Tips about Food & Beverage and Packing

If you're on a tight schedule and want to be seated as close to your ADR time as possible, it may be best to make reservations for earlier rather than later. On our trip this month, I noticed that the later our dinner reservation was, the longer it took to get seated. This becomes even worse if it rains. People already seated for their meal do not finish and leave the restaurant as quickly when they know it's raining outside. - Collette

If you're a AAA member, bring your card and ask about available discounts at restaurants. Some places outside the parks, like Earl of Sandwich at Disney Springs and Fresh at the Walt Disney World Dolphin, offer a better discount for AAA members than they do for AP holders or DVC members. - Laura Gilbreath

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a healthy breakfast alternative, try the oatmeal at Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom. It's a generous serving of oatmeal topped with fresh crisp chunks of apple, golden raisins, Craisins, and brown sugar. And at only $2.79 it's quite a bargain! - Laura Gilbreath

That tip reminded me of an opposite issue we had with items freezing. This was our first trip flying since the airline changes of needing to pack certain liquid items in our checked luggage. When we got to the resort and began unpacking, I found that my liquid facial cleanser that I had put in a travel bottle was super-thick and extremely cold from being in the luggage compartment of the plane. It was almost impossible to get out of the bottle. It never did go back to its normal consistency, even after a week. I plan to take a small bar of facial soap next time to avoid the problem. I also had some liquid toner in a travel bottle, luckily in a baggie, because I guess with the pressure changes, had leaked out in the bag. Now that many toiletry items are packed in checked luggage, zip-top baggies are a must, and you may want to avoid bringing some of your usual liquids and opt for alternative products to avoid messes and freezing. - Sandy Ednie

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

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

Animal Kingdom Lodge - A reader writes in about the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" at Sanaa that we reported on last week: The best way to book the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" offering is to call the Safari line for Wanyama Safari at (407) 938-4755. That gets you the Animal Kingdom Lodge Itinerary Planning Office. Calling the Kidani Front Desk will actually get you the call center, and they know almost nothing about the new offering and can't book it.

When we've made our Disney Dining reservations, one thing that helps us to get to our restaurant on time -- I enter my reservation number and time of reservation into my phone. I set my alarm to go off to remind me at least an hour before the reservation. That way, I'm not late and I have plenty of time to get from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot, or wherever I am. - Judy Shock

This was our second trip to Disney -- both equally awesome! Our hotels were great for our family of four (Port Orleans - Riverside and Caribbean Beach, respectively), with ample drawer and hanging space for our clothes, but never enough hangers. This year we brought extra hangers from home, which really helped to organize our clothes and to get some wrinkles out. And after we came home, I left the extra hangers in the suitcases for our next trip! - Sandy from Connecticut

We took a nightlight for the room, and we brought a toddler toilet seat (our son would fall through otherwise). - Stephanie

I also bring on of those pop-up hampers that you can get for like $4. That way we can keep the dirty clothes separated. They have nice handles so I can take the whole hamper to the laundry room and throw a load in when the kids are swimming and then bring them back to the room. - Jamie

My entire crew is used to sleeping with a sound machine. On our first trip, I forgot to bring one, and needless to say we did not sleep well (there is no way to keep the bathroom fan or air conditioner running nonstop). So, if you are used to having one, make sure you take one along. They also cut down on the "traffic" noise from the hotel. - Heather

Clean out your closet! When we travelled to Walt Disney World (we now live in Florida), we would take clothes we never really wore. The clothing we brought, we disposed of after its use. Here are the benefits: We did not care how wet or dirty our son got; we had room for our souvenirs without adding baggage when we departed; and we had much less laundry to deal with when we got home. Also, it gave us a reason to buy an extra Disney shirt or two. - The Bornsteins

I like to line the front and back of my suitcase with scented trash bags. That way, if it is raining when we leave and luggage is exposed to the elements, the clothing stays dry. Plus, I can put dirty clothes in the scented trash bags during the trip. - Michelle

Here is a tip to save on luggage fees, if flying, or trunk space, if driving, to Disney. We ran into a "space" problem when plans changed and we were transporting luggage for nine people in one van. Not to mention the six people who were riding in the van. I found that if you pack each persons clothes in a vacuum "storage bag" (as seen on TV!). I was able to fit three bags into one large suitcase. So instead of having nine suitcases, we only had three. Be sure that the suitcases have wheels. It does make them a bit heavier. When your vacation is over and you are ready to repack, call room service and ask to have a sweeper with a hose attachment sent to your room. They are more than happy to oblige. - Amy Williams