Tips about Laundry and Planning
Just wanted to add a laundry tip. Our family has skin allergies and can't use the Wisk tabs. I found that buying a 16 oz. container of Woolite and taking it with us is a great idea. It is relatively small and lays flat. The 16 oz. does eight washes. I also like the fact that it is liquid (has a cap), which makes it less messy than the powder detergent. - Keri DeFrancesco
Would like to add some advice to the laundry article. Make sure you pack your baggies of powdered detergent in your checked luggage. We rushed our packing to return home and put the left over Tide in my husband's carry on -- needless to say, when the bag went through the scanner at the airport, it was mistaken for a much more expensive powder!!! The officer made a beeline to where it was packed in the bag. We had to do some quick explaining and of course it smelled like Tide when the officer opened the baggie...whew!!!! - Mary Kay Reis of Pittsburgh, PA
Here's another laundry tip -- I purchased those new tablet laundry detergents. They come in individual packets that are great for packing into small areas of your suitcase. You save money as well as space because laundry detergent at the resorts are $1 per tiny box, which adds up fast if you have more than one load. - Priscilla Piacente
In one large Zip-Loc bag I put the following: a garbage bag, quarters for the washer and dryer in a snack-size Zip-Loc bag, two dryer sheets in another snack-size Zip-Loc bag, and measured laundry detergent in a medium Zip-Loc bag. Then I label the bag (just in case). Once we unpack, all I have to do is get the garbage bag out for our dirty clothes. Once the bag is full of dirty clothes, it is off to the washing machines. Pre-planning makes it so easy. No more hunting for quarters or detergent. It's all there. There is nothing like doing wash while sipping a tropical drink poolside in the bright sunshine!!!! - Heather from New York
I have one more tip related to Mary Cronin's idea. I hate walking on my treadmill. Has anyone actually recorded the walk from Spaceship Earth to the American Adventure to play back while walking the treadmill at home? My tape would always have to include a stop at Boulangerie Patisserie in France! YUM! - "Jungle" Jim Sirks
I read Mary Cronin's advisory to walk in order to be in shape for WDW, and I couldn't agree more. My wife and I are in our mid-50s and we have always wondered just how far we really do walk while at WDW, so we bought a pedometer and I wore it on our trip October 18-25. On the 18th and the 25th, our walking was limited to three hours each day due to our arrival and departure from WDW. Our first full day, which included Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we logged 8 miles -- for the week we were just shy of 40 miles! Believe me, we do not race around the parks. We walk at a normal pace, and we were astounded at the total. Our advice: start walking. - William Kested
EDITOR'S NOTE: ALWAYS be sure to break in any new pair of shoes/sneakers you have purchased for your trip.
Do lots of walking before you go to get in shape for walking at the World. This really pays off when you get there, in terms of stamina and enjoyment. We take family walks, and my husband and I also walk on a treadmill in the mornings. Just imagine you are walking from Spaceship Earth to the American Pavilion, or from the far end of one of the parking lot rows to the tram. If you're in better shape, you can pretend to jog from the rope at Tomorrowland to Space Mountain, or from the park entrance to Kilimanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom. Even if your style of Disney touring is a relaxed stroll, you will benefit from any walking that you do before you go. - Mary Cronin
Coming from Canada, with a 45 percent (loss) exchange rate at the time, moneysaving ideas were a must for our trip in Fall 2002. Before our trip I had printed off coupons for every restaurant and store we planned to visit.. The more I saved, the more I wanted to save. I packed everything from cereal to laundry soap so that I would not have to buy it in Orlando at an already inflated price, and with a high exchange rate for me. The best savings I got was on water. We purchased a case of 30 bottles of water at our local Wal-Mart for under $8 (Can). To have bought that at WDW, 30 bottles @ $2.50 US = $75, then add our exchange rate to that and we would have paid about $130 Canadian. Since we anticipated a lot of outlet shopping, we each brought two large suitcases. The 30 bottles were spread out among them, so the weight was not an issue. (But honestly, for that kind of savings, I would have carried them on my back.) Next time though, I'll pack two cases of water. Your website was invaluable to us while planning our vacation. Our daughters (ages 7 and 9 at the time of the vacation) agree that we had a year of WDW fun and excitement before we ever left our home in chilly Nova Scotia. By the time we got to WDW, they were READY. Our most valuable expenditure was in time spent preparing for the trip. - Greg L. from Canada
A few months ago someone suggested taking a soft-sided cooler with Ziploc bags to use in your room in lieu of renting a fridge at $10 a day. We took the suggestion one step further. I purchased a cooler with a plastic liner, took it home and put it in our luggage. Lo and behold it fit perfectly, which meant we would not have to worry about leaking Ziploc bags. And by packing our unmentionables inside the liner we did not lose any precious packing space. It worked out wonderfully and we saved $110 in the process. - Vonnie
Even though my 5 year-old daughter has been to Disney four times already, she's a little scared about getting lost. Trying to think of a way to relieve her fears, I thought of a great idea. We have those two-way FRS radios that we got before our cell phones. The kids know how to use them, so I just thought that we could put one in a fanny pack (from previous Disney trips) for my 5-year-old and my 7-year-old son and get another for us to hold. They know to look for a Cast Member if they get separated from us, but now we can still be in constant communication with them and have them lead us right to where they are. When I told Amanda about this idea she went right to her room and found her pack and put the radio in it. We don't leave until July! Talk about prepared! - Jenn B. from Philadelphia
This isn't a new tip, just some feedback on a tip I saw last year on the ALL EARS® newsletter. The five of us (mom, dad, son and 2 daughters) recently spent Christmas and New Year's at the Contemporary. Even with the larger room, things were a little crowded, but thanks to the tip to hang an inexpensive shoe bag over the bathroom door for storing everyone's 'stuff', the bathroom was clutter-free. I think my oldest daughter took up half of it. This is by far the best tip we've taken away from your informative newsletter. - Keith Link
Know your "high" seasons intimately! I called recently to get a room for a business trip to Orlando from November 29 to December 4, and was told by WDW reservations there were no rooms available. Same story from Shades of Green (I work for the Navy).
When I called back later that day and asked for November *30* to December 4, there were all sorts of rooms available (including discounted ones), in both Disney hotels and SoG! Seems the Thanksgiving crowd doesn't check out until Saturday. Bottom line: be flexible about your arrival and departure dates (stay in an off-site hotel the first or last night, if necessary), and don't be afraid to keep Disney personnel on the phone, asking about availability for this date or that date, as long it takes to get the answer you want!
Also: If you're active or retired U.S. military or a civilian working for the U.S. armed forces, and you don't already know about Shades of Green, you need to! All the details are at shadesofgreen.org. Right now SoG is being remodeled, but this actually represents an extraordinary opportunity! SoG is still taking reservations, they're just placing all guests in rooms apportioned to them from Disney hotels, at the normal SoG price (based on your rank or pay grade). A friend of mine got placed in Coronado Springs, but I scored what I consider the jackpot: the Contemporary Resort -- at $95/night! - Brent York
EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional information on Shades of Green can be found at:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_sog.htm
Of all the tips I have gathered over the course of our trips to Disney, this is my favorite: Buy one of those cheap vinyl pocket shoe organizers and hang it over the rod near the sink to keep all toiletries not only organized and neat, but most importantly, away from the sink area. - Debbie from Massachusetts
In most hotel rooms we have to play the game to find the electrical outlets. We usually have two chargers for cell phones and have to recharge the battery for the camera, so we always carry an extension cord with the extra receptacles on it. This way everything can get charged at the same time, plus they are all in the same place so you don't forget one that is on the floor behind a chair or something. - Enid Hadfield
