Tips about Planning and Souvenirs

The My Disney Experience app now can show you where the pressed penny machines are located. Launch the app, click on the magnifying glass at the top to search. Type in: coin press. The map will now show you all the coin press machines in Walt Disney World. - Jean

I just wanted to share a tip for those who may be visiting Disney World as part of a graduation trip. If you want a really unique and affordable Disney keepsake, have Disney characters sign your graduation cap! Metallic silver and gold markers work really well for making their signatures stand out against a black cap. Also, make sure to bring more than one marker because they tend to dry out quickly. Many of the characters I met had a lot fun playing around with my cap during the meet and greet, especially the Mad Hatter! Based on my experience, I would suggest scheduling at least one character dining experience. This way, you don't have to carry around your cap all day. Even if you do decide to carry it with you, at least it is a very light item to keep in your travel bag. My college graduation was a very memorable experience, but now, each time I see my graduation cap, I feel that extra Disney magic that makes it even more special. - Chiara

We aren't really big soda drinkers, so the refillable mugs aren't a good investment for us. However, we do like our morning coffee. I found disposable coffee cups with lids at the local dollar store. We make coffee in our room, take it with us on the way to the parks, then throw the cups away when we are finished. It's super-cheap and we aren't carrying around a cup all day! - Laura Briggs

We just returned from a Disney World vacation. We purchased packages of MagicBand "bits" for our children on our first day there. The second day both boys had lost some of their "bits" from their Magic Bands. We asked a cast member at the Emporium if we were doing something wrong. We were sure we had pushed them all the way in the holes. She got a manager who told us you need to be careful, as they easily catch on things when getting on and off rides. He replaced one son's by opening a new pack, but he did not have my other son's, so he brought out a box of open packs and let him pick the two he wanted. - Jolene

A tip for UK visitors: In shops, kids struggle to work out the cost of something in British pounds, as they have to add the sales tax and then do the currency conversion. When ours were younger I made little conversion charts with the GBP equivalent (with sales tax added) of up to $20. As long as they can add up, they can then work out what things are going to cost from their spending allowance without having to ask Mum or Dad all the time. - Juli Williamson

My tip is for fans of the trading pins. I have a lanyard and pins that I wear daily at school (I am a teacher). I had the problem of the pin backs coming off and losing my precious pins. I've solved the issue by using an eraser from a mechanical pencil. They can be purchased cheaply at local stores and I have yet to lose a pin that is backed by an eraser. - Angela

Something we tried this last time we stayed at the Boardwalk Villas was to bring a water purifier that you connect to the kitchen faucet. This worked amazingly well! We didn't have to haul or buy a whole bunch of water bottles for our trip, you just keep refilling a glass or reusable container. You don't have the waste of the plastic bottles or have to drink the nasty-tasting Orlando water! Just write down a reminder to take your purifier off the faucet before you leave. When you get home, connect the purifier back to your own kitchen faucet! - Tammy

When making dining reservations using the Disney website make sure you log in before you select your reservation time. I lost two reservations to 'Ohana (on two separate occasions) because after I selected the reservation time the system prompted me to log in. Once I logged in, the system did not hold the reservation that I selected. Very disappointing! I sent a message to Disney regarding this problem and their solution was to be sure that you are logged in prior to searching for a dining reservation. - Sarah Kelley

Like most of you reading this, I can't get enough of Walt Disney World and my family tries to make it there at least once a year. I am also an avid gardener who has brought home a couple of garden souvenirs from the Flower and Garden Festival, but those can be pricey. So I have started buying a couple of the antenna toppers for cars on each trip. I glue and insert a sturdy length of wire into each one and place them in some of my flower pots on the deck and throughout the yard. The toppers are really cute, inexpensive (by Disney standards!) and easily replaced as needed. My kids are grown, but it could also make for a fun backyard version of "find the hidden Mickeys!" - Sheril Maddox

We bring a sleeve of plastic disposable cups to the Disney parks in our backpack. That way we can buy two or three water bottles and share them among the five of us. The cups are light and when we buy five individual bottles no one ever finishes theirs. - Gail Geiser

Pressed Penny update -- ELSA is at the shop OUTSIDE of the Epcot entrance near the International Gateway. (Kristin Ford notes that she just made the Olaf pressed penny at the store on the left along the entrance to World Showcase - by the Duffy meet and greet. A penny with both Elsa and Anna can be pressed inside the toy store at the Norway pavilion.) - Trisha Hwang

For all those folks writing about nightlight options -- Make sure your wall-mounted hair dryer is plugged in! Each room I've ever stayed in, regardless of pixie dust level, has the built-in night light feature. Though, as a retired teacher, I admit that the cyalume sticks (glow sticks) are always fun! - Scott Stuart

We have vacationed many times at Walt Disney World since 1993. Oftentimes, I will ship a package a week in advance, filled with snacks and surprises. I've learned the hard way, if you're staying at a conference center resort (for example, the Contemporary or Bay Lake Tower) send the box via USPS. If it is shipped UPS or FedEx, you are charged a service/handling fee when you check-in and claim your package. - Ann

Epcot - When my son and daughter-in-law were expecting our now 3-year-old grandson Kai, I visited each country in Epcot and asked a cast member to sign a little message to him in his/her native language. They translated it in English as well. When I approached each cast member, they were delighted to have a part in welcoming our grandson into the world! Upon returning home, I compiled the signatures, along with a picture of each country, put them in a small photo album, and gave it to my daughter-in-law at her baby shower. I have since done the same album of signatures with my subsequent grandson Caleb and most recently with Kai's baby sister Adalie. - Kim N.

Epcot - When my son and daughter-in-law were expecting our now 3-year-old grandson Kai, I visited each country in Epcot and asked a cast member to sign a little message to him in his/her native language. They translated it in English as well. When I approached each cast member, they were delighted to have a part in welcoming our grandson into the world! Upon returning home, I compiled the signatures, along with a picture of each country, put them in a small photo album, and gave it to my daughter-in-law at her baby shower. I have since done the same album of signatures with my subsequent grandson Caleb and most recently with Kai's baby sister Adalie. - Kim N.