Tips about Kids, Planning, Souvenirs and Travel

The HESS gas stations/convenience stores are one of Disney's best kept secrets. I always fill up at the HESS station before leaving "the World," because they usually have the best prices around, and I don't have to waste time getting off the interstate further down the road in Orlando to load up on gas (and fight bad intersections and traffic). For families looking for good deals on food, they also serve up large and inexpensive pizzas, hamburgers and hot dogs to go. The food prices are a fraction of the cost of similar food in the theme parks and resort food courts. The bottled water is inexpensive as well. The Disney Springs location seems to be less busy than the Epcot resorts' location. - Jason Palermo

We just returned from a week in Orlando, and wanted to tell the readers of a great shortcut to Disney and 192W in Kissimmee. If you are travelling from the north, driving on the Florida Turnpike, you will come to a new toll way when you almost reach I-4. It is 429 that was just opened and it skirts the top of Disney property. There is a Disney dedicated exit that lets you out on Western Way that intersects with Buena Vista Blvd, which is a main artery through Disney property. If you want to go to Animal Kingdom or the Lodge, just turn right and you are about 3/4 of a mile away. If you want to go to Disney Springs, the Swan, Dolphin or any other resort, turn left. This allows you to miss all of the traffic on I-4 that can be extremely congested and makes the wait to get to Disney even longer! If you stay at any of the resorts off of Disney property that are on the west of I-4 off of 192, this is a great way to get there, too. It intersects 192 about a mile east of Orange County Lake Resort. If you go to the left, you will find the Westgate resorts. We noticed the construction of the road last year and were thrilled that it was opened this year. It has not been discovered by many as of yet; we counted only nine cars from the Turnpike to the Disney exit! - Bill Asher

In response to the recommendation to wear Crocs at the parks, after seeing everyone in Crocs on our trip to Disney in 2006, I decided to wear them on our trip this April. (My kids are quite fans of them as well.) By Day Two, I had blisters on the tops of both feet. At a visit to the nurse for much needed bandages at the Magic Kingdom, she confirmed that quite a few people stop in due to blisters from their Crocs. By the end of the week, my one son had blisters as well. We still love our Crocs, but definitely suggest taking bandages and a backup pair of shoes! - Kelly P.

Our children are too young to memorize our cell phone numbers so we came up with a solution in case they got lost while on vacation. We use our computer to create iron on transfers containing our cell phone numbers, using transfer paper that can be used in our inkjet printer. We iron a label on the inside hem of each shirt our children will wear while at WDW. This way we know that if we ever get separated from our children they can show the phone numbers to Disney Cast Members who can contact us immediately. - Cindy

If there are any tween parents out there I am sure they are familiar with the Club Penguin website for kids. My daughter, a huge Disney fan and a huge Club Penguin fan, was extremely excited to learn today that the two companies are partnering. The idea of getting a set of Mickey ears for her penguin caused her to jump with joy! Not too many details have been announced on their website but it looks like it will be a wonderful and safe way to get a little Disney magic from home to tide her over until our next trip. - Lori Stubbeman

I purchased an all-inclusive 12-day package for Disney World in November 2010 for travel in March 2011. The total cost of the package including airfare was approximately $9,000. In addition, I purchased the Travel Insurance for $134. We had an extreme family medical emergency five days into our trip and had to fly home. Not only were Disney cast members helpful and understanding, right down to providing us with a voucher for cab fare to the airport, the Disney Travel Company made all the arrangements for our travel home. Disney Travel Company also called me a few days later to help me file a claim for trip interruption reimbursement and for the reimbursement of airfare and medical expenses. I was reimbursed approximately $7,000 in expenses that I would have spent additionally if I had not purchased the travel insurance. The $134 I spent on the travel insurance was the wisest investment I have ever made. I highly recommend purchasing Disney's Travel Insurance when purchasing a Disney package. - deAnna Hellstrom

I wanted to make our family reunion trip special for all involved. Six months before we were to go to Disney World I bought everyone matching T-shirts. I figured we could all wear them one day in the parks. I had buttons made and also a refrigerator magnet that was inscribed with "Our Trip to Disney World 2007." Each family also received a Disney guidebook so everyone could be a part of the planning. Some of our family had never been before. But... the tip I really want to share is to keep the magic alive even after the trip. I decided to make up a 25-question trivia contest and send it to everyone in our party after we returned home. The questions consisted of different aspects of our trip... for example: "What was the name of the director who performed as a street performer in Disney's Hollywood Studios?"; "What ride did we go on first after we entered Magic Kingdom?"; "Where did we all eat for lunch in Animal Kingdom?"; "What section did we sit in when we watched Fantasmic?", etc.

I had a great time making the questions up. I also bought a 2007 Disney magnet before I left. That was the prize for the person who got the most answers correct. My whole family had a lot of fun receiving this in the mail a couple of weeks later (we're spread out between the U.S. and Canada). Not only did they enjoy answering the questions to see if they would win but it also brought back all the wonderful memories of our trip! This certainly made the magic last a little longer. - Heather Willis

We discovered this year a wonderful solution to the problem of shoes and socks getting soaked during trips to WDW during "rainy season." Instead of tennis shoes, wear "Crocs." Don't buy the knock offs you see at Target, etc., because they are not comfortable for walking so much. The original Crocs (although expensive, they are less expensive than good tennis shoes) are rubbery and extremely comfortable. The more you wear them the more comfortable they become because they seem to "mold" to your feet. Rain water washes off of them and your feet remain dry and comfortable. Disney even offers their own Crocs with Mickey holes instead of round ones. They are about $5.00 more than the Crocs in the stores, but we think they are worth it! LOL! - Laura Lester

If you do decide to go in summer (we went in August), take an extra pair of shoes. Afternoon showers can be mini flash floods. We put on ponchos, but streets flooded and our shoes were soaked. I held the dryer door shut for an hour at the Wilderness Lodge because the tumbling sneakers kept popping it open. The Disney magic was that I wasn't the only one. There were several of us having a good time laughing about the situation and comparing days and experiences. - CassyDix EDITOR'S NOTE: It's always a good idea to bring an extra pair of walking shoes/sneakers to Disney. If it looks like it might rain, put on your older or more waterproof shoes leaving the better/drier pair in the room. Sneakers DO take a while to dry but you can stuff them with newspaper and use the room hair dryer to help speed things up.

When you are leaving Disney and you have airline check-in at your hotel, make sure your flight information is accurate. We were leaving Disney, checked in at the resort airline check-in area, and were given boarding passes and a gate number at 10 a.m. At 9:53 a.m., we received a message on our home phone (in New Jersey) that our 2:35 flight had been canceled, but the airlines didn't notify anyone in the Disney resort check-in areas. Needless to say, we weren't checking messages (because we thought we would be home soon) and after sitting at the gate for an hour, they finally posted on the board that the flight was canceled. We were literally stranded at the airport until we managed to find a flight in Ft. Lauderdale, rented a car, drove down, and took the flight home the next day. - Dawn Schwartz

We spent six days in the parks at Disney with three kids, 2, 5, and 7 years old. Late in our vacation, after several days of standing in line with grumpy, hot and tired kids, we figured out that if you get a frozen treat and take a break it makes the world of difference and extends the day. Toward the end we took two breaks to fight the 90-degree heat, but those were the smoothest days we had. It was well worth the cost of a frozen pop or five. - Tim Prouty

I especially like the calendar creator at www.disney.go.com/magicartist/index_main.html! It was great to mark our Disney trip and count down the days! - Jacqueline

Though we pack a suitcase within a suitcase for souvenirs, I'm always nervous of going over the 50-pound weight limit for checking a suitcase onto an airline. Suitcases weighing over 50 pounds are typically charged an additional fee. This trip, we purchased a 50-pound fish scale for $5.00 at a local department store prior to packing. The scale has a small hook that can connect to the handle of a suitcase and it has another handle for you to lift the suitcase and scale. We were able to pack and redistribute items where needed to insure that we did not exceed the 50-pound limit. - Denny Shealer

Fort Wilderness - When I took my son over to Fort Wilderness for an afternoon pony ride, we were so disappointed when he couldn't ride because he was wearing open-toed sandals. It is required that kids wear closed-toe shoes to ride the ponies at Fort Wilderness. - Robin Jones

EDITOR'S NOTE: Parents should also wear closed-toe shoes.

If you are going to Disney to celebrate a wedding, I have some suggestions of what to bring from home. I was told to bring white chalk just in case the bride's dress gets [dirtied] by the seagulls. (It happened to my niece at a beach wedding.) My daughter-in-law used the chalk when something spilled on her dress, but other options include Wite-Out or a Tide to Go pen. Another good idea is to pack a needle and thread in case buttons are loose on tuxes, etc. - Jean