Tips about Kids, Resorts, Souvenirs and Theme Parks

Whenever my family and I go to Disney, we have my little brother who is 6. But last time we went he was 4. So one thing that we did when he wasn't tall enough to go ride a ride, my grandmother and my mom, would go and take him on another ride while we were riding a ride that he was not tall enough to ride. - Jude

At this point most people know you can get free florida swamp flavored water at quick service locations. Want water that doesn't taste like its been run through splash mountain? Go to starbucks! Starbucks filters their water so your coffee doesn't taste rank. Don't want to wait online at Starbucks? Bring a water bottle with a filter in it, your gag reflex with thank you.

At this point most people know you can get free florida swamp flavored water at quick service locations. Want water that doesn't taste like its been run through splash mountain? Go to starbucks! Starbucks filters their water so your coffee doesn't taste rank. Don't want to wait online at Starbucks? Bring a water bottle with a filter in it, your gag reflex with thank you.

We always carry a cinch sack to the parks. To help us get through the security bag check a little faster, my husband put all our items in two large zipper-top bags before we put them in the sack. Several security guards commented that it was a great idea. It made their job easier by being able to just look at the bags instead of digging through the cinch sack. - Chrissie

No room for your refillable mug in your suitcase? Clean it out and put small gift items (or even clothing) inside to save room. - Kristy B.

During our visit last month, it seems I got pulled aside to go through the metal detector at every park security check. Unfortunately, I brought one belt with me to Florida and it had a big metal buckle on it which set off every metal detector at every park, meaning I had to get hand-wanded alot. Next trip, I will go online prior and order a belt with a plastic buckle, thus making my trip through security at the airport, and Disney, a much faster and smoother process. I encourage others to do the same. - Tom

I'm planning a trip to Disney's Aulani, and I just learned that they now have the Daily 'Iwa, Aulani's daily activity schedule (sort of like the Disney Cruise Line's Navigator) online. This is a great way to try to plan your stay with all of the activities that are offered around the resort. The Daily 'Iwa shows events for the next 10 days, so check it just before your trip! You can find it HERE. - Debbie

Just recently stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort in a refurbished room. They have a hard surface flooring now instead of carpet. You might want to bring slippers as the floor gets cold! - Alan G

My niece reserved breakfast at Tusker House for 10:45 a.m. She realized that we could take advantage of early FastPasses and have more available later, PLUS breakfast starts to turn into lunch a little after 11 a.m. so we had the best of all worlds. - Helen F.

My niece made a breakfast reservation at Askerhus in Norway for 9:15 a.m. We were sent to a special queue to check in and entered before the park opened at 9. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were told we could go on the Frozen ride before everyone else got there. It was fantastic! - Helen Friedlander

I always loved purchasing the antenna toppers -- I must have at least 50 for all the seasons. But our cars no longer have antennas. So I found a new use for them. I purchased a package of inexpensive pens and put them into the toppers. Presto! A cute Disney pen for every season. - Barb Carpenter

If you're like me, you might collect a Christmas tree bauble (or two) from the World each time you visit -- perhaps with a year on to commemorate a trip. Trouble is, we now have too many for our Christmas tree to easily support! As an alternative, I got some cheap curtain rods -- the telescoping sort -- wrapped them in tinsel, and mounted them along wall shelves, then suspended the baubles from them. It spreads the Disney all around the room, and hey, there's room for lots more! - Matthew

Recently stayed at Disney's Old Key West Resort. If you ever end up being the "lucky one" to draw the pull-out couch, remember that you can always call Housekeeping to request an egg-crate mattress cover. Wow! What a difference! - Dan Murphy

Recently stayed at Disney's Old Key West Resort. If you ever end up being the "lucky one" to draw the pull-out couch, remember that you can always call Housekeeping to request an egg-crate mattress cover. Wow! What a difference! - Dan Murphy

I have an advantage to share concerning staying onsite as opposed to offsite. Guests are able to use Chase Visa Disney Reward points to pay toward their resort stay. - Mickie Gibbs