What Disney Tip Are you really glad you listened to?

[Millie12591]

For those who would like not to pay extra for a fridge or for those ordering groceries and don't want to deal with or buy a styrofoam cooler I'll share our tip on what we did last year (May 2007). We used one of those soft sided coolers that zip all along the top, and has the extendable handle to pull and use to pull along on the wheels. We collapsed the sides down as flat as possible and put it in the bottom of our suitcase and used it to fill with ice and put our milk, water bottles and our non coke sodas in it. It worked out really well with the wheels and handle because I could send my 14 yr old down to the ice machine every moring and evening before bed to refill. He was so good about it too. Since we didn't stay in a room with two sinks (you could use one sink to fill with ice and put your cold items in that) we used this instead. So if you own one of these or you think you would seriously use it at any other time besides WDW, go to Wal-Mart and get one! You won't regret it.

 

[Suzimom]

I'm slowly reading through all the tips -- I've gotten several good ideas so I want to keep this coming to me as there are new posts! Thanks, everyone!

 

[Millie12591]

I have seen a lot of luggage on clearance at JCPenneys and Sears lately.

We bought our luggage last year in September at a Samsonite outlet mall. I think they always have sales, so it might be something to look for if you have an outlet mall near you.

Your right, I noticed JCPenney's having a lot of sales on luggage lately, I just assumed that I wouldn't have the money at the time the sales would be going on, little did I realize they just keep having the sales. LOL! Do you like your luggage from Samsonite?

 

[AuntTonia]

Make a copy of your tickets. This came from Mousesavers.
Years ago staying offsite I bought tickets from AAA. There was 7 of us and one time getting FP I left one of the tickets. Didn't realize it to way later.
I had a copy of my tickets took it to Guest Relations and they were able to tell how many days I had left on it. They deactivated that ticket and gave me a new one for my remaining days free.

 

[DreaGirl]

Your right, I noticed JCPenney's having a lot of sales on luggage lately, I just assumed that I wouldn't have the money at the time the sales would be going on, little did I realize they just keep having the sales. LOL! Do you like your luggage from Samsonite?

Yes, we love our luggage. It is the kind with four wheels that swivel. So nice!! You can basically push it along side of you if you have to, nice option.

 

[ginnymac]

We just got back from WDW and last week was sooo busy. The best tip that I got from the boards was....

Ridemax It was awesome. We did not wait more that 15 minutes for any ride! The plans were not rushed and flowed nicely between attractions. My husband was the "runner" for the fast passes, but he has done that before for us when we didn't have ridemax, too.

We felt that our time at the parks was well utilized, not rushed and that we were able to see all the things that we wanted to see and more! We would definitely use this again!!

2 other great tips that we didn't know about prior was

1. asking to ride in the front of the monorail...this was so beautiful and my family loved it!
2. Club Cool at Epcot....I don't know if this has been here a while or not, but we enjoyed tasting all of the sodas!

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Not sure if it's been posted...take a picture of the back of your PhotoPass card. That way if it's lost, you have the number on your camera!

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

We just got back from WDW and last week was sooo busy. The best tip that I got from the boards was....

Ridemax It was awesome. We did not wait more that 15 minutes for any ride! The plans were not rushed and flowed nicely between attractions. My husband was the "runner" for the fast passes, but he has done that before for us when we didn't have ridemax, too.

We felt that our time at the parks was well utilized, not rushed and that we were able to see all the things that we wanted to see and more! We would definitely use this again!!

2 other great tips that we didn't know about prior was

1. asking to ride in the front of the monorail...this was so beautiful and my family loved it!
2. Club Cool at Epcot....I don't know if this has been here a while or not, but we enjoyed tasting all of the sodas!

Whats Ridemax??? We're leaving in 6 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ginnymac]

Ridemax is a downloadable service that has compiled all information about crowds and wait times... It costs about $15 and then you put in the date and the park that you are going to, your times that you will be there and what attractions are absolute musts. You can even schedule in breaks. Then, it comes up with at plan for you and what order you should go to different attractions.

It will tell you the expected wait time, ride time and walking to next attraction time. We never waited any longer than it estimated. It tells you what fast pass to get when and when to use it.

I worked great for MK and Epcot. It was a little more complicated for DHS since all of the shows are not on there plan, however, they schedule in breaks where we were able to fit in the things not in the plan.

We loved it. We didn't feel rushed and got to do everything that we wanted to do and more. Our kids are 8 and 11. They understood how the "plan" worked and were happy to go along with it. They knew that even if we weren't going on something right when they saw it, we would definitely get to it later.

HTH!

 

[bittyx2]

I did not have time to read through all of the posts.

#1 - One thing that I WISH I would have done that was suggested was to ship some soda and snacks down to the resort. There are five us and we stayed at the POR. Great resort, but 5 of us in one room was cramped. Anyway, we ended up at the far, far end of the resort, way far away from the food court (where you can fill up your re-fillable mugs). it was a good 10 minute walk one way. By the time I got there I had to sit and drink about 3 mugs before heading back to the room. The mugs were not what I expected. Definitely worth it, but much smaller than I had hoped.

#2 - Definitely get luggage with wheels. My suitcase was the only one with wheels and I was just scooting along through the airport while the rest of my family grunted and had to stop and rest with their luggage. I think this year I will try to get 4 more bags with wheels.

#3 - That misting fan that you can get at Wal-Mart or anywhere else was a God send. I had one that my son had given me a few years ago for mother's day. I had never used it, but took it with us and oh my gosh. We went in August and it was so hot that all 5 of us were fighting over it. I think this time (we are going again in August) I will make sure we all have one.

#4 - CHAPSTICK

#5 - Visor or cap and sunglasses

This year instead of cramming 5 of us in the one room at POR we are going to stay in a family suite at the All Star Music. Hopefully this will help out a lot more.

 

[Fairyntraining]

I want to echo this advice. I always book town car service going to WDW and here's why...

The first time we traveled to Disney with a child, we brought our 18 month old daughter. Our flight was 50 minutes late. Exiting the plane, our daughter had a "blowout" (all parents know what I'm talking about here) and we had to stop and deal with that, which made us quite tardy coming down the escalator to meet our driver. We had left our house at 4:30am and it was now on toward 11am, so you can imagine that our nerves were frayed.

Our driver greeted us kindly, sincerely asked if we were okay, and asked if we needed to take a moment to get a bite or anything. Understand, this driver is standing in front of us losing his next fare due to our lateness, and is asking if we need to take a little extra time.

We then discovered that our bags were left back in Philadelphia. Our driver took us to the appropriate little room for our airline and walked us through the paperwork. He then gave us a bunch of advice and asked if we'd need to stop to get anything before going to our hotel. We didn't, but if we did, the option would have been critical.

When we got into the car, our vacation began immediately. Hopping on a bus or getting into a crowded van would have just added more discomfort to our challenging day. When we arrived at our hotel, we were in vacation mode, instead of frazzled mode. It was well worth the expense and the additional gratuity I added on.

How exactly do you book a town car, we have been to WDW 3 times in the last three years. This would be a great alternative to Mears because we get a little impatient with the wait for the bus to depart the airport.

 

[kyhardy]

1. STAY ON SITE - Failed to do this once, really learned my lesson

2. Use Ziploc bags & pack extras

3. Downy Wrinkle Free Spray - Really works

4. Use Green Grocer to order Mt. Dews (or any other must have Pepsi product you desire)for husband which prevents him from turning into Snow White's unknown 8th dwarf Whiny. This maybe should have been #1.

 

[bittyx2]

Never mind, just found it..............What is Green Grocer and how expensive is it? How does it work?

 

[Fairyntraining]

4. Use Green Grocer to order Mt. Dews (or any other must have Pepsi product you desire)for husband which preents him from turning into Snow White's unknown 8th dwarf Whiny. This maybe should have been #1.[/QUOTE]

Ok, I love the 8th dwarf comment. That is hilarious!

 

[DreaGirl]

I'm rolling over here about the 8th dwarf.

 

[jennykay]

"Free" Ice H2O is avaliable at all the parks ...no more carrying around bottled water for us anymore...one less thing to carry !
Pack dd outfits ,one for each day, in a large gallon-sized ziplock bag ! Makes outfits easier to find and change into for the kids. I also put socks,undies and hair accessories in the bag for complete outfits!

What do you mean by free ice water - are you talking about getting a cup at a counter service? We would probably still carry some water bottles with us, but not as much - great tip!
I packed my kids' clothes in ziplock bags, too - made every morning MUCH easier - no arguments about whether shorts can be worn on top of pants (NO - not even if they both have flowers!) happy mornings start happy days!

 

[willful]

What do you mean by free ice water - are you talking about getting a cup at a counter service? We would probably still carry some water bottles with us, but not as much - great tip!

We found hydration packs to be the best for the summer months! We still do the free ice water at counter service. Can't have enough water on those HOT summer months. But the hydration packs were a life saver for us last summer. If you fill it up with enough ice, it'll keep your back nice and cool. Plus ours had enough storage area to hold autograph book, poncho, and some snacks with room to spare. Nothing ever got ruined or damaged...though we did keep the autograph book in a plastic bag just in case.

Another great tip is to wear Under Armour. Or another type of moister wicking material. Most times I wore an Under Armour shirt (sleeveless or regular) under my Disney tee and it worked wonders. On the really hot days, I just wore the Under Armour shirt. And Under Amour makes t-shirts other than the tight form fitting kinds most people think of too.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

What do you mean by free ice water - are you talking about getting a cup at a counter service? We would probably still carry some water bottles with us, but not as much - great tip!
I packed my kids' clothes in ziplock bags, too - made every morning MUCH easier - no arguments about whether shorts can be worn on top of pants (NO - not even if they both have flowers!) happy mornings start happy days!

YES, you can get FREE Ice Water at any counter service restaurant in the parks...I don't think too many people realize this. We did usually start off the morning with one bottle each of H2O,but as soon as we finished it ...we tossed it and then asked for the FREE H2O !!!

 

[willful]

YES, you can get FREE Ice Water at any counter service restaurant in the parks...I don't think too many people realize this. We did usually start off the morning with one bottle each of H2O,but as soon as we finished it ...we tossed it and then asked for the FREE H2O !!!

You're right. I'm not sure if anyone does know this tip. Definitely one of the best tips I learned. Especially during those HOT summer months.

 

[mrstomrice]

You're right. I'm not sure if anyone does know this tip. Definitely one of the best tips I learned. Especially during those HOT summer months.

It's true I had no problem getting a cup or 2 of ice water, medium drink size, even when I do not make a purchase! I like to bring in powder mix-ins to help with flavor