Tips about Food & Beverage, Resorts and Transportation

Hubby and I went to WDW a few weeks ago and we discovered that if you buy the $10 souvenir popcorn bucket you can get refills for only $1.50. Same bucket/same deal at any park! This is great if you are paying out of pocket for snacks and meals (and love popcorn!). - Michelle Henshaw

I recently had the chance to spend a night doing the Highway in the Sky Dine Around. I have been going to Disney World for 20 years now, usually twice a year for the festivals. I have to say this event was one of the best things I have ever done at Disney, although dessert had few choices. I hope that they keep this event going as I would surely do this again. Totally awesome experience. - Mike Emerson

Remember to ask for fragrance-free products in your hotel room if you are sensitive or have allergies. I don't know whether it was because I specified no fragranced cleaning products in our DVC villa or if Disney has switched across the board, but we had two boxes of "free and clear" laundry detergent available for our washer at Saratoga Springs during our New Year's trip. It was a very welcome touch. - Cheryl Howe

This tip about tips for visitors traveling from the U.K.: This isn't specifically Disney-related, but it is important, especially if you're new to the U.S. Servers expect to be tipped; it's how they really earn their wages. Don't try to avoid it or make lame excuses, if you receive an average/good service, a reasonable tip is 15 percent, if very good/excellent, at least 20 percent. Even if you buy a beer, tip! - Phill Barnett

My family and I just returned from a fantastic trip, staying at Beach Club for the first time and loved it! Wanted to share this tip: If you want a patio or full balcony, be sure request it when booking and through the online check-in system. Many second-floor balconies are standing room only. We were fortunate enough to have a full balcony and Epcot right outside our door. - Colleen Ziemkiewicz

Most TVs in the hotels have an HDMI port. This means you can connect your HDMI-ready laptop to them if you have the proper cable. This is nice for end of the day unwinding if your little one needs a favorite movie or some such to go to sleep. - Mike Layman

On mornings when Disney expects larger than normal crowds passing through the Transportation and Ticket Center, they often add bus service to get you to the Magic Kingdom. Be sure to take a look toward the bus area when coming in from the parking lot or at the end of the Epcot monorail exit ramp to see if the signs are out for the bus service. There are usually six buses in this rotation, so they are continuously dispatched. It is definitely faster than the ferry and usually beats the express monorail, too. This service only runs for a few hours in the morning; it is not available all day. - Jack

I found out last week that distilled water is available to purchase upon request at the Everything Pop food court (at Pop Century Resort). Distilled water is important to the many guests who use CPAP machines. It was as easy as going to one of the cashiers at the Everything Pop food court and requesting it. They keep it stocked in the back. I'm guessing many/all of the Disney Resorts carry it, too. Next visit I won't have to pack small bottles of distilled water in my luggage! Thanks, Disney! - Catherine Ryan

Arrange for dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort for the evening of your arrival. You may not want to waste a day on your ticket by going into the parks for just a few hours, especially if you've been traveling all day, but the kids want to get started. With young ones they want to SEE MICKEY and at Chef Mickey's you can see all the main characters right at your table, and get those autographs and pictures. The kids feel like they are at Disney right away and you aren't having to wait in line at the parks to see the main characters. We even had our daughter bring a picture she drew of Mickey and Minnie and they autographed it for her at the table. Very special. With little ones who want to see the princesses instead, I'd try to arrange for a princess character meal so the whole trip isn't about chasing down the characters. - Jennifer B.

If you are looking to have one of the world famous Monte Cristo Sandwiches at Disneyland, you have two choices: The Blue Bayou Restaurant or the Cafe Orleans. Although the Blue Bayou has wonderful atmosphere, the cost of the sandwich is double what it is at Cafe Orleans. Cafe Orleans is more of a small bistro type of restaurant. So if you are on a budget, you can get the same thing for half the price if you are willing to forgo the ambience. Also note that the Monte Cristo sandwich is available for lunch and dinner at Cafe Orleans, but is only on the lunch menu at Blue Bayou. - Janet Sherby

Even though the price of a single bottle of water is now $3.00, there are 1.1 liter (51 oz.) bottles of water in some of the shops that are $4.50. They are a much better value than the single bottles sold at stands in the parks. And if you have any type of discount available to you -- such as Annual Pass, DVC, etc., you can get the 1.1 liter bottle for $3.60. - Mary Waite

When booking, my travel agent said that the package included onwards travel to Walt Disney World. I said yes, as I understood this to mean Disney's Magical Express. A few weeks before our travel date, I received the final travel vouchers, which included a voucher for travel with a separate coach company from Orlando International to our Disney resort. Upon checking, we had paid extra for this service. As frequent visitors to Walt Disney World, we are aware of and have used Disney's Magical Express service, which is included for free with all on-property stays! Thankfully, I was able to cancel this and made use of the Magical Express. You do need to book this yourself. Being from the UK, we do not get the extra baggage tags, so it is important that we take our luggage with us to the Magical Express check-in. Hopefully this can reiterate to overseas travelers the services on offer from Disney, which aid to a smoother start to the magic! - Jason Herrick

Remember, if you forget where you parked your car, tell a parking attendant about what time you parked. They can then usually tell you about where you parked within a row or so. - Fred

We recently visited Fort Wilderness for the Campfire Sing-a-long. We headed over early, and were surprised to find that they were playing games and Chip and Dale were there. My daughter was able to play with Chip for more than five minutes all by herself. She was in love! - Robin Tater

At many of the Disney Resort rooms the drapes don't always come together enough to ensure privacy, especially the ones that are right next to the entrance door or the ones on corner rooms. I always bring along a couple of clothespins to clip them together at night. Then I can use them to hang up wet bathing suits on the line over the tub, too. - Marlene Culver