Tips about Kids, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Resorts and Transportation
Our 3-year-old is very scared of fireworks, but she loved Wishes. This year we took the Wishes soundtrack and she listened to it on headphones while we watched our local fireworks. It worked like a charm and made the 4th of July fireworks enjoyable for all. This also works with the Fantasmic! soundtrack. - Konni Liechty
Hang on to your hat! My husband wears a baseball cap to prevent sunburn. He was astounded to have it fly off his head on the Tower of Terror. He was very relieved he caught it. What he didn't realize was that our brand new annual passes had been in his front shirt pocket. They, too, had levitated. Fortunately, the Cast Member saw them and called our names. WHEW! - TJ
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To find your car in the parking lot, whether it be your own or a rental, bring/buy one of the giant sunshades to put in the front window. This is great to help keep the sun from shining in the car all day -- but also it really makes it easy to find your car at the end of the day in the parking lot! We bought a great Disney one -- it folds fairly flat and packs easily in the suitcase! - Kelley Kriesel
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Having dinner a bit late? Are the boats and buses packed or not running? Kids tired and cranky? Raining out? Hands full with strollers and baby gear? Don't let the stress of trying to get back to your hotel ruin the entire day. Consider taking a cab from wherever you are dining back to your resort. It's pretty inexpensive when you think about it. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge this past January and were having dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. It was myself, my wife, and my 4-year-old and 4-month-old daughters. The little one fell asleep earlier and the older one was cranky and tired. Never fear! We walked out the front of the hotel and asked the valet to get a cab for us. They saw we had a large stroller so they asked for a van. We didn't even have to fold the stroller up. The driver picked up the whole thing and put it in the back. Five minutes later we were at our hotel and it was $5 plus tip. We did it again later in our trip from the Contemporary and it was $8 plus tip. Well worth it because we ended our day with a smile. - Fred Block
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If you are able to choose your own rental, choose one with an out-of-state license plate. Then, when there are many cars of the same color and same make, you can identify your car by the state it is from. - Joyce Troxell
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I always ask for a rental car in an "unpopular" color -- I clarify this to the clerk by explaining that I don't want black, silver, or white. Red is okay, but green is great, because so few rental cars come in green! - Elizabeth Smock
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Like many folks do, we rent a car when visiting WDW. So many of these rentals look the same in the mega-sized parking lots. What my family does is make our rental stand out from all the others. I will tie a few streamers of orange surveyor's tape from the radio antenna and hang a gaudy colored bandanna from the rear view mirror. I have also tried tying a balloon from the antenna, but sometimes it popped before our return. - Pete Gerry
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Instead of bringing a towel to the park to dry the kids, stroller, etc., try a chamois. They are small and compact and so much easier to carry around than a regular towel. They work best when wet, and then when they are full of water, you wring them out and they are ready to soak up some more. You can find them in the automotive section of discount stores or a smaller size (for more money) in sport stores in the swimming section. Angela
ALL STAR MOVIES - We recently visited Walt Disney World with my 3-year-old granddaughter. We stayed at the All Star Movies Resort -- I had forgotten how large it was. We had debated over the need for the umbrella stroller but were very glad we had it, as getting to the food court and bus stop was quite a hike for little legs. The airline transported this stroller with no problem. -Donna R.
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POP CENTURY - I recently stayed at Disney's Pop Century Resort and I found parking to be a challenge. Beware, the parking spaces are extra-tiny, and there were several large SUVs that had to take up two spots -- which means you have to park further away from your room than you'd like. Other than that it's a great resort, and a real value. - Brennan P.
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For my cousin's upcoming trip, I put together a booklet of coloring pages. She can color them and then have the characters sign the colored pages. It's inexpensive and you can find coloring pages online of almost all the characters now. I also added a packet of the "Puzzlers" section from old Disney Adventures magazines. These are great boredom-busters when waiting. Dania
This is something that my kids, ages 4 and 6, love to do. Whenever we are in the car going somewhere and they start to quarrel, we start a game. I start describing a Disney character and then they have to guess it. For example, "She wears a pretty blue dress and has blonde hair" -- Cinderella. Then the person who guesses it will be the next to give the clues. This worked on the plane this year to our favorite vacation place, Walt Disney World, and also when we were waiting in line or for a show to start. The whole family (there were 13 of us) all got into guessing and trying to think of the hardest character. You will be amazed at how many the kids really know. - Wooster Plumbs
For $.79 at your local Target store you can purchase a clear plastic coupon holder in the office supply department. It's 5" x 7" in size, has a Velcro closure, and is perfect for holding your tickets, money, etc. It keeps everything from getting wet on the water rides and is easy to find in your backpack! I never go to WDW without mine! - Noreen Rachuba
EDITOR'S NOTE: Magic Bands eliminate the need to carry many cards, but for those you do, this is a great suggestion.
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