Tips about Mousecellaneous and Walt Disney World

Before we go to the Parks I always go on eBay and buy packages of 100 or more glow bracelets. They are incredibly cheap in bulk and can be linked together for necklaces just like the much more expensive park ones. The kids can mix up the colors and have as many as they want by stacking them up necks, arms and legs so you can identify your little folks even in the darkest places. We even attach them to our stroller and bags to make them easier to find. The unbroken ones keep for up to a year or more and you can find tons of ways to use any leftovers during the year, like giving them away to trick-or-treaters at Halloween instead of candy (this is a REAL hit with the kids and parents around here), or wear them to July 4th fireworks, evening sports events, etc. - Nita Furlong

A certain "mart" store carries glow bracelets and necklaces around Halloween (quickly approaching) for only about 88 cents each! Needless to say, I grabbed a few to eliminate that extra expense, and so my kids have just a good a time as all the other kids who have glowing items at the SpectroMagic parade. Extra tip: If your trip is not until AFTER Halloween, the bracelets/necklaces go on sale (which is when I bought mine!) for HALF PRICE! 44 cents each! We're on countdown! - Angelique Williams

While school shopping at an office supply store we found these really neat fiber optic pens at each register. A press of the button changes the colors from red, blue and green to mixes, with it finally going into a mode where it rotates between the colors. The best part? They are only $2 each AND they are functioning pens! So far I've seen them at three different locations here in New England (always at the register). I've already bought eight and put them away for our next WDW trip. This is a very cheap way to get out of buying light-up toys from the carts at night! - Jody LaFerriere

I enjoyed Joshua Olive's article on the little something extra and also his point that it can be the Cast Member you only see for a few moments that makes the difference. We have our own way of thanking folks -- my husband does origami and always carries paper with him to keep his hands busy. On our trips to WDW, when we see a Cast Member that we think needs a special thank you (because they never get noticed), he'll give them a small origami model -- a butterfly or an elephant, for example. We've thanked bus drivers, Fastpass checkers, and even a woman who was busing tables in the eating area of a counter-service restaurant. - Maggie Rioux

Your tip about deodorant reminds me of a trip we took not too long ago. On our Epcot day, my husband realized at around noon that he forgot to put on deodorant. Luckily we weren't far from the France pavilion. The perfume shop sells fancy French men's deodorant! He was able to get some, and it smelled very nice. I actually liked it better than what he usually wears! It certainly was better than not wearing any, and we didn't even have to leave the park -- a bargain in my opinion! (And actually the price wasn't bad at all.) - An anonymous reader

My son (who is now 11) and I go to a Disney park every year. We have visited Disneyland six times so far, Disneyland Paris once and we are going to WDW for the third time in September. He was only 2 on our first Disney trip. Each trip I purchase several t-shirts for the both of us. I always try and get at least one with the year printed on it. (They do a new style each year.) I have saved all of them. In 5 or 6 years I plan to have them made into a quilt. I will give him the quilt when he leaves for college. His first t-shirt is so tiny compared to the newer ones and I know they will just keep getting bigger! I hope that when he looks at it he remembers all of the Magical Memories we have shared at Disney. - Shellie Bandy

Disneyshopping.com has t-shirts with Disney characters that you can personalize and they are very reasonable. There are several designs to chose from and they can say whatever you want. "The Smiths' Magical Adventure" or "The Smiths on Holiday," for example. It's fun. - ErinNGreg

Here is a fun twist on that (wearing identical t-shirts) idea. My family recently went to WDW for our 10th trip together. We had t-shirts made at our local sports shop before the trip (for about $15 each). "WDW Trip #10" was on the front of the shirts. On the back, each person got to customize. They all said "I'm here for" and the person got to pick what they were most excited about to fill in the rest of the sentence. Mine said "I'm here for the safari!" What an experience! Cast members and other guests commented on our shirts all day! We felt like VIPs. It was one of my favorite Disney experiences. - Dsnygrl8!

My sister, her family and I took a trip to WDW, and before we left my brother-in-law thought it would be neat if we bought T-shirts that everyone would all wear one day. We decided to purchase The Incredibles red logo T-shirt for everyone. It was a success. We wore them on our Magic Kingdom day and everyone kept saying, "Look! The Incredibles!" or "Hey, where did you all get the shirts?" I am sure they probably sold the shirts somewhere on property but we bought them at The Disney Store before we left home. It also helped keep track of everyone. We are now in the process of finding another style of shirt for everyone to wear one day on our upcoming October trip. - Amy

One thing I find myself doing... as I read along the fantastic tips shared in the ALL EARS® weekly newsletter, I copy and paste segments of the tips and email them to myself, so I do not forget them. Later, I scroll through my email and print out or save the important tip to a folder on my PC. I even go as far as making a brightly colored folder for my "Disney Information," which becomes my lifeline for all things related to any future trip. It is easily carried along on the trip when the time comes and has my notes, tips, dining reservations, hotel information, grocery store lists... you get the idea. - Bonnie from PA

I was reading through your site for something new and fun at Disney that we hadn't done and that is a little less "Disney" so my husband might quit complaining about another trip to WDW. Well, I found it -- parasailing. After reading the reviews I decided to schedule two double tandem flights for two adults with two children, ages 7 and 10. Wow, was that great! The kids loved it and so did my husband and I. (Note: maximum combined weight is 300 lbs. per flight). We went to the Contemporary Resort marina, and the boat driver and instructor were both excellent at their jobs. - Crystal

ALL PARKS - As a teacher I have found the park maps to be a wonderful way to teach map skills to my first graders. I always make sure to pick up a handful for my students. I also laminate them and put them in our reading basket. Even laminated, they get a lot of wear. Too bad...I guess I'll have to go back for replacements! - Rae Vautrin

Ever wonder how much walking you do at the different parks, or on different days? So did we. A couple of years ago I bought an inexpensive pedometer basically for this purpose. You may want to consider this, as it gives you a little more to talk about after your vacation. We keep a daily log of the miles we walk and share it with our friends back home. Also you will either confirm what you already think about how far you walk, or you may be quite surprised that you walked as far as you did. Just a note -- we always rack up the most miles on our days at Epcot. - Bob Rogers

I noticed in some of the online forums that many people will use their vacation as a reason or inspiration to get in shape. After all, you will need your "walkin' shoes" in the World! I, too, have begun walking in the mornings for exercise... inspired by our pending trip to that Magical Place! My tip is: there are many new sources for podcasts about Disney World. Listening to these podcasts really makes your walk go quickly! You don't need an iPod to listen; any MP3 player will do, or even burn them to disc for your old-fashioned CD Walkman! - Tom in Connecticut

EDITOR'S NOTE: We're aware of several Disney podcasts that have started up in recent months -- there's MouseTunes found at: http://mousetunes.com/ There are also the podcasts at WDWToday.com -- be sure to check out Episodes #19 and #22, which feature ALL EARS® editors Deb Wills and Deb Koma, discussing their book (PassPorter's Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs). We're sure there are other podcasts out there, too -- do a quick internet search if you're interested in finding more.

While preparing for our trip and reading all the tips I could find, I came across the tip about getting the dish wipes for washing out the refillable cups or anything else you might need to wash. I thought that it was an excellent tip and set out to try to find them. I looked in every store in my area trying to find them, but could not. Finally I decided to try to make my own. I got some thick baby wipes and laid them flat on the kitchen counter. I squeezed on some dish soap and left them to dry until the next day. When they were dry, I put them in a zipper top bag. It worked perfectly and I was able to use things I already had around the house! - Angela B.