Tips about Magic Kingdom, Pressed and Resorts

ALL RESORTS - Each morning wanted our daughter to be awakened by Mickey. However, we, the parents, needed to be up earlier than our little one. Each day we would set the alarm clock and quickly turn it off. Our wake up call from Mickey was set to come a little later when we knew Emily would be waking up or needing to get up. It worked well and the smile on her face each morning as Mickey urged her up was wonderful. - Lisa Stewart

ALL RESORTS - THE PHONES IN THE ROOM: Any phone with a button for ordering pizza is okay by me! Joining the pizza button was the Housekeeping button and the Guest Information button, and the Wake up Call button. The Guest Information button is the general operator for the resort. They are know all, see all, do all. It's like calling 411 without the guilt or charge. Example: My 11 year daughter was having a problem with her braces. She needed Braces Wax to cover a wire that was digging into her cheek. Who ya gonna Call? They gave me the name of 2 drug stores and called them for me. I called back and ordered a taxi and 10 minutes later I was off to Walgreens for the Wax. I called them for park opening times, baby sitter info, movie information. Each time they came through like a champ.

ALL RESORTS - All hotels say there check out time is 11am. This can actually be extended until 1pm at no additional charge to accommodate your flight schedules. I even extended my stay until 3pm and paid 1/2 price. Not bad to enjoy the hotel pool and spa one last time before boarding my plane back to reality. It was worth it. - AHalton EDITOR'S NOTE: With the new Magic Bands be aware that they will stop working automatically at 11am on your check out day. If you get an extension please check with the desk about access. Remember that during busy times resorts will not be able to honor requests for late checkouts.

ALL RESORTS - When you check in make sure you ask for early housekeeping, if you are early risers, most people are up and out early, this will ensure that if you return for an afternoon rest your room will be clean. - AHalton

ALL RESORTS - Get Maps and Schedules at Guest Services - When you arrive at your WDW hotel, have someone in your party go to Guest Services and ask for the current maps and timetables for all the parks. If you're interested in visiting the water parks or PI, be sure to check on the WDW transportation schedule also.

ALL PARKS - I found that if you get tired of waiting in long lines, and you don't mind splitting up your party ( maybe to 1, 2,or even 3) some attractions offer singles lines. These lines help fill up unused space. I tried this at Test Track and the normal wait time was 70 minutes. It took me 5 minutes on the singles line and I still got a seat with my parents. - Matthew

ALL RESORTS - My name is Malorie Boutwell and I am 13 years old and have been going to Disney World on vacation ever since I was little and love it. I think that a helpful hint I have to offer is that you stay in a Disney Resort so you can get early admission to each park on the designated days also so you can get there before it begins to crowd.

ALL RESORTS - My name is Malorie Boutwell and I am 13 years old and have been going to Disney World on vacation ever since I was little and love it. I think that a helpful hint I have to offer is that you stay in a Disney Resort so you can get early admission to each park on the designated days also so you can get there before it begins to crowd.

I LOVED your article on pressed coins and I have to agree they are fabulous and inexpensive. Something I do to collect my coins and give as souvenir gifts is create jewelry. A small awl used for piercing leather works well in piercing the ends of these coins, and then simple jump rings and clasps found in Michael's or any craft store work great in connecting the coins into bracelets, key chains, earrings -- you name it! You can do these as themes, such as princesses or the Fab Five or even by parks. I once brought these home for several of my students! - Erika Swanson

I just wanted to add that it's best to use older pennies in the pressed penny machines. Starting in the middle of 1982, the US Mint switched from copper pennies to zinc pennies with a thin layer of copper. When you put these pennies through the pressed penny machine, you get a kind of "marble cake" appearance with the zinc sometimes peeking through. Some people like this effect, but I prefer to search through my pennies and find the older ones to use. - John Hayes

The images on new shiny pennies are a lot clearer than old used pennies! I suggest you roll up your pennies and head right to the bank to exchange for a brand new roll! - Cathy

I found this out a few years ago, while doing research for my trip. I have severe food allergies and asthma, which can be triggered by dust, mold, etc. If you have severe allergies or asthma (or both), phone in, instead of booking online, when making your reservation. You can request what they call a "VIP Room Clean." Your entire room is basically deep cleaned before you arrive, top to bottom, to remove any traces of allergens, dust, etc. You can also request, as part of this clean, to have different pillows (non-feather) put in, all scented things completely removed, etc. You can request linens be specially washed, or completely removed if you want to bring your own. It is no longer available to book online, it has to be done over the phone. Best of all, it's completely free. - Laura

ALL PARKS - While wandering around Walt Disney World, I like to carry a small plastic tube for paper souvenirs. I use a plastic tennis ball container that has a lid -- other similar tubes will work well. This allows me to store maps, menus, napkins and any other paper items without them being crushed, wrinkled or soaked. I just put them under a few heavy books when I get home. - Brian Brennan

ALL PARKS - Be sure to have a group destination while walking around the park -- for example, once everyone in your party has ridden Buzz, decide where your group is headed, just in case someone gets separated. Then the rest of the group will continue on to that spot and wait until you regroup. This happened to us recently at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party -- while heading toward the Haunted Mansion, the first parade ended and it was crazy in front of the castle. Our group of 11 broke up into 8 and 3 and luckily we all headed on to Haunted Mansion and waited until everyone met up again. It took only about 20 minutes to regroup, instead of everyone heading off to a "central meeting place" like in front of the castle! It is also always good to have a specific spot for emergencies, like at the Sword in the Stone, for example. Just stay together! That 20 minutes separated was scary. - Suzanne from Patchogue, NY

MAGIC KINGDOM - Time your ride of Splash Mountain around the fireworks display. Not only is the line usually shorter as everyone rushes to get a good spot to see the fireworks but, if you're lucky, you can emerge mid-ride into the open air, to a sky lit up by fireworks with a fantastic view. It happened to us by chance and we've managed to time our rides to that magical moment since then. Truly fantastic! - Joy Kennedy

ALL PARKS - I thought it might be a good idea to remind people to NOT help themselves to the ice that most WDW shops use to cool the water in the popular "Squeeze Breeze" bottles. We fill the bottles (with potable water) and then place them in a container of ice. That ice came from a restaurant or counter service and most likely started out sanitary. But after being in the container for a while, exposed to the air, bugs, and many little hands, it is no longer sanitary, and should not be placed into any bottles. There was an incident of people getting sick after being sprayed (in the face) with water from a bottle like that last year. Likewise, giving kids some of the ice from those containers to suck on is a bad idea. It's better to go to any counter service location and ask for some ice in a cup. - A WDW Cast Member