Tips about Epcot, Food & Beverage and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

EPCOT - I really loved your article on overlooked attractions at EPCOT - we've actually managed to see most of the ones that you mentioned, but we'll be looking for the ones that we've missed. However, while you mentioned the butterfly garden, you didn't mention the rose garden. It's nothing other than a small, alternate path between Innoventions and the World Showcase Lagoon (on the right as you face the World Showcase Lagoon), but it's usually fairly deserted, and it is lined with hundreds of rose bushes, all different varieties.

My husband and I like to walk along this path (OK, I probably enjoy it more than my husband), stopping and looking at the beautiful roses and smelling the different fragrances. Most of the varieties are marked with a small plaque, so if you find something you really like, you could write it down. There are one or two benches along this path (although, there is NO shade), and I've sat and enjoyed the morning while watching families rush along the path completely missing the beautiful flowers. - Jill A. Neill

EPCOT - I really loved your article on overlooked attractions at EPCOT - we've actually managed to see most of the ones that you mentioned, but we'll be looking for the ones that we've missed. However, while you mentioned the butterfly garden, you didn't mention the rose garden. It's nothing other than a small, alternate path between Innoventions and the World Showcase Lagoon (on the right as you face the World Showcase Lagoon), but it's usually fairly deserted, and it is lined with hundreds of rose bushes, all different varieties.

My husband and I like to walk along this path (OK, I probably enjoy it more than my husband), stopping and looking at the beautiful roses and smelling the different fragrances. Most of the varieties are marked with a small plaque, so if you find something you really like, you could write it down. There are one or two benches along this path (although, there is NO shade), and I've sat and enjoyed the morning while watching families rush along the path completely missing the beautiful flowers. - Jill A. Neill

I have one suggestion for visiting the parks, especially in the hot months. Bottled water is readily available at the parks (at inflated prices), so why not bring a water bottle/jug of your own? I purchased an Arctic Zone brand insulated water jug at my local Walmart for around $6. It has a wide mouth, insulated bag and a shoulder strap and holds just over 32 oz. Take it to any counter service restaurant in the parks that sells fountain drinks and ask a Cast Member to fill it with ice water. It's free!! That way, you have nice cold water all day! - Noreen Rachuba of Pittsburgh, PA

I recommend making a reservation for the character breakfast with Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace on a morning that the Magic Kingdom does NOT open early. My family and I went in August and made reservations for 8:15 a.m. We were allowed to enter at 8 a.m. With the extra time, we took a nice group photo on an empty Main Street with one of the photographers. By the time we finished breakfast, it was 9 a.m. We took advantage of our location and went to Fantasyland, where we walked onto the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and had a minimal wait time (5 minutes) for Dumbo. - Diane Suznovich

Consider having dessert for dinner! If you're on a budget, but your tummy's growling about 4:30 or 5 p.m... if you don't have time or money for a sit-down dinner... if you don't want to get loaded down with meat and potatoes... have dessert for supper! Find one of those awesome coffee and sweet shops located in every park, let each child order their own personal favorite, and go for a pick-me-up latte or mocha for the grown-ups! Everyone is full and recharged, and you've spent about $20 (maybe a little more if kids drink milk with their sweets, but if it's hot, water is much better!). Plus your kids will never forget the evening Mom and Dad let them have ice cream for supper at Disney World! - Natalie Lipman

My wife and I just returned from our third Disney vacation this year and wanted to share a great money-saving tip we picked up on our first trip some years back. Most of the counter service restaurants are fairly pricey, but you do get a lot of food for your money. After a few quick meals, my wife and I started splitting our lunches. A large hamburger with fries and a Coke usually filled us up, but still allowed room for a Mickey ice cream bar or some other snacks during the day. - Rob B.

DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS - At '50s Prime Time Cafe, they have ice cubes that light up! We purchased every color. We carried them in our backpack, and when we ate at other restaurants, my kids would entertain themselves with the only "glow" drinks in other restaurants! - Candy F., Fairfield, Conn.

EDITOR'S NOTE: These "glow cubes", as they're being called, are popping up at many dining establishments around the World. On our trip to WDW just last weekend, we spotted them at several locations, including on Pleasure Island.

MAGIC KINGDOM - Our family just returned from Disney World and I want to thank you for all the valuable information I received while researching our trip. I love this site! Since I got so many tips from you, I wanted to contribute a tip for others. After spending the day at the Magic Kingdom, we were ready to eat dinner and watch the fireworks. The park closed at 6:30 that particular day. To our surprise, many of the restaurants stopped serving food and were actually closed by 5:00, which was an hour and a half before the park even closed. We managed, but I hope others will benefit from this information. - Michelle Goebel

If you have something in a restaurant at WDW that you like, don't hesitate to ask for the recipe. They have always given it to me. I still can't figure out how to cut down the recipe for Cheddar Cheese Soup from Le Cellier but my best surprise was the email that was waiting for me from Boma after our last trip. It adds the fun and extends your trip. - Joan Riegger

DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS - Being a finicky eater I have found that in a lot of the restaurants, '50s Prime Time Cafe is one, just ask and they will do their best to please your tastebuds. For example, at Mama Melrose's, our server noticed we were not crazy about all types of cheeses on the four-cheese pizza, so he offered to have it prepared the way we wanted it. It was great! - Malcolm Mann

As a health inspector and food safety education specialist, I implore you to please, please advise your readers NOT to carry perishable leftovers around in the parks. Leftover portions of entrees and prepared foods can multiply bacteria *very* rapidly, especially in the heat of Florida. Even if reheated, these foods can make you or your family mildly or very ill... a sure vacation disaster. - Michele Samarya-Timm

Dining at Disney World is fun and delicious and first quality, but can get expensive. We eat our larger meal at lunchtime - some restaurants will even serve as late as 3:30 or 4:00 for lunch. The same item for dinner can be lots more expensive. All the theme parks have "turkey leg" carts. I believe they cost about $5 and are a hugh piece of meat. One smoked turkey leg will serve 2 children or 2 smaller-appetite adults. This or food from other carts (baked potato, etc.) are filling enough for a light dinner and inexpensive. This helps us with our family of 5. - Peggy from Florida

We asked a locker attendant where we needed to go to make dining reservations, assuming it would involve standing in a line, and were told all we needed to do was to pick up any WDW pay phone and dial *88. This was perhaps the most timesaving and convenient tip we received while at WDW. We made calls from virtually every park and were usually able to make our dinner reservations in about two minutes. - Laura Bynum

To those Disney enthusiasts who know about the suspension of early entry days [Editor's Note: this was written during the time that early entry or Extra Magic Hour as it is now know was not being held], it didn't matter during this time of the year. Besides, we encountered a lovely way to enter the park early... Character Breakfast. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom one day about 35 minutes before the turnstiles were open. We saw people going in so we headed in that direction. We were told that only people with breakfast priority seating were able to enter early, so we made them. That's right! We made them at the gate and entered into the park and got a 5- minute head-start on everyone who didn't have priority seating. Our breakfast was at the Crystal Palace and we loved every bit of it. The food was good and the characters were everywhere. Because it was not 100% full, the characters made many rounds to the tables and all the kids got hugs, autographs, and pictures. It was awesome! We decided right then and there that we were going to have Character Breakfasts every morning for the rest of our stay and we did and we loved it!!!! - Skipbroome

One more tip: Schedule your character breakfast just before lunchtime. We had ours at Hollywood & Vine (in Disney's Hollywood Studios) at 11 a.m. We were seated by about 11:15 and were able to enjoy the breakfast and lunch buffet. It was great! - Barb Jensen

EDITOR'S NOTE: This tip applies to all the other character breakfast locations.