Tips about Hollywood Studios and Souvenirs

Disney's Hollywood Studios - We love to draw the characters at the Animation Academy in Disney's Hollywood Studios, and have struggled with carrying the pictures around the park all day. The inside tube from aluminum foil or plastic wrap works really well to keep the pictures from creasing or wrinkling. The drawings are great souvenirs to frame when you return home. - Teresa Palauskas

Last time I went to Walt Disney World I bought a fleece shirt that had a "security tag" on it. Unfortunately, I did not realize until I got home that the cast member who checked me out never removed it. How frustrating! Do yourself a favor and double-check your clothes for those tags before leaving for home. - mkmouse

We reuse our popcorn containers we get from Disney. They come in handy for many things. Our main use for them is to cut up fruit, like watermelon or pineapple, and store the fruit in those containers. Then the kids can grab their fruit whenever they want some and it's already cut up. We also use them for markers and crayons, great storage containers. - Nicole Miller

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

Disney's Hollywood Studios - Since its introduction as a regular feature several years ago, the Jedi Training Academy has become an extremely popular interactive experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios. As a result, participating in the activity, which is held several times throughout the day, can be challenging. Here are some tips to help you snag an spot for your child to become a Padawan and feel The Force:

• Arrive Early: Sign-ups for the Jedi Training Academy start as soon as the park's turnstiles are opened (this includes Extra Magic Hour mornings); if the park is scheduled to open at 9 a.m., they tend to open about 15 minutes prior. This should be your first stop once you enter the park -- the earlier you sign up, the earlier the show you will get into. Spots fill up very quickly and it is not uncommon for all spots to be filled by 10 or 10:30 a.m., depending on park attendance.
• Have Your Children With You: As part of the sign-up process the cast members need to ask your children a couple of questions to make sure they will follow instructions and be safe on stage. Cast members will also ask the children how old they are to verify they are between the ages of 4 and 12. For this reason, you need to have your children with you. Spots cannot be saved for children who are not present.
• Plan on Committing an Hour for the Show: When you sign up for a particular show you will be asked to return to the sign-up location 30 minutes prior to the show time. This is to ensure that all the children participants are present before heading to the stage. With the show lasting 20 to 25 minutes, this means that the whole Jedi Training experience will take almost an hour out of your day. You should take this into account when signing up. If you have a dining reservation let the cast members know. They are generally very accommodating with getting you into a show that will work for you.
• Show Viewing Areas: The viewing area at the stage is first come/first serve and does fill up. If possible, have one parent go with the child to the check-in area and the other adult go to the stage area to secure a viewing spot.
• Know the Alternate Process: Once all guaranteed spots have been filled for the day, cast members will begin to sign up alternates. THIS DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOUR CHILD WILL GET INTO A SHOW, but it does give them the possibility of getting in if a child with a guaranteed spot does not show up. Alternates are numbered in the order in which they sign up and will be asked to return 20 minutes prior to any of the shows. An alternate must be present in order to be placed into the show and if multiple alternates show up, the lowest numbered alternate will get the available spot. For example, if alternates 3, 7, and 9 were present, number 3 will be placed into the show if a child with a guaranteed spot does not show up. Note that alternates can return for as many (or as few) shows as they want until they are placed into an available spot.

http://www.allears.net/tp/mgm/jedi_mgm.htm

I just placed a merchandise mail order online and the cast member was able to offer me an annual pass discount as long as I emailed or faxed her a copy of my pass. - Michael Landman

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

We always like bringing pieces of WDW home with us. One of our favorite restaurants, Liberty Tree Tavern, sells the glass mugs that are used in the restaurant for only $5 each. We brought a few home with us and love using them. They make a fun, inexpensive souvenir that we actually can use every day. - Lori Craig

For all of us bigger guys, Disney looks to have made XXL tees actually a XXL size again. In the past two years XXL tees were cut much smaller than a true XXL, so we can now get a shirt that fits again. - John Sloboda

ALL PARKS - You know how everyone always asks for the front on Space Mountain and Expedition Everest? Ride in the back for a fun time! On Space Mountain, you feel every little drop, it jerks you around a little more and the ride feels longer. As for Everest, the backward part feels more dramatic, and the drop whips the back end of the train up and feels way longer. First-timers, ride in the front. But once you're familiar with these mountains, ask for the back -- you're in for a wild ride! - Chloe Ferreira

Most floral departments at grocery stores carry a plastic clip resembling a small clothes pin. We use these with the park balloons. You can attach the balloon strings (with the Mickey weights) to the clip and then clip to the stoller or the child. That way you are not fussing with tied on balloons at the bus stops! - Natalie

Disney's Hollywood Studios - We thought we had great seats in the front to see Disney Junior Live on Stage. But it's a puppet show, and the stage is about three feet high. Since we were in the front (you sit on the floor), most of the puppets were hidden by the edge of the stage. I think you'd be able to see more halfway back in the room. - Sue Arthur

Don't go immediately to the t-shirts for your kids. Look at oversized sleep shirts instead. They'll still fit years later, while a regular t-shirt may not fit in a few months. In fact, my dad bought me one back when I was 12. I'm 21 now and still sleep in it! (Mickey glows in the dark. It's very cool.) - Lauren

We have been Disney Vacation Club members since 2004 and have been staying in villas since, often times for 7-14 nights. Finally, during this last trip it dawned on me that it would be really nice to have magnets to put on the fridge to hold park hour schedules, ADR schedule, etc. So we did manage to find some magnets that we loved and used them for the remainder of our time. It made it so much easier for all to be able to see the ADR schedule along with park hours! Now I have added those magnets to future packing lists! - Lisa Fredsbo

My husband and I did the 2015 four-day Disney Vacation Club Member's Cruise and then spent five days at the BoardWalk Villas. We realized that our shopping and all the DVC gifts we received during the cruise were not going to fit in our luggage and would add a lot of extra weight. I asked in the gift shop about mailing cruise items and was directed to the business center that is part of the Convention Center at the BoardWalk. We took all of our bags to the business center, including two pieces of art. They were carefully wrapped and put in a big box that we sent FedEx ground. The box arrived the same day we got home. It was so was nice to have our purchases right away. - Annette A.