Tips about Kids and Transportation

Regarding Magical Express -- if, by chance, your accommodations change (we were bumped up from All-Star Sports to Port Orleans Riverside), don't assume that your luggage will make the move with you. On our first night, we got back to the room around midnight and found that our luggage wasn't there. We found out later that nobody had been informed that we'd been moved to a different resort than the original one on file. Now granted, the folks at Riverside were fantastic and were able to get our luggage to us within a half hour, but it was still a bit of an inconvenience that could've been avoided. I also found out that our departure information wasn't updated. Magical Express is an invaluable resource that we will definitely take advantage of again. People don't realize just how far away from the resort the airport really is. We just now know better so that "all our Mickeys will be in a row" next time. - Mark Greenwald

One assumption we made that was incorrect was that you could take a bus from Disney Springs to the theme parks. You have to go back to one of the resorts and then go from there. Another tip is that if you are staying at Port Orleans, like we did, you are better off taking the boat to Disney Springs rather than the bus. It runs much more often. - Deanna M. Grebe

I just returned from a fun-filled week at the World. When renting my car from National I was pleasantly surprised that they now offer some minivans with built-in car seats (subject to availability)! This saved me from having to rent a car seat from National -- a savings of $50! I suggest parents with toddlers check it out. The seat is for children weighing 22-41 pounds. - Dana Galiano

We just returned from a week long trip at WDW and wanted to give you a great tip on renting a car from Dollar rentals. We joined their Dollar Express and it saved us at least an hour waiting in line. I highly recommend it. They have a separate line for Express members and take them first even if other non-members are waiting in line. It's awesome! We went ahead of at least a dozen or more people. - Jackie

Disney character toys are so expensive. We have found a great way to save money on our trip and let the grandchildren enjoy the characters on the way to Disney. We buy the toys on eBay for a fraction of the price, sometimes for as little as 99 cents plus shipping. I know it gives us more spending money and our grandchildren are just as happy. - Susan Smeltzer

I had read the article about driving to the parks versus taking the transportation system. My sister and brother-in-law had always driven and we had secretly made fun of them for years, but after reading the article we decided to give it a try. We did so on our February trip and were amazed at how much time we saved at the end of the day returning to our hotel. This trip we did the same thing and have some warnings. Do NOT drive to the Magic Kingdom if you plan to stay until the end of the day. You have to get back to the Ticket and Transportation Center before getting to your car. It was a good 45 minutes longer than if we had waited for the bus. Driving to Animal Kingdom, the Studios, or Epcot does make sense if you have the transportation. - David Bowman

Epcot - Since we're passholders, the kids have been so many times it can get boring for them. They've done the masks and passports at Epcot over and over. What I do before each trip is make up a new passport. I include a picture on the page and certain facts about the country that they need to find. It's interactive with the Cast Members in that country and they enjoy teaching the kids! For instance, in China, learn how to count from 1 to 10 in Chinese. In Germany, have a Cast Member tell you about the wall that used to separate their country. In America, what does the Liberty Bell stand for? As I said, the Cast Members love the interaction with the kids. They are proud to talk about their countries. As a prior homeschooling mom, I am always trying to sneak in a learning experience when I can and Epcot is the perfect place to do so without the kids realizing it! - Julie Turbide

Epcot - Since we're passholders, the kids have been so many times it can get boring for them. They've done the masks and passports at Epcot over and over. What I do before each trip is make up a new passport. I include a picture on the page and certain facts about the country that they need to find. It's interactive with the Cast Members in that country and they enjoy teaching the kids! For instance, in China, learn how to count from 1 to 10 in Chinese. In Germany, have a Cast Member tell you about the wall that used to separate their country. In America, what does the Liberty Bell stand for? As I said, the Cast Members love the interaction with the kids. They are proud to talk about their countries. As a prior homeschooling mom, I am always trying to sneak in a learning experience when I can and Epcot is the perfect place to do so without the kids realizing it! - Julie Turbide

Just a word to Canadians traveling to WDW... We were looking forward to taking advantage of the Resort Airline Check-in service at WDW resorts for our trip home so we could travel hassle-free with our boarding passes in hand. However, we were disappointed to find out that even though we were traveling with Delta, and our first stop was New Jersey, we are still considered an international flight and international travelers (though welcome to use Magical Express) cannot get their boarding passes and have their luggage checked through. We would have appreciated knowing this ahead of time, but we had a great trip nonetheless. - Lori

Wanting our kids to have the items they "needed" at WDW but wanting to build the magic before and during the trip, we decided to bring our own treat box and let the girls "shop" from that box before each day's activities began. I gave each girl a fanny pack or small backpack, water bottle and an autograph book/pen on the airplane. I packed a small shoebox with treats (gum, mints, fruit roll-ups, cookies, etc.) and another with Disney-related trinkets (keychains, playing cards, stickers, personal fan, etc.). Each morning the girls "shopped" for edible treats to place in their backpacks and a trinket -- this sometimes eliminated them even wanting to shop at a gift shop during the day! I saved countless dollars and had a great time selecting the items for the treat boxes. - Diana L. Maslowski

Since we have Florida resident passes, we go three times a year and stay for a few days at one of the Disney hotels. One of the things we like about staying at the hotels on Disney property is the fact that we can park our car when we get there and not drive again until we leave. The buses take us from the hotel to the park of our choice and back to our hotel with relative ease. Lately we've been noticing that at the end of the day the wait for a bus to get from the park we are visiting back to our hotel is getting longer. We usually end up standing on the bus, which is difficult for a family with small children who are exhausted after a day at the theme park. I decided to try an experiment this trip. For three days my family took the bus to/from the hotel/theme park. I drove our car and parked in the parking lot at the theme park. As expected, I got to the park first. At night, my family took the car back to the hotel and I took the bus to see who would arrive first. On each of the three nights my wife was back at our hotel room and had both kids bathed and in bed before I got back to the hotel. My suggestion is that unless you don't mind the wait for the bus, take your car and use the parking lot. Hotel guests do not pay for parking, so be sure to have your hotel ID with you at the parking lot toll booth. - Craig Merwitzer

We just returned from Disney World. My tip is when using the Magical Express baggage service, realize that it may take 3 hours to get your bags after you arrive. With this in mind, keep what you might need and your valuables with you. If your luggage has not arrived within 3 hours, call to check on it.

I am not a "ride person," so when we are at the parks at night I'm usually waiting somewhere in the crowd when my husband and son come off the rides. I stock up on glow sticks at our local dollar store, and as long as I remember what color my son is wearing, can spot him easily, especially when he waves it in the air! Perhaps I should be wearing one as well? - Cindy Strong

AllEars.Net team member Glo from Miami offers these tips on traveling with a toddler who's potty-training:
We've been to Disney with our grandson who was in the midst of potty-training for at least two visits. (It was a LONG process!) First, mark the locations of the Baby Centers on your map. There is one in each park and they are absolutely great places to take the little ones to cool off for a bit, watch some Disney videos on TV, rock in a chair, play with other children AND (drum roll, please!) use child-sized potties! They are also the place to go if you need diapers, pull-ups, wipes or any other needs such as that.

Second, use Post-It Notes! Those self-flush potties scare the daylights out of the little ones. Take a small pad of Post-It Notes with you, and when you enter the bathroom stall, put one over the sensor on the wall. That way, your child can sit there as long as he wants to, get down, get his pants pulled up and be out the door before you pull the paper off the sensor, drop it in the trash and close the door. The potty will flush a few seconds later, but you'll be all the way to the sinks to wash hands by then.

Third, think proactively: How long will it be from the time you decide to leave the park until you're back at your resort? How long will you be waiting in line for an attraction? How long is that line to get Mickey's autograph? Plan accordingly. Don't even bother asking, "Do you have to go to the potty?" Just say, "It's time to go to the potty," and go! If your child really, really doesn't have to go, what have you lost but a few minutes? But, if you ask and he/she says "no" just because he/she doesn't want to interrupt the fun, then you're going to have a problem somewhere down the line.

For more information read our Infant and Toddler FAQ at: http://allears.net/pl/infant.htm

Epcot - I have a tip for keeping children occupied while waiting for the fireworks at Epcot. On our last trip to Disney, we wandered into the Toy Soldier at the United Kingdom before we went to get a place to sit for the fireworks. While we were in the store our 3 1/2-year-old son saw a Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle he wanted. We bought it for him and let him put it together while we waited for the fireworks to begin. It completely occupied his time and by the time he was finished, it was almost time for the fireworks. We are planning another trip in November 2005 and this time I am going to pack some of his puzzles into Ziplock bags to take with us. He will have something to do while we wait and we won't have the box to take up a lot of room in our bag. - Tiffany Lueck