Tip List?

[princessjv]

Has anyone created a list of their favorite WDW tips? If so can I get a copy?

 

[ZoZo]

There are a couple of threads on this "Disney Tips" board that are really helpful. Look for things like "What's the worst mistake you made on your trip" or "What's your best tip" in the subject line. They're very helpful.

 

[sk8bug72]

Tips

To do before you leave:
Pack cereal bars, pop tarts, trail mix, etc.
Send a large box of food to the hotel so it will be waiting there when you arrive
Buy Walkie-talkies- they are a great way of communication in the parks
You can start making reservations for character dining fireworks cruises, etc. 90 days in advanced. Some events are hard to get reservations for, so call 90 days in advanced as soon as the phone lines open (seriously, I mean the very minute they open). You may be able to get reservations while you are on your vacation (especially for character dining). Just ask the front desk of your hotel or guest services at the parks. This is due to last minute cancellations.
Go to http://www.ghirardelli.com, click on Ghiradelli G-mail, and sign up. When they ask you if you live with in a 50 mile radius of a shop click yes. In a few days you should recieve a buy one sunday get one free coupon via email. You can use it at the Ghiradelli shop at Downtown Disney.

Parks

General

Don't pay complete attention to the time meters, the line usually moves faster then indicated
Always use the left line when you have a choice because by habit, most people go to the right
Parks that have Extra Magic Hours on particular days are usually more crowded. Same goes for special events such as the Christmas party.
When there are two showings of a parade, the later one is usually less crowded
The parks don’t always close right after the fireworks
Don’t leave your tickets in the Fastpass machine!!!

Make sure that you check park hours just before you leave because they change all the time

Magic Kingdom

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin ~http://www.badshoe.com/BuzzLightyearSpin.htm tells you how to get a high score on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
~The some of the big points in Buzz are found leaving the first room. Turn around and shoot the back of the Orange robots arm or the back of the buzz saw.
Splash Mountain- the back two rows get less wet than the others
Go to Space Mountain first thing in the morning because most people go to Frontier Land first. Go to Frontier land to ride Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain around lunch time while everyone is eating.
Watch the fireworks from Toontown- there almost no one there and you get a great view of the fireworks
Get your hair cut, braided, or “Pixie Dusted” (colored hair jell and mickey shaped sequence) at the Main Street Barber Shop

Epcot
Talking water fountain- the water fountain talks! It is near Mouse Gear.
“Push” the talking trashcan comes out of Mickey’s Star Traders in Tomorrowland about once an hour
Try Beverly at the Ice Cool Station
Go to Innoventions East to email a 10 second video clip of yourself to your friends
Look for the solar powered lawnmowers

Disney Studios (MGM)

Be there at opening and go straight to Rock’n’Rollercoaster because everyone else usually goes to Tower of Terror first
Rock’n’Rollercoaster
~The front is a lot smoother than the back
If you want to get good seats for Fantasmic, get there 1 ½ hours before show time


Animal Kingdom
Kilimanjaro Safaris
~In warmer months, the animals seem to come out when it rains
Kali River Rapids
~Keep your feet above the silver ring on the bottom of the raft, if you don’t the water will go up to your ankles
Find the 27 Hidden Mickeys in the mural at the Conservation Station
If the line to get into the park is long, try going through the entrance at the back of the Rainforest Café gift shop
Look for DeVine (the talking tree) on the path between Africa and Asia


Tarzan Rocks! Will be closing in early 2006

 

[sk8bug72]

Food

General
You can get the recipe for almost anything that you have at a restaurant, just ask
Bring your water bottle to any counter service restaurant and ask a cast member to fill it with ice water, its free!
If you stay at a Disney hotel, sometimes food will be less expensive at the gift shop/ general store, than it is at the food court
Order pizza from outside the parks (Dominos)
At counter service restaurants ask for just the sandwich, etc. instead of the whole meal, then get one or two whole meals and have everyone share the fries.
Eat at unusual times so that the restaurants won’t be as crowded.
Ghirardelli’s at DTD gives away free samples of chocolate
The second floor of the Columbia Harbor House at MK is usually less crowded than the ground floor
Ask any cast member at a cart or shop to use their phone to make reservations

Don’t miss food items- Dole Whip at Aloha Isle in Adventureland (MK)- I HIGHLY recommend it!!!!
 Ice cream at Ghirardelli’s (DTD)
 Tonga Toast at Kona Café at the Polynesian Resort
 Popcorn on Main Street (MK)
 Hot dog at Casey’s (MK)
 Cinnamon Rolls at the Main Street Bakery (MK)
 Kringla at Norway in Epcot
 Figuro Fries at Pinocchio’s Village Haus (MK)
 German Chocolate Brownie from Germany in Epcot
 Cheesecake brownie from the Boardwalk Bakery at the Boardwalk
 Churros and Conga from La Cantina in Mexico (Epcot)- Conga is a slushie
 Strawberry Swirl at the Enchanted Grove
 Fruit Tulip at Fountain View (Epcot)

Hotels (on site)
Get park maps, park schedules, and transportation schedules at Guest Services
Check out what recreation your hotel has
Rent surrey bikes
Tip Mousekeeping daily because the same people won’t be cleaning your room every day
Sometimes Mousekeeping will do special things with your towels (towel animals)
Buy refillable mugs! They are well worth the money!!!
Decorate envelopes to put Mousekeeping tips in
Call the front desk and ask for a wake up call (one of the Disney characters will call you when you and wish you a magical day)
You can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Contemporary Resort balconies
Some hotels have horse drawn carriage rides from 6-9:30pm- 30 minutes=$30, call 407-WDW-PLAY for reservations or 407-824-2832 for same day reservations


Birthdays and Special Occasions
Tell hotel and sit down restaurants that you are celebrating a birthday
Tell flight attendants about the birthday
Get an “It’s My Birthday” button at each park at Guest Relations
Order a gift basket from WDW florist
If you are staying at a Disney resort- dial 0 for a birthday message
Contact Guest Services or room service to order a cake at your hotel


Nice things to do
Talk to the cast members
If a cast member was especially nice, send an email to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com so that they will get recognized
Offer any unused Fastpasses to people on your way out

Transportation
Be creative, for example- if the bus to your resort has a long line, take the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation center and hop on a bus from there.

Magic
Cast members will give out Magical Moments Certificates for almost anything
Give your children there own disposable camera
When you arrive, buy postcards and secretly have the characters sign them, then send them home so your child will think that the characters sent them a post card
In Fantasyland (MK) go to Tinkerbell’s Treasures shop and look for Tinkerbell. If you are the first one there in the morning, you may be chosen to let Tinkerbell out of her chest.
There is a little Sword in the Stone show at MK. A child is chosen to pull the sword out of the stone. They receive a medallion and a certificate.

Interesting things to do
Look for hidden Mickeys, they are everywhere, you might even want to buy a hidden mickey guide book
Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular- when you go past the well near the entrance, pull on the rope
Haunted Mansion-
~at night, look up at the window right above the front door to see a light and shadows pass by it
~Look for the ring on the ground right past the iron gates as you exit the ride
~Look at the chair in front of the endless hall with the floating candle
On the floor of the Pooh ride, in Owl’s house on the right there is a picture of Mr. Moley from Mr. Toad
Go to the Expo Hall on Main Street (MK), there is a theater that shows old Disney cartoons, there are good picture opportunities, and there are characters there.
Tusker House restaurant- sit in the outside seating area and listen for kitchen noises (dishes breaking, etc.)- this is prerecorded
Find the Singing in the Rain Umbrella at Disney Studios, it is attached to a street light near the old Hunchback theater. Grab the umbrella and step on the back square
Backlot tour- when you leave the ride go to the area with the picture backdrops, look for the sound effect boxes on the left near the Roger Rabbit steamroller
Find the Marker in Epcot that marks the middle of Walt Disney World
Pick up the receiver of the old style phone at the general store on Main Street (MK)
Kali River Rapids- look for the real gecko while you are in line
Find the paintbrushes on Tom Sawyer Island. They are put out for the first few boat trips of the day and anyone who finds one gets a front of line pass for either Splash Mountain or BTMR.
Rock’n’Rollercoaster- in line, look for the framed American Flag. It was put there to cover a record album that had a pot leaf on it, if you look closely, you can still see it
In the African Outpost at Epcot, open the lids of the crates
If you go on the Monorail, ask if you can ride in the front, with the driver
Kids can make cookies at the Nestle station in the Land at Epcot
The candy lady in Japan at Epcot gives out free candy

Did you know?
The entrance to Magic Kingdom is like a theatre. The ticket area is like a lobby, and then the tunnels that you go through are lined with movie posters. The train station is the curtain and then you go through it and you're in the show.
Main Street (MK) is designed, through forced perspective, so that it looks longer than it is when you are heading toward the castle, then when you are walking to the exit it looks shorter, which is good for when you are tired! Also, since people usually walk on the right side of the street, the food shops are on the right as you walk in and the gift shops are on your right as you walk out.
If you look at the names on the windows of buildings on Main Street (MK) you will see the names of the people who built the park. Walt’s is last, it is on the backside of the building so that he will always have a view of the castle
Splash Mountain- There is a little critter right before the last drop that is hanging upside down. It says “Go FSU” An Imagineer who graduated from Florida State put it there
Cinderella’s Carousel- the horse with the gold ribbon on the tail is Cinderella’s
Tower of Terror- it is 199 feet tall because if it was 200 ft, they would have had to put lights on top for airplanes
~There is a ghost named Bob, he was a bellhop who had a heart attack while loading the elevator
Dinosaur- (AK) the red, yellow, and white pipes above the load area have the chemical formulas for ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise on them
Pirates of the Caribbean- George the ghost was a maintenance guy who died while working on the ride. If you call out his name 3 times during the fire scene something will happen (really)
The American Adventures building (Epcot) is really 5 stories, but the tall doors and windows make it look like there are only 3 stories
It’s a Small World- there are only 2 figures that represent the US. They are the cowboy and Eskimo


Where to watch “Wishes”
The stairs at Cosmic Ray’s
Outside of Casey’s at a table (get there early)
At the train station- upstairs
Near the exit of Splash Mountain
While riding Thunder Mountain Railroad
Mickey’s Toontown Fair, next to the WDW Railroad Station
The fenced area within the rose garden to the left of the bridge leading to Tomorrowland

Great Souvenirs
Pins
Mickey ears
Antenna toppers
Shirts
Hats
Charm bracelets/ charms
Food
Mug
CD’s from parks, shows, and parades

Great Resources
www.allearsnet.com
www.disboards.com
www.intercot.com
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com (official website)
http://www.mousesavers.com/UltimatePackingList.doc (GREAT packing List)

Miscellaneous

Mark off how many days you have left on your hopper passes
Wear very comfortable shoes!

Hope this helps!

 

[Pigletlover]

Here are some threads with some helpful info

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1012382

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=974923

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1000971

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1011820

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1011508

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1010573

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1006833

 

[Andrea]

awsome reading i got to print all of this

thanks so much