Opinions

MFL Does Lists: a collection of our favorites
By Various MFL Members

Favorite Free Things at WDW - By Jane Hollon

1) Ride the monorail around the resorts and check out each resorts gift shops.

2) Go to the Petting zoo at Fort Wilderness.

3) Go to the Campfire at Fort Wilderness.

4) Ride the monorail from TTC to Epcot and back. Make sure the loader knows your willing to wait for the front.

5) Sit in a hammock on the Poly beach and watch the water parade.

6) Watch the MK fireworks from the Poly Beach.

7) Watch Illuminations from International Gateway.

8) Visit the Boardwalk.

9) Visit downtown Disney and the West side.

10) Sit by the pool and watch everyone else hurry to get to the parks.

Mom's Fanny Pack List - by Cindy D.

Here is my "Mom" version for the Fanny Pack Essentials list :)

Park pass(es)
Room key
Car keys
Identification
Health insurance cards
Cash and coins
Credit card(s)
Disney Club Card

Baby Wipes (can be put into sandwich sized ziploc bags to keep moist)
Small snacks like fruit snacks or cereals bars
Gum
Tissues
Crayons
Pen
Bandaid(s)

Camera with extra film
Poncho (small, folded)

Lipstick or chapstick
Pain reliever (ibuprofen or tylenol, adults and childrens)

Top 10 Ways to Make Your WDW Trip the Best It Can Be - by Sarah Padilla

1. While I was living/working at WDW my roomie Kat and I met one night after I got off work in Tomorrowland. We decided to get two scoops of ice cream at the Main Street Parlor and watch the Main Street Electrical Parade. Make a tradition to watch the nighttime parades with people you love to be around and splurge on that ice cream or carmel apple.

2. Make it a point to visit your favorite characters!! I had a game where I would wander Epcot and find characters I didn't even know Disney put out into the parks. I met some of the mice from Cinderella in the France Pavilion at Epcot. I met Clopin at MGM. Characters make the day of kids of all ages.

3. Really take advantage of Fast Pass. Not only can it cut waiting time in half but it allows you to do and see more.

4. Be willing to be a kid. I have such a good time at WDW and DL...I can honestly say that I'm really happy when I'm there and I feel like I can be a real kid again. Example. Last May I went with a friend and her family to Epcot, for some reason I felt compelled to really ham it up inside the Mexico pavilion I put on one of the huge hats, ponchos and maraca's and was doing little jigs around the fountain. Sure I got some weird looks, but I was having fun. Be willing to make a bit of a fool of yourself.

5. Speaking of making a fool of yourself......do anything humanly possible to be an extra in Indy Jones Stunt Spectacular!! Jump up and down, scream, do backflips....it is an amazing and truly fun experience. (Ok, backflips might not work....but draw attention to yourself)

6. Make it a point to truly slow down. I love Main Street USA. I know there aren't many "attractions" but I love to sit and eat ice cream, listen to the music and people watch. When you see other people who have huge smiles on their faces it can really make you happy. People watching is a great past time at WDW.

7. Talk to other guests. You'd be amazed what you can find out about people. If you're traveling by yourself ask to sit with families at quick services dining areas. Most are more than willing to have you join them. I once joined a family from Scotland and had some great conversations with them.

8. Check out some of the overlooked attractions. Visit the Main Street Barber Shop if nothing else just to look around. Really explore the Pavilions at Epcot and talk to the CM's. I have some great e-mail pals from Morocco and England.

9. Be willing to try new cuisine's at Epcot. I thought I would really, really hate Moroccan food. When I was persuaded by a friend to eat at Tangerine Cafe...I got hooked. I about died when I saw recipes from the last issue of Disney Magazine from Restaurant Marrakech Try the Moroccan coffee....mmmmmmmmm. If you've never had German food eat at Sommerfest or Biergarten.

10. Above all remember that you are there to have fun and enjoy yourself. My first trip I really felt rushed to do it all. I was disappointed that I couldn't and my trip wasn't enjoyable. Realize that WDW is huge. I was there for months working and still did not get to see everything. Prioritize your most important things to see and do what is most important to you. For instance, I've never see the Hall of Presidents. This year in December that is one of the attractions at the top of my list.

The Fast Family Top 10 Tips for Traveling With Kids - by MissyMousketeer

10. One of the biggest tips that I can give to anyone traveling with kids is to make sure that you have some sort of snack, juice drink, or water easily accessible at all times. Nothing is worse than being caught in heavy traffic and having a child in the back seat crying because they are thirsty or hungry. I was always one of those parents that said my kids would NEVER eat in a vehicle. Well, by the time I got to child number 3 I realized that life is too short. Ha!

9. Purchase large business envelopes, one for each child, and put your child's name on the outside (or let them decorate). Make a habit of stopping at a road-side rest area every couple of hours to stretch, take restroom breaks, refresh and switch seats (so the kids scenery will change a bit and the same child isn't always in the hot sun, etc.). We allow the kids to each take 2 brochures from the travel racks to place in their envelopes. These provide colorful pictures for the younger kids and the older kids enjoy the different reading material and attractions. Plus they enjoy trading them after they get bored with them.

8. Purchase the "Magic Pen" Painting Books from the makers of Yes & Know books (found mine at WalMart). Sounds crazy, but they use Magic Colorless Markers to paint across the magic dots on the pictures and this produces a rainbow of colors. Markers come with the books and are labeled for ages 3 and over. I was able to find my last set with Disney pictures for approx. $2 each.

7. Mad Libs are still available for those who remember the fabulous books from 20+ years ago. We found ours titled "Vacation Fun" from Amazon.com over a year ago for approx. $3-4 each. The older kids (and adults) enjoy filling in the blanks, while the younger kids enjoy hearing the finished results of the silly stories. Also a wonderful teaching tool because you must use adjective, adverbs, nouns, verbs, etc. to fill in the blanks. For those who have forgotten what these are the book has a review sheet included. :)

6. Rand McNally sells a series of books called Backseat Books. We bought the "Best Travel Activity Book Ever!" which was perfect for my 6 year old. It included mazes, dot-to-dot, crosswords, hidden pictures, etc. in one very large soft cover book. They sell other travel books for older kids such as "Are We There Yet?", "Kids' Road Atlas" and "Coast-to-Coast Games" also. We found ours on Amazon.com, but they can also be found in Rand McNally stores or on their website at www.randmcnally.com.

5. Travel books by the makers of Klutz. What more can I say. They have the most awesome books for kids and such a large selection. My sons favorite was titled "The Most Incredible, Outrageous, Packed To The Gills, Bulging At The Seams, Sticker Book You've Ever Seen". We found ours on Amazon. com and also at the Discovery Channel Store. They also sell such books as the "Glove Compartment Games", and "The Amazing Back Seat Booka-Ma-Thing: Thousands of Miles Worth Of Hands-On Games and Activities", and much, much more. Approx. $10 on up.

4. We brought along pipe cleaners of every possible color which helped keep little hands busy for a long time. They bent them to form every possible animal, house, and jewelry item possible. By the time we got to Disney we were all adorned with necklaces, bracelets, tiaras, etc. (Even my husband who had to leave both hands on the wheel. Ha!) Plus they were soft and pliable and I knew no one could get hurt. Very cheap and can be found at craft stores everywhere.

3. My pre-teen and teen both say the TV/VCR combo was an all-time favorite. We used it mostly at night when the kids were too excited to go to sleep, but unable to do anything else because it was too dark. Our van does not have a video set-up so we had to rig up a way to hold the TV stationary. I have to admit that I never heard a peep out of the 3 of them the entire time it was on. :)

2. Hand held travel games such as Hangman and Yahtzee and mini versions of popular games such as Etch-a-Sketch, Spirograph, Concentration, can be found at Toys R Us and WalMart for usually under $10. We keep them in our van at all times so we are prepared for even short trips. These are perfect gifts for stocking stuffers at Christmas time.

1. Crayola has a couple of really neat activity totes for traveling. One is called "Crayola Color Wonder" which includes markers that can only be used on special Crayola paper. So, if your child loves to color on walls, furniture and themselves then you will love this. My son enjoys the "Crayola Color Wipe-Offs" it includes an eraseable board and eraseable markers which can then be magically transferred to paper if they want to keep their pictures. Both of these items come in a zippered tote which can be taken anywhere. Approx. $15 at WalMart, KMart or Meijers.

I have to give an honorable mention to "The Amazing Game Board Book". I just found it about a month ago at the Discovery Channel Store so it has not been used yet. The description says that it includes more than 50 games, such as science and math games, chinese checkers, secret codes, United States Word Search, mazes, jigsaw puzzles, geography games. All pieces are either magnetic or vinyl clings or pegs and the heavy cardboard book (approx. size 8 x 10 x 2) includes a drawer to hold any loose pieces.

Laura B added this tip to the list:

One of our family traditions for travel are little goodie bags. I use either leftover goodie bags from birthdays, etc, or lunch bags, or any fun bags I collect, and put in a few small things. We usually do one for each flight, or half day of driving. It doesn't seem to matter too much what is in them, but they really look forward to opening them. I put in a small piece of candy or special treat like a fruit roll up (sugarless gum for the first leg of an airplane trip to help their ears), a snack, maybe stickers, a pencil, etc. This might include a Magic Pen book or other special activity book, or anything we've bought them for the trip. I put goodies in my suitcase for the return trip.

And Jackie B added this one:

I have a tip to add to Tips for Traveling w/kids. We get books on tape from our local library to listen to in the car. Our family favorite is the Harry Potter series. These were great for my almost 6 yo who loves Harry Potter but is not old enough to read the books yet. Even my 2.5 yo loves to listen!!

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