Tips about At Large, Mousecellaneous and Souvenirs

We have been Disney Vacation Club members since 2004 and have been staying in villas since, often times for 7-14 nights. Finally, during this last trip it dawned on me that it would be really nice to have magnets to put on the fridge to hold park hour schedules, ADR schedule, etc. So we did manage to find some magnets that we loved and used them for the remainder of our time. It made it so much easier for all to be able to see the ADR schedule along with park hours! Now I have added those magnets to future packing lists! - Lisa Fredsbo

While vacationing in Walt Disney World last week, my wife and I opted to change our ride view experiences slightly; we switched seats. As a true "Prince Charming", I normally hold doors open for my wife to enter buildings or vehicles first, but on this trip she was "Princess Charming" and had me enter ride vehicles with only one entrance first (e.g., Spaceship Earth, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan's Flight, etc.). We were amazed at the new views of the attractions we had! - Denny

I'm sharing a tip that definitely bears repeating. Everyone should sign their Key to the World (KTTW) cards as soon as they receive them, especially if the cards are valid for room charges or if any dining options are included with the reservation. If each KTTW card is signed this will help prevent someone else from using your card for food or merchandise purchases should you lose it. If you find you can't sign your card with a regular ink pen, try applying scotch tape to the signature panel (sometimes you need to do this a few times) then you should be able to sign the signature panel. If you didn't bring your own scotch tape every front desk and merchandise register location have tape available. Cast members may ask for a photo ID if your KTTW card is not signed -- be prepared! - Rob C.

My family just recently returned from our week vacation at Disney World in May. We are a family of five. We always bring one water bottle per person into the parks. This trip I bought a ball of different colored rubber bands. Each person had their own color and attached it to the neck of the water bottle. So when all the water bottles were put in the stroller, you could tell whose bottle belonged to who. With young children, this ended all arguments of "Who drank all my water?" - Karen Hopkins

For those wishing to use the web while at the resorts: If you have a smartphone, check if it can be used as a wireless hotspot (also known as tethering). Verizon charges $20/month for tethering with a hotspot-enabled 3G phone (I use a Droid X), which is a great deal when compared to the resorts' $9.95 per 24 contiguous hours fee. There is no cancellation fee for this feature, so you can activate it just for the month you'll be staying at the resort. Plus, you're no longer limited to the length of the ethernet cable. It sure came in handy on my stay at Caribbean Beach last week! A few things to consider: speed is dependent on 3G signal strength in your room, and there's usually a data cap per month (mine is 2GB). - Patricia

Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma

My husband and I did the 2015 four-day Disney Vacation Club Member's Cruise and then spent five days at the BoardWalk Villas. We realized that our shopping and all the DVC gifts we received during the cruise were not going to fit in our luggage and would add a lot of extra weight. I asked in the gift shop about mailing cruise items and was directed to the business center that is part of the Convention Center at the BoardWalk. We took all of our bags to the business center, including two pieces of art. They were carefully wrapped and put in a big box that we sent FedEx ground. The box arrived the same day we got home. It was so was nice to have our purchases right away. - Annette A.

Here's a must-have! Take along a "plug-in" air freshener with your favorite scent. Not only does your room smell good, but you have a nice glow of a nightlight to keep from tripping over your suitcases at night. - Judy Shock

Whenever we go on vacation I always bring a power strip to charge all of our electronics (cell phone, camera, DVD player, iPod, etc.) The rooms never have enough outlets and are usually in an akward spot. This helps so much and you never have dead batteries. - Julie Pagano

We've found it helpful to bring address labels from home to use in the gift shops. Rather than writing out our address each time we send our purchase back to the room, we just peel and stick. It saves a lot of time. - Gavin Shannon

This is for brides-to-be who are interested in planning their wedding at Walt Disney World, but who are not into the traditional Disney Wedding Pavilion: be aware that there are unique sites available for your ceremony and reception. When we mentioned to our Disney wedding planner that Animal Kingdom was our favorite theme park, she told us about a wonderful site in Harambe. Our daughter and son-in-law had a truly magical outdoor wedding ceremony in the candlelit Tamu Tamu courtyard with a fabulous dessert reception to follow at Tusker House. - Debbie Gneshin

As a cast member who frequently responds, "I'm sorry, we don't have that size," "I'm sorry, we sold out of those yesterday," and "Yes, those are the only ones we have left. I'm sorry," I want to recommend that if you are visiting to compete in a sporting event at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, buy event-specific merchandise the first day, as soon as you can. It happens with every event -- we run out of event merchandise as soon as the event starts, so get yours as soon as possible! - Anonymouse

Please do not feed the birds. We all know this is wrong, but many an enjoyable Disney lunch is ruined by this. Birds are not supposed to eat popcorn and turkey legs! - Bonnie C.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Disney does post signs to this effect and prints a gentle reminder on its paper napkins, but it bears repeating. It's very unhealthy to feed "people food" to the birds, squirrels and other animals around the parks.

Best Friends Pet Care is now taking online boarding reservations for repeat customers. To read more, go to: http://wdw.bestfriendspetcare.com/news/online-reservations-now-available-repeat-guests - Sheamus Hunt

We have always saved all of our "major" shopping for World of Disney where we can use our Annual Pass to received a 10 percent discount. Imagine my surprise, when on our last trip when I was checking out at MouseGear the Cast Member asked me if I had any discounts. I said, "I don't know, do I? What qualifies?" It turns out that I was able to get an Annual Pass discount there. I was also able to use it at the stores at Hollywood Studios, and even at our resort. I wish I had known that earlier in the week! - Tanya Thomas

EDITOR'S NOTE: The 10 percent Annual Passholder discount is being offered at many merchandise locations around Walt Disney World now through January 10, 2011. Premium Passholders can save 20 percent on select merchandise at Walt Disney Resort stores while this offer lasts. Be sure to ask about its availability when checking out. This offer has already been extended twice and may be extended again. It always pays to ask.