Tips about Mousecellaneous and Strollers

My kids don't like riding in strollers, so about three months before our first trip to Disney, I started taking the kids on daily walks. I explained that we do LOTS of walking in Disney and we needed to build up our stamina. We went on walks five days a week. We'd talk about what we would see and do at Disney while we walked. My youngest had just turned 5 before the trip, and he had no trouble keeping up with all the walking in the parks. - Margaret Erath

Schedule one evening to be at the perfect place and time to view a fabulous Florida sunset. Most regular visitors have their own favorite sunset view, but in the crush of other things to do, this is one of those "I wish I had done it" things you remember after you get home. It is one of those quiet moments that are most treasured later, and is a good "last evening at Disney" tradition to incorporate into your stay. Depending on your resort, cast members can usually suggest the best sunset view. One of my favorites is the point that juts into the lagoon at the Polynesian, but any western view over water is a winner. Another great place is at the Cantina in Mexico at Epcot. Get a cool drink and sit at a table by the water and just soak up the peace and beauty. - Mary Jane Walley

Just had to write and tell a tip I know I read on this site about two years ago, but don't see it now. It was an idea about putting a white hand towel over the canopy of a dark colored stroller. We did this with our 18-month-old after reading about it on your site and not only did the sun reflect away from her in the late July heat and keep her way cooler than the rest of us, we easily found our stroller when it was moved by cast members "straightening up." We plan to use this idea again this year on our upcoming WDW trip. Hopefully, I'm not opening up a new trend and I won't be able to find my stroller because everyone that reads your site will have figured out our secret trick! - j2marcum

When my family of four goes to WDW I carry a small bicycle lock with us to put on our stroller to prevent someone from taking it by accident. It only takes a minute to put on. It beats having to go back to the front of the park to get another stroller, which could wear you out with the extra walking. - Danny Gauthier

I have a tip about an AllEars Hears item, which said WDW wedding packages start at $4,000. You can be married at The Swan and Dolphin resorts for much less and still receive some of the benefits of a Walt Disney World Wedding, including appearances by characters like Mickey and Minnie. Packages start at around $2,200. Shades of Green is another lower-cost option (for those who have family in the military). - C. Hayward

For our last trip to WDW, my husband and I purchased a product called a "Neat Sheet" ahead of time. Neat Sheets are water-proof and have weighted corners. If it's raining and you don't have a poncho, you can put it over you or your belongings to keep dry. You can also lay a Neat Sheet out on the ground or a wet bench to watch the fireworks without getting wet. The weighted corners are great so if you have it over you child's stroller it doesn't blow away when a gust of wind comes. - Kristen H.

I love having Disney reminders everywhere. I think it is wonderful that even pets can get into the action. But what if you are like us and have a feathered pet? Well, we bought our parakeet, Mr. Freeze, a Mickey-shaped pet tag and hung it in his cage! He really enjoyed looking at it and playing with it. It was shiny, reflective and noisy. We then purchased a pet tag in the shape of a star with Tinker Bell, and he is in LOVE! Each time I clean his cage, he guards it with his... beak. So even if you don't have a furry pet, check out some of the pet items and see if they will work to share the magic with everyone in your family! - Kimberly K. Lawton

Bring a clamp-on type umbrella. We were able to bend ours around to keep our toddler shaded at all times. We saw many strollers with canopies where the kids were still directly in the sun. Also, buy clear, 39-gallon garbage bags. They are cheap, and cover an umbrella stroller nicely. Also you can carry two or three in a small bag and just throw them out when you are done. Finally, if your umbrella stroller doesn't have a basket, consider a bag that will snap on. Snaps are important so you can swing the bag around to the seat so the stroller doesn't flip over when you leave it. Ours was quilted, which helped keep our drink bottles insulated in the pockets. It also was able to stay on when you folded the stroller up too. - Mary Ellen

I recently bought something that made me say, "This will be perfect for Disney World." It is a cell phone charger that uses two AA lithium batteries to charge your phone. It is just a little bigger then a cigarette lighter and fits nicely in my digital camera bag. I already carry extra AA batteries for the camera, so the power is available everywhere I go. They are packaged with the connectors hanging out, so you can make sure they fit your phone before you buy. It takes about a hour to charge my phone, just about right for the Fantasmic show experience. - Toohill

ALL EARS® recently mentioned some new packages/baskets from the Disney Florist -- including a "Proclaim Her a Princess" basket. The information indicated the basket is intended for girls 5-12. I wanted to make sure folks know that either the Disney Florist or most hotel concierge cast members can help personalize any basket, making it more age appropriate and unique to the recipient. I worked with our concierge (kudos to Stephanie!) at the Grand Floridian to personalize that basket and delivery for my niece's 8th grade graduation this past June. It included items appropriate to her, including a unique tiara we didn't see anywhere at WDW and a personalized beach towel and wallet. It's hard to impress a 14-year-old... but between the delivery (complete with rose petals lining the room to the basket that was waiting for her) and the basket itself, she was speechless! We all know the "if you can dream it, they can do it" Disney motto, but I could never have come up with these ideas! These folks are fabulous! - Lori Degliantoni

Every couple of years we take an "adults" only vacation at Disney, and we also wanted to try something different for our scrapbook. We tried beers in every county at Epcot (not all in one day!). Most of the beers were very good and we had our picture taken in that country, next to the stand, with the server. Some of the countries actually peeled the label off the beer bottle for us to keep and we added that to our pictures as well. The last country was Germany and we bought the stein to take home. I've heard of someone else who did wines around the world. It is a lot of fun for adults and lets you enjoy many different tastes. - Dawn Hewitt

Instead of a large backpack to store underneath the stroller for a day at the parks, we use XXL "huge" zipper-top bags. We toss all of our daily belongings for three kids into this one large bag (with handles). Because it is see-through we easily can find things very quickly instead of rummaging through the bottom of a dark backpack. Also, we have received the highest compliments from park security employees for check-through at the gates! They very quickly scan the outside of the bag, never going through the inside because it is see-through and so quick to view. - Shari Kessler

My suggestion is to place all open packages of food in a zipper-top bag when leaving your stroller parked. On our recent trip last week to WDW we noticed that the squirrels in the parks were "stroller hopping" in the baskets under the strollers picking up all sorts of open packages of food, and the crows were picking at the end of a turkey leg that someone had left wrapped up on top of a stroller. - Debbi Lefebvre

"Boredom is Energizing!" After years of going to Disney, I have found that the best way to get everyone up in the morning for an early start is to flip on all the lights at 6 a.m. for Early Morning Entry or 7 a.m. for a regular entry time, and keep the television off. This is also important for adults. Checking the news on CNN and the weather on The Weather Channel can easily extend into sitting around for a long time. We just eat a roll, drink some juice and look out the window for the weather forecast. With nothing to do, it does not take long for everyone to get motivated to do something/anything. - John P.

My family uses an updated version of "I Spy" to pass the time when having to wait! We use our camera phone to take a close-up picture of something that is near us (like the napkins at the table, or a corner of a menu) and then we pass the phone around taking turns guessing what the photo shows. Super close-up pictures of things can be challenging to figure out -- even for adults! And, I have found that even my 6-year-old has no problem "pushing the button" to take a picture. We've made several long waits in restaurants as well as car trips pass by a little faster playing this game -- and the best part is I always have my phone with me, so whenever an unanticipated delay hits, we're prepared! - Heather Thomas