Tips about Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous and Thanksgiving

MAGIC KINGDOM - Even though we've been to the Magic Kingdom five times in the past 18 months and are avid listeners to Disney podcasts, we just recently discovered the hidden gem of the Harmony Barbershop. What a bargain! For $21.50 (plus tip) my son got a haircut AND his hair painted and sprinkled with confetti AND my daughter had her hair done in pony tails with paint and glitter! MUCH cheaper than Bibbidi Bobbidi and SO many compliments to them, which they loved! It is off the beaten path, in the corner between the firehouse and Emporium, so you need to keep an eye out for the striped barbershop pole (which can be a challenge to see during Christmas season). It is first come, first serve so get there early. And as a special treat you may get a performance by the Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet! What a find! We will definitely be holding off on haircuts before our next trip in order to do this again. By the way, the paint and glitter come out pretty easily even after two days -- would recommend a comb for the confetti though. - Becky Koehl

Early evening, we made our way to Fort Wilderness for a carriage ride (which is wonderful this time of year, with all of the personal Christmas decorations on the campsites!) Our ride was extra special because I told our driver, "Thank you for working on a holiday." She almost cried! She really appreciated just the simple gesture of "thanks" -- all of those cast members miss out on seeing their families on some holidays so that we can enjoy ours! After that it was time for 'Ohana. I love this restaurant, but I was especially excited to see they had a special Thanksgiving menu (as do many restaurants in WDW). It was a typical Thanksgiving dinner, 'Ohana style -- and of course delicious. We asked if we could please have a window seat, and even on a busy night they accommodated us. We timed it perfectly that we were able to watch Wishes while eating dinner, and it was beautiful! Our server had to ask if I was all right because I did start to tear up. We had seen Wishes several times, and this was a very nice, different perspective, and I thought of the thousands of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the MK while we enjoyed a wonderful meal. We ended the night grabbing hot chocolate and sitting on the Poly beach, watching the Electrical Water Pageant go by. To me, it was a perfect Thanksgiving! I did not have to deal with crowds, and I got to experience several unique things WDW has to offer. - Carissa

The parks got pretty crowded in the afternoon [on Thanksgiving] so we traveled to Disney Springs and did some Christmas shopping. After shopping we stopped at our villa (we stayed at Saratoga Springs) to watch a little football and drop off our purchases. That night we made our way to Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Lights. As "snow" fell we sat on a curb, sipped hot chocolate and experienced all that is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing lights. What a wonderful day! - Penny Urell

We go to "The World" every other year at Thanksgiving and love going at that time of year. The decorations are breathtaking and the weather is wonderful! We have always had Thanksgiving lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom because it feels like you're being waited on by the pilgrims themselves. The decor of the place and the costumes of the staff, not to mention the way they call you in for you reservation ("Hear Ye! Hear Ye!") really sets the mood for our Thanksgiving meal. Also, even though we are at Disney I don't miss out on my "Black Friday" shopping. I take care of most of it shopping in Disney Springs! - Peggy Benoit

On Thanksgiving Day we went to the Studios early in the morning. (I spent the day wishing all the cast members -- from the bus drivers to the Streetmosphere players -- Happy Thanksgiving and thanking them for working to make our holiday special. We saw the shows, rode the rides and had a great time. We ate dinner at the Biergarten. What a treat! My sister's kids (high school and college ages) danced and sang and had a blast. Everyone loved the food. They still say that it was one of the best Thanksgivings ever! Great food, fun music and a wonderful show. So my advice is try something non-traditonal for your Thanksgiving at WDW. Go see a show, fireworks or have a special meal, but it doesn't have to be right on Thanksgivng Day. And don't forget to wish the cast members you meet a Happy Thanksgiving too. After all, they are making your day special! - Nancy L. Gessner

We had a very delicious Thanksgiving meal that evening at the food court in All Star Sports. They served turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. Just like we would have had if we would have been home in Louisiana. Another note is to dine early on Thanksgiving. - Alyce S. Miller

Our family (included parents, grandparents and two teenage daughters) traveled to Disney World for Thanksgiving week. It was the first time we spent the holiday away from home and were able to keep some of the many traditions alive that we kept each year. That included catching Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV in the morning, watching college football, and being together. We even included some non-traditional swimming in the pool... nothing we could have done in New England. We investigated the many dining options available and finally chose a restaurant at the Polynesian, which is where we were staying. The meal was truly NE traditional including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, squash, mashed potatoes, and yummy pie (we even took extra pie back to our room to have later in the day... just like at home!). The waitstaff at the restaurant made us feel as if we were guests in their home and shared that very special Thanksgiving with us. Another treasured Disney memory. - Carol Trainor

After eating out at great Disney restaurants the week prior to actual Thanksgiving Day, we found we were really no longer "up" for another huge meal. We cancelled the dinner reservations we had made and picked up the Beach Club Marketplace Thanksgiving prepared individual meals. They were both delicious and affordable. AND we had our traditional Thanksgiving turkey! - JoAnne Miller

To keep the thread, no pun intended, of lost glasses pins/screws going, here is a tip to keep from losing them in the first place -- put a drop of clear nail polish on the thread end of the screw and it will act like Loctite®. - Marc

Magic Kingdom - We have a GREAT spot for the afternoon parade in the Magic Kingdom but you have to get there early. After you cross over the bridge into Liberty Square there is a little cart where they handpaint umbrellas. Well, next to that cart is a much larger umbrella mounted into the ground -- SHADE! Even Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia thought it was a good spot -- while we were viewing the parade in June, they stopped and told us we were the smartest peasants they had seen all day. How kind!! Then the last float in the parade stopped right in front of us and all the characters came off to dance and interact with the crowd. It was awesome!! I am sharing this with everyone on one condition - you have to promise to let us have our spot when we are there next June. - Sharon Stieg

I saw the tip from the reader regarding getting her husband's eyeglasses repaired at the Magic Kingdom watch store. On our trip in April, the screw in my mother's eyeglasses came out. We were staying on property and called the front desk to see if they would happen to have an eyeglass repair kit. They did and promptly brought it to our room-free of charge. My mother now carries it in her purse for any future accidents. - Tracie Smith

Magic Kingdom - I recently found out a service that the Magic Kingdom watch store offers. My husband's pin fell out of his glasses. The nearest glasses store was 20 minutes away and we did not have a car. I asked the front desk if there was a watch store in one of the parks. They directed me to the one in the Magic Kingdom. I thought maybe a watch store would have the tools to put the pin back in. The store told me to bring the glasses over. The man had the tools and many pins to try. He fixed the glasses free of charge. We were so, so happy! - Teresa Norman

Recently, I have discovered that Disney offers recyclable shopping bags. They're very inexpensive and I find (as a teenager) that they function as great waterproof tote bags! - Jacquelyn

Just a comment on the sale of shuttle launch tickets. Any follower of the shuttle program knows that tickets can sell out quickly. NOT TO FRET! If you don't have a ticket to get onto the Cape Canaveral grounds, you can stop anywhere along the river at any parking area, or park and see the launch. You will see the shuttle as soon as it crosses your horizon and you will hear it. It is an amazing sight! You might even be better off not getting a ticket, because there is always a chance the launch will not happen for some reason. Go to a park, bring a blanket, some coffee (early morning launch) and enjoy the time. Go early and you will meet some interesting people along the way! - Geri Preisser

ALL PARKS - This is a tip for anyone who celebrates a special day or occasion on the same day every year at one of the Disney parks. My wife and I have celebrated every one of our 11 wedding anniversaries at Disneyland. To add to our tradition, we get a Fastpass that is marked for that day and covers the time that we were married, i.e. 4 p.m. Then we have a cast member take a picture of us in front of that attraction at the exact time that we said our "I Do's." Between the photo and the Fastpasses, it makes a nice keepsake of that specific day and time. The only drawback is we can see how we have aged over the years. Go out and CELEBRATE! - Michael Greening