Tips about Resorts and Souvenirs

All Resorts - If you have diabetes, let the cast member know that you will need a special container for used medical supplies when you check in to your hotel. After checking in at Boardwalk, within 10 minutes housekeeping was at our door with a small haz-mat container. One less thing to worry about! - Judy Peek

Wilderness Lodge - We are staying at Wilderness Lodge and have a room overlooking the pool area. We also have a couple of kids and tired grownups who like to nap during the afternoon. Unfortunately, Wilderness Lodge has a daily pool party blasting loud music, so be aware and request a garden view if this will be a problem for you. Luckily, we have our sound machine to help drown out the noise, but I wish I had known this. I might have stayed elsewhere. - Melanie Drake

EDITOR'S NOTE: The main pools at many Disney resorts feature similar afternoon parties and poolside activities, which tend to be quite noisy.

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

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

Pop Century - We arrived at Pop Century before our room was ready. We were hot, tired and in need of a shower before hitting the parks, but had several hours before our room was available. On a whim, we checked around by the pool and found that there is a restroom with showers and changing facilities at each pool in Pop. So we got our suits and toiletries out of the car, had a quick swim and then the shower we so needed, and were still off to the parks two hours earlier than if we had waited for our room! - Becky Hecker

Polynesian Resort - In late August we had a character breakfast planned at 'Ohana. When our server greeted us and offered juice and coffee, on a whim I asked about getting a French press of 100 percent Kona coffee, which they serve over at Kona Cafe. The server had never served one herself, but was happy to oblige our request! The coffee was the same price as next door, $7.99 for the pot, and worth every penny. After enduring Nescafe for more than a week, the fresh Kona coffee was like liquid gold to us! It was so good that we nearly ordered a second pot of it. For $7.99 this is a great way to perfect the 'Ohana breakfast experience. The French press serves about four cups of coffee. And remember that this is 100 perent Kona, not a blend like at the coffee bar. - Doug H.

Port Orleans Riverside - We just returned from a trip to the World, staying at Port Orleans Riverside. My daughter wanted to get a hair wrap at the station located behind the hotel. The price listed was $2 per inch. I should have asked before we even started what all the charges would be, but I didn't, and once her hair was wrapped I was informed that we HAD to purchase $5 worth of beads -- any other beads would be an additional $5. After all the hair is wrapped and beaded, THEN they measure the hair. What I thought was going to be maybe a $20 cost ended up being $30... I was really disappointed in the whole transaction. Make sure you ask what ALL the charges will be before you get any hair wraps! - Sharmon S.

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

All Resorts - Disney resort guests should take advantage of theme park and resort delivery options. Any package can be delivered to the front of the four main theme parks (and also the "back" [International Gateway] for Epcot). If you plan on staying in the park for about three hours after your purchase you can send your package -- large or small -- free of charge to Package Pickup. No more worrying about carrying that favorite souvenir on Space Mountain or Rock 'n' Roller Coaster! If you are a WDW resort guest you can have your purchases delivered directly to your resort. Packages will be sent to the main gift shop at your resort on the day after your purchase. (The resort delivery option is not available on the last day/night of your stay because packages may not arrive before you depart the resort, but you can still send your packages to the front of the park for Package Pickup.) - Rob C.

Animal Kingdom Lodge - A reader writes in about the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" at Sanaa that we reported on last week: The best way to book the new "Dining with Animal Specialists" offering is to call the Safari line for Wanyama Safari at (407) 938-4755. That gets you the Animal Kingdom Lodge Itinerary Planning Office. Calling the Kidani Front Desk will actually get you the call center, and they know almost nothing about the new offering and can't book it.

Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma

Please remember to keep your patio doors locked and secure your valuables, even when staying in the relative safety of a Disney resort. An article in the Orlando Sentinel a few days ago reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently arrested two suspects trying to enter a room at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa through a French door. There have been more than 20 cases of electronics stolen at that resort and others near by since late December. According to the article, Disney has been working closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has put additional security patrols in place. Disney has also encouraged its housekeeping team to ensure patio doors are locked, and literature has been left in the rooms to remind guests to lock all doors and secure valuables. - Editor Deb Koma

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.