Tips about Planning, Resorts, Souvenirs and Strollers

Last year one grandchild got the postcard I sent from Walt Disney World, and the other one never did, so this year I took a business envelope and sent them both to their mom. They both got their cards. I also took a small padded envelope and sent a group of postcards to the first-graders in a class where I am a volunteer. (And the money saved on postage paid for the envelope!) - Deborah L.

Another idea to control the "I wants" from your kids. My daughter earned money before going on our trips. Sometimes she collected cans to recycle, sometimes she did chores around the house. She was much more selective about her choices and valued her souvenirs much more. - Suzanne P.

Another idea to control the "I wants" from your kids. My daughter earned money before going on our trips. Sometimes she collected cans to recycle, sometimes she did chores around the house. She was much more selective about her choices and valued her souvenirs much more. - Suzanne P.

We went to the Spirit of Aloha at the Polynesian Village Resort show a few weeks ago. I wanted to let you know that they do NOT have space heaters and it can be very cold once the sun goes down. It's a little warmer than the outside temperature, but still dress warmly. It was 45 degrees the night we went! Thank goodness for the heated towels to wash your hands with after the meal. - Vanessa

We were staying at the Fort Wilderness Resort when a black snake decided he wanted to take up residence next to our camper. We watched it from the safety of our camper for a bit, but the snake didn't seem to want to move. We decided it was best just to call the front desk for assistance. We did not want to harm the animal, yet we didn't want to be on edge all week wondering if it went back into the woods or slithered into our belongings. We have small children so we knew we needed assurance that it was gone. Upon calling the front desk we were very kindly transferred to Disney Animal Control line. (Didn't even know this existed but amazing that it does!) They sent someone over within a half-hour. Wonderful woman scooped the snake up with safety tongs and placed him in a bag and was on her merry way. We spent the rest of the week more cautious, but extremely happy that Disney was able to competently handle such things that we hadn't even considered during all of our planning! - Teri Allen EDITOR'S NOTE: While this is central Florida and there are conservation areas throughout Walt Disney World, seeing snakes is not the norm.

If you have a little one who naps, bringing your own stroller is a must. Our 2-year-old daughter would have been in agony in one of those hard creations that you have to rent. Our large stroller may be bulky, but having a content child who was able to nap for a few hours in her comfy stroller was worth it for us. Plus those rentals stay at the gate; outside the park our stroller carried our tired toddler to the car. - Laura W.

We just returned from another trip to Disney. If you will be staying at a Disney resort and using the bus transportation I highly recommend bringing just an umbrella stroller. The buses are not stroller friendly at all. Especially when the buses are crowded at the end of the day, it's a pain trying to get big strollers on and off the bus. - Kristen Tennant of NJ

An inexpensive rain-cover for the double strollers that the parks rent is a clear rain poncho that can be purchased for less than a dollar at Wal-Mart. I was able to snap the poncho in with the top cover of the stroller and then draped it over the sides and in front. The kids tucked the poncho around themselves and enjoyed the view as we strolled through the rain. - Patricia Moery

We just returned from a wonderful two-week trip to Disney and I have a great tip for anyone traveling with a stroller. We brought our own ultralight stroller, and along with it a plastic rain shield that covered the entire stroller. I cannot tell you how much this saved us during the many rain showers we had over our trip, since ponchos do not work well for a baby in a stroller. Even if it looked like there was a chance of rain I pulled the cover over our son's stroller before going into an attraction, and the seat never got wet. During one storm at Disney's Hollywood Studios, we were able to walk across the park to attractions that had no line, because so many people were staying put under shelters. We got the rain cover at Babies R Us and it is made by Graco, but is supposed to fit most strollers, and I am sure there are similar products out there. - Tanya Sheehan

We secured one of those D-ring keychain clips to the stroller handle with a Velcro strap. It was a handy place to hang all of our souvenir shopping bags that we would accumulate! - Jackie Beering

We secured one of those D-ring keychain clips to the stroller handle with a Velcro strap. It was a handy place to hang all of our souvenir shopping bags that we would accumulate! - Jackie Beering

Having just returned from an exhausting, yet wonderful week in Disney, I'd like to share with your readers what we found to be our "saving grace". Our girls are 5 and 7, yet we decided to bring along an umbrella-type stroller for each of them. We used them to haul carry-on luggage to the gate of the plane, easily gate-checked them, and brought them into the parks all seven days of our stay. They fold so easily and are so light, that getting on and off the bus was quick and simple. The girls rode in them almost all of the time. This not only saved time (we walked at our pace, not theirs), but we knew where they were at all times! They in turn saved energy by riding (and occasionally napping). We were always able to spot them easily in the stroller parking, unlike ALL those park rentals! The best part was that at the end of each day, when the girls (and we) were most tired, we didn't have to return our strollers and then make the long trek to the bus pick-up! So many people commented on how they wished they had thought of the "outside the park gates" traveling around. We used so many of tips from ALL EARS® and AllEars®.net that we wanted to share our tip! - The West Family of Massachusetts

I was a lucky kid -- visited Disney three times before graduating high school... One of my favorite souvenirs from Disney is my sterling silver Doc charm. My sisters and I got silver charm bracelets while in elementary school, and whenever there was an "event" or trip we'd get a silver charm to commemorate it. I've since married and have three daughters of my own. The girls each have a silver charm bracelet and plan on adding another character charm for each of our visits to Disney. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be adding charms to their daughters' bracelets! - Suzanne Vallillo

I brought my own stroller from home, but I was meeting family who live in Florida. We decided to rent a double stroller so the cousins could sit together. My daughter loved sitting with her cousin, but by midday she wanted back in her own stroller. WHY? Those new strollers in MK, Epcot and AK are HARD. She wanted the comfort of her soft stroller. Here is my tip! If you do plan on renting one of these strollers, bring a blanket so you can soften it up a bit. Remember none of the strollers recline. - Suzanne

Whenever possible, park your stroller under a designated shelter. We parked both of ours outside during the Country Bear Jamboree, and were surprised by a total drenching shower that left about a quarter-inch of rain in our belongings and two very soggy toddlers for the rest of the day! - Mark Brown