Tips about Epcot and Travel By Car

ALL PARKS - It's been said before, but the early bird gets the worm. Each morning we rose with the sun and were at the gates of our chosen park at opening. We literally cruised through on every ride, numerous times. (Expedition Everest five times in 20 minutes!) We were out of the parks by 10:30 each day. Our kids left vacation feeling like we had seen and done everything and we never noticed the crowds. We heard so many complaining about how horrible it was and we shared a private chuckle about our planning. - Michelle K

Epcot - I was also at Epcot on New Year's Eve 2012 along with Zamgwar and many thousands of others. We had done New Year's Eve twice before, both times at Hollywood Studios. If you want to ensure you get to ride the popular attractions with little wait, you should plan on being at the parks at least a half hour BEFORE the parks open. For special days like New Year's Eve, plan on spending 16 to 18 hours in the park so get plenty of rest the night before. My son and I were the first ones on Mission: Space while my wife and daughter went and got FastPasses for Soarin'. At 8:30 we were allowed to get new FastPasses and got them for Test Track, which was closed for most of the morning due to technical difficulties. Plan on doing attractions you might not normally do and try to rest when you can during the day. I caught some zzz's at the American Adventure. This was the first trip in almost 20 to the World that we walked the entire World Showcase and visited every country and saw all the movies. The only hiccup of the night was IllumiNations was supposed to start at 11:40, but was 10 minutes late starting. That threw off the New Year's fireworks as the "Countdown to New Year's" started at 12:10 a.m. on January 1, 2013. - Rob Ripper

Epcot - I was also at Epcot on New Year's Eve 2012 along with Zamgwar and many thousands of others. We had done New Year's Eve twice before, both times at Hollywood Studios. If you want to ensure you get to ride the popular attractions with little wait, you should plan on being at the parks at least a half hour BEFORE the parks open. For special days like New Year's Eve, plan on spending 16 to 18 hours in the park so get plenty of rest the night before. My son and I were the first ones on Mission: Space while my wife and daughter went and got FastPasses for Soarin'. At 8:30 we were allowed to get new FastPasses and got them for Test Track, which was closed for most of the morning due to technical difficulties. Plan on doing attractions you might not normally do and try to rest when you can during the day. I caught some zzz's at the American Adventure. This was the first trip in almost 20 to the World that we walked the entire World Showcase and visited every country and saw all the movies. The only hiccup of the night was IllumiNations was supposed to start at 11:40, but was 10 minutes late starting. That threw off the New Year's fireworks as the "Countdown to New Year's" started at 12:10 a.m. on January 1, 2013. - Rob Ripper

ALL PARKS - A great way to save time if possible is to go to the park without a bag. We could not accomplish this on every park visit, but when we would go to Magic Kingdom for a short visit in the morning or evening, we packed small necessary items (camera, lip balm, antibacterial gel) in my husband and son's cargo pockets, wore our Photopass and tickets around our necks and breezed into the parks. - Tanya

Before we would leave [on our car trips to Florida], we would give each of our three children a roll of quarters. They loved playing video games, and every time they said, "Are we there yet?" they paid me 25 cents. They seldom would ask more than once or twice! My kids are now grown, so we use the same thing on the grandkids when we take them on a trip, and we all laugh at how much money their Mommy or Daddy lost. - Jill Rengering

We have two Walt Disney World trivia books (compliments of our travel agent at Mouse Fan Travel). For about an hour at a time, on the drive to Florida, we play a game. I read the trivia question and the four multiple choice answers. My husband and two sons guess the correct answer. I keep a tally of how many each person gets correct. Then they each get one Disney Dollar for each point earned in the game. They can spend the Disney Dollars on anything they want in the parks and resort, such as Dole Whips, arcade tokens, and souvenirs. This alleviates the constant requests for Mom and Dad to buy them things and, since it's their "money," they only buy the items and snacks they really want. You might think the older kids and adults would have an advantage in the trivia game, but believe it or not, the questions are such that the answers are mostly guesses anyway. The kids just love it when they can beat Dad! My sons are older now but they still want to play Disney Trivia on the drives to Florida. They know a good thing when they see it! - Martha

ALL PARKS - Just a reminder to check when counter service restaurants close. We were at Disney's Hollywood Studios three weeks ago, counting on eating our meal at one of the counter service restaurants. All were closed by 8:15, except for the one closest to Fantasmic, so we had to eat at Mama Melrose's and pay $150. It was a lovely meal, but we were on the dining plan and had carefully planned when to use our dining credits. - Ellen

Epcot - I just wanted to let you know there is now an additional place to get kosher food in Epcot. It is at the Electric Umbrella restaurant in Future World. This is helpful, because if you need the kosher food, you don't have to go all the way to the American Adventure's Liberty Inn in World Showcase. - Michael Lorch

Epcot - I just wanted to let you know there is now an additional place to get kosher food in Epcot. It is at the Electric Umbrella restaurant in Future World. This is helpful, because if you need the kosher food, you don't have to go all the way to the American Adventure's Liberty Inn in World Showcase. - Michael Lorch

Epcot - If the crowds are large and you didn't get to a good spot three hours early to watch IllumiNations, there is a restroom as you enter Norway. Across from the restrooms is a bench that provides a nice place to sit and watch IllumiNations. You can't see everything, but you're away from the crowds and you can see the globe and fireworks away from everyone on a comfy spot. - Anthony

Epcot - If the crowds are large and you didn't get to a good spot three hours early to watch IllumiNations, there is a restroom as you enter Norway. Across from the restrooms is a bench that provides a nice place to sit and watch IllumiNations. You can't see everything, but you're away from the crowds and you can see the globe and fireworks away from everyone on a comfy spot. - Anthony

When we travel with our auto or motor coach we have found the book, "Next Exit" to be valuable for planning purposes. This book will tell you what is available at each exit off an interstate throughout the country. It includes dining, lodging, gas, shopping and anything else of interest. It will also alert you to the mile markers for the rest stops. We use ours and take notes on each trip as to where we enjoy stopping, cleanliness of places, etc. It is a great addition to your auto when traveling. (Kay)

Purchase the Next Exit Book

I just read the problem Denise Schlawin had with items melting in her family's luggage in the car. Don't forget that even if your room is not ready, you can check your bags with Bell Services at your resort. They will hold your luggage as long as you need them to. When your room is ready and you get back to your resort, go to the Bell Services desk and ask them to bring your luggage up to your room. It's better than 1) having items melt and possibly ruining clothing and 2) getting to your room THEN calling down to have the luggage brought up and waiting. We've waited for as long as an hour for our luggage, and have found going directly to the Bell Services desk to have the luggage brought up, they almost follow you directly to your room! - Elizabeth Kozdron

We recently returned from our trip to WDW! Such fun! We arrived early in the day, checked into our resort and headed straight for the parks. We left our luggage in the car and decided to unload it later on. We returned later in the day after temperatures in the 90s to find that several items had melted in the heat. Our deodorant and lip balms had melted and the packages of fruit snacks were melted into a giant "blob." My advice is to make sure to put anything that melts in a separate zipper-top bag and put it in a cooler. - Denise Schlawin

Epcot - As a cast member who used to work at Sum of All Thrills in Innoventions East, I wanted to say that if you want the most thrilling ride available there, ask a cast member if they have any high score cards. They sometimes have a few available, and if not, someone might be able to help you design it. - D.