Tips about Magic Kingdom, Packing and Planning

Magic Kingdom - Be sure you catch "The Magic, The Memories, and You!" light show projected on the front of the castle in Magic Kingdom! It was one of the most amazing things I have seen in my many trips to Disney World. I was surprised it wasn't highlighted more and it was scheduled at off times (9:45 and 10:35 p.m.) when we were visiting. - William Sharp

ALL PARKS - On water rides use one-gallon freezer bags over your shoes and socks. (You can zip them shut right around the lower part of your leg.) Keeps your shoes and socks dry and they are easy to fold up and carry until the next water ride. - Dennis Garwood

We are planning a trip to WDW this December-January. I was surprised to find out that some tours do not take place the last two weeks in December. We were interested in Backstage Magic, which is one of the tours that does not go when the park is that crowded. Readers might want to check on available tours when planing their trips. - Sue Lykins

That tip reminded me of an opposite issue we had with items freezing. This was our first trip flying since the airline changes of needing to pack certain liquid items in our checked luggage. When we got to the resort and began unpacking, I found that my liquid facial cleanser that I had put in a travel bottle was super-thick and extremely cold from being in the luggage compartment of the plane. It was almost impossible to get out of the bottle. It never did go back to its normal consistency, even after a week. I plan to take a small bar of facial soap next time to avoid the problem. I also had some liquid toner in a travel bottle, luckily in a baggie, because I guess with the pressure changes, had leaked out in the bag. Now that many toiletry items are packed in checked luggage, zip-top baggies are a must, and you may want to avoid bringing some of your usual liquids and opt for alternative products to avoid messes and freezing. - Sandy Ednie

On a recent family trip to Disney I soon found out that a bottle of hand soap should have been on my list of things to bring. With five of us sharing a hotel room, the bar soap can be not so nice to share. - Susan Riedling

On our last trip we brought a couple of the battery-operated tea candles. Used one in the bathroom as a night-light. - Brenda

Magic Kingdom - After my trip to the World last week with my sister, I have a couple tips.

1) A lot of people leave the Magic Kingdom right after Wishes, but if you wait a little bit longer, you'll be treated to a replay of "The Magic, the Memories and You" on certain nights (and not just Extra Magic Hour nights). Best of all, you'll get excellent views during the second show! Last Thursday, Wishes was at 10 p.m. and the park would close at 11 p.m. We stayed around for a while and they announced they would be replaying TMTMAY. Since the Hub was virtually empty at that point, we could just lie down in front of the castle and watch as it was filled with magic all over again. That moment was one of the highlights of our trip!

2) Your writer Jack Spence always says to stop and smell the roses, and we took his advice to heart on this trip. We're glad we did! On Monday during EMH night, we were walking about Frontierland when we noticed the checkers board in front of the Shootin' Arcade. Our initial reaction was to just keep going to the next ride (we can play checkers while at home, right?), but then we decided to pause and play a little. It was so much fun! At one point a cast member stopped by to ask who was winning. In the end I won, and now my sister wants revenge on our next visit. That brief "stop and smell the roses" moment has now turned into a tradition that we'll have to repeat on our next trips to the World. - Patricia Ogura

This was our second trip to Disney -- both equally awesome! Our hotels were great for our family of four (Port Orleans - Riverside and Caribbean Beach, respectively), with ample drawer and hanging space for our clothes, but never enough hangers. This year we brought extra hangers from home, which really helped to organize our clothes and to get some wrinkles out. And after we came home, I left the extra hangers in the suitcases for our next trip! - Sandy from Connecticut

Pick up some 3M Command hooks with the removable adhesive and put them, along with some extra adhesive, into your suitcase. We are a family of six, and I have the problem of too many wet things and not enough room, too, and this seems to solve the problem. They're easily removed when you leave and don't take paint off the walls. - Beth McMeekin

The last trip to Walt Disney World, I brought three plastic hangers with me -- handy for drying bathing suits or any hand wash things. They can be hung on the shower rod or in the closet. - Gaylin in Vancouver

My way to dry bathing suits when there are a few of us in a room: I bring a bungee cord in my suitcase, then string it up on the balcony outside my room. Instant clothesline! - ckjrn1959

Just saw saw that someone mentioned in a recent newsletter that they were used to traveling with a sound machine, and suggested that guests bring them to help drown out noise from traffic. Wanted to share my tip -- we found it helpful to just put the room's clock radio to a static channel. - Tracey DiMillo

Contact lens solution, glasses, and a spare set of contact lenses. (I forgot 'em a few trips ago and had to spend two days with one eye, since my prescription is so bad that most eye facilities don't stock them). - Michele

We took a nightlight for the room, and we brought a toddler toilet seat (our son would fall through otherwise). - Stephanie

I also bring on of those pop-up hampers that you can get for like $4. That way we can keep the dirty clothes separated. They have nice handles so I can take the whole hamper to the laundry room and throw a load in when the kids are swimming and then bring them back to the room. - Jamie