Tips about Resorts and Travel

ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE - We just returned from our annual visit to Disney World. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the second time. On our previous visit, the Sunset Safari of the three savannahs was only offered to concierge level guests. It has recently been opened to all hotel guests. My husband is handicapped, but the truck was equipped with a wheelchair lift so he was still able to take the tour. The tour also included dinner at Jiko. It was a great experience, and one I would highly recommend to any guests staying at the resort. - Kimberly Shannon

Upon leaving Baltimore on Airtran Airways, the person checking in my luggage put someone else's baggage claim on my bag and I didn't notice it. My bag ended up in Fort Lauderdale instead of Orlando. When you use Disney's Magical Express, you won't find out that there is a problem until possibly later that evening. Therefore, always check to be sure that your luggage is tagged for the correct airport and that all of your claim tickets are YOURS. This is possibly due to the increased amount of luggage that can no longer be carried on board. - Dave

All Resorts - We recently spent five days at Port Orleans and during check-in were asked if we needed any help with reservations. We responded that we did not, we already had dining reservations, so the Cast Member told us to stop at the lobby concierge desk and they would print out an itinerary for us. We did so and were pleased to see that in addition to our reservation locations, times and confirmation numbers, our Backstage Safari Tour was also listed on the itinerary. - Leland Groves

Since I was flying Southwest Airlines, I was unable to use the special check-in desk at my hotel, but I wanted to print my boarding passes. I asked at the lobby concierge desk, and they are able to check you in 24 hours in advance and print boarding passes. The only problem was that I wanted to go to the Magic Kingdom during the day and I didn't want to come all the way back to Port Orleans French Quarter to check in. After a call to the Grand Floridian (I could have checked in there, also) I found out that Guest Relations at the Magic Kingdom has a special room specifically for this purpose. What a great service! I was able to check in and not have to miss time in the park. - Donia Camarena

Wilderness Lodge - For all of you Wilderness Lodge fans, you certainly have found the lobby music list on AllEars.Net (http://allears.net/acc/faq_wl4.htm). To my surprise, I found a few Wilderness Lodge music lists on iMixes on iTunes.com. Some have more selections than others. The one I selected had 25 or 26 tunes. I now have that wonderful music on my mp3 player; I can close my eyes and see the breathtaking lobby of which I never grow tired. Enjoy! - Cleve in Columbia, SC

For those driving south to WDW via the Florida Turnpike, you might be interested in Walt Disney World's Western Way, which allows you to shorten your drive and bypass the busy Interstate 4. Directions: As you drive south on I-75, take the Florida Turnpike, and you'll eventually approach a collection of several overpasses and exits. Look for and take 429 West Toll Road (Tampa) to exit the Turnpike. You'll find yourself on a quiet four-lane toll road and in approximately 14 miles, you'll take the Walt Disney World exit. This is Disney's Western Way and in just a few miles, you'll soon enter the WDW Resort area to the west of the Coronado Springs Resort onto Buena Vista Drive. Turning left will take you directly toward Disney Springs and the rest of the WDW Resort. - Al Williamson

POLYNESIAN RESORT - I just wanted to add a great place to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. At the Polynesian, just off the path that leads to the Grand Floridian (by Luau Cove), there is a nice little beach removed from the rest of the resort, with lounge chairs and a swing. It's a perfect place to watch the fireworks from afar, and you get a whole different perspective and realize just how majestic they really are. It's also nice to watch them and not be in crowds of people. - Tim

ALL STAR MUSIC - I just returned from a very quick trip to Walt Disney World. Normally we stay for at least three nights, but this time we only had a one-night stay. This is the first time that we stayed in Building 1 at All Star Music. Since we made our reservation at the last minute, we did not have much choice in the way of a room selection. We got a room facing the swimming pool. If you are a light sleeper, or have problems falling asleep because of noise, a room facing the swimming pool is a very bad idea. The pool is open late, and the noise from the pool made it very difficult to sleep. In the morning, I was awakened at about 7:15 from more noise coming from people at the swimming pool. The tip here is to stay away from the swimming pool if you can't handle the noise. - Craig M

All Resorts - The shower stalls at our hotel (Villas at the Wilderness Lodge) were quite slippery when wet. We did find out that housekeeping has a limited number of rubber floor mats available on request. They also have night lights available. - Naomi

We just rented a cabin at Fort Wilderness and thought we would pass on some tips. We ordered water and drinks, along with eggs and cold cuts from an Orlando grocery delivery service. We also had room in our checked luggage for some groceries, condiment packs and little pouches of basic spices (sea salt, fresh pepper, garlic powder). The cabin's kitchen has about everything you need, but you might want to pack a small sharp kitchen knife, and if you plan to fry anything, know that the pan is stainless steel and not nonstick (VERY non-nonstick!). Stop at your local sub shop and pick up some oil packets (canola or extra virgin olive) and throw them in a zipper-top bag in your checked luggage. Being able to throw together breakfast in the morning is a great time- and money-saver, and having a late-night turkey sandwich and chips on the couch is a bonus. - Brian Phillips

A relatively unknown airline benefit is that if one person in the party has elite frequent flier status on an airline, the entire party can usually get free checked bags! If one member of your family travels for work or otherwise has enough to get even the base tier, ask the airline about this or read the website. I know, for example, that American Airlines lets up to 10 companions traveling with an "elite" frequent flier get a free checked bag, and anybody in the same party with a ticket can go through the priority check-in and security lines, too. - John-Erik

All Resorts - I'm sure that many people, like myself, are light sleepers and wake up at the slightest noise. As you may well know, even the Deluxe resorts at Disney World are plagued with their share of noises, and for me nothing ruins a vacation more than not getting enough sleep. What I've found to be extremely helpful in getting a good night's sleep is to bring along a cheap pair of foam earplugs. I put them in right before bed and sleep soundly the whole night. I've found them in stores such as Target, but you can also get them at your local pharmacy for only a few dollars. - P.F.

I purchased Disney valentines on sale after Valentine's Day to make customized luggage tags. I cut off the Valentine's message and stuck the picture on the back of business cards that were made on the computer with our name, cell phone number, and destination address (in case the luggage got lost and had to be delivered). I used the self-adhesive laminating pouches from my local mart, but most office supply stores/copy places have luggage tag sized lamination materials. - Deb Ruscitelli

We drove to WDW from Pennsylvania with our two daughters, age 7 and 8. We knew the drive would be long and monotonous and although we were prepared with handheld games, DVDs, books on CD, and an array of activities, we knew we would ultimately hear the "Are We There Yet?" questions or, worse yet, the two girls arguing over everything from who was invading whose space to fighting over where to eat, etc. We came up with this plan: Each girl was given a roll of quarters. For every time they asked "Are We There Yet?" one too many times, or fought with each other a little too much, or just pushed Mom and Dad too far, we would take one quarter away. Any quarters the girls had left were theirs to use in the arcade of our resort at WDW. Amazingly enough, neither of our daughters lost one coin the whole trip and Mom and Dad weren't driven nuts in the car either! - Helen Kohr

Just a word to Canadians traveling to WDW... We were looking forward to taking advantage of the Resort Airline Check-in service at WDW resorts for our trip home so we could travel hassle-free with our boarding passes in hand. However, we were disappointed to find out that even though we were traveling with Delta, and our first stop was New Jersey, we are still considered an international flight and international travelers (though welcome to use Magical Express) cannot get their boarding passes and have their luggage checked through. We would have appreciated knowing this ahead of time, but we had a great trip nonetheless. - Lori