Tips about Laundry, Mousecellaneous, Planning, Resorts and Souvenirs

For all WDW visitors from the UK -- try to find jet-setting friends who will bring you home US coins, quarters especially, because when you land at Orlando they're jolly useful for tolls. Saves having to worry about splitting paper money when you're tired and the kids can't wait to get to Mickey! - Rosie, Northampton, UK

Old Key West - As a follow up to Tanya's tip (last issue) about walking around Boardwalk in the morning -- when we stay at Old Key West we always walk all through the resort area and take the paved trail over to Saratoga Springs. We sit by the pool there and have coffee, breakfast or even fruit that we buy in their restaurant before heading back. Golfers would enjoy watching foursomes teeing off as you pass several tee boxes. It is a wonderful trail. When staying at Saratoga we reverse the trip and sit at Turtle Krawl before heading back. It is very relaxing. - Margaret

Epcot Resorts - If you are staying at the Epcot resorts go for an early morning walk -- it's worth it. I know you do tons of walking while at WDW, but there is something magical about walking around the BoardWalk and Yacht and Beach Club first thing in the morning. We stayed at the Dolphin over New Year's and I was still preparing for the half-marathon the following week, so I got up early each morning to go for a walk around the walkways to Epcot, the BoardWalk and the Studios. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this time -- it was such a pleasure to walk and enjoy the beauty of all the buildings, the waterway and just the calm at that hour, and it was a wonderful way to start each day. - Tanya

This year I brought the Tide to Go pen on our trip. It was easy keeping my children's clothes spotless for those family vacation photos, and this pen really worked well. It worked fast and it was easy to store -- fanny pack, purse, back pocket, stroller, even in our camera bag. - Ashleigh Baas

EDITOR'S NOTE: While we are normally reluctant to recommend brand names, this product really seems to do what its advertisements say it will. ALL EARS® Senior Editor Deb Koma has been carrying a Tide to Go pen with her on her last several Walt Disney World trips. Remember -- if you're flying, it does contain a liquid spot remover, so either pack it in your checked luggage, or place it in a clear, quart-size zipper-top bag with your other liquid and gel-containing products to carry it onboard with you.

All Star Resorts - When my family of four (two adults/two teenagers) stayed at the All Star Music resort we brought along two twin-sized air mattresses and the electric pump to inflate them. My daughters slept on the air mattresses while my husband and I had the full sized beds to ourselves. We did need to push the full sized beds closer together to create enough room for the air mattresses and in the mornings we would need to flip one mattress on top of the other but this wasn't too big of a deal. The wonderful Cast Members who came in to clean our room didn't seem to be bothered by the air mattresses and they left our full sized beds where we had placed them. This was our great solution to the sleeping situation when it came to only being able to afford the value resort rooms but needing more space for sleeping. The cost of the air mattresses was actually less than paying for fold-out beds for the eight nights we were there and everyone had their own bed to stretch out in for a more relaxing night's sleep. - Lisa Cash

EDITOR'S NOTE: While this arrangement worked in this particular case, we wanted to note that most All-Star rooms are only meant to accommodate up to four individuals, plus one child in a crib. Bringing the air mattresses to squeeze more than four occupants in a room would be violating the hotel's fire codes.

All Star Resorts - My husband, 4-year-old son and I just returned from a fantastic 10-day WDW trip and one of the best things we did was ship a small coffee pot with filters and coffee packets to our All-Star resort ahead of time since they do not provide coffee pots in those rooms. What a treat it was to just wake up and make our own personal pot of coffee each morning. The 4-cup pot at Walmart was only $19.99, and the filters/coffee were inexpensive. - Laureen EDITOR'S NOTE: The Family Suites at Art of Animation and All Star Music have coffee pots.

All Star Resorts - My husband, 4-year-old son and I just returned from a fantastic 10-day WDW trip and one of the best things we did was ship a small coffee pot with filters and coffee packets to our All-Star resort ahead of time since they do not provide coffee pots in those rooms. What a treat it was to just wake up and make our own personal pot of coffee each morning. The 4-cup pot at Walmart was only $19.99, and the filters/coffee were inexpensive. - Laureen EDITOR'S NOTE: The Family Suites at Art of Animation and All Star Music have coffee pots.

We tried to book a room for the first week of December. Not a single room was available at any Disney resort. The Disney representative suggested looking at a resort that was still on Disney property but not an actual Disney resort. She said the Buena Vista Palace had rooms available. They are located across from Disney Springs and offer bus service via Mears shuttles. I called them directly and because I'm a firefighter was able to get a greatly reduced rate that isn't offered at Disney resorts! (It's called the "government rate." I just had to show my firefighter ID when I checked in.) - Alexiss from MA

All Star Resorts - If you're staying at the All Star Movies, one extremely useful tip is to use the bus for the All Star Music resort when coming back from the theme parks at night, and simply walk over to All Star Movies. The Music buses are by far less crowded than the Movies (seeing as the Movies is a more popular resort), and the short walk between the resorts is much more enjoyable than standing in line for an hour trying to get on the All Star Movies bus. - Lindsay P.

ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE - We just returned from our annual visit to Disney World. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the second time. On our previous visit, the Sunset Safari of the three savannahs was only offered to concierge level guests. It has recently been opened to all hotel guests. My husband is handicapped, but the truck was equipped with a wheelchair lift so he was still able to take the tour. The tour also included dinner at Jiko. It was a great experience, and one I would highly recommend to any guests staying at the resort. - Kimberly Shannon

I'm always looking for a way to relive the magic of the parks, so this last trip my family and I purchased a bunch of little inexpensive souvenirs like keychains, magnets, coffee mugs, etc. (A great place to find these is in Disney Springs at Mickey's Mart: Everything $10 and Under.) I left them in the bags, sealed them shut with a Disney sticker, took them home and put them in a box in an out-of-the-way spot. Now every time I need a little Disney Magic I just go to the goodie box, pull out a bag, and it takes me right back to my favorite place in the world. I also made one for my son -- he loves to go to the magic box (as he calls it) and get a Mickey Mouse sucker, a small toy, or a Disney book. You could also decorate the box you put the goodies in. It's a fun craft for you and your child to do together. - Linda Wooden

"Boredom is Energizing!" After years of going to Disney, I have found that the best way to get everyone up in the morning for an early start is to flip on all the lights at 6 a.m. for Early Morning Entry or 7 a.m. for a regular entry time, and keep the television off. This is also important for adults. Checking the news on CNN and the weather on The Weather Channel can easily extend into sitting around for a long time. We just eat a roll, drink some juice and look out the window for the weather forecast. With nothing to do, it does not take long for everyone to get motivated to do something/anything. - John P.

All Resorts - We recently spent five days at Port Orleans and during check-in were asked if we needed any help with reservations. We responded that we did not, we already had dining reservations, so the Cast Member told us to stop at the lobby concierge desk and they would print out an itinerary for us. We did so and were pleased to see that in addition to our reservation locations, times and confirmation numbers, our Backstage Safari Tour was also listed on the itinerary. - Leland Groves

I am adding to a tip in the October 17 newsletter regarding shipping of merchandise from your resort. We just returned from a weeklong stay at the Wilderness Lodge and had a large box (weighing 29 pounds) shipped home on the morning of our departure from the WL. When we first inquired about shipping rates, we also were rather stunned to find out the outrageous cost. The gift shop (going strictly by dollar amount of items shipped) would have cost us $76. We were instructed (for comparison) to see what the cost would be to ship through the front desk instead. Going through the front desk was much cheaper -- $23 UPS -- and our merchandise arrived at our home about three days after we did. We chose UPS, but they also ship FedEx and DHL. - Debbie

My family uses an updated version of "I Spy" to pass the time when having to wait! We use our camera phone to take a close-up picture of something that is near us (like the napkins at the table, or a corner of a menu) and then we pass the phone around taking turns guessing what the photo shows. Super close-up pictures of things can be challenging to figure out -- even for adults! And, I have found that even my 6-year-old has no problem "pushing the button" to take a picture. We've made several long waits in restaurants as well as car trips pass by a little faster playing this game -- and the best part is I always have my phone with me, so whenever an unanticipated delay hits, we're prepared! - Heather Thomas