Tips about Kids, Mousecellaneous, Resorts and Thanksgiving

Magic Kingdom - Unfortunately, I am a victim of motion sickness. When I took my 7-year-old son to Magic Kingdom, he had no fear of riding the "big" rides by himself. I was able to stand in line with him and once we reached the ride, he got on, and I found the exit and waited for him to get off. However, we ran into a problem on two of the rides (Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad). Both of these rides have two exits depending on where you get on. So if you plan to do this, be aware and pick a good meeting place. In our case, before our trip, I ensured my son knew my cell phone number and we discussed how to find a cast member if he got lost. - Christine Crews

YACHT CLUB - Just returned from a stay at the Yacht Club resort and found that the Ale and Compass Lounge serves a continental breakfast each morning. Muffins, croissants, fruit, cereal & milk, juices, coffee and more. I stumbled upon this on my first morning and was pleased to see that I didn't have to go to the Beach Club or Boardwalk to get a quick breakfast. - Ruthie White

Animal Kingdom Lodge - We recently stayed at Jambo House in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. While there, we noticed a sign stating that all balloons had to be kept in the luggage holding room for the duration of the guest's stay. Apparently, they are concerned that balloons will find their way onto the savanna, and cause problems for the animals. You may want to reconsider purchasing a balloon, if staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! - Paul and Kris Munson

First just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the wonderful and very useful tips you post -- I have used more than a few on our trips. My tip is for anyone traveling to WDW by car with kids. A few days before we leave, I head to one of our local "dollar stores" and purchase toys or games they can play in the car. When the inevitable "I'm bored" virus goes around, I pull out a new game/toy and have peace for another hour or so, then repeat the process. The things I buy only cost a dollar or two so if they get "lost" in the car it's no big deal and the joy "mine" of having a peaceful ride... priceless! - Tina McCall

Be careful about leaving valuables in your stroller/wheelchair. On the last day of our trip my camera and my daughter's purse were stolen directly from our wheelchair in the wheelchair area at the exit of the Haunted Mansion. The camera was in one of the drink pockets and her purse was under her backpack that was on the seat. The most valuable items were the pictures themselves, after a week of Disney parks. We have been going there for quite a number of years and never experienced a similar problem (except for one stuffed critter grabbed). Security said that instances like this were rare. - Jim Colman

While Disney resorts don't have microwaves in the room, they do have at least one microwave for common use that is usually situated close to the food court. They are available 24 hours a day and can be a great money-saver. From a snack such as popcorn to soup or noodles, using the microwave to replace or supplement bought food can be a big money-saver. - Connie McGouldrick

We just returned from a great five days down at WDW... One thing I discovered this trip was how many cards I ended up carrying around: park ticket, hotel room key, Disney Visa redemption card, Photopass card (or cards, because we always end up with more than one), Fastpasses... whew! That's a lot, and that's not even counting what's usually in my wallet, like a credit card and ID. I was constantly afraid I would lose something. My uncle (I have to credit him on this one) came up with a great solution: he picked up a small business card case (around $5) at an office supply store to keep all of his important cards in. He always had his Fastpasses ready to get in line while the rest of us were still digging through our pockets. I've already picked one up and it's in my "things to take to Walt Disney World" pile for our next trip! - Nathan Jones EDITOR'S NOTE: Magic Bands have eliminated a few cards to carry around the parks. However you will still want to carry your Annual Pass card (for discounts), photo ID, and if you have it, your Tables in Wonderland Card

Animal Kingdom Lodge - If you are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House, I would strongly suggest considering renting a car. My husband, 4-year-old and I have just returned from a 14-night trip and found that with the completion of Kidani Village, the bus transportation picks up and drops off at Kidani FIRST. This meant that when the bus transportation arrived at Jambo House to go to the parks, it was sometimes already full (standing room only) and on the return journey from the parks we had to drive past Jambo House to drop off and collect new people at Kidani before going to Jambo House.

On our last stay, we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside for 10 nights. We were a bit worried: How could we enjoy some late night TV without waking our 5-year-old daughter? How would she fall asleep with the lights and TV on? We found a great solution. We bought our daughter a small dome tent (it packs up very compactly), which we shipped ahead of our arrival. When we got to the room, there was just enough space (once we rearranged a table and chair) to set her tent up in a corner. She loved it! She put all her "babies" in there each night with her, and couldn't wait to zip herself in for "camping out." Interestingly enough, the housekeeper brought in extra bedding unasked and one of those foam egg-crate pads to soften the "bed" inside the tent. Housekeeping also rearranged the "babies" around the tent each day. - Laura Suffi

The BoardWalk often offers jugglers and magicians in the evening. My son loves just sitting and watching all of the performers. But we just returned from our rainiest Disney trip ever. We certainly thought that the performers would not be on the BoardWalk on those nights. We were right, they weren't -- but, to my son's delight, we found that they perform indoors on those nights. We found the performers near the bar area and also in the lobby. - Kelly

I found a tip that sounds really good especially if you are traveling with little ones. Get a pizza box for each child and you can store crayons, paper and color book in there and they can use the box as a desk when riding in the car. Crayons don't roll around the car and when done it all goes back into the box. I think you could just go to your local pizza store and ask for a clean unused box. - Suzy Kozicki

Early evening, we made our way to Fort Wilderness for a carriage ride (which is wonderful this time of year, with all of the personal Christmas decorations on the campsites!) Our ride was extra special because I told our driver, "Thank you for working on a holiday." She almost cried! She really appreciated just the simple gesture of "thanks" -- all of those cast members miss out on seeing their families on some holidays so that we can enjoy ours! After that it was time for 'Ohana. I love this restaurant, but I was especially excited to see they had a special Thanksgiving menu (as do many restaurants in WDW). It was a typical Thanksgiving dinner, 'Ohana style -- and of course delicious. We asked if we could please have a window seat, and even on a busy night they accommodated us. We timed it perfectly that we were able to watch Wishes while eating dinner, and it was beautiful! Our server had to ask if I was all right because I did start to tear up. We had seen Wishes several times, and this was a very nice, different perspective, and I thought of the thousands of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the MK while we enjoyed a wonderful meal. We ended the night grabbing hot chocolate and sitting on the Poly beach, watching the Electrical Water Pageant go by. To me, it was a perfect Thanksgiving! I did not have to deal with crowds, and I got to experience several unique things WDW has to offer. - Carissa

The parks got pretty crowded in the afternoon [on Thanksgiving] so we traveled to Disney Springs and did some Christmas shopping. After shopping we stopped at our villa (we stayed at Saratoga Springs) to watch a little football and drop off our purchases. That night we made our way to Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Lights. As "snow" fell we sat on a curb, sipped hot chocolate and experienced all that is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing lights. What a wonderful day! - Penny Urell

We go to "The World" every other year at Thanksgiving and love going at that time of year. The decorations are breathtaking and the weather is wonderful! We have always had Thanksgiving lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom because it feels like you're being waited on by the pilgrims themselves. The decor of the place and the costumes of the staff, not to mention the way they call you in for you reservation ("Hear Ye! Hear Ye!") really sets the mood for our Thanksgiving meal. Also, even though we are at Disney I don't miss out on my "Black Friday" shopping. I take care of most of it shopping in Disney Springs! - Peggy Benoit

On Thanksgiving Day we went to the Studios early in the morning. (I spent the day wishing all the cast members -- from the bus drivers to the Streetmosphere players -- Happy Thanksgiving and thanking them for working to make our holiday special. We saw the shows, rode the rides and had a great time. We ate dinner at the Biergarten. What a treat! My sister's kids (high school and college ages) danced and sang and had a blast. Everyone loved the food. They still say that it was one of the best Thanksgivings ever! Great food, fun music and a wonderful show. So my advice is try something non-traditonal for your Thanksgiving at WDW. Go see a show, fireworks or have a special meal, but it doesn't have to be right on Thanksgivng Day. And don't forget to wish the cast members you meet a Happy Thanksgiving too. After all, they are making your day special! - Nancy L. Gessner