Tips about Magic Bands, Mousecellaneous, Planning, Resorts and Souvenirs
I agree whole hearty about getting one "nice" gift / souvenir. My DW and I for years always got the "usual" stuff to bring home. T-Shirts, hats, etc. Nice stuff to remember our trip but would always seem to get put away and never really used. On our last trip we decided to try something a little different. We had always wanted a coo-coo clock so when we were in EPCOT we bought a very nice clock in Germany. It was expensive but they shipped it home for us (it arrived the day after we got home) and it now proudly hangs in our kitchen. It is a constant reminder of our trip. - Jim B
Disney has such a large selection of coin banks. We bought one toward the end of our trip but next time we will buy it on the first day. THEN as we get back to our room or camper each night, all change will go into the bank to begin our savings fund for our next trip. I found that halfway thru this trip I was lugging around a huge change purse of coins that added a heavy load to my backpack. Buying a bank the first day will not only give us a fun sense of "when we come back again" but i won't be lugging all those nickels & dimes around trying to pawn them off on kiosk vendors paying for my stuff. - Amy Miles
We just returned from our trip to Disney World. The night we went to Fantasmic I knew we would be sitting for a while waiting for the show to begin. The best investment I made was buying one of those soft folding stadium seats. I carried it with me like a purse. Even used the side mesh pocket to carry drinks to our seats. We waited for over an hour and a half for the show to begin but I didn't mind - I was very comfortable with my seat padding and back support! - Marilyn Lewis
Be flexible with making your ADR dining arrangements. If the table you want is unavailable try different combinations -- 2 tables of 2 instead of one table of four; a 3-2 split rather than a table of 5, etc. Splitting up your group for just an hour or so may be the way to go, given that you're spending all day and all night together for several days on end. Splitting up may also allow you to gain more flexibility in changing ADR reservations without penalty if, after several days in the parks, someone in your party says "I don't need to see any more characters, I'll stay at the hotel, sleep late and meet you later, go and enjoy!" - Phylis
A tip in a previous newsletter mentioned the problem of switching hotels while on the dining plan. It is true that your MagicBand will not work (for dining only) until after midnight on the day you check out of one hotel into the next (therefore you cannot charge a meal on the dining plan with your MagicBand all your next day). But guest services will write down the numbers that you need to give at the restaurants so that they can be manually entered and you do not have to pay or charge them on your credit card and be reimbursed. After midnight, when your dining plan becomes activated on your MagicBand, the dining credits are just automatically calculated and deducted. This was how it was handled for us in October when we moved from the Cabins at Fort Wilderness to the BoardWalk. It went very smoothly. - K.G.
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GRAND FLORIDIAN - My tip is to enjoy the fireworks from the boat launch dock at the Grand Floridian. We had just finished the truly remarkable key lime creme brulee at Narcoossee's and some of us just wandered up to the dock. The lights lowered, the voice came over the speaker: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS! And with the lagoon shimmering before us, we enjoyed the wonderful sight of Wishes -- with all the music, but without the crowds of Main Street. Personally, I also love being in the big crowd, but it was truly magical, and totally free! Just hop the monorail over to the Grand Floridian and follow the signs to the boat. It was a wonderful moment! - Judy
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ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE - This one is a reminder that the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a must-see even if you're not staying there! On cool, overcast days, the animal viewing can be better than the Safari ride! Walk to the end of any floor, going toward the pool area, and go onto the outside staircase. Climb to the top floor. It's amazing! The Lodge lobby is not to be missed! You pick up a visitor's pass ("does not include swimming privileges") at the Security guard's checkpoint and you are free to explore. Because my kids consider AK a "half-day" park, the Lodge is a great teaser first. Or if you just don't have time or inclination to do AK this trip, a visit to the Lodge will make you feel like you've been to Africa!! - Natalie Lipman
I've often asked the cast members at the cash registers to remove tags so someone in my party could wear a hat, put on a shirt or slip on new shoes. There has never been an occasion where a cashier did not have a pair of scissors handy to comply with the request - Phyllis Wirick
We love collecting pressed pennies and quarters. We always bring many rolls of quarters and pennies. Since they are heavy and jingle a lot, we found this great idea. The quarters and pennies fit nicely in empty mini M&M plastic containers with snap tops. They are the exact size of a quarter and can fit well over a whole roll of quarters. They work for pennies also. So, before going to Disney we go to the bank and load up on rolls of quarters and pennies, so we don't have to scramble for them at the park and storage them in mini M&M containers. - Mary Smith
On a recent Disney trip I decided to forgo bringing my purse and just buy a cheap, small man's wallet. I just popped my ID, credit cards, ticket and a few dollars in, and off I would go. I could skip the bag line and not worry about where my money and information was. It made airport check-in a breeze also. I still use it today and leave all my other seldom-used cards in my larger wallet in my purse. How often do you really use all that other stuff you drag around with you? - Donna
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Just to touch on those wonderful pressed pennies: Don't forget to leave them out of your luggage when going through airport security. We lost some precious time and almost missed a connecting flight because our coin rolls had to be pulled out of our carry-on luggage for further inspection. Having them out of the luggage and accessible prior to going through the scanners makes it quicker and easier to get through the security check points. - Julie Wagner
Want to get prepped for your Hidden Mickey hunt at WDW, Disney style? Just watch Lion King 1 1/2. There are so many Hidden Mickeys in this movie that I lost count! - Alea L.
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My 8-year-old daughter loves her pressed penny collection, and this year we discovered that you can get a complete listing of all pressed penny machine locations in WDW from Guest Services. This gave us a great "excuse" to go resort-hopping! For those folks with a little time on their hands and their own transportation (WDW bus transportation is not a viable option for this activity), pressed penny "scavenger hunts" can be an excellent activity to save a rainy day, and a wonderful way to decide which resort you'd like to stay in on your next visit to WDW! - Susan Hughes
