Tips about Rain and Souvenirs
I save the black, plastic Mickey-shaped "dishes" you get food on at some of the quickie eateries (like the eat-on-the-street Rosie's All-American Cafe in Hollywood Studios) and take them home. Every night I put out fresh veggies for our girls with ranch dressing in the ears for dipping. They get a kick out of it and we've been using them literally for years! We think it's neat that we recycled them all the way from Disney. I wash them on the top rack in the dishwasher with no issues. - Shanlee Ginchereau
On our last trip to the world we were pleasantly surprised upon check in at our resort to be stopped by a family asking if they could give our 3-year-old princess their princess balloon as they were leaving and wouldn't be able to take it with them. They explained that they had been given the balloon in the same fashion upon their check-in and was passing on the favour! What a great idea! We continued the balloon's travel upon our check-out in the same fashion with no tears from our princess of having to leave it behind! What a great way to spread a little magic to incoming guests and teach our children about sharing! - Karen
If you purchase the foil balloons for your children, but do not have space in your car (or the plane) to transport them home, there is a quick and easy solution! All you need is a regular drinking straw. Undo the knot that ties the balloon to the string. Insert the straw into the hole and push it a few inches up into the balloon. That releases the valve and you can deflate the balloon, fold it and pack it in your suitcase. Ideally, you can hide it away, and then when the kids' birthdays come around, you can bring it to the local dollar store or party supply store and have them refill it with helium for you!! You won't believe the looks on your kids' faces when the Disney balloons re-appear! (And if you don't want to go that far, you can simply blow it up with your own lung power, and the same straw, when you get home). - D. French
Most of the Disney balloons have a Mickey weight on them. When it was time to leave the balloon couldn't go with us so I quickly took the Mickey plastic weight off of the bottom and added it to my camera strap as a souvenir. Imagine my delight when I realized not only did I have a constant reminder of a a wonderful trip, I no longer had to search for my little camera! The Mickey is distinctive enough for me to always spot -- unlike the camera strap -- and easy to grasp. The camera has made two more trips back to Disney with us and people always comment on the Mickey. It would work on anything that has a narrow strap. - Sherry Huff
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Regarding hurricanes at Walt Disney World -- We were at Port Orleans French Quarter during Hurricane Jeanne. WDW is FABULOUS about keeping their guests well-informed, by both phone and written notices. They take safety very seriously. For anyone traveling when a hurricane is brewing out in the Atlantic, I'd suggest packing some extra snacks, and also extra toys/games for the children. The parks were closed for one evening (after 5 p.m.) and the entire following day during "Jeanne." But we had Disney Yahtzee (in a zipper-top bag -- box takes up too much space), Disney Uno, etc. as well as some princess Polly Pockets to help pass time while in the room. Food was available prior to the storm, but the food services were totally closed up the entire next day. Having snacks packed was invaluable, and we even shared with our neighbors next door. We LOVE your newsletter! Even when we don't have a trip in the works, it helps to dream about our next vacation while reading our weekly AllEars®! - Rhoda Smith
Only purchase things once. We repack the light-up toys we bought a few years ago. Same with the water bottle lanyards, pin lanyards, etc. Anything that you will repeatedly need each year, SAVE IT. We have a small container that is decorated as the "Disney Box." Since we drive to WDW, it goes with us every year. As soon as we get home, the autograph books, lanyards, light-up toys, etc. go in the box for the next trip. Taped to the underside of the lid is a list that I start replenishing with the very next grocery trip. I choose one or two things each trip, that way it doesn't eat into our budget (extra batteries, rain ponchos, refills for the first aid kit, and snacks closer to the trip). - DShealer
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I was in Disney World from May 18 to 24, during which time Florida recieved a record-breaking amount of rain! It rained every day we were there, but we put on our ponchos and headed out to the parks anyway. The first couple of days were fun as we laughed at the ducks swimming in the "ponds" on the grass. One day we wore sneakers and they got soaked! We were uncomfortable and irritated until a waiter in the Magic Kingdom told us to put newspaper in our shoes. It really worked. They were dry the next day. We kept changing the paper as it got more and more wet. It was the best thing we learned on our trip other than to just have fun and go with it. We couldn't change the weather so we just made the best of it. - Danielle N.
Birthday souvenir idea for Epcot: When we recently went to Epcot for my husband's birthday, I made him a birthday tag (4x6 size) which I laminated and attached to a lanyard (you can find those at a craft store or make your own). On one side, it had his picture superimposed over a picture we had taken from an earlier trip at Epcot, and it said "I'm Celebrating My Birthday at Epcot!" On the back, I listed all the countries in order on the left side, leaving a space between. Then on our visit, as we traveled to every country, he asked a Disney Cast Member to wish him Happy Birthday in their native language! It is one of our favorite keepsakes ever, and we've prominently displayed it in our vacation scrapbook. - Beth Adams
When we leave Disney with all of our souvenirs, they seem to go by the wayside once we get home, so I have started putting all of the "Disney stuff" away in a bag. When we go back to the magical land, it's ready to pack and take back with us. My kids have usually forgotten about everything, so it seems like new and I don't have to repurchase all the stuff. This also works well with Disney plush toys, hats and light-up gadgets. I also like to purchase Disney-related things throughout the year as I see them and add them to the bag. - Deb Gorman
To save on impulse souvenir purchases-shop online and at your local Disney Store ahead of time. I pack a new Mickey item for each child in our luggage and they wake up to a gift left by... Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse, etc. Throw on some glitter and they'll definitely believe the fairies were there. Trading pin sets can also be purchased this way and save you a ton of money. - Angela Manzi
Come up with a souvenir budget and stick to it. On my last solo trip to the World, I gave myself a $50 souvenir budget -- it was a fun challenge to stick to the budget and find great stuff. In fact, I had souvenir money left over! (If you've been several times, you might consider a trip taken without purchasing souvenirs.) Or, skip the extras, like Photopass photos, spa treatments, special tours, etc. I would always prefer to go all-out, but I find a trip to Disney on a budget is better than no trip to Disney at all! - Hilary Sommer
Purchase rain ponchos at the discount/dollar store. Ponchos take up much less space in luggage than rain coats. Buy one for each member of your party, and if you will be taking a stroller on your trip, buy an additional large poncho. Why? To cover your stroller while you are in an attraction. Nothing is worse than exiting an attraction only to find that a sudden rain shower has soaked your stroller, and everything in it. At WDW, strollers are almost never allowed inside of buildings or attractions. Instead, you will have to put your stroller in the "stroller parking" area. This area will be outdoors, and will rarely be under cover. Because the summer weather in Orlando can be unpredictable, I put our ponchos in a large zip top plastic bag, and keep them in the pocket of our stroller at all times. - Shannon Barrett
My husband and I travel to Walt Disney World every year in September or October, which of course is hurricane season. A few years back it was announced that a hurricane was coming so batten down the hatches. We were staying at our favorite resort, All Star Movies, in the Fantasia section in building five on the top floor. We went out of 'the world' and bought a cooler, soda, water, lunchmeat, bread and other goodies. We were told that the parks were closed as well as the food court at our hotel and were also told to stay put in our rooms and ride out the storm. We had such a wonderful adventure in our room while the storm raged outside. We would look out the windows and the beautiful palm trees were leaning with the wind. It was scary and exciting at the same time. We stayed there for 24 hours and then were told we could venture out. The parks, gift shop and food court were open. It was one of the most memorable, exciting times at 'the World'. The Disney cast members at the hotel could not have been nicer and so accommodating. They periodically phoned just to see if we were okay. My husband took movie pictures out the window. What an exciting place! What an adventure in the rain! - Stevan and Mary Slover
Here's another advantage to staying in the parks on rainy days: getting into a much-desired restaurant, even Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom can happen, as it did for us! Poor weather can drive some families away from a park, and they may not choose to return to the park later in the afternoon or evening just for an ADR (Advance Dining Reservation). Weather-related ADR cancellations are a great opportunity to get a walk-up reservation. - Susan Fadel
