Tangerine Suites - Orlando Vacation Homes

Instead of a traditional dinner, Wine and Dine your way around Epcot's World Showcase stopping at each booth for a sample. You can begin with appetizers and finish with dessert, or enjoy whatever strikes your fancy as you nosh from country to country. Be sure and pick up the recipe cards of your favorites, so you can try them at home!

When my son was four we went to Epcot for the first time. The World Showcase was not yet opened so we sat on some benches by the roped off area leading into Mexico. As we sat there and waited, it was a beautiful morning and the birds were singing. My son saw a group of ducks who eagerly came over to see if we had anything to eat. After playing and watching the ducks for awhile, my son declared, "These are my new friends." Shortly thereafter a large double decker bus appeared and, lo and behold, they stopped practically right in front of us. We saw the Queen of Hearts, Jasmine, Aladdin, Gideon, Genie, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc. You know the old saying "right place wrong time?" Well, we definitely were at the right place at the right time. What a perfect way to start off the day at Epcot. My son is now 7 and when looking at the photographs he still refers to those ducks as "his friends." So slow down, sit on a bench and relax, magical things will happen.

My favorite "overlooked attraction" in Epcot is the talks given in Seabase Alpha (in the Living Seas pavilion). They are free, last about 15-30 minutes and are very informative. The fish feeding one had a diver waving to my 10-year-daughter and the zoologist explaining and answering questions.

I was pleased that you hit most of my favorite attractions at Epcot, and that I knew about all the ones you had listed. I was surprised, however, that two of my absolute favorites were missing. The first are the Milestones of Invention. They're located in the ground as you pass through the west portal on your way to The Land. Although there are some inaccuracies in it, it still can be kinda neat as you see where some of history's inventions fit. The second are a collection of photographs and pictures that adorn the corridor outside the exit to Ice Station Cool. Make a right out of ISC and through the doors and look to your right. There are photographs of things ranging from the first multi-plane camera to Walt presenting The Florida Project to the world. The latter includes a fairly good map of his plans. Overhead are banners that illustrate the evolution of ideas, using various Epcot icons as examples.

==Epcot tip while visiting America=My tip is about the "echo" during American Vybe performances. American Vybe is a performing group that sings mostly modern American songs in the rotunda of the American Adventure in Epcot. During the last song in select performances the Voices of Liberty will come up to the railing of the balcony and accompany American Vybe. The Voices of Liberty are a cappella singers who perform mostly older patriotic and folk songs in the rotunda of the America pavilion. This only happens on days when both groups are singing and only on the performances closest to when the other group sang. For example: Recently, on Tuesdays and Thursdays the Voices of Liberty have been singing till 3:15 p.m., with American Vybe singing from 4:15 p.m. on. The "echo" has been happening during the 4:15 p.m. show. The "echo" performances do not always occur and their times are not published anywhere, but sometimes the Cast Members in the American Adventure can tell you if it will happen. My favorite "echo" occurs when Rick of American Vybe sings "America the Beautiful". Rick does a fabulous job on this song with his tenor to falsetto vocal range and the "echo" just makes it extra special.

When I was researching for my family's trip to WDW in August-September 2002, I was always checking out what people listed as their favorite spots to view IllumiNations. But, when my family and I were trying to find a spot, it seemed nearly impossible. My father, who was becoming rather impatient at this point, was ready to head back to the resort. But, being the headstrong and stubborn teenager that I am, I was determined to find a good spot. Just as we were leaving the United Kingdom and entering Canada, there was this trail that led off to the side. Only three other people were standing in this area, since there were quite a few trees. I sat down with my two little sisters, and started to enjoy the show. My father came back a few moments later, and he had Beaver Tails for all my family to enjoy. We could see the show perfectly. The family sitting next to us said that they had seen the show the previous night from France, with a perfect view, but preferred this little-known path better! I would definitely recommend this spot to anybody who is going to see IllumiNations!

I wanted to share an idea I came up with. When my husband and I visited Disney this past November, I was concerned about losing our active 6-year-old in the dim lighting following IllumiNations at Epcot. Then I remembered that he liked glow necklaces and purchased a few from our local Walmart (party supply department). After the show, which we were lucky enough to watch from the outside dining area of the Rose & Crown, I took the necklace from my fanny pack and gave it to him to wear. He thought it was great because no one else had one and we could keep track of him in the low lighting. Because the necklaces are packed in protective tubes, they shouldn't break during travel. When we return in 2-3 years with our daughter (now 20 months) I plan on bringing glow earrings and bracelets.

Get a Kids' Guide to Epcot. It's a small, square, blue booklet, found near the turnstiles or at Guest Relations. There's a place for the child to write his/her name, date of trip, and a list of the people they traveled with. For each ride/attraction, the booklet describes in a sentence or two what to expect at the attraction. There's a small box next to each attraction listing, so that kids can put a checkmark when they visited an attraction. Or, they could use these boxes to check off what they wish to see.

Don't forget the single rider lines at Test Track and Mission: SPACE, especially if you're just part of a couple. This is a GREAT way to ride quickly. Even when we have the kids, we'll each take the 9-year-old (the other kids are too small) and ride using the single rider line, then we switch... oftentimes it even beats out the child swap option because you don't have to stand in the regular line.

Try Fantastic Plastic Works at Innoventions East! Building the little plastic robot was a huge hit with my children... and it was a FREE souvenir. Our 5-year-old son spent many hours while waiting in line playing with those little robots for the rest of the week. We all built one and the parts are interchangeable, so it is still a great toy three months after our trip.

If your kids aren't big enough to ride Test Track go into the gift shop/exit. I thought it was just a gift shop, and I was wrong. My 3-year-old was thrilled to be able to sit in a Hummer and a Saab. All he talks about are the cool cars he played in at Test Track. I am so glad I didn't walk by this attraction.

We recently visited Epcot on a hot, crowded, rainy day. We were lucky enough to find ourselves inside The Land when a typical Florida afternoon storm hit. After experiencing most of the attractions inside the building, we stumbled upon the Nestle Jr. Chef program just past the food court on the first floor. What a treat! Two of my three children participated in the 30 (or so) minute program that consisted of two Jr. Chef leaders guiding 20 children in a "hands on" tollhouse cookie-making process. All of the children were given personalized chef hats (to keep), and each child was given a specific job in making the cookies in this big team effort. The leaders of this program not only should be commended for being "sweet" to even the littlest participants (my 2-year-old, whose job it was to hold the bag of toll house morsels, was mesmerized the whole time), but they held the attention of all of the children while being fun and informative. This program provided us with a break from the weather, a fabulous photo opportunity, and some delicious toll house cookies for all! I would highly recommend checking out this little known or advertised program. This became my 7-year-old daughter's best Disney memory.

I have a tip for keeping children occupied while waiting for the fireworks at Epcot. On our last trip to Disney, we wandered into the Toy Soldier at the United Kingdom before we went to get a place to sit for the fireworks. While we were in the store our 3 1/2-year-old son saw a Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle he wanted. We bought it for him and let him put it together while we waited for the fireworks to begin. It completely occupied his time and by the time he was finished,it was almost time for the fireworks. We are planning another trip in November 2005 and this time I am going to pack some of his puzzles into Ziplock bags to take with us. He will have something to do while we wait and we won't have the box to take up a lot of room in our bag.

Here's a tip for getting on Test Track with little or no wait: show up right before Future World closes, then get in the Singles Line. We waited less than 10 minutes on a Saturday night.

Just returned from our annual Thanksgiving trip to WDW. At Epcot there is now the Character Connection (by Innoventions and Club Cool). This is replacing the Double Decker bus that used to travel through Epcot with multiple characters. At the Character Connection we found Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Chip & Dale. This is all inside and kids can get to see all of them and get autographs, too. While I loved the bus, the Cast Member said that they had a lot of complaints that the bus took off too quickly and kids did not get enough time to see their favorite characters, and also it is very hot outside in summer and the bus would not come out in the rain. This area was not very busy; my kids waited about two minutes to frolic with the characters. My tip would be go get a FastPass for Soarin' and go to the Character Connection!

You can rent a locker for $3.00 per day and $2.00 refundable Key Deposit and then save your receipt. This will allow you unlimited use of the locker for the day and allow you to move your locker to another park for free if you wish. Also works great for cooler weather when you do not want to carry a jacket or your lunch or snack.

In regards to having bags and whatnots inspected at the parks, the best thing is to have all pockets and pouches opened. Also, if you have a dayplanner or something similar, have that unzipped, too. When we went to Disneyland recently (to see the new Haunted Mansion Holiday), my husband was asked to open his dayplanner for them to inspect. When we park-hopped over to DCA, he was ready for the inspection process and dutifully had everything unzipped and ready to be looked at.

Take along a highlighter. When you get your park maps, highlight the rides/attractions that are a MUST SEE for you. We would do this each night with the next day's 'touring plan' in mind. No more searching when you can see the highlighted areas!

For those who have little ones who don't like the "line ride" at the beginning of most attractions or for those who hate waiting in queues themselves, spotting Hidden Mickey's is a wonderful diversion. We made small index card booklets listing all "confirmed" Hidden Mickey's in each park, organized by lands and attractions. They fit easily in a pocket or daypack and can be decorated with character stickers. We took the one for the park(s) we were in each day and looked for HM's in line or checked to see where we could find them once on the ride. An added benefit was getting to meet the numerous other guests who asked what we were reading and pointing at. This decreased the frustration of line-waiting even more.

When the parks get crowded, learn to make the most of FastPass. We start our day by getting a FastPass at the most popular attraction. When the pass's time comes around, we get a new pass, and THEN go on the first FastPass ride. That way we always have a FastPass in hand. In between FastPass rides, we ride the non-FastPass rides. In the end we ride everything and stand in very few lines!

My husband and I pass the time waiting in lines by playing handheld Yahtzee. We take turns setting a score for one another to beat and keep track of who is ahead in wins. When one of us is 10 games ahead, the other person owes the winner a favor. We've been doing this for several vacations and it still helps to pass the time. Next time we plan to get a similar game for our kids.

I don't know if your readers have found the terrific little inflatable seat cushions that are just perfect for "tush" protection while waiting for parades or Fantasmic to begin. We found them in MouseGear at Epcot, and when the manager of the Emporium at MK saw our family using them, he promised to stock them as well! They are inexpensive and fold up into a little plastic pouch.

My 10-year-old daughter and I just returned from a wonderful 10-day trip to Florida. We spent eight days in the theme parks. Before the trip I bought a nice wheeled backpack, equipped with rollerblade wheels, which are much quieter than the cheap plastic wheels. I attached a hook to a piece of fabric and let it dangle from the strap of my belt bag. When we were walking through the parks, I just attached the hook to the handle of the backpack. The backpack trailed after me everywhere we went. It was perfect!! My hands were free, yet I still had access to our jackets and ponchos for when things got cold or wet. Several Cast Members commented on this ingenious contraption. I'm surprised more people don't do that. Backpacks can get heavy on your back. I didn't even notice this one rolling behind me. When it was time to get on rides, I just unhooked it, pushed down the handle, and got on. I'll never go to Disney World again without my "backpack trailer."

When you get a FASTPASS, pay attention to the time it says another will be available. Disney is apparently experimenting here. On a recent trip, FASTPASSES obtained at both the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion stated that another would be available five minutes later. FASTPASSES obtained at more popular rides still abided by old rules; e.g. the next FASTPASS would be available at the time the return window for the current FASTPASS opened. Also, the two-hour maximum wait time before obtaining another FASTPASS has, at least in some cases, been relaxed to just one hour.

I read your review of Pal Mickey and the problem of him falling off the clip. On my trip last week to WDW my son and I purchased a Pal Mickey, and yes, it did keep falling off the clip -- very annoying. However, my son came up with a great idea. He took one of the black twisty ties that came with the box and used it to tie Mickey to the clip, thus we never had any more problems with Mickey falling off the clip again during our trip. You can put the tie on and tuck it under and it does not even show. This really solved the problem for us. Hope this helps someone else. We liked Pal Mickey and it seems that a lot of people were using him.

While wandering around Walt Disney World, I like to carry a small plastic tube for paper souvenirs. I use a plastic tennis ball container that has a lid -- other similar tubes will work well. This allows me to store maps, menus, napkins and any other paper items without them being crushed, wrinkled or soaked. I just put them under a few heavy books when I get home.

We had a fantastic time at Disney, but I am sure many others did not -- especially those folks who thought that noon was a good time to arrive at the Magic Kingdom. Remember my Golden Rule of Disney: always be at the entrance gate when the park opens. We took advantage of the one hour early park opening every day (Extra Magic Hour), and were finished with all major attractions and back at the hotel by 1 p.m. We'd spend a nice afternoon poolside and then return in the evening for a Priority Seating dinner and the show/parade. We did not use Fastpass once, and never stood in a line for more than 20 minutes, except for that misbehaving Test Track at Epcot.

I just returned from a trip to WDW. The 3M Company now has a new Post-It Flag Highlighter that includes both a highlighter and Post-It flags in one. It was PERFECT for marking the maps to the parks. I would circle the attraction number with the highlighter and then put a Post-It flag on the number on the map. They are see-though, so they don't cover up the number. The "pen" fit perfectly in my fanny pack!

We have found it very difficult in the past to manage maps, stroller, our other child and all the gear that goes with them. To maximize space, we trimmed the park maps from the PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook and had them laminated in an 8x10 sheet. We then placed velcro dots on the map and the canopy of the stroller. The night before, my husband and I would circle the attractions we really wanted to get to, including Fastpass information, and write our Priority Seating number and any other info we might need during the day. Our map was always available and in plain sight. We had many folks tell us what a great idea this was. A few Cast Members were even surprised to see how accurate and up-to-date the PassPorter's maps were.

We just returned from a fabulous week at WDW, where we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. My tip has to do with the Extra Magic Hours in the evening. I studied your website, had all the days planned as to which park was least busiest on which days and when we could get in with the extra hour in the morning. After the first day, my three teens did not want get up early for the extra hour -- it was their vacation and they wanted to sleep in! I then figured out which parks had the extra hours at night and we ended up going to those parks. Remember the "be flexible" tip! It worked out great -- they could sleep in, we got to the parks in the early afternoon just as a lot of people were leaving, and we stayed the extra hours in the evening. With older children, those hours at night are wonderful.

We just got back from a week at WDW in mid-May. The first day in the Animal Kingdom was an Extra Magic Hour day. We noticed that the park was really crowded and extra busy. On the buses to and from our hotel, we were constantly hearing people talk about making sure to visit the parks on the Extra Magic Hour days. So I had an epiphany -- I thought that if everybody was going to the parks on the Extra Magic Hour days then that would leave the other parks that are non-magic hour parks practically vacant. I was right. We walked right on rides and had no waits. We were able to ride all of the major attractions twice or even thrice before noon.

If you wish to take advantage of the evening Extra Magic Hours, don't forget to bring your picture ID. We decided to stay at Epcot for the Extra Magic Hours and when we went to get a wristband at the park, I was asked for a picture ID along with my Key to the World card (resort ID). My 9-year-old daughter only needed her Key to the World card.

On some of the rides, it was easier to stand up slightly when pulling the lap bar down (so that it actually fit closer to my lap than my belly) and then sit down properly for a snug fit. This worked especially well when I went on the rides with my younger children -- they felt more secure with the lap bar closer to them. I can honestly say that large-sized folks are easily accommodated at WDW -- so go, have a great time and don't worry!

While spending the day in Epcot in the hot weather, when my feet are hot from the pavement, I always change to another pair of socks and sprinkle on some baby powder. It's a quick refresher.

If you are not going to ride an attraction with your family, meet them in the ride's air-conditioned gift shop. Most rides have a gift shop into which the ride will exit, so it's a convenient place to meet up with your family.

I am not a "ride person," so when we are at the parks at night, I'm usually waiting somewhere in the crowd when my husband and son come off the rides. I stock up on glowsticks at our local dollar store, and as long as I remember what color my son is wearing, can spot him easily, especially when he waves it in the air! Perhaps I should be wearing one as well?

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon at WDW and had a MAGICAL time! One thing that I would like to share concerns the "Magical Wishes" pins that you can pick up from Guest Relations at the theme parks. My advice is that everyone celebrating a special event -- honeymoon, anniversary, birthday -- pick up one of these buttons. Everywhere we went in WDW we were warmly congratulated by Cast Members! We had an incredible time! I would recommend WDW to any couple who wants a truly special honeymoon!

If you arrive at the WDW parks (Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) prior to opening an assortment of the Disney Characters come out and put on a little show to officially open the park. Once the welcome is over and the park is open the characters are available to sign autographs in a designated area. In Epcot it was in the plaza by Mission Mars, in Animal Kingdom around the Tree of Life and in Magic Kingdom on the circle on Mainstreet. It was a great way to start the day for the kids. This does not happen at Disney Studios.

At Animal Kingdom, see the Festival of the Lion King show first thing. It is worth the price of admission, in my opinion. It is very crowded later in the day, but the first morning show isn't -- there were many empty seats.

Remember to bring "sippy cups" or straws for younger kids. An environmental policy prevents them from having plastic lids for cups or straws. For adults it's no big deal, but for younger kids and toddlers it can be problematic, especially after the other Disney theme parks where refreshments from lids/straws are readily available.

The day we visited Animal Kingdom we experienced a steady downpour of rain all day long, as opposed to other days when it just rained in the late afternoon. The upside is that the animals come out when it rains, and we saw LOTS of them on the Kilimanjaro Safari. The downside is that there are practically no places to get out of the rain, and there were LOTS of running streams and fairly big puddles to meander around on the walkways. The result was thoroughly waterlogged walking shoes and socks, and some pretty disgruntled folks by day's end. If we had it to do over again, we would stay long enough to enjoy the Safari ride, but then leave the rest of the park for a nicer day, and head to Epcot's Future World while it is raining.

I have a tip for people going to see Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom. The parade does a loop through the park. There is a portion of the route (near the Safari entrance in Africa) that the parade goes through twice (at the beginning and end). If you get a spot here just before parade starts, you can watch it go by once and then wait 10 minutes for it to come by the other way. After the first pass, most guests leave and you have your choice of front row seats without having to line up an hour beforehand. If you have both a still camera and a video camera, this allows you to use both cameras and get some great pictures!

On our trip to WDW we had a wonderful chance to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy with almost no waiting! We were headed to the first showing of Festival of the Lion King. We got there just as they were announcing the show was full. We were about to leave that area when a CM said that the characters were going to be appearing at Camp Minnie-Mickey. We saw them all with little waiting. When we were done, we headed back to the Festival of the Lion King and were the first ones in line for the next show. (Our kids even got picked to sit in the front row and take part in the show!)

Don't miss the Festival of the Lion King! The dancers/performers were TOTALLY enthusiastic to the very end, and you know this is just one show out of 25 per week for them.