Tips about Resorts, Souvenirs and Travel

When we go to WDW we keep the kiddie meal Mickey-shaped plates as souvenirs. They wash up nicely (top-rack dishwasher) and have three compartments. I usually use one of the "ears" to put their cups into so that they don't tip them over. They last long, too. We've had ours since the summer! - Kari Svinarich

My husband and I were staying at All Star Music in October. We wanted to make sure that our luggage wasn't over the weight limit. We asked the concierge if they had a scale that we could use for our baggage. She told me that they did have one at the Magical Express check-in outside. We took our bags out to them and they had a large scale that they let us use free of charge. It's great to know ahead of time what the weight of your luggage is instead of being surprised at the airport with the fees. - Jennifer Baldovinos

When we travel to Disney World we usually worry about the 50 lb. limit coming home just like everyone else. We have learned to put a flat box with a pre-addressed label on it in the bottom of our luggage with a roll of packing tape. When we have made several purchases (non-breakable) we pack them in the box and take it to the desk at the hotel. They mail it to our home and it arrives shortly after we do. It extends the magic just a little longer when we open the box at home, and there are no worries about being over the weight limit at the airport. - Nancy Nickerson

With regard to the 50 lb. weight limit for luggage on the airlines, I now carry a duffle bag with me. I just pack it in my suitcase on the way down to WDW. If I think I'm over the limit, I just throw a few things into the duffle for the return flight. It also comes in handy if you have breakables and need a bag to carry things home on the plane. - Noreen E. Rachuba

When flying to my happy place I usually pack waaaaayy more than I need to. This means that on my return flight I am usually pushing the envelope on the 50lb weight limit per bag for air travel. What I do now is carry a fish scale with me. You can pick them up at Wal Mart or any bait and tackle shop. I elected to go with a digital one which set me back $20 but you can find others in the $5-$10 range. Basically it is a hand-held scale that has a hook at the bottom and a handle at the top. You hold it up in the air and attach your fish... I mean luggage... to the bottom hook and it weighs it for you. The one that I have only goes to 50 pounds, so if I get an error I know that I am over the limit. I find it much easier to distribute my items while still in my hotel room than standing at the sidewalk of the airport an hour before my flight. I hope this helps others and HAPPY SHOPPING! - Tom

Remember when you're purchasing merchandise at Walt Disney World and using Disney's shipping to send it out of state, sales tax should not be charged. Sometimes new cast members don’t know this or long-time veterans simply forget. Be sure to check your sales receipt. - Jack Spence

On a recent trip to WDW, I ran into a couple who had a great idea for remembering where you parked your car. If both you and a spouse have cell phones, call the other with the location and leave it as a voice mail. When you are ready to leave the parks, just listen for the voice mail and your parking location. If only one of you has a cell phone, you can always use the notepad option that so many cell phones now have. I thought it was a neat idea and would save walking around the parking lot when hot and tired after a long day. - Mary Ann

Fort Wilderness - I recently returned from Fort Wilderness and discovered that the "petting farm" is now called the "pony pond." There are a few Shetland ponies and miniature ponies but no other animals and there is no more feeding. We really enjoyed seeing "Qes," one of the horses in the stable we had seen the day before pulling the trolley down Main Street, USA. - Josh Steiner

The HESS gas stations/convenience stores are one of Disney's best kept secrets. I always fill up at the HESS station before leaving "the World," because they usually have the best prices around, and I don't have to waste time getting off the interstate further down the road in Orlando to load up on gas (and fight bad intersections and traffic). For families looking for good deals on food, they also serve up large and inexpensive pizzas, hamburgers and hot dogs to go. The food prices are a fraction of the cost of similar food in the theme parks and resort food courts. The bottled water is inexpensive as well. The Disney Springs location seems to be less busy than the Epcot resorts' location. - Jason Palermo

We just returned from a week in Orlando, and wanted to tell the readers of a great shortcut to Disney and 192W in Kissimmee. If you are travelling from the north, driving on the Florida Turnpike, you will come to a new toll way when you almost reach I-4. It is 429 that was just opened and it skirts the top of Disney property. There is a Disney dedicated exit that lets you out on Western Way that intersects with Buena Vista Blvd, which is a main artery through Disney property. If you want to go to Animal Kingdom or the Lodge, just turn right and you are about 3/4 of a mile away. If you want to go to Disney Springs, the Swan, Dolphin or any other resort, turn left. This allows you to miss all of the traffic on I-4 that can be extremely congested and makes the wait to get to Disney even longer! If you stay at any of the resorts off of Disney property that are on the west of I-4 off of 192, this is a great way to get there, too. It intersects 192 about a mile east of Orange County Lake Resort. If you go to the left, you will find the Westgate resorts. We noticed the construction of the road last year and were thrilled that it was opened this year. It has not been discovered by many as of yet; we counted only nine cars from the Turnpike to the Disney exit! - Bill Asher

When you are leaving Disney and you have airline check-in at your hotel, make sure your flight information is accurate. We were leaving Disney, checked in at the resort airline check-in area, and were given boarding passes and a gate number at 10 a.m. At 9:53 a.m., we received a message on our home phone (in New Jersey) that our 2:35 flight had been canceled, but the airlines didn't notify anyone in the Disney resort check-in areas. Needless to say, we weren't checking messages (because we thought we would be home soon) and after sitting at the gate for an hour, they finally posted on the board that the flight was canceled. We were literally stranded at the airport until we managed to find a flight in Ft. Lauderdale, rented a car, drove down, and took the flight home the next day. - Dawn Schwartz

Though we pack a suitcase within a suitcase for souvenirs, I'm always nervous of going over the 50-pound weight limit for checking a suitcase onto an airline. Suitcases weighing over 50 pounds are typically charged an additional fee. This trip, we purchased a 50-pound fish scale for $5.00 at a local department store prior to packing. The scale has a small hook that can connect to the handle of a suitcase and it has another handle for you to lift the suitcase and scale. We were able to pack and redistribute items where needed to insure that we did not exceed the 50-pound limit. - Denny Shealer

Fort Wilderness - When I took my son over to Fort Wilderness for an afternoon pony ride, we were so disappointed when he couldn't ride because he was wearing open-toed sandals. It is required that kids wear closed-toe shoes to ride the ponies at Fort Wilderness. - Robin Jones

EDITOR'S NOTE: Parents should also wear closed-toe shoes.

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

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