(you can return to our home page by clicking on the banner above)

  Travelocity - Air, Cars, Hotels, Cruises, Vacations - search for travel here

Travel and Discount Shopping at Midniteshopper.com

  Computer

by Tiger Direct

DISNEY WORLD TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

1900 Park Fare Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - Dine with a Princess, a magical English nanny or Characters from the rabbit hole at this enchanting restaurant. Very expensive and usually sold out months in advance.

Chef Mickey's Disney's Contemporary Resort - this is really fun and Mickey and Minnie are there all the time

Once Upon a Time Breakfast (Cinderella's Royal Table) Magic Kingdom Park - hard to get into also, better to do lunch without the characters

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - The happiness of Christmas and the fantasy of Disney come together at the merriest party around. Live stage shows, holiday entertainment and snow, snow, snow are just a few of the seasonal surprises in store for you at this incredible holiday celebration.

Dates: November 28, 30 and December 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 17, 2004  Location: Magic Kingdom® Park

5) Candlelight Processional - Become charmed with the Candlelight Processional, one of the most beloved and joyous Epcot® traditions, where a celebrity narrator recounts the Christmas story - accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a glorious mass choir. The Candlelight Processional is in the America Gardens Theatre and is included with park admission. Times: 5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.

Pleasure Island - New Year's Eve every night, there are tons of clubs and fun things to do, you can bring the kids but it's easier not to and more fun. We like the Comedy Club and the Adventurer's club the best. One price gets you into everything, drinks are a little extra but not too bad.

Some tips and tricks for your Disney World vacation:

How to play:  The Park Hopper Pass (4 day or 5 day) is definitely the way to go. Once you have that, you can come and go as you please.  If you have small children and are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, having the Pass is terrific because you can take the kids back to the hotel to take a nap and then go back to the Park later without having to deal with parking lots and cars.   It's definitely worth it!

Autographs:  If you want to have your kids get autographs, do a couple of the Character Breakfasts or Lunches (you probably have at least one included in your package if you do a vacation package). It's the easiest way to get autographs.  You have the character's attention and you don't have to wait in line (they come to your table). I recommend the Character Breakfast at Magic Kingdom:  go to "The Crystal Palace" restaurant (make reservations as soon as you get there, it fills up fast) at the end of Main Street.  For Breakfast with Characters you can also hit the Contemporary Resort (you don't have to be a guest at the hotel to go to eat there) and go to "Chef Mickey's Breakfast".   For a Character Lunch, go to the "Garden Grill" at the Land in Epcot. You can make reservations for any of the Character Dining areas at your hotel. 

Food: For a really good lunch, make a reservation at the Cinderella's Royal Table restaurant (yes, there is a restaurant at the top of the castle and you can see the whole park). It's very nice and the food is good, even the peanut butter and jelly that we had specially made.  The deserts are awesome. 

The Land in Epcot is fantastic. You can go on a boat ride through The Land to see how many of the food items are made, then eat anywhere in the Land--they have a great variety of foods!  

In the MGM Theme park we love "Pizza Planet" because it's just fun, the food is okay but the atmosphere is great.  We also like the "Drive-In" where you sit in a car and are served lunch like the old drive-in days.

Celebrate something special: If you tell any dining area that it is a special day (such as a birthday or anniversary) you may get special treatment.  We recently had our daughter's 5th birthday at "Cinderella's Royal Table Restaurant" in Cinderella's Castle.  She got a very nice "Royal Birthday" certificate and a small cake with a candle.   Also, at Magic Kingdom, go to the guest relations at City Hall (as you walk into MK go to the left, it's right next to the fire station) and tell them you want a birthday pin.   You will get a pin that says "It's My Birthday".  At all of the rides and places we went,  they said "Happy Birthday" to my daughter.  They gave her special pins and even let her go on one ride twice.

When to go:  The best time to go is October/November (not Thanksgiving) or in the early spring like March.   Holidays are crowded because that is when kids are out of school, but at least Thanksgiving and Christmas are cooler than the summer months when most families go.  And there are always special events during holidays.

 We always go in October or November because we love Epcot's Wine and Food Festival and the Osborne Family Lights at MGM. We take the kids out of school when we go--it's worth it.

How to deal with crowds and lines:  You will have to wait in some lines, but it shouldn't be more than 20 minutes anywhere.  Get a "Fast Pass" whenever you can. For the popular rides, such as  Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo, get a "Fast Pass".  The Pass tells you what time to return--then you can walk right onto the ride. Anything that has a Fast Pass is very popular, so definitely get them when you can.  You can get only one Pass at a time, but as soon as you ride the ride you can get another.  Space Mountain also has Fast Pass and since you can't bring little kids on it, you can get in line and ride, and then when you get off,  your spouse can ride. It's called a 'kid-swap' and all of the rides do it so you don't have to wait in line twice.

Another tip for getting through the lines quickly is to get a wheelchair.  You shouldn't do it if you really don't need it, but many, many times they will let 4 to 6 people in with a wheelchair person, going in through the exit and riding quickly instead of waiting in line.  The newer parks accommodate wheelchairs more easily, but Magic Kingdom has a lot of back doors for wheelchair users.

If you go to the Disney website (www.disneyworld.com)  you can order a video that will give you some previews (and the kids get so excited watching it over and over again).

The best Disney Vacation EVER???   The Disney Cruise. It is actually less expensive than a week at Disney World and so much fun (and relaxing). Their kids clubs are out of this world.  Our daughter would wake up at 7am and beg to go straight to the kids club all day. They entertain your children (ages 3 and up, and potty trained) from 9am to midnight (as much or little as you want) and give you a pager so they can contact you. We basically spent mornings with the kids and they went to their clubs in the afternoons while I went to the spa and my husband went to the ESPN Sports box. It was an awesome vacation, and we saw all of the characters (they have many scheduled signing parties), plus we got to go to the Caribbean and go snorkeling too!  Also if you do happen to have a baby or young toddler, they are one of the only cruise lines that has a nursery.  It's $6 an hour but infants are free on the Disney Cruise so it's worth the small cost.  The nursery is amazing with the babies, but you have to sign up as soon as you get on the ship as the time slots fill up very quickly.

MyTravelSecrets.Com is a trademark of MyTravelSecrets.com.  All other products mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective companies. NOTE:  My Travel Secrets.com provides information and tips on travel. All links to travel deals are supplied by other operators and we shall not be held liable for any damage, injury, or loss in resulting from vendor services.  As always in travel, prices are subject to change, so it is usually to your benefit to act quickly to secure a great deal before it is gone.  My Travel Secrets.com will not be liable or responsible for any transactions performed on partner websites. MyTravelsecrets.com is affiliated with Midniteshopper.com at www.midniteshopper.com.

Privacy statement

Questions or problems regarding this web site should be directed to The webmaster
Copyright © 2004-2006 MyTravelSecrets.com, Cleveland, Ohio About Us. All rights reserved.
Last modified: Monday December 04, 2006.