Tips about Resorts and Walt Disney World

ALL RESORTS - Each morning wanted our daughter to be awakened by Mickey. However, we, the parents, needed to be up earlier than our little one. Each day we would set the alarm clock and quickly turn it off. Our wake up call from Mickey was set to come a little later when we knew Emily would be waking up or needing to get up. It worked well and the smile on her face each morning as Mickey urged her up was wonderful. - Lisa Stewart

ALL RESORTS - THE PHONES IN THE ROOM: Any phone with a button for ordering pizza is okay by me! Joining the pizza button was the Housekeeping button and the Guest Information button, and the Wake up Call button. The Guest Information button is the general operator for the resort. They are know all, see all, do all. It's like calling 411 without the guilt or charge. Example: My 11 year daughter was having a problem with her braces. She needed Braces Wax to cover a wire that was digging into her cheek. Who ya gonna Call? They gave me the name of 2 drug stores and called them for me. I called back and ordered a taxi and 10 minutes later I was off to Walgreens for the Wax. I called them for park opening times, baby sitter info, movie information. Each time they came through like a champ.

ALL RESORTS - All hotels say there check out time is 11am. This can actually be extended until 1pm at no additional charge to accommodate your flight schedules. I even extended my stay until 3pm and paid 1/2 price. Not bad to enjoy the hotel pool and spa one last time before boarding my plane back to reality. It was worth it. - AHalton EDITOR'S NOTE: With the new Magic Bands be aware that they will stop working automatically at 11am on your check out day. If you get an extension please check with the desk about access. Remember that during busy times resorts will not be able to honor requests for late checkouts.

ALL RESORTS - When you check in make sure you ask for early housekeeping, if you are early risers, most people are up and out early, this will ensure that if you return for an afternoon rest your room will be clean. - AHalton

ALL RESORTS - Get Maps and Schedules at Guest Services - When you arrive at your WDW hotel, have someone in your party go to Guest Services and ask for the current maps and timetables for all the parks. If you're interested in visiting the water parks or PI, be sure to check on the WDW transportation schedule also.

ALL RESORTS - My name is Malorie Boutwell and I am 13 years old and have been going to Disney World on vacation ever since I was little and love it. I think that a helpful hint I have to offer is that you stay in a Disney Resort so you can get early admission to each park on the designated days also so you can get there before it begins to crowd.

ALL RESORTS - My name is Malorie Boutwell and I am 13 years old and have been going to Disney World on vacation ever since I was little and love it. I think that a helpful hint I have to offer is that you stay in a Disney Resort so you can get early admission to each park on the designated days also so you can get there before it begins to crowd.

I found this out a few years ago, while doing research for my trip. I have severe food allergies and asthma, which can be triggered by dust, mold, etc. If you have severe allergies or asthma (or both), phone in, instead of booking online, when making your reservation. You can request what they call a "VIP Room Clean." Your entire room is basically deep cleaned before you arrive, top to bottom, to remove any traces of allergens, dust, etc. You can also request, as part of this clean, to have different pillows (non-feather) put in, all scented things completely removed, etc. You can request linens be specially washed, or completely removed if you want to bring your own. It is no longer available to book online, it has to be done over the phone. Best of all, it's completely free. - Laura

We went to the Spirit of Aloha at the Polynesian Village Resort show a few weeks ago. I wanted to let you know that they do NOT have space heaters and it can be very cold once the sun goes down. It's a little warmer than the outside temperature, but still dress warmly. It was 45 degrees the night we went! Thank goodness for the heated towels to wash your hands with after the meal. - Vanessa

We were staying at the Fort Wilderness Resort when a black snake decided he wanted to take up residence next to our camper. We watched it from the safety of our camper for a bit, but the snake didn't seem to want to move. We decided it was best just to call the front desk for assistance. We did not want to harm the animal, yet we didn't want to be on edge all week wondering if it went back into the woods or slithered into our belongings. We have small children so we knew we needed assurance that it was gone. Upon calling the front desk we were very kindly transferred to Disney Animal Control line. (Didn't even know this existed but amazing that it does!) They sent someone over within a half-hour. Wonderful woman scooped the snake up with safety tongs and placed him in a bag and was on her merry way. We spent the rest of the week more cautious, but extremely happy that Disney was able to competently handle such things that we hadn't even considered during all of our planning! - Teri Allen EDITOR'S NOTE: While this is central Florida and there are conservation areas throughout Walt Disney World, seeing snakes is not the norm.

ALL STAR RESORTS - If you have the option to pay extra for a "premium room" at the All Star Resort, do it. The room will be just the same as the others, but it will be located in one of the two buildings nearest the lobby, food court, and bus transportation. The All Star resorts are huge, and it can be quite a walk from the furthest building to the bus transportation. - Timothy Helm

DOWNTOWN DISNEY RESORTS - If you're staying at one of the seven Disney Village hotels, don't forget that you don't have to rely entirely on their bus system. For example, at the Magic Kingdom, the Disney Village buses don't go to the main gate. While this isn't a big deal for getting to the park (you just have to use the monorail or ferry like all other non-Disney hotel visitors), it's quite inconvenient at the end of an exhausting day, especially if you exit at park closing time. We just took a Disney bus to a resort (Port Orleans is close to Disney Springs, so it works well), hopped on a bus to Disney Springs and from there you have lots of options! You can shop, visit Pleasure Island, take the Disney Village shuttle, or just walk back to your hotel -- most are an easy walk from the first Disney Marketplace bus stop. From Epcot, after IllumiNations, there's another great option -- exit via International Gateway (allowing you a convenient view of IllumiNations from the far side of the lake), walk to the nearest resort and take the bus to Disney Springs. - Jacob Love

BOARDWALK - Because of the size of our "purchases" pile, my sisters and I started using the UPS mailing service at the Boardwalk. This year we took everything to them in large trash bags, which we had packed and tied shut. They put the bags in shipping boxes and everything arrived in great shape. It was much easier to be sure the small and large items were received OK. Opening the boxes a couple of days after we got home was almost like being in WDW again. - Joanne Kammer EDITOR'S NOTE: Shipping is available from resorts which have business centers such as Contemporary, Yacht and Beach, Coronado Springs, Swan and Dolphin and Grand Floridian. Please note that shipping costs are quite expensive.

ALL STAR MOVIES - I just returned home from our week-long vacation in Disney and it was fabulous. I wanted to remind everyone to please tip Housekeeping. We stayed at the All-Star Movies and these men and women worked very hard at cleaning up our mess, giving us more towels and Mickey soaps, and placing our kids' stuffed animals in cute little scenes. - Charlotte Reine

ALL RESORTS - If you have a little one who isn't used to sleeping in a regular bed, call housekeeping from your room and ask if there's a bed rail (or two) available. There's no charge, and it can sure save your child from a nasty bruise or scratch! - Beth Foss