Tips about Rain and Resorts

FORT WILDERNESS - When staying at Fort Wilderness campground we always rent a golf cart. When it's time to see the Electrical Water Pageant, we take our carts and go back to a little lane (which used to lead to River Country), and off to the right you can take your carts onto the beach. This way you can have a nice spot that's not crowded and you are on the water. The kids can play in the sand until it's time for the parade. It's so peaceful. - Michelle Gates EDITOR'S NOTE: Carts are not allowed off paths or on beaches so you might need to park it and walk to a more remote spot.

All Resorts - On our last trip to WDW we had a fridge in our room -- very handy! However, our fridge was too cold and it froze 12 bottles of water solid. At first I was mad but I took two of the frozen solid bottles to the park with me and it actually worked out great. It took a good part of the day for them to totally un-freeze, so we had cold water almost the whole day. If you have a fridge with a freezer, put bottled water in the freezer instead of the fridge and you'll have cold water much longer throughout a day at the parks. - BEARWIFME

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a great tip, but if you try it, don't fill the bottles up to the very top -- leave an inch or two, since the water will expand as it freezes.

Another opinion regarding the tip about covering the strollers to protect against rain: stroller covers cost $7-$9 at most stores and can also be used safely with the child in the stroller, as it has a mesh for air to circulate. More (or at least equally) important, it's made of a stiffer plastic, which truly keeps the rain off the stroller. Ours was used during the rains before Hurricane Jeanne and the stroller stayed perfectly dry. We saw others with the rain ponchos covering the strollers. They would blow off, or the heavy rain would weigh them down and the accumulated water would drain in through the head opening. The humid air makes drying take a long time, even using a hairdryer (although that is the best way to get them dry before morning). If it's of importance to have a dry stroller (or a dry child in your stroller), an "authentic" stroller cover is definitely the way to go, and worth the money you pay for it. - Rhoda Smith

All Resorts - We always buy the refillable mugs at our resorts, the only problem is how to carry all the mugs you just filled to the park each day. Well, you need to buy the plastic "S" hooks that go onto the baby style gyms. They work great and secure the mug perfectly. You can get them at your local "dollar store." They also work great attaching packages and many, MANY other things to your stroller. - Rene Hogan

One of the Cast Members told us to stuff our soaked tennis shoes with paper towels overnight after a very wet day at Epcot. To our surprise, the insides of the tennis shoes were dry by morning! All we had to do was remove the soggy paper towels and enjoy dry shoes the next day. - Lisa Edmonson

If you didn't follow the excellent advice on covering your stroller with a plastic tarp and you encounter one of Florida's sudden storms, use your blow dryer for a quick dry back at your room. (One of Disney's famous ponchos makes a great stroller guard, too!) - D. Briante

Regarding the tip to keep your stroller dry -- Last visit to the world we used a shower curtain liner and two big binder clips to secure it. This worked really well with a double stroller. - Michelle Hammann

Walt Disney World occasionally changes the contractor that runs the spa at the various resorts. As of 2015,it's best to look up the spa you are considering on Disney's official website for details and phone numbers: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/spas/

FORT WILDERNESS - On a recent trip to Disney, we stayed in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. We decided one evening to take a wagon ride around the campgrounds. In addition to seeing all the decorations the campers put up for the holidays (some of them are fantastic), we pulled up along the lake and were joined by a Cast Member with a boom box. After just a few minutes, the fireworks began at the Magic Kingdom right across the lake. The boom box gave us the music along with the fireworks. It was fantastic! The fireworks ride is not offered every night, so be sure and check with the Cast Members there. You cannot make reservations ahead -- just show up early and enjoy! - Vicki Stark

http://allears.net/btp/carriage.htm

We got a small dry bag (designed for kayakers) to protect our cell phones and camera on wet rides. In fact, quick-dry clothes designed for water sports also do double duty on rainy days in the parks. - Sheri Christensen

ALL STAR MOVIES - We recently visited Walt Disney World with my 3-year-old granddaughter. We stayed at the All Star Movies Resort -- I had forgotten how large it was. We had debated over the need for the umbrella stroller but were very glad we had it, as getting to the food court and bus stop was quite a hike for little legs. The airline transported this stroller with no problem. -Donna R.

POP CENTURY - I recently stayed at Disney's Pop Century Resort and I found parking to be a challenge. Beware, the parking spaces are extra-tiny, and there were several large SUVs that had to take up two spots -- which means you have to park further away from your room than you'd like. Other than that it's a great resort, and a real value. - Brennan P.

BEACH CLUB VILLAS - I just got back from a great four-night stay (my first) at the Beach Club Villas. We had a studio with fridge and microwave but I was very disappointed to see there were no real dishes to use. There were a few paper plates and bowls in the cabinet, and I was able to get plastic utensils, but this didn't help with anything needing to be microwaved. I had brought a few of those macaroni and cheese packets for late night snacks, not realizing that nothing is provided for actually USING the microwave. For those of you heading to a studio, keep this in mind and bring a little microwavable bowl with you, especially if you're planning to use it to cook instant oatmeal or that type of thing for the kids. - Amy Miles

EDITOR'S NOTE: EDITOR'S NOTE: Some readers have reported that housekeeping has delivered dishes on request, so if there's something you need, just ask! It can't hurt!

Coronado Springs -At the Coronado Springs Resort, if you want to be assured a seat on the bus, do not go to the main entrance to catch the bus. Go to stop 2, which really is the first stop on the bus route. The main entrance stop is the last stop for the resort and during peak times, the bus is often full by the time it gets to the main entrance (since it has already stopped at three other bus stops). - Rebecca

We recently got back from Disney where the weather decided to join us. For about an hour each late afternoon it would downpour! We didn't let it stop us; we grabbed a poncho and kept moving. After the first downpour left our sneakers soaked (and waiting an hour for them to dry in the dryer) we came up with another idea: We both had inexpensive, lightweight flip flops that we put in our backpack. When the rain started we'd put on our flip flops and keep exploring. After it stopped, we'd dry off our feet and put our sneakers back on without having to walk around with squishy feet! - Morgan and Jeff