Tips for Disney Parks & Cruise Lines

I bought my kids inexpensive Disney character watches before we left home. I wrote their names and my husband's/my cell number on the inside of the band. I explained to them that if they got lost, they could take off the watch and show the phone numbers to a Cast Member (or a person from the airline in the airport). One of my daughters is extremely shy and would probably start to cry and not talk to a stranger if she was separated from us. This gave her a way to communicate in both the parks or the airport. - Hope

Even though my 5 year-old daughter has been to Disney four times already, she's a little scared about getting lost. Trying to think of a way to relieve her fears, I thought of a great idea. We have those two-way FRS radios that we got before our cell phones. The kids know how to use them, so I just thought that we could put one in a fanny pack (from previous Disney trips) for my 5-year-old and my 7-year-old son and get another for us to hold. They know to look for a Cast Member if they get separated from us, but now we can still be in constant communication with them and have them lead us right to where they are. When I told Amanda about this idea she went right to her room and found her pack and put the radio in it. We don't leave until July! Talk about prepared! - Jenn B. from Philadelphia

This isn't a new tip, just some feedback on a tip I saw last year on the ALL EARS® newsletter. The five of us (mom, dad, son and 2 daughters) recently spent Christmas and New Year's at the Contemporary. Even with the larger room, things were a little crowded, but thanks to the tip to hang an inexpensive shoe bag over the bathroom door for storing everyone's 'stuff', the bathroom was clutter-free. I think my oldest daughter took up half of it. This is by far the best tip we've taken away from your informative newsletter. - Keith Link

This isn't a new tip, just some feedback on a tip I saw last year on the ALL EARS® newsletter. The five of us (mom, dad, son and 2 daughters) recently spent Christmas and New Year's at the Contemporary. Even with the larger room, things were a little crowded, but thanks to the tip to hang an inexpensive shoe bag over the bathroom door for storing everyone's 'stuff', the bathroom was clutter-free. I think my oldest daughter took up half of it. This is by far the best tip we've taken away from your informative newsletter. - Keith Link

This is both a tip and Magical Moment. While waiting for the Main Street Electrical Parade to begin the other night, I noticed I had lost my cell phone. While trying to decide what to do about it, I saw a cast member slowly walking by, scanning the crowd. We thought he was looking for folks who had sneaked in to the FastPass+ reserved section without FastPass+ (they ask these folks to leave). When he stopped in front of my son-in-law and two grandsons, no one was more surprised than we were to hear him say, "Did you lose a cell phone?" He said they had found it at the Fast Pass+ entrance for the parade and since my screensaver was a photo of my son-in-law and grandsons he was looking for us before turning it in to lost and found. He figured we were somewhere in the crowd. This is why we love Disney! So my tip is: Keep a photo of your family as your screensaver! - Sherri Prykryl

Know your "high" seasons intimately! I called recently to get a room for a business trip to Orlando from November 29 to December 4, and was told by WDW reservations there were no rooms available. Same story from Shades of Green (I work for the Navy).

When I called back later that day and asked for November *30* to December 4, there were all sorts of rooms available (including discounted ones), in both Disney hotels and SoG! Seems the Thanksgiving crowd doesn't check out until Saturday. Bottom line: be flexible about your arrival and departure dates (stay in an off-site hotel the first or last night, if necessary), and don't be afraid to keep Disney personnel on the phone, asking about availability for this date or that date, as long it takes to get the answer you want!

Also: If you're active or retired U.S. military or a civilian working for the U.S. armed forces, and you don't already know about Shades of Green, you need to! All the details are at shadesofgreen.org. Right now SoG is being remodeled, but this actually represents an extraordinary opportunity! SoG is still taking reservations, they're just placing all guests in rooms apportioned to them from Disney hotels, at the normal SoG price (based on your rank or pay grade). A friend of mine got placed in Coronado Springs, but I scored what I consider the jackpot: the Contemporary Resort -- at $95/night! - Brent York

EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional information on Shades of Green can be found at:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_sog.htm

Of all the tips I have gathered over the course of our trips to Disney, this is my favorite: Buy one of those cheap vinyl pocket shoe organizers and hang it over the rod near the sink to keep all toiletries not only organized and neat, but most importantly, away from the sink area. - Debbie from Massachusetts

In most hotel rooms we have to play the game to find the electrical outlets. We usually have two chargers for cell phones and have to recharge the battery for the camera, so we always carry an extension cord with the extra receptacles on it. This way everything can get charged at the same time, plus they are all in the same place so you don't forget one that is on the floor behind a chair or something. - Enid Hadfield

To help create a trip report complete with all rides and activities done throughout the day,take a digital photo of each ride sign before you ride and each place where you eat or snack. This will help you create a timeline of activities done throughout the day and in the correct order. If your camera has a clock on it you can have it listed in the photo as well. We usually can't remember which ride we rode and in what order. This helps greatly for us. - Laurie Hoffman

If you have a question about WDW and cannot find the answer, email Disney directly. I had questions two separate times and they responded very quickly, within two days. There is a link on the official website to contact them at Guest Services. The email address is [email protected] This was a great money-saver since WDW does not have a general toll-free number!! - Melissa in PA

I've been to Walt Disney World several times. This was the first time I needed to use a motorized scooter. One big tip: Spaceship Earth has a completely separate entrance for scooters. It is one-fourth of the way around the pavilion on the left side. Do not go up the ramp where everyone else goes. A cast member came running out to direct me, and I had to back down. This was my first day with a scooter, so I was a complete novice and managed to run over both my husband's feet. Not good. The system is excellent for scooters and their families IF you know it. - Linda Hesser

Crystal Palace is incredibly accommodating for restricted diets. Our server was helpful and the chef was wonderful. The chef will show you what you can eat and will also offer to make fresh food from the kitchen. I'm GF/DF (gluten-free/dairy-free) and received fresh GF dinner rolls and DF "butter." For dessert they had a special GF/DF brownie for me. The food was delicious and fresh and we loved it. My food consisted of fresh greens (green beans, broccoli), rice, roasted chicken, and salmon in a honey-cilantro pesto. Fantastic. The characters were great and fun! The cast members made sure that we got to meet Pooh and all of his friends while we were there. At one point there was a little dance party, so it was fun to see the kids romp around with the characters. The environment was nice and we had a nice view outside of the castle. The cast members and chef worked really hard to give us a magical evening! - Destinie

I just wanted to echo the tip on the Disney Countdown. We count down to our trip to WDW, too. The family gets together and my husband prints out pages that say Days to Go and a large number on each page. Then we sit around the table clipping out pictures from our saved Disney catalogs and magazines and decorate each page. Once the calendar is up the girls take turns tearing off each day and the excitement builds as we get closer to the "Time to go to Disney World" page. It's not only a lot of fun to do, but is a great family activity that brings us closer each time we do it! - Bonnie Bailey

Our countdown ritual consists of placing 45 Disney toys and WDW souvenirs on top of a wall that separates our living room from our kitchen. Each night before we go to bed one of the kids gets to remove one of the toys. Because we fly to Orlando, the last item is always a small metal airplane with Mickey as its pilot. - Rich Boling

Can you stand one more tip on not losing your house keys? My luggage has a small zippered pocket on it. I always keep a spare house and car key in that pocket. That way, whenever I get back to the airport from a trip (Disney or otherwise) I have a back-up set of keys available if needed. - IndyMike63