Tips about Last Day, Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Souvenirs

I shopped for months before the trip and purchased little items that were from Disney. At tag sales I found little Disney items that were from Happy Meals. By saving Kodak UPC codes I got 4 puppets for the kids. I found Disney coloring books at a discount store. Before the trip, I wrapped up a package for the children to open each day. That way we did not have to buy gifts each day. We allowed them to buy one gift at the end of the trip. - Sally O'Brien

To save yourself some money, and avoid the grocery trip on the way in, send yourself a package via UPS to your hotel. Mark on the package: hold until guest arrival xx/xx/xx (the date). Package up whatever you like to eat: cereals, Parmalat milk, crackers, juice boxes, etc! - Dorothy Kurz

At WDW, it is difficult to save both time and money. Usually you have to spend one to save the other. Figure out which is more important to you, and plan accordingly. For instance, buses will take longer than driving, but will save you the cost of a rental car and parking fees. - Jen Kitchen

Don't forget to mention that a trip to the Kennedy Space Center is worth it. It's only an hour's drive and the backlot bus tour for the $20 was well worth it. Wow, unbelievable what this day trip offered. Not a lot of walking (so go after a day of hard walking around WDW. - David

On our last day at WDW, I snuck away and purchased a postcard of Mickey in front of Cinderella's Castle. I mailed it to my daughter and signed your friend, Mickey. It arrived a few days after we arrived home, and my daughter was so excited to receive it, she made it point to show it to everyone. I was able to make the Disney Magic possible at home. - Alexis Gonzalez

It's your Last Day at WDW and you're plane leaves that afternoon. Save money on your 4-5 day pass and spend the last morning at a resort Character Breakfast and tour some hotels (checking out where you might stay next time!) The Character Breakfast will help you feel like you're still at the parks. If you head to the parks; this is a great time to head to the Extra Magic Hour Park so you can get in and out early! If your plane leaves during the afternoon, a great thing to do is to go horseback riding. Ask someone that works at your hotel for more info. It's loads of fun and kids enjoy it as much as adults. - Brian Montgomery

We love to go to Disney Springs on our last day. If we are with people who have bought park hopper passes they are usually out of punches so this is a nice relaxing way to wind up your trip. We browse the shops and eat lunch there before heading to the airport or hitting the road. Most people end up asking us why we didn't bring them there sooner. I tell everyone that we are going there at the end of the week so save some souvenir money. - Lou Ann

Since our daughter is almost 12 years old, she didn't want an autograph book or EPCOT passport this trip. We bought her the Pressed Penny book and set out to collect at least one penny from each place we visited. We found most of them, but then discovered that Guest Services and cast members in gift shops throughout EPCOT and MK have lists of where the machines are and what their pennies look like. This made it even easier for her to complete her collection! - Lisa Heisel, Succasunna, NJ

I love to collect the smashed pennies at Walt Disney World, but hated always fumbling through my wallet for the correct change (two quarters and one penny, preferably bright and shiny!). Now, a few months before my trip I start to put aside my quarters and pennies. I store them in empty film canisters and then just toss the canisters into my backpack. Now when I'm at the park I just pull out one of the little canisters of coins and have the change right at my finger tips with no searching. - KrisAnne Warren

When you see something you want at the parks/hotels, buy it - Too many times I said I'll buy it later and it was gone or I forgot where I saw it. - Anonymous

Save all your shopping at the World of Disney for one day. If you ship everything home, $8.95 for under $100 or $13.95 for anything over $100, you will save sales tax and not have to worry about packing everything in a suitcase!! This was a big plus for us. Discounts are sometimes available.

Suggest your child start a collection - whether it's key chains, postcards, or whatever. It may be a bit pricey (esp. key chains) but they can collect them or give them as presents. - Keely

Before you spend too much money in the gift shops in and around the world, I'd recommend checking out the character warehouse shop in the Beltz outlet mall. On our last trip, I found some identical items to the ones on sale in the world at 50 - 75% off! There was quite a variety of items, but as with most outlet mall shopping, you have to do some digging. Items available included themepark clothing, resort logo clothing, plush characters, pins, and lots of character themed clothing. - Boris Beckert

ALL PARKS - I found that if you get tired of waiting in long lines, and you don't mind splitting up your party ( maybe to 1, 2,or even 3) some attractions offer singles lines. These lines help fill up unused space. I tried this at Test Track and the normal wait time was 70 minutes. It took me 5 minutes on the singles line and I still got a seat with my parents. - Matthew

The one thing we found at Disney was that everyone was extremely nice, even the other visitors. Don't be afraid to talk to people. Disney is made for kids, and adults who are kids at heart. - The Percey's