miss_deville
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2006
- Messages
- 42
Ive learned so much from these boards and just wanted to share what works for us -- a mom, a dad and a 6-year-old princess.
Get the Disney Visa Card and Charge Away -- as long as you can pay off the balance in full each month. The benefits are twofold. Youll get a fistful of Disney Reward Dollars (on a separate card) that are great to have to pay for incidentals at the World. And if you charge your trip on the card (as long as it includes both a hotel and park tickets), you get six months to pay off your vacation without interest.
Stay at a Disney Resort and Spring for the Disney Dining Plan. We love being immersed in the Disney atmosphere and we think the dining plan is a great deal. If Disney later decides to throw the meals in free, its even better.
Eat breakfast in your room. This saves both money and time. We bring a Kelloggs variety pack of cereal -- about 30 boxes -- along with enough Styrofoam bowls and cups and plastic spoons to last the trip. We buy milk and orange juice at our hotel shop (with our rewards dollars, of course) and keep them in our room refrigerator. Then each morning, we use the in-room coffee maker to brew our java and have a quick, light breakfast of cereal, milk, juice and coffee. We toss the empty boxes and bowls afterward, so no cleanup for mommy. This helps get us to the parks early -- and makes us ready for lunch earlier too. So we have a counter service meal about 11:30 a.m. , ahead of the crowds, and we can even finish the dessert that is included on the dining plan. The dry cereal makes a nice snack in the afternoon too.
Try Disposable Baby Washcloths. For the water parks, pack enough disposable baby washcloths for your party, dividing them into one small Ziploc for the females and a second one for the males so you can easily take showers at the end of the day. Im partial to the Huggies Lavender and Chamomile variety. They cost about $5 for a box of 14. Johnson & Johnson makes a competing version that is perfectly satisfactory, but I give Huggies the edge for texture and fragrance. Even though this product is marketed for infants, rest assured that a cloth, which is 7-by-8 inches in the Huggies and 8-by-8 in the Johnsons, is ample for washing an adult. You may also wish to bring a sample-size bottle of Pert shampoo if you like conditioner but dont want to carry extra stuff.
Sweet Thing. If you use Sweet n Low, bring it with you. For some reason, Disney World doesnt seem to offer that particular brand of artificial sweetener., although others are available.
Simple Pleasures. Try the marshmallow roast at the Fort Wilderness Campground. Maybe its because were city folk, but my daughter, who adores all the theme parks, says this is one of her favorite activities. Its totally low tech -- some marshmallows, a meet-and-greet with Chip & Dale and a sing-along.
Getting Fancy. Try getting a fancy hairdo at the Harmony Barber Shop. This was so much fun for my girl and reasonably priced. The stylist was super nice. She made our day and even threw a little glitter my way too.
Dinnertime. Make your dining reservations in advance. We enjoy a real meal at the end of our day, and the Dining Plan makes it affordable.
Slow Pass. Remember that while you cant use a Fast Pass ahead of your return time, you can come back late, after the window has technically expired. I find that takes some stress out of our day at the parks..
Nice Change. We find it a good idea to bring quarters and shiny pennies with us for the penny presses. Our daughter likes turning the handle herself, and this has got to be the least expensive souvenir in the whole World.
Wood You Believe It? We find old-fashioned wooden clothespins useful both for hanging our wet bathing suits up on the bathroom laundry line and as bag clips.
Bubblicious. If you use liquid hand soap at home, bring an unopened container with you for your hotel bathroom. Its much neater than mushy bar soap in a dish. I also bring a four-ounce pump bottle filled with dish detergent for rinsing out bathing suits and coffee mugs. Mine, purchased at a CVS drug store, comes with a clip that prevents accidental discharges during transit.
Bottled Up. Ive found that three- or four-ounce travel bottles with disc tops are reliably spill proof.
Dressed for Success. Cargo shorts have to be the best garment ever invented for theme parks.
Have a great trip, everyone!
Get the Disney Visa Card and Charge Away -- as long as you can pay off the balance in full each month. The benefits are twofold. Youll get a fistful of Disney Reward Dollars (on a separate card) that are great to have to pay for incidentals at the World. And if you charge your trip on the card (as long as it includes both a hotel and park tickets), you get six months to pay off your vacation without interest.
Stay at a Disney Resort and Spring for the Disney Dining Plan. We love being immersed in the Disney atmosphere and we think the dining plan is a great deal. If Disney later decides to throw the meals in free, its even better.
Eat breakfast in your room. This saves both money and time. We bring a Kelloggs variety pack of cereal -- about 30 boxes -- along with enough Styrofoam bowls and cups and plastic spoons to last the trip. We buy milk and orange juice at our hotel shop (with our rewards dollars, of course) and keep them in our room refrigerator. Then each morning, we use the in-room coffee maker to brew our java and have a quick, light breakfast of cereal, milk, juice and coffee. We toss the empty boxes and bowls afterward, so no cleanup for mommy. This helps get us to the parks early -- and makes us ready for lunch earlier too. So we have a counter service meal about 11:30 a.m. , ahead of the crowds, and we can even finish the dessert that is included on the dining plan. The dry cereal makes a nice snack in the afternoon too.
Try Disposable Baby Washcloths. For the water parks, pack enough disposable baby washcloths for your party, dividing them into one small Ziploc for the females and a second one for the males so you can easily take showers at the end of the day. Im partial to the Huggies Lavender and Chamomile variety. They cost about $5 for a box of 14. Johnson & Johnson makes a competing version that is perfectly satisfactory, but I give Huggies the edge for texture and fragrance. Even though this product is marketed for infants, rest assured that a cloth, which is 7-by-8 inches in the Huggies and 8-by-8 in the Johnsons, is ample for washing an adult. You may also wish to bring a sample-size bottle of Pert shampoo if you like conditioner but dont want to carry extra stuff.
Sweet Thing. If you use Sweet n Low, bring it with you. For some reason, Disney World doesnt seem to offer that particular brand of artificial sweetener., although others are available.
Simple Pleasures. Try the marshmallow roast at the Fort Wilderness Campground. Maybe its because were city folk, but my daughter, who adores all the theme parks, says this is one of her favorite activities. Its totally low tech -- some marshmallows, a meet-and-greet with Chip & Dale and a sing-along.
Getting Fancy. Try getting a fancy hairdo at the Harmony Barber Shop. This was so much fun for my girl and reasonably priced. The stylist was super nice. She made our day and even threw a little glitter my way too.
Dinnertime. Make your dining reservations in advance. We enjoy a real meal at the end of our day, and the Dining Plan makes it affordable.
Slow Pass. Remember that while you cant use a Fast Pass ahead of your return time, you can come back late, after the window has technically expired. I find that takes some stress out of our day at the parks..
Nice Change. We find it a good idea to bring quarters and shiny pennies with us for the penny presses. Our daughter likes turning the handle herself, and this has got to be the least expensive souvenir in the whole World.
Wood You Believe It? We find old-fashioned wooden clothespins useful both for hanging our wet bathing suits up on the bathroom laundry line and as bag clips.
Bubblicious. If you use liquid hand soap at home, bring an unopened container with you for your hotel bathroom. Its much neater than mushy bar soap in a dish. I also bring a four-ounce pump bottle filled with dish detergent for rinsing out bathing suits and coffee mugs. Mine, purchased at a CVS drug store, comes with a clip that prevents accidental discharges during transit.
Bottled Up. Ive found that three- or four-ounce travel bottles with disc tops are reliably spill proof.
Dressed for Success. Cargo shorts have to be the best garment ever invented for theme parks.
Have a great trip, everyone!
)
The marshmallow roast is held nightly at the Disney Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at an outdoor site near the Meadow Trading Post. It is accessible by the resort's internal bus system. (It's the Orange Route, I believe, but please confirm that with a driver.) The time varies according to the season but is usually 7 or 8 p.m. Off to the side, there is a fire pit surrounded by a low fence so you can safely roast marshmallows. Chip and Dale are on hand to greet the children. A cast member with a guitar leads everyone in a singalong from a small stage. There are bleacher-type seats to sit on during the music. The whole thing is followed by a Disney movie, which we don't usually stay for. There is no charge except if you want to buy your mashmallows and sticks there instead of bringing them with you. My memory is a little hazy, but I think it cost $2.50 for a bag of marshmallows and either two or four nice long wooden sticks. The Chuck Wagon, where you get the marshmallows, also sells 'smore fixings and some snacks and beer. Our 
