Tips about Laundry, Mousecellaneous, Planning and Souvenirs

My tip involves the keeping a diary of sorts -- after several visits to WDW and trying, unsuccessfully, to keep a journal for whatever reason -- I either left it behind, it was cumbersome to carry about, or I was just too moused out to fill it in at the end of the day -- I eventually hit on the perfect answer (for me, anyway). In the weeks up to our last visit in February, I printed one sheet of paper for every day of our holiday (as we call it here in the U.K.). Of course, I put Disney characters and the day/date on each one, as well as little reminders such as, "Have we got the Valentine's Pin?" and "Have we had a Dole whip in MK?" It was easy to write notes on the page throughout the day as we waited in line, etc., and the crumpled, but well-used sheet was exchanged each evening for the next day's. - Jacqui Bull

Last year one grandchild got the postcard I sent from Walt Disney World, and the other one never did, so this year I took a business envelope and sent them both to their mom. They both got their cards. I also took a small padded envelope and sent a group of postcards to the first-graders in a class where I am a volunteer. (And the money saved on postage paid for the envelope!) - Deborah L.

Another idea to control the "I wants" from your kids. My daughter earned money before going on our trips. Sometimes she collected cans to recycle, sometimes she did chores around the house. She was much more selective about her choices and valued her souvenirs much more. - Suzanne P.

Another idea to control the "I wants" from your kids. My daughter earned money before going on our trips. Sometimes she collected cans to recycle, sometimes she did chores around the house. She was much more selective about her choices and valued her souvenirs much more. - Suzanne P.

On a recent trip to Disney World, my feet were killing me by Day 2. Well, out came the EXTRA pair of memory foam insoles that I brought with me in my backpack. A trip to Guest Relations for a pair of scissors to cut to length and I was walking on pillows the rest of the week. - Craig

We secured one of those D-ring keychain clips to the stroller handle with a Velcro strap. It was a handy place to hang all of our souvenir shopping bags that we would accumulate! - Jackie Beering

I was a lucky kid -- visited Disney three times before graduating high school... One of my favorite souvenirs from Disney is my sterling silver Doc charm. My sisters and I got silver charm bracelets while in elementary school, and whenever there was an "event" or trip we'd get a silver charm to commemorate it. I've since married and have three daughters of my own. The girls each have a silver charm bracelet and plan on adding another character charm for each of our visits to Disney. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be adding charms to their daughters' bracelets! - Suzanne Vallillo

Just wanted to add a laundry tip. Our family has skin allergies and can't use the Wisk tabs. I found that buying a 16 oz. container of Woolite and taking it with us is a great idea. It is relatively small and lays flat. The 16 oz. does eight washes. I also like the fact that it is liquid (has a cap), which makes it less messy than the powder detergent. - Keri DeFrancesco

Would like to add some advice to the laundry article. Make sure you pack your baggies of powdered detergent in your checked luggage. We rushed our packing to return home and put the left over Tide in my husband's carry on -- needless to say, when the bag went through the scanner at the airport, it was mistaken for a much more expensive powder!!! The officer made a beeline to where it was packed in the bag. We had to do some quick explaining and of course it smelled like Tide when the officer opened the baggie...whew!!!! - Mary Kay Reis of Pittsburgh, PA

Here's another laundry tip -- I purchased those new tablet laundry detergents. They come in individual packets that are great for packing into small areas of your suitcase. You save money as well as space because laundry detergent at the resorts are $1 per tiny box, which adds up fast if you have more than one load. - Priscilla Piacente

In one large Zip-Loc bag I put the following: a garbage bag, quarters for the washer and dryer in a snack-size Zip-Loc bag, two dryer sheets in another snack-size Zip-Loc bag, and measured laundry detergent in a medium Zip-Loc bag. Then I label the bag (just in case). Once we unpack, all I have to do is get the garbage bag out for our dirty clothes. Once the bag is full of dirty clothes, it is off to the washing machines. Pre-planning makes it so easy. No more hunting for quarters or detergent. It's all there. There is nothing like doing wash while sipping a tropical drink poolside in the bright sunshine!!!! - Heather from New York

Don't throw out those popcorn buckets! They make excellent protection in your luggage for small breakable souvenirs, such as glass ornaments.- Lori Welch

I have one more tip related to Mary Cronin's idea. I hate walking on my treadmill. Has anyone actually recorded the walk from Spaceship Earth to the American Adventure to play back while walking the treadmill at home? My tape would always have to include a stop at Boulangerie Patisserie in France! YUM! - "Jungle" Jim Sirks

I read Mary Cronin's advisory to walk in order to be in shape for WDW, and I couldn't agree more. My wife and I are in our mid-50s and we have always wondered just how far we really do walk while at WDW, so we bought a pedometer and I wore it on our trip October 18-25. On the 18th and the 25th, our walking was limited to three hours each day due to our arrival and departure from WDW. Our first full day, which included Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we logged 8 miles -- for the week we were just shy of 40 miles! Believe me, we do not race around the parks. We walk at a normal pace, and we were astounded at the total. Our advice: start walking. - William Kested EDITOR'S NOTE: ALWAYS be sure to break in any new pair of shoes/sneakers you have purchased for your trip.

Do lots of walking before you go to get in shape for walking at the World. This really pays off when you get there, in terms of stamina and enjoyment. We take family walks, and my husband and I also walk on a treadmill in the mornings. Just imagine you are walking from Spaceship Earth to the American Pavilion, or from the far end of one of the parking lot rows to the tram. If you're in better shape, you can pretend to jog from the rope at Tomorrowland to Space Mountain, or from the park entrance to Kilimanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom. Even if your style of Disney touring is a relaxed stroll, you will benefit from any walking that you do before you go. - Mary Cronin