Tips about Mousecellaneous, PhotoPass, Planning, Resorts and Souvenirs

We tackled going to Walt Disney World with three boys ages 10, 8, and 5 who wanted to buy everything they had in front of them like this: We had them hold up the item they wanted and we took a picture of it. The day before we left, while I was packing, they went through the pictures to pick the one thing they liked the best. Now we knew what to look for, as well as having some extra pictures for memories. If we were going to a park, we used the Shop Disney Parks app, which we had downloaded. It told us where to go and in one case had the item delivered to Guest Relations at the front of the park. The app will also tell you what delivery options are available (to your room, to guest relations, or to your home). - Robbie Haines

We just returned from a great five days down at WDW... One thing I discovered this trip was how many cards I ended up carrying around: park ticket, hotel room key, Disney Visa redemption card, Photopass card (or cards, because we always end up with more than one), Fastpasses... whew! That's a lot, and that's not even counting what's usually in my wallet, like a credit card and ID. I was constantly afraid I would lose something. My uncle (I have to credit him on this one) came up with a great solution: he picked up a small business card case (around $5) at an office supply store to keep all of his important cards in. He always had his Fastpasses ready to get in line while the rest of us were still digging through our pockets. I've already picked one up and it's in my "things to take to Walt Disney World" pile for our next trip! - Nathan Jones EDITOR'S NOTE: Magic Bands have eliminated a few cards to carry around the parks. However you will still want to carry your Annual Pass card (for discounts), photo ID, and if you have it, your Tables in Wonderland Card

Animal Kingdom Lodge - If you are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House, I would strongly suggest considering renting a car. My husband, 4-year-old and I have just returned from a 14-night trip and found that with the completion of Kidani Village, the bus transportation picks up and drops off at Kidani FIRST. This meant that when the bus transportation arrived at Jambo House to go to the parks, it was sometimes already full (standing room only) and on the return journey from the parks we had to drive past Jambo House to drop off and collect new people at Kidani before going to Jambo House.

Before we went on our Disney trip for Christmas this year, we got an email in November where we could pre-purchase the Photo CD with all of our PhotoPass.photos on it for $100 (instead of the normal $150). I had started following Disney PhotoPass on Twitter (http://twitter.com/DisneyPhotoPass), and they advertised a 13% off coupon. I was able to use this coupon to pre-purchase my Photo CD so I got it for $87 instead of the normal $150. So it is worth it for folks to keep an eye on out for tweets to save even more money. We got over 200 pictures on the CD, it was worth every penny. Thanks and keep up the great site and newsletter. - Brian

The BoardWalk often offers jugglers and magicians in the evening. My son loves just sitting and watching all of the performers. But we just returned from our rainiest Disney trip ever. We certainly thought that the performers would not be on the BoardWalk on those nights. We were right, they weren't -- but, to my son's delight, we found that they perform indoors on those nights. We found the performers near the bar area and also in the lobby. - Kelly

When my family and I were vacationing at WDW in September of last year, I lost my Photopass card with lots of our family pictures on it. We looked for it everywhere and I was devastated. When I went to the Camera Center at Spaceship Earth, they told me that if I could tell them when and where I last recalled having the card, they could look it up for me. It worked! They went to the location and approximate time that I last remembered, and were able to pull up all photos so I could look until I found my family! What a lifesaver! - Angie Flynn

I save the black, plastic Mickey-shaped "dishes" you get food on at some of the quickie eateries (like the eat-on-the-street Rosie's All-American Cafe in Hollywood Studios) and take them home. Every night I put out fresh veggies for our girls with ranch dressing in the ears for dipping. They get a kick out of it and we've been using them literally for years! We think it's neat that we recycled them all the way from Disney. I wash them on the top rack in the dishwasher with no issues. - Shanlee Ginchereau

Here's a tip that I learned about the hard way. Use PHOTOPASS every chance you get. Even if you think you are the family's photographer, still use it. My camera dumped a whole day's worth of pics (I'm sure it wasn't anything I did). I was sick over this, until I remembered we had used PHOTOPASS. All of our character interactions were captured by the photographer that day. You don't have to purchase once you get home, but you may be very glad you used this service. - Genie in New Orleans

Our most recent trip to Disney was a very busy one between extra activities and dinner reservations. Before leaving home, I prepared a schedule, which upon arrival I posted on the fridge (we stayed in a villa) with magnets I brought from home. This way, everyone knew where and when they needed to be somewhere. - Ann

On our last trip to the world we were pleasantly surprised upon check in at our resort to be stopped by a family asking if they could give our 3-year-old princess their princess balloon as they were leaving and wouldn't be able to take it with them. They explained that they had been given the balloon in the same fashion upon their check-in and was passing on the favour! What a great idea! We continued the balloon's travel upon our check-out in the same fashion with no tears from our princess of having to leave it behind! What a great way to spread a little magic to incoming guests and teach our children about sharing! - Karen

If you purchase the foil balloons for your children, but do not have space in your car (or the plane) to transport them home, there is a quick and easy solution! All you need is a regular drinking straw. Undo the knot that ties the balloon to the string. Insert the straw into the hole and push it a few inches up into the balloon. That releases the valve and you can deflate the balloon, fold it and pack it in your suitcase. Ideally, you can hide it away, and then when the kids' birthdays come around, you can bring it to the local dollar store or party supply store and have them refill it with helium for you!! You won't believe the looks on your kids' faces when the Disney balloons re-appear! (And if you don't want to go that far, you can simply blow it up with your own lung power, and the same straw, when you get home). - D. French

All Resorts - Remember that Disney Gift Cards are not honored to cover valet parking. - Nalyn Marcus

Most of the Disney balloons have a Mickey weight on them. When it was time to leave the balloon couldn't go with us so I quickly took the Mickey plastic weight off of the bottom and added it to my camera strap as a souvenir. Imagine my delight when I realized not only did I have a constant reminder of a a wonderful trip, I no longer had to search for my little camera! The Mickey is distinctive enough for me to always spot -- unlike the camera strap -- and easy to grasp. The camera has made two more trips back to Disney with us and people always comment on the Mickey. It would work on anything that has a narrow strap. - Sherry Huff

Port Orleans Riverside - I go to the gym daily, it's part of my lifestyle. As you know, gyms are only located in the deluxe resorts in Disney. Last trip we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and I advised the concierge there that I would be staying at Port Orleans Riverside next trip and asked about gym accommodations. I was told that I could attend any gym for a $35 fee that would cover my entire length of stay. When we checked into Port Orleans Riverside recently, I inquired about the gym fee, and was told that guests staying at Port Orleans can use the gym at Saratoga Springs at no charge! This was an extra savings that was unexpected! - Linda A. Graffagnini

Don't be afraid to use GoLynx, the public buses serving Orlando. Using the No. 50 gets you to Seaworld and I-Drive from the Ticket and Transportation Center and Disney Springs. The No. 111 is a direct bus to the Florida Mall. It's cheap, reliable and punctual, and way cheaper than shuttles or taxis. - Diane