Tips about Mousecellaneous and Strollers

Regarding mickderb's tip on ordering canvas bags for strollers, we brought two lightweight, fold-up umbrella strollers for our 3-year-old twins. (They were the kind where all four wheels collapse and fold up together, as opposed to a stroller that just folds in half.) To keep the strollers clean and get them through the airport easily, we just used the long canvas "tube" bags that our fold-up canvas chairs came in. The strollers fit into those bags very easily and most of those bags even have carrying straps. We slung the straps over our shoulders and easily carried the strollers around when we needed to. - Sharon Leonard

We visited WDW in early December with our 2-month-old granddaughter. Before we left I ordered canvas bags from Target.com for her stroller and infant seat. We used the strollers right up to the gate, and then easily slipped them into the bags and set them at the airplane entrance. The flight crews all commented on what a great idea this was. The bag does not protect them from all damage, but it certainly keeps them clean. (They can be used at home to keep the stroller clean in the trunk as well). - mickderb

If you are renting a stroller and you need it for more than a day, you can do a multi-day rental. I stood in a line our first day to rent a double stroller for $15. On the second day, after standing in another line, I asked for a multi-day rental (three days, to be exact). I was given tickets for all three days at a discounted price! Each day, instead of waiting in line for a new stroller I just showed the attendant my stub and off we went, bypassing the line! Thanks for the great website! - Mary EDITOR'S NOTE: I saw the multi-day rental lines in action this past weekend and they really are great time-savers. In addition, the discount on multi-day rentals is 10 percent per day -- every little bit helps!

For $.79 at your local Target store you can purchase a clear plastic coupon holder in the office supply department. It's 5" x 7" in size, has a Velcro closure, and is perfect for holding your tickets, money, etc. It keeps everything from getting wet on the water rides and is easy to find in your backpack! I never go to WDW without mine! - Noreen Rachuba EDITOR'S NOTE: Magic Bands eliminate the need to carry many cards, but for those you do, this is a great suggestion.

On our previous trip to Walt Disney World, our children were ages 2 and 4. We brought umbrella strollers for each of them. Before leaving, I sewed fabric covers over each of the plastic handles. The fabric was bright and since all four handles matched (the strollers did not), it was quite easy to retrieve both of them in the stroller parking areas. When the strollers were moved, the attendants always kept them together because they were obviously for the same family. The uglier and brighter the fabric you choose, the better -- they're easier to find and it's less likely that anyone would want to take them! - Julie

I brought Dawn DishWipes with us and washed out our refillable mug in our room sink every night. My mug just never felt truly clean on any of our other trips when I would just rinse it well with hot water. The wipes come in a clear plastic box and are dry, so I just put a bunch in a Ziploc bag. Dina

We had great luck booking the Illuminations Cruise over the years. We have done it several times. This year we booked the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Cruise. I think it is a little more available. We enjoyed it much more. There was a lot more "cruising" before the show and the backdrop of the castle and Magic Kingdom was fantastic. - Margaret

During our recent stay at the Dolphin, we arranged stroller rental through the Dolphin's concierge desk. The Dolphin arranges this through an outside service. The charge was $7 per day plus $10 delivery charge. We requested the stroller late one evening and it was delivered to the bell desk by 9 a.m. the next day. It was a nice Evenflow stroller with a canopy, a big storage area below the seat, and a cupholder. The stroller didn't fold up very small for the bus ride, but otherwise was a great convenience. When we checked out, we left the stroller with the bellman for return. - Greg Ross

Recently, on a trip to WDW, the screw to one of the arms of my sunglasses came out. Luckily it happened in my purse so I had the screw but I didn't have a tool to screw it in with. My friends and I went through our purses trying to find something we could use (we weren't at our hotel at the time), but we came up empty-handed. Then my friend Gina came up with the idea to try one of her pressed pennies. It worked! Pressed pennies are just the right thickness for tightening eyeglass screws, and they are big enough to make it easy to turn them. Even if you don't have a pressed penny, the machines are everywhere you turn, and the cost (51 cents) is much cheaper than buying an eyeglass repair kit in a vacation destination. - Karen Zayas

The small Disney shopping bag is perfect for holding a raincoat. It packs easily into backpacks and can also even be threaded through a belt. Like others, I always save every shopping bag until we go home just in case we need it for something, but when we have to purchase a new raincoat, I'm always glad there is a little one stored in our room. - Lori Wedeking

I use the Disney shopping bags as gift wrap. If the item does not fit in the bag I cut the bag at the seam. I have even taped several bags together for a large box. Teamed with curly ribbon, kids love the Mickeys all over a package. - Patricia Towsley

I also have another idea for the Disney bags that you get when you buy something in the "world." I bring home all the bags and when I put my photo album together I use one of the bags for the cover of the album. That way I know exactly which album I'm looking for. - CapeGoofy5

By all means make sure you have that house key when you head out from home! We DID lock ourselves out of the house on one WDW vacation. We, like a lot of folks, have an automatic garage door opener and use that as our main means of entry into the house. We don't normally lock the inner garage door leading into the house. Well, because we were going to be gone, we decided to lock things up extra securely, so we locked the inner door and hard locked the garage door. As soon as that lock went "clunk" I realized that I don't even carry a house key! I asked my hubby and he had paired down his keys to the bare minimum, and guess what? He took the house key off! We growled at each other for a couple of minutes, then decided there was nothing we could do about it at themoment and went on our trip. When we got back, we broke a window in our back door, and had it replaced the next day. That was an extra $50 we sure didn't need to spend! - Carol Kelley

We took two umbrella strollers on our last trip and wanted a way to keep them clean and together since we needed to check them as baggage. We bought a bag at a sporting goods store designed to hold a golf bag for about $10 on sale. Both umbrella strollers fit comfortably so one would be just fine. We even had room to stuff in a few souvenir sweat shirts. Custom stroller bags are available from some kid catalog places,but they can cost over $100. This is a much cheaper and easier option! - Diane

This summer, my family decided to give back a little to the Cast Members who make each stay even more magical. Before leaving home, we printed (using print programs that are out there on the Web) character thank you cards. Each card had a different princess or Tinker Bell on it, and said something nice like, "We put your service to the test, and you're the best!" or "Thank you for making our vacation magical!" We added our family name, hometown, and "Summer 2004." We printed them out, and each member of our family got a sheet of their own to color. After coloring, we laminated them. Once in the park, we handed them out to Cast Members who we felt had gone above and beyond the call of "normal magic." Most of the Cast Members we handed them out to were so surprised and thanked *us*! We really enjoyed doing this, and I feel sure that it will be a new tradition for our family. - Ashlee Farris