Tips for Disney Parks & Cruise Lines

If you're arriving at the airport on a flight any later than 8 p.m. and are using the Magical Express, be sure to pack your supplies for both that night AND the next morning in your carry-on. Any luggage arriving at the hotel after midnight (which it probably will) won't be delivered until the next day. If you want to head out to the parks early the next morning, you won't want to wait around for Bell Services to bring your luggage! - Erin

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't forget that you also have the option of retrieving your luggage and bringing it onto the Magical Express shuttle yourself!)

When packing your suitcase, include in it a dryer sheet or two! It makes your suitcase and clothes smell fresh during your time away from home, and it keeps the static down from the dryness of the flight. You could also use them at the coin laundry at the resorts. - Denise Barry

Magic Kingdom - Watch the fireworks from Tomorrowland Transit Authority in the Magic Kingdom. It is a great view, plus they will often let you ride it around as many times as you want. This is especially good for people who do not like the noise the fireworks make -- you can't hear a thing! - Q.o.t.W.

If you are going to Disney to celebrate a wedding, I have some suggestions of what to bring from home. I was told to bring white chalk just in case the bride's dress gets [dirtied] by the seagulls. (It happened to my niece at a beach wedding.) My daughter-in-law used the chalk when something spilled on her dress, but other options include Wite-Out or a Tide to Go pen. Another good idea is to pack a needle and thread in case buttons are loose on tuxes, etc. - Jean

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

Yacht and Beach Club - If you're staying at the Beach or Yacht Club and walking to and from Epcot here's a hint to make your trip easier. Most folks walk up over the ferry bridge. For two older adults who sit behind computers all day, that "up" part at the end of the day after walking all over Epcot was a killer. There is a path beside the overpass that goes down along the river. This seemed to us to be flatter and much easier when we were tired. - Jane and Al Boeck

Yacht and Beach Club - If you're staying at the Beach or Yacht Club and walking to and from Epcot here's a hint to make your trip easier. Most folks walk up over the ferry bridge. For two older adults who sit behind computers all day, that "up" part at the end of the day after walking all over Epcot was a killer. There is a path beside the overpass that goes down along the river. This seemed to us to be flatter and much easier when we were tired. - Jane and Al Boeck

Yacht and Beach Club - If you're staying at the Beach or Yacht Club and walking to and from Epcot here's a hint to make your trip easier. Most folks walk up over the ferry bridge. For two older adults who sit behind computers all day, that "up" part at the end of the day after walking all over Epcot was a killer. There is a path beside the overpass that goes down along the river. This seemed to us to be flatter and much easier when we were tired. - Jane and Al Boeck

My sister-in-law is planning a trip and told us how she purchased Disney Store Gift Cards from her grandchildren's school. The school sells various gift cards as a fundraiser. She then used her gift cards to purchase park tickets ahead at the Disney Store. The leftover gift cards they will use for food and purchases in the parks. This tip may not save money as much as help a school while having fun doing so. However, having the pre-purchased cards does set a spending limit for kids and in the end may save money. - Bonnie

For character breakfasts, I would recommend letting girls wear their princess dresses to the princess meals because it helps with the magical aspect of it. However, on extremely hot Florida days, try putting it on over their clothes a few minutes before your reservation or once you are seated. It will only take a moment and it will save the headache of your child whining about being hot. I put my daughter's dress on her after we sat down because I watched a slew of little girls crying outside while waiting in their hot and heavy dresses. - Mendy776

For character breakfasts, I would recommend letting girls wear their princess dresses to the princess meals because it helps with the magical aspect of it. However, on extremely hot Florida days, try putting it on over their clothes a few minutes before your reservation or once you are seated. It will only take a moment and it will save the headache of your child whining about being hot. I put my daughter's dress on her after we sat down because I watched a slew of little girls crying outside while waiting in their hot and heavy dresses. - Mendy776

For character breakfasts, I would recommend letting girls wear their princess dresses to the princess meals because it helps with the magical aspect of it. However, on extremely hot Florida days, try putting it on over their clothes a few minutes before your reservation or once you are seated. It will only take a moment and it will save the headache of your child whining about being hot. I put my daughter's dress on her after we sat down because I watched a slew of little girls crying outside while waiting in their hot and heavy dresses. - Mendy776

At Disneyshopping.com, you can customize polo shirts with embroidered characters and names up to eight characters long. For children and adults, the cost is only $12.50 per shirt! Check often and look for special codes on the site, and you can get an additional discount. With a 20% off code, I ordered seven shirts this past weekend for $82.50 including shipping. We're going to wear them on our next trip! - Dayshel Harwood

I spent most of a week visiting most every store on Disney property looking for a cell phone charm. All I seemed to come across were the Disney Mobile charms at more than $18 each. I finally found just what I was looking for -– a keychain! The keychain had four or five cell phone loops on the ring, and each loop held a metal charm representing a different WDW park. One loop had the castle; another, Mickey's sorcerer's hat; a third had Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life; and one had Spaceship Earth. On the keychain there also were two rubber charms: a Dreams Come True tag and Sorcerer Mickey. And this keychain with six charms cost under $8! I chose to use the castle and the sorcerer's hat, then added Mickey ears, Mickey's hand, and Mickey's red pants charms that I found in the "make your own charm bracelet" collection. Each of these charms has a lobster clasp that easily attached to the metal ring on the cell phone loop from the keychain. Yes, I probably spent more than the Disney Mobile charm, but instead of one charm, I now have nine to choose from! - Vicki Stephens