Single best Tip from these boards

[jerry]

We just got back from a wonderful week at WDW! I will have to say that the single best tip that I learned about and used from these boards was to ask for ice water. Since we drove to WDW we froze several bottles of water and took them with us in an ice chest. Each day we would get a frozen bottle of water to cary in the park using a bottle strap. Amazingly they stayed mostly frozen for several days. When we needed a refill in the park, we asked for a cup of ice water at any food or drink counter. This was much better that using drinking fountain water (which is usually not cold). Later in the week I started to carry a bottle with a wider mouth. This allowed me to pour in both the ice and water. This way I had cold water and it had a better taste than that from the fountain.

Even when we were eating a meal and had some other drink, we always requested cups of ice water to replenish our bottles.

Remember, a cup of ice water is free. If you don't specify a cup of water they will try to sell you a bottle of water. Only once was our request for a cup of ice water not met and that was because that particular kiosk only had bottled drinks.

 

[MELSMICE]

There are a few tips that I use every time we go:

--water bottle holders for each person
--fanny packs w/ snacks for each person

& my favorite..................

--an over the door shoe holder for toilettries if we are staying in a basic hotel room with one bathroom. This saves sooooooo much room on the bathroom counters!

 

[Jana49]

My favorite tip is to copy the park hopper ticket receipts. I would've never thought to do that, and it is so important! Especially since there will be 13 of us....

 

[SpecialK]

Another vote for the over the door shoe holder. I bought one at the Dollar Store before the trip. DH thought I was crazy at the time but later conceded that it was great to have. I really liked being able to wrap the toothbrushes in a paper towel before we left in the am so they were out of the way when housekeeping came in.

Runners up: clothes pins to hang the bathing suits on the line in the shower, pop up hampers for the closet, packing in zip locs or pac bags (creates a ton of room in the suitcase) and taking a wet washcloth to the parks (pour a little cold water on it to refresh your face and neck.)

The boards are great for handy info!

 

[Nickimouse]

I think the Brita bottles was one of my favorite tips. I'll have to remember to ask for ice in the parks and also try the door shoe holder.

 

[Minnie1156]

All of your tips are great. Some I never even thought of. The over the door shoe holder is great. Their are 3 of us going, all girls so we will have a lot of toilettries so that will really work out.

 

[carl_w]

Originally posted by Jana49
My favorite tip is to copy the park hopper ticket receipts

What does that do for you?

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by carl_w
What does that do for you?

I don't know about the receipts from the tickets, but if you copy the front & back of your actual ticket they will replace it if it gets lost.

Believe me - you want to do this. I accidentally threw away tickets back in Nov. - probably about $600 - $700 worth. Boy, taking them into my basement to photocopy them with our copy machine would have saved me a lot of money & a lot of indigestion. It still upsets me to think about it.

 

[Jana49]

Melsmice,

So sorry that happened to you!

I was told that since the store receipt has the ticket number and transaction number, they can validate ithe info as easily as by using a copy of the ticket itself, and copying the receipt is a whole lot easier for me, since there are multiple tickets on a receipt... I also made an extra copy to leave at home with a relative just in case...

With 13 of us going, I want to do everything I can to prevent disaster, lol.

 

[beskeptical]

Know what attractions you want to catch, but don't schedule. If you pay attention to your group you will know when a break is needed or when you should forge ahead. That is something a clock can not tell you. I have to believe watching a clock has ruined many a trip. In my case if I had tried to create a schedule it would have been all wrong. We ate much later then I would have thought and stayed in the parks much longer then I would have thought.

 

[DisneyGal358]

I just recently got back from a trip to Pop (loved it!!). I'm the kind of person who doesn't want housekeeping to come in unless I straighten up a little bit first. On one or two days I put a do not disturb card in our door while we were away. When we arrived back to the room I found a housekeeping plastic bag with new towels, soap and shampoo. Not only was this wonderfull (we were overwhelmed by the towels housekeeping kept giving us! thank you thank you) but we also used these really nice plastic bags to pack dirty laundry in when moving out!

 

[anditoo72]

There are so many great tips from this board. My favorite is to buy little presents for the kids before you get into the world. I have bought some great items for 50-75 % off at the disney store and kept them in the disney bags My kids won't know the difference. I aslo bought bubbles for waiting in lines, glow necklaces for MK parade night, and a fan/mister for hot days. I love all these tips and would never thought to get all this together before I left!!!!!!!

 

[insmom]

Once again you all have amazed me with your tips I would of never thought of the over the door holder, but it does make sense.

 

[jennymouse]

I've got one of the over the door shoe holder filled with all the meds, sewing kit, wetones, moleskin, file, etc. that I used to keep in a big bag. Instead of digging around in that bag for something, I can see and getting it quickly. I fill it up before I leave home and roll it up and put it in the suitcase. When I get to the hotel, I unpack it, unroll it and hang it up. Instead of unpacking it each trip when I get back home, I leave it in my suitcase and just replenish anything that I used last time, also check the dates on the meds.

 

[Chesire]

I know I have not posted on these boards, but I read them way too much! Although there have been a LOT of excellent tips, my favorite was the brita water bottles. Talk about a perfect solution for my husband and I!! This next trip, I will be bringing a shoe holder though

 

[AtlantaSue]

The best tip I read was about entering the AK at opening. Someone wrote on here that you could enter through the outside door of the Rainforest Cafe, go through their gift shop, and out the other side to a park entrance that people don't really know about. It worked like a charm - we avoided a LOOONg wait to get in, and my husband was amazed.

 

[CrazySun27]

That's a great tip, I'll keep that in mind.....

Thanks!

 

[Belle041281]

One of my favortie tips was taking little crystal light packets of tea of little kool-aid packets to the park to make juice for kids (or adults who don't like drinking plain ice water.

 

[Amirah95]

I have to say it again but the SHOE HOLDER FOR THE DOOR IS INGENIOUS! DH is going to think I'm crazy but after he sees how it works he'll really appreciate it. We drive to our destinations and he'll think it's an extra waste of cargo space. I'll get a small one for my daughter too.

Usually when we get into the hotel we tend to throw our things all over the counters and everything gets mixed up and it becomes a very big mess.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by Amirah95
I have to say it again but the SHOE HOLDER FOR THE DOOR IS INGENIOUS! DH is going to think I'm crazy but after he sees how it works he'll really appreciate it.

My DH thought I was crazy too. However..............now he tells everyone that is travelling that they should get one because it saves space on the bathroom counter & keeps things organized.

He also thought I was crazy when I purchased a collapsible hanging sweater rack for my clothing. He laughed, but now there is a lot more dresser space if we are staying in a regular hotel room (as opposed to a DVC unit).

Let them laugh!!!! Who cares!