What Disney Tips Do you Have?

[Wendy]

At one time or other, we have all been on our first trip to Walt Disney World or one of the other Disney Parks.

When friends found out you were going to Disney, did they give you advice or tips on what was best to do if they had been before or not?

Did you listen to them and take the advice and was it practical or magical advice.

[Johnie]

No tips the first time we went in 1996. I had a guidebook that I read religiously and yet still managed to miss Spaceship Earth! I even lied to my grandma and told her that all those people were in line for the bathroom.

Now I found out all sorts of info when the Internet forums started. Best money saving tip is free cup of ice water at counter service restaurants.

[Wendy]

Ooo please can you share some of your tips Johnie, it might be helpful to first time visitors or even some of us that have been a few times

[Johnie]

I will be glad to! I'll make a note to do it tonight.

It's funny the longer you do something the more you forget it's not general knowledge :-(

[Watchinherskip]

That would be awesome Johnie! I like Johnie used a trourbook on our first trip in 1988. It was really good. The best advice I got then was to rush past Spaceship Earth to make dinining reservations on the videophones. That alone seemed like magic.

Over the years I have learned a great deal from the various website forumns but one of the best pieces of advice was to hunt down the ellusive Dole Whip! I did and so happy for the gem.

[Wendy]

I will be glad to! I'll make a note to do it tonight.

It's funny the longer you do something the more you forget it's not general knowledge :-(

Thank you

[foreverducky]

My tip is something that Johnie has already mentioned. My best tip is free cup of ice water at the counter service areas.

[Johnie]

From my suitcase:

I always pack an extra long power strip. We all have too many things that need to be charged nowadays and not enough outlets!

A very tiny portable fan. It's enough to blow some air around my face which I like when I sleep. I'll have to measure it cause it really is small. 4 x 4 inches maybe??

Clorox Color Catchers. These are AMAZING! I use them in my laundry at home ALL OF THE TIME. You can put a sheet in your wash and not have to sort colors which makes me happy. Alysia bought a hot pink skirt at Universal one time and it somehow ended up in the white laundry. I will not tell you how much bleach we used or how many times we washed & re-washed clothes in order to get things white again.

Laundry detergent sheets/pods. They used to have little balls then they stopped selling them. Now I have a huge supply of Purex sheets that have the detergent and fabric softener in it. They work great. Now it seems that they are making little pods again. VERY handy to use since you don't have to pay the ridiculous amounts of money at the Disney laundrymat and you don't have to worry about it leaking all over your luggage.

After being stuck overnight in the Charlotte airport with nothing open, I now always carry a mug of some sort with me so I can at least get a drink out of the fountain. Also handy if you are staying somewhere that only has glass beverage glasses (do NOT use them. just trust me)

Little hand held fan. My head is always hot. I kid you not. I don't sweat from the neck down but my head. ugh. I bought a bunch of battery operated fans and they are fantastic. Disney used to sell nice ones but not any longer.

I also bring extra batteries, full size bottles of Advil and Tylenol just in case. I wear good walking shoes at Disney and I also take Advil in the am and my knees and feet do not hurt.

Heating pad. I keep one in my suitcase now. If I take it out, I will need it. Trust me, it has happened.

[Johnie]

You CAN share meals at most counter service and table service restaurants. Buffet and all you care to eat places are the exception. A lot of table service restaurants will split the entree in the back.

You CAN go to the Tune In Lounge at 50's Prime Cafe and order a full meal at the bar.

The bakery in France has a meal (also uses 1 CS credit if you are on DDP) that is a cheese plate, a dessert, a pretty good size loaf of bread and a drink.

If you have children in your party, you MUST go over to Beaches and Cream and get the kitchen sink. Yes, it is a big disgusting melty mess but the look on the kids faces are worth it. If you are on the DDP and using your TS credits there, you CAN pool 2 of the dessert portion of the credits together to do this.

If you are at the Main Street Bakery at MK and they are making cotton candy, if you ask really nicely they will give you a sample.

[Wendy]

Johnie these are brilliant thank you so much