but you can still send your packages to the front of the park for Package Pickup.) - Rob C.
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Animal Kingdom Lodge - A reader writes in about the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" at Sanaa that we reported on last week: The best way to book the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" offering is to call the Safari line for Wanyama Safari at (407) 938-4755. That gets you the Animal Kingdom Lodge Itinerary Planning Office. Calling the Kidani Front Desk will actually get you the call center, and they know almost nothing about the new offering and can't book it.
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Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma
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Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma
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I've just finished reading the latest in a great series of books about the World -- Ridley Pearson's "Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play." The Kingdom Keepers books are written for teens, but us older folks will love them, too. They're great suspense reads, and if you are familiar with and love WDW, you'll have all the settings visually in your head. If you're headed to Orlando, have your teens read them (preferably in order) before you go. They'll be searching out locations and will never get bored. - Maggie Rioux
After my son's first trip to Disney when he picked up a nasty stomach bug, we've since learned to pack a travel-sized hand sanitizer to carry with us inside the parks. We use it to disinfect hands not only before eating, but also after EVERY encounter with the characters. When you stop to think about all the children who are touching and kissing Mickey, it just makes sense. My son stayed well all the way through the subsequent two visits to Disney. I can't say for sure that's what kept him well, but it certainly couldn't have hurt! - Terri in Bermuda
I had a great fear of my kids wandering away from us, so I made them bracelets with my cell phone number on it. For my 5-year-old daughter I bought girly, shimmery beads, and for my son (who's 4) I bought sporty beads (football, soccer ball and baseball). I also bought beads with numbers on them. I made them each a bracelet/anklet and put my cell phone number in between beads. This way they each had a cute bracelet/anklet to wear! They were also small enough that others could not read the numbers as they were walking by. It really helped me with my anxiety of losing the kids! - Jessica
On our first trip to WDW with our twins, who believe in the theory of "divide and conquer" and often go off in two different directions at the same time, I was frantically searching for in-park safety tips. After reading about luggage tags it occurred to me our vacation packet from WDW included sturdy plastic luggage tags (for the Magical Express service). Since my kids were limited to a single rolling backpack each, I put the tags on their backpacks for the flight down, then removed them and attached them to their waistpacks for the park visits. The info cards were filled out with our names, my cell phone, and our resort name, then turned backwards inside the tags and tucked in a pocket. The kids liked having control of that "secret" information. I liked knowing that my kids or their packs could be easily returned by Cast Members if lost. As backup, I also brought along the laminated photo ID that our school issues to each child. I didn't have to use them, but knew they would stand up better to travel and weather than any wallet-sized picture. - Judy
We happened upon a wonderful mid-day break for our Chicago area family during our Christmas break trip to Walt Disney World. We stayed off property. The kids (8 and 6) were more excited about the monorail than they were about anything else at Epcot. To kill time until our FASTPASS+ time on Soarin', and to satisfy their curiosity, we took a ride on the monorail after lunch. It was a fun, air-conditioned trip that gave them a sensory break from the heat and intense sounds of touring, they got to see other parts of WDW and we were all totally refreshed when we came back to Epcot about half an hour later. It didn't cost us anything extra and it was just their speed! - Ruth Gauss
EDITOR'S NOTE: Please be careful of your timing. Monorails can be in holding periods or be delayed leaving you in a situation where you will not be able to make your FastPass+ time window.
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Just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World with our five grandkids, ages 6/6, 5, 3 and 1 (and their parents!). I brought some small paper cups in a sandwich bag inside my tote into the parks to see if I'd use them. They came in handy a few times for sharing a water bottle, etc. amongst the kids. - Karen Jacobi
