Tips about Characters and Food & Beverage

My money-saving tips come from the perspective of a traveler who goes to WDW either with my husband or solo, though they could certainly be adapted for travelers with children and/or larger groups. 1. Bring your own coffee and, if your resort room doesn't have a coffee maker, a cheap coffee maker. We purchase Starbuck's coffee beans then grind them up and take a supply on vacation. (Given that Disney coffee is often pretty bad, this also makes sense from a taste perspective!) 2. Bring breakfast and snacks foods with you and enjoy them in your room. We often either request a fridge or bring fruit that doesn't have to be refrigerated. A cooler can also work well. Some good cheese, olives, crackers and wine can be a wonderful and romantic way to end the day or a nice interlude between park time and dinner. 3. Bring your own alcohol rather than having a nightcap (or a morning Bloody Mary! it is vacation, after all) at the hotel bar. Because we fly to Florida, we often stop for supplies at a grocery store before arriving at the resort. - Hilary Huffman

Bring a Brita water filter. That way, you can refill your water bottles in your room with water that tastes good. - Josh Olive

I think that most people would agree that the water from the drinking fountains at Walt Disney World is barely drinkable. However, with the heat and humidity there you need to stay hydrated. Since I think the bottled water is too expensive I bring a refillable bottle to fill at the fountains. To make it taste all right I add a powdered drink mix. They come in single serving sizes, so just throw a few in your bag so you always have them. I usually get the green tea or white tea flavor so the taste isn't too strong so it's as close to water as you can get. - Moira

My favorite money-saving tip is to save on breakfast. We pack in our luggage, paper bowls, plastic silverware, cups, cereal, bagels, Pop-tarts and bottled water. (You will then have room when you go home for souvenirs.) You can either pick up milk and OJ at a resort shop or order all your groceries from gardengrocer.com for delivery right to your room. For the $12 delivery fee and a tip you will still be saving a ton of money just on bottled water alone! - Tina Snyder

We bring breakfast food with us and eat in our hotel room. Our usual assortment is instant oatmeal, granola bars, oranges, apples or bananas, bagels and cream cheese and orange juice. Everyone gets what they want and it saves LOTS of money and time in the mornings when we are anxious to get into the parks. We take some sort of snack with us -- usually trail mix -- to eat while in the long lines. It keeps the kids occupied. With the weather usually being so hot we don't get very hungry during the day, but purchase some snacks to share at lunch or in the afternoon. It is usually something like a turkey leg and popcorn, ice cream, etc. -- just something snacky. By dinner time we are usually pretty hungry so we eat something in the parks if it is a long day. Otherwise we go back to the hotel and eat in the restaurant or food court. We usually have snacks in the room for the evening--pretzels or cookies. We have used this method of saving a few dollars while still eating well while at Disney. For a family who wants to eat three full meals a day or big "sit-down" meals this wouldn't work, but it is perfect for us! - Jan Gruver

This tip is a culmination of several great tips I have read on this site that worked out so perfectly for us last week at Disney. Before we left I bought each of my three kids a fanny pack. In it they carried a small plastic photo album filled with 4x6 index cards and a large Sharpie marker for autographs. The photo album ($1 each at Walmart) was a great alternative, as it allows you to put the photo in alongside of the autograph; a small zipper-top sandwich baggie filled with the appropriate ratio of coins to do pressed pennies (they cost 51 cents each); their Passports from Epcot; and a Visa gift card with dollars loaded on it for their own souvenirs -- that way if it got lost all we had to do would be to call and stop the card. They wore the packs every single day and barely complained once. This was a HUGE load off of my shoulders as usually I would be carrying all of these things around. I didn't even have to worry about them setting them down and losing them since they were snugly attached to their bodies at all times. It was an awesome solution to many different challenges -- thanks for sharing all the great ideas! - Marsha of Canton, Ohio

At buffets where beverages are included, you can order two drinks to start with (or change what you're drinking instead of getting a refill). I'm mainly an iced tea drinker, but I like to treat myself with a glass of rich and creamy calorie-filled chocolate milk. I always start with a request for both beverages, and then just have the iced tea subsequently refilled. - Jennifer Bogdanski

For anyone dining at the Tusker House for Donald's Safari Breakfast, please be aware that the buffet is not your typical 'stand in line' type of buffet. While we were at the AK last week eating, cast members at the Tusker House kept announcing that we did NOT have to just stand in line waiting to get to the food we wanted. Rather, the buffet was a free flowing buffet -- you could just jump in line where you wanted and grab a plate. Unfortunately, not many people were listening and some guests got very angry when I stepped in line to get some scrambled eggs for my daughters... So, the moral of this story is, please listen to the cast members at the Tusker House breakfast buffet! And be kind to other guests. - Traci Curth

Here's a tip for families from the U.K. In the U.S., lemonade is not a fizzy drink, it's a still drink. It's like old-fashioned, homemade cloudy lemonade. It's excellent if you don't want to fill your kids up with cola, especially, if they can't manage to eat all their dinner as they're so full of pop! Also you'll find variants like pomegranate lemonade in Disney. - Louise Herrick

I had been trying to get an ADR at 'Ohana for three weeks prior to our visit. I even checked daily during our actual week of vacation with no luck. Then it occurred to me that guests need to cancel the ADR by midnight prior to the day of the ADR or they are charged a fee per guest. The next morning I checked for an ADR at 7 a.m. and found an available table for the same evening at 6:35 p.m., which had the extra bonus of ending our evening watching Wishes from our dining table. - Ellen Bemis

I must say that one of our most recent "fun things" to do is visit the "snack bars" at the hotels. Who knew that you could get a Dole whip outside the Magic Kingdom? We are now making a stop at the Polynesian snack bar for Dole Whip and the super Polynesian chips, prepared fresh with each order. I also have to say that the Adult Grilled Cheese is to die for. Prices are great. It is usually not crowded and the food is delicious -- oops, almost forgot the great flatbreads.

Another favorite stop is the snack bar at the Wilderness Lodge. We used to love their hot dogs and they had great biscuits with sausage in the AM. Now we go for the fantastic cupcakes. Only $2.29 and they are delicious and huge--enough for two to share. I also had a grilled chicken salad prepared while I watched--asked for extra bleu cheese(freshly crumbled) ---It was one of the best salads I have had anywhere. Coronado Springs, our favorite place to stay, has wonderful pastries. Some evenings if we have had a buffet for lunch, we just make a snack run to the hotel "fast food" joints. Quick service--good price-- nice atmosphere in the hotels -- and the food is super.

We always tell everyone that the hotels are an adventure all their own. If you have the time, don't miss a chance to just wander for a little while at several of them. Have a snack and enjoy the atmosphere. - Christy Allen

Instead of stopping at a grocery store on arrival we have found Garden Grocer to be a great delivery service for all those drinks, water, snacks and breakfast goods that make getting organized in the mornings especially easy. We order from the comfort of home, there's a discount for ordering a couple of months out, and we have the items delivered early on our arrival day. Bell Services hold them and refrigerate perishables and then when we arrive we simply ask to have them delivered to our room. It's so convenient and we love not having to actually stop and shop enroute to our hotel. - Moira

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read what other AllEars.Net readers have to say about this service in our Rate and Review section.

I have a tip for the vegetarians visiting Disney. At some counter service restaurants (Cosmic Ray's in particular) you can order just a bun and two slices of cheese for $1.79 and put whatever toppings you want from the topping bar. This works really well at Cosmic Ray's in Tomorrowland because they have a huge variety at the topping bar including sauteed mushrooms. - Angie

Regarding hard to get dining reservations. If at first you don't succeed... Count back 45 days from the date of your desired reservation. Call that day to check for cancellations. The thinking behind this is your final payment for any Disney vacations is due 45 days prior to arrival. People may need to change travel dates or cancel before final payment is made. It worked for me with Chef Mickey's. I called 45 days prior to my desired reservation date and got a 5:00 ressie. The cast member and I were both shocked and surprised. Simply Magical! - Gina Thayer

Since you're talking about the Character Experience, a true rare one to find is Jiminy Cricket. He only comes out once a year to meet and greet -- Earth Day, of course, at Rafiki's Planet Watch in Animal Kingdom. And to get my picture with him, I took a day off from work, drove a couple hours and made a day of it at the World --on my birthday, naturally. - Sergio Piedra

EDITOR'S NOTE: On Earth Day (April 22) Jiminy can also be spotted in the front of Animal Kingdom -- and sometimes over in the Magic Kingdom, too!