Tips about Kids, Mousecellaneous, My Disney Experience, Planning and Resorts

On our last trip to Walt Disney World my family and I stayed at Bay Lake Tower. We noticed a little after 8:30 p.m. the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage comes down to the boat dock at the Contemporary. You can see Captain Hook and Smee lead their crew to the boats. We also went by the Community Hall at Bay Lake Tower on the way back to our room around 8:45 p.m. and noticed Peter Pan was sitting on the couch watching a movie with the kids. He would also take pictures with anybody that wanted one. I am not sure how often he is there, but it's worth a peek in to see if he is there. It is a good way to see Peter Pan with little to no wait. - Sara Bousum

We recently stayed at Disney's Port Orleans - Riverside and were shocked that we had to wait 90 minutes for a bus to Magic Kingdom! We found out later that just the MK buses stop at the South bus depot first instead of the usual bus route around the POR resort where the South depot is last (usual is West, North, East, then South), so the buses were filling up before getting to our depot. To remedy this issue, we walked to the South depot to catch a MK bus the next morning, and we didn't have to wait for a bus at all -- we boarded a waiting bus immediately! As we guessed, the MK bus filled to capacity at the South depot, so it bypassed the West, North, and East depots altogether and went straight to MK. Just wanted to share this info for guests staying at POR so they can avoid the headaches we encountered. (As a side note, we went to City Hall in MK since arriving so late made us miss one of our FP+ reservations, and they made it available for us to use at anytime that day.) - Alex and Kim

Some may not know that there's a Disney grocery delivery service for the Fort Wilderness cabins. If you're a cabin guest, you can pre-order a pantry full of fresh groceries days and even months before you arrive and they'll be ready to enjoy the moment you arrive! Choose from the pre-selected list of popular grocery items and submit your order, along with your cabin reservation details, in one of three ways: by email, fax, or US mail. Your cabin will be stocked with your selections after 5 p.m. on the day you check in. You can find the details HERE. - Erin Blackwell

The My Disney Experience app now can show you where the pressed penny machines are located. Launch the app, click on the magnifying glass at the top to search. Type in: coin press. The map will now show you all the coin press machines in Walt Disney World. - Jean

We've run a tip about distilled water before, but Albert G reminds us: Before my last trip in December 2016 I looked everywhere to find out where I could purchase distilled water for my CPAP machine without going offsite. We used the Magical Express and didn't have a car. Taxi cab and Garden Grocer seemed a little expensive for a gallon of water. Even the Disney Mom's Panel said that there is nowhere onsite to purchase distilled water. I decided to ask a cast member at Pop Century and found that they indeed do stock distilled water by the gallon, it's just not out on the shelves. You have to ask and they will be more than happy to get it from the back, and the cost isn't bad. I got sick on my previous trip without water in my machine. I'm not sure if all the resorts sell it, but it's worth asking for.

A great way to tote around your umbrella strollers is to use a "camping" or "sport" chair bag from home. Put the stroller in the bag when you are about to board the bus and easily store the bag in/on your stroller throughout the parks. It will make holding your stroller so much easier while toting those little ones around, too. I would love to take credit, but this is a tip someone else shared with me that I know everyone could use. - Jessica Stahl

Remember to ask for fragrance-free products in your hotel room if you are sensitive or have allergies. I don't know whether it was because I specified no fragranced cleaning products in our DVC villa or if Disney has switched across the board, but we had two boxes of "free and clear" laundry detergent available for our washer at Saratoga Springs during our New Year's trip. It was a very welcome touch. - Cheryl Howe

Many people do not know, but Disney now sells battery power packs through FuelRod in at least one location in every park (there are four in Magic Kingdom), Disney Springs and ESPN Wide World of Sports. They're about $30, but that price gives you a lifetime membership to any FuelRod terminal around the country. Their chargers can be switched out for fresh ones a limitless number of times per day. - Amanda

Remember to bring spare power packs for your phones. Because of so many people being in the parks, phones die quickly because they are constantly looking for a signal... even with the WiFi in the parks, it still takes up a lot of battery power. I think people tend to forget that these "smartphones" die so quickly. - Anna Kirch

My family and I just returned from a fantastic trip, staying at Beach Club for the first time and loved it! Wanted to share this tip: If you want a patio or full balcony, be sure request it when booking and through the online check-in system. Many second-floor balconies are standing room only. We were fortunate enough to have a full balcony and Epcot right outside our door. - Colleen Ziemkiewicz

Just got back from our first trip to the Magic Kingdom with a toddler. He goes down for a nap each afternoon and after not getting him to nap while going around Fantasyland/Tomorrowland in a stroller (probably too much noise and visual stimulation), we were going to go back to the hotel. On our way back toward the exit we strolled through the Tomorrowland Terrace. Less noise, no visual stimulation and protected from the sun, it was the perfect place for our son to finally fall asleep! It was also a good place for an adult to rest. It probably saved us an hour round-trip to the hotel and back. - Doug Chen

We rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and realized later that our pictures did not appear on our Memory Maker/PhotoPass account. We had MagicBands so we visited the PhotoPass shop at the front of the park. They asked what date and approximately what time we rode the ride and proceeded to look for our pictures. They found them and were able to add them to our account. They told us that some of the older rides don't always automatically pick up on the magic bands for the pictures. The next time we rode, we tapped our MagicBands on the button below the picture to make sure that it was added... but beware, there are two buttons (one for the top picture and one for the bottom). If you tap the wrong button, you end up with someone else's picture (as we did the second time we rode it)! We ended up back in the PhotoPass line to get our picture added again. I recommend always tapping your magic band on the rides... better to have two copies than none and it can save you some time in having to look for your pictures later. - Melinda

One of the things we always bring is a folding stepstool for the room that fits nicely in our luggage. Great for the little guys to use the toilet, wash hands and brush teeth without Mom and Dad's help. Also serves as a time-out chair when necessary. Yes, the resort may have some available for guests, but I don't want to be the 100th person asking and find they are already all loaned out. - Melanie Drake

Most TVs in the hotels have an HDMI port. This means you can connect your HDMI-ready laptop to them if you have the proper cable. This is nice for end of the day unwinding if your little one needs a favorite movie or some such to go to sleep. - Mike Layman

I found out last week that distilled water is available to purchase upon request at the Everything Pop food court (at Pop Century Resort). Distilled water is important to the many guests who use CPAP machines. It was as easy as going to one of the cashiers at the Everything Pop food court and requesting it. They keep it stocked in the back. I'm guessing many/all of the Disney Resorts carry it, too. Next visit I won't have to pack small bottles of distilled water in my luggage! Thanks, Disney! - Catherine Ryan