Tips about Characters and Magic Kingdom

When my wife and I took our nieces (ages 7 and 9) to Disney World two years ago, they especially wanted to meet Cinderella. I had already made reservations for the Cinderella breakfast in the castle, but I didn't tell the girls right away. Instead, I said only that if we were very lucky maybe Cinderella would invite us to meet her in her castle. In the meantime, my wife, Kathy, purchased some invitation cards at one of the shops, with Cinderella and the castle on the cover. She filled out the invitation from "Princess Cinderella," and, the day before the breakfast, secretly left them on the girls' pillows as we left the room for the day. When we returned, the girls found the invitations and were thrilled that Cinderella had personally invited them to breakfast! Also, don't give up if you can't get reservations for breakfast in the castle or for other popular character meals. If the meal is all booked up, try calling again for reservations just a day or two before the meal (or even the day of). Often there are cancellations. It worked for me! - Dennis Driggers

It goes without saying that kids will get more out of your Disney trip if they are familiar with the Disney characters and movies. Our 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Jaelyn, watches Disney videos and DVDs all year round, but right before a trip, we let her watch even more than usual. She knows the names of every character we see at WDW, and has no fear of them. We don't have the Disney Channel anymore, but we borrow Rolie Polie Olie, Bear in the Big Blue House, and many more DVDs from our local library. They can pull up a list of all the Bear videos in the system and order them from other libraries. Introduce your children to Disney characters before your WDW vacation and they will feel like they are meeting old friends when they see them in the parks. - Alea Laughery

A Cast Member wrote in to remind us about some dos and don'ts concerning character autographs: "Please do not bring crayons, golf pencils or small tiny pens for the characters to sign with. Remember most characters have very large hands (or paws) and cannot hold these small items very well. Characters LOVE thick Sharpie pens and now they have retractable ones. These are great." For other helpful hints visit: http://allears.net/tp/fur.htm

I just read over the section on postcards and remembered a crazy idea I had with them. On one trip to Disney World, a friend asked me to get Mickey's autograph. Not wanting to come back with a piece of paper, I bought several different postcards of Mickey. I waited in line to meet the Mouse and when I got to him, I asked if he would give me his autograph on the postcard. He took the postcard, looked at it for a brief second, and then gave me a thumbs up and signed the postcard. It's a great way to add a little magic to the postcard. I would suggest mailing autographed postcards to kids and family members as well. - Skip Broome

I took a 5x7 Creative Memories album (they now have a 7x7 album with Mickey Mouse on it) and every time that we saw a character, the kids would get them to sign the album on one side and then I would take their picture and place it on the other side. Bring lots of extra refills -- I think we went through the album and then at least 1 1/2 refill packs for autographs. P. Hall

We just got back today from a week at Walt Disney World. We found that by far the best place to get character autographs is in the Animal Kingdom in Camp Minnie-Mickey. Just go as soon as the Festival of the Lion King starts and you can walk right up to the characters with no line. My kids were the only ones in line for Mickey and Minnie and the Cast Member encouraged tons of pictures and different poses. I also suggest that you buy your autograph books before you go so your kids can get autographs as they come into the park! - Lisa Frieden

ALL PARKS - I just returned from a trip to WDW. The 3M Company now has a new Post-It Flag Highlighter that includes both a highlighter and Post-It flags in one. It was PERFECT for marking the maps to the parks. I would circle the attraction number with the highlighter and then put a Post-It flag on the number on the map. They are see-though, so they don't cover up the number. The "pen" fit perfectly in my fanny pack! - Leah Price

Take a shoestring/small cord and put it thru the spiral binding on the autograph book. Frees the kids (and your) hands and it is easily slipped over their head when they see a character. - Karen S.

ALL PARKS - I purchased "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" book before our trip. I tore out the pages in the back of the book (the ones that suggest which attractions to see and in which order -- a very valuable tool) and laminated them. I then punched a hole in a corner of each page. As we set off for a certain park for the day, I would attach that set of pages with a binder ring to my fanny pack. I then had a quick reference guide for all the attractions and restaurants in that park. It was outside my fanny pack so I could look at it quickly without having to open my fanny pack each time. It was laminated so if it rained, the pages were not ruined, and they could withstand a lot of abuse. I took along a Sharpie marker and marked off each attraction as we visited it so I could see at a glance where we'd been and where we were supposed to go next. It worked out very well for our trip. - Lisa Kent

ALL PARKS - If you arrive at Magic Kingdom prior to opening, there is a Welcome Show on the Train Station Platform.

MAGIC KINGDOM - For a fun experience, visit the Harmony Barbershop in the Magic Kingdom! Prices for haircuts are $15- $18 for children, $19 for adults, plus tip.

Magic Kingdom - On my last trip to WDW I had my 9 month old with me. After running out of formula, I asked around and none of the cast members knew where I could get any within WDW. After taking a $30.00 cab ride to the nearest grocery store, I found out that WDW does stock the popular brands of formula, among other baby necessities, at a small baby store by the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. - Cara Nelson

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each of the 4 theme parks at Walt Disney World have a Baby Care Center (usually located near the First Aid building). They have a variety of items for sale.

This year, instead of the regular autograph books or white baseball hats to have the characters sign, I wanted something that I could bring home and use in our scrapbook. I bought a "Stax" pack of 100 sheets of multicolored card stock pre-cut into 4" x 6" sheets. (I chose the primary colors.) I then separated them into three stacks, one for each of my children, and punched a hole in the top left corner of each sheet. I had gotten three of the new key rings that are basically oval clips with a ring attached to them. I then let each of my kids choose one of the "shaped" key rings that matched (i.e., heart, star, etc.). That clip was then attached to the oval on each "book" and the outer clip was used to let the kids attach their book to a belt loop, backpack, etc. Then, when we returned home, I just unhooked the pages from the clip and each autograph can be used in the scrapbook. (We always take black Sharpie markers with us to use.) - Michelle Suit
For other scrapbooking tips, visit: http://allears.net/btp/scrapbook/intro.html

When getting character autographs, please have your children hand the character the pen with the tip down. It's very hard to turn the pen around and hold an autograph book. Also felt tip markers work best. - Stacey

MAGIC KINGDOM - If you are using your own stroller to go to the Magic Kingdom take the Ferry Boat rather than the Monorail. You won't have to fold your stroller. Just stroll on and stroll off!!! - MyersFam1