Favorite Tip?

[T1gger]

A good tip which I used was to take a picture of the back of your Disney Photopass so even if you lose it, you can still access your pictures online when you get home

Just as well I followed that tip as I did lose mine

 

[nrhenley]

Do any of you have any great ideas of foods you enjoy bringing for snacks or meals in the parks? Going on the Dream later this month. Any suggestions for money savings tips there? Has anyone been on the glass bottom boat tour there in Nassau?

Thanks so much for reading!

Natalie H.
Meetthemagic.com

 

[brenbrady]

one tip we used was I took a white 8X10 picture matting, I purchase at Michaels, when we went to dinner at Chefs Mickeys we asked the characters to autograph the sides, I then took pictures of my grandchildren. We also did the same at Crystal Palace of Winnie and the gang. When we got home I framed the pictures and now I have pictures of the grandchildren with the characters and there autographs on display. My own children when they were little used the autograph books but after a while they just got put away. We received many compliments on this idea. We can change the pictures with the different characters but will always have the autographs on the sides of the matting.

 

[snaphappy]

Great Tips , Thanks all.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

one tip we used was I took a white 8X10 picture matting, I purchase at Michaels, when we went to dinner at Chefs Mickeys we asked the characters to autograph the sides, I then took pictures of my grandchildren. We also did the same at Crystal Palace of Winnie and the gang. When we got home I framed the pictures and now I have pictures of the grandchildren with the characters and there autographs on display. My own children when they were little used the autograph books but after a while they just got put away. We received many compliments on this idea. We can change the pictures with the different characters but will always have the autographs on the sides of the matting.

I did the same thing with the matts and used brightly colored sharpie markers....too bad they are not hung up yet....thanks for reminding me that I need to hang them up in my family room !!!!

 

[trishalynn]

Great tips! Keep them coming!

 

[>Ash<]

on my last trip we had a day where we soely went to the parks to meet characters and take in the sights without riding too many things and looking for hidden mickeys.

we did this 2 on the last trip and when your commandoing around the parks you miss alot of the magic and beuty of the world. take a casual stroll around epcot world food centre ..

relax and enjoy your vacation some down time is needed to relax the whole family

 

[nrhenley]

Your tips are so great! Please keep adding to this great list!

Thanks,

Natalie H.
*****************

 

[Rekenna]

Hi! I haven't read through all the pages-so hopefully this hasn't been mentioned already.

Have your small children wear neon colored crocs (or any brand, it's just that crocs are easy to get a hold of in red, orange, green or yellow). DS3 has autism and doesn't always respond to his name. I have him wear his bright colored crocs and I can always see his feet in a crowd of tall people-I just have to look down. Mind you he's not going to get away from me b/c I have him wear a back-pack leash-but just in case. Saftey tats also work well for people who are unable to speak and tell a CM their Mom or Dad's phone #.

-Experience Disney in a different way-Let your children play in water at the parks-bring a towel and extra clothes. DS3 and DS5 had the best time ever playing on the water pad at Epcot outside of Mission Space while we were waiting for DH and DS12. They played, and got soaked, for 1/2 an hour and had the best time. No waiting in line, relaxing-easy. We had extra clothes and towels for them-piece of cake. As a caveat to this-it really is about having a vacation and I know sometimes I forget that b/c I am so focused on planning and seeing everything-the boys playing in the water was a wake-up call to me to chill out!

 

[tdizzle]

You'll see this tip frequently on the cruise threads here but it's just as good for a WDW trip: buy one of those over the door shoe organizers for your room. I used it last week and it was great! Hairbrush, make up, hair bows, camera, cellphone charger, hats, sunglasses, lanyards, sunblock, even our PJ's and of course extra pairs of shoes all went in the organizer!! It was muy magnifico! When we got home I just left the organizer in one of the suitcases so I'd have it for our next trip.

 

[homedad]

have a plan!!!!! dont just show up, not Disney u can do that for a beach vacation

 

[JacksLilWench]

One tip I always use is about a week before I leave, I pack a Day-Bag with all the things I normally forget- a new toothbrush and toothpaste, a normal hairbrush (not the flippy compact kind from the parks), a new bottle of sunscreen, a travel size of my face wash/moisturizer (Mary Kay sells this-it's awesome!!) and anything else I might need. This way, I don't forget my current toothbrush/paste/face wash in the morning rush and excitement of leaving. It also doesn't take up as much room as you might think!

Another thing I would keep my eye out for is Bath and Body Works Cooling Spray- they had it last summer, and it's really great. It contains aloe and helps to soothe sunburns, and just cools you down if you're hot with no burn.

HTH!!

 

[nrhenley]

Thank you so much everyone for such great tips! Woul love to hear more of them if anyone else would like to share some more!

Thanks,

Natalie H.

 

[high meadows]

I would love your help with tips... I write at http://meetthemagic.com and would love to hear your favorite tips for upcoming articles. I mostly write about experiences I have in the parks but would love to try new things/different ways to experience things.

Thanks!

The best thing we have done for our pretty large family has been to sign up for a boat cruise during Illuminations. We always ask for Captain Ron, steady, funny, and helpful. The cost seems high (325 and 50 tip) but when you realize is covers 10 or 11 people and gives all of them an unbeatable view, right under the fireworks in comfortable seats for a couple of hours, it's worth it. He can also take you back to the Hollywood Studios to catch your resort bus. No more fighting the late night crowds is great!

 

[lmc318]

I just got some more tips through these boards, so I apologize if I'm repeating someone. My DD will be 3 when we go so some good tips I got relating to her are to bring a mini flashlight for the dark rides so they aren't so scary (I think a glow wand would do here from Target or the dollar store) and to bring mattress pads and request extra sheets on your first day at the resort to store in case of any late night accidents. That way the mattress is protected and you can just change the sheets quickly. My DD leaks through her overnights sometimes and with the liklihood of her passing out on the way back to the resort being high (and not getting to properly change her before then), I think this is a GREAT tip!

I also second bringing the LOs a change of clothes for the parks. We're planning on letting DD run into all of the fountains she wants and is able to while we're there if it's warm enough. Where else would she get to experience that?

 

[janischa]

i've had so much of help here, so it's time to return the favor
this may not work for everyone, but it can save you a lot of money. When we booked, we compared booking via the official UK disney website, the official US disney website and travel agents. The differences can be huge, so best for you to compare as well. We managed to snag a great deal via the UK website: approx 40% off for the room (OKW), free dining (which we upgraded because we don't like to use any CS) and park hoppers for 14 days for the price of 5 days or something like that (mind you, we'll only be using 11 days out of it and they do expire). This was great, because of what i understand, the US website typically does not allow to combine room discounts and free dining. That did leave us the currency risk (which honestly we already had anyway, because we're EUR), which we covered by already buying us the currency. So, yes, you loose the mark-up the banks take because of buying and selling a foreign currency (if you are USD and you buy GBP), but hey, overall it still made a fab deal. So do your homework and save some money
By the way, if i wouldn't have found that great deal, i'd probably have rented some DVC points as that seemed my next best option. But before you get into that system, you need to do loooooots of reading because that ain't easy

 

[noahdove]

Great tips...

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

The only breaking in period they need is for you to adjust to the "wobble walk" When I am standing in line I find myself rocking on my heels and toes a lot. Helps build up the calves while you're standing there. These are the only shoe to come with a how to wear DVD.

That has been my experience with the footwear. If I haven't worn them in a while, I find that I rock back and forth in them while standing still. I love these sneakers, but have not yet worn them to WDW. Will wear them in September 2011.

 

[RobDIS]

Don't know how obscure this one is, but my top tip: A free cup of ice water will be provided at any restaurant or counter service place (basically any place with a soda fountain for water.) I did this many times on our last trip, often without ordering anything in addition, and the CMs were always very happy to do it. Bring a water bottle you can refill from the ice water cups and you are all set.

 

[tjmj9801]

Don't know how obscure this one is, but my top tip: A free cup of ice water will be provided at any restaurant or counter service place (basically any place with a soda fountain for water.)

Have you tasted this free cup of ice water? About the only thing I'd advise using their free ice water for is your misting fans.