Tangerine Suites - Orlando Vacation Homes

I just returned from a 7-day vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando. We arrived Saturday, January 17, and I could not wait to see the SpectroMagic Parade at 8 p.m. and then stay for the Wishes nighttime spectacular fireworks at 9 p.m. After the parade we headed toward Cinderella Castle from Tony's, and planned on making a few stops on the way. I was so disappointed in the looks of Main Street because people left their trash -- not just paper products, but food -- on the ground. There were so many people, we had to walk over or step in the food and trash that people left. The Cast Members are not there to pick up after you; they are there to make our vacation magical and help you if you need help. My tip of the day! Please pick up after yourself at the restaurants, parades, bathrooms, etc. Make a Cast Member's day by picking up after yourself... they work hard all day and need a break, too.

We took in small snack-sized bags of Gatorade to put in our water bottles for the really hot days. The park charges a lot for Gatorade -- almost as much as the canister itself costs -- and you can just tear a tiny bit of the bag off and pour it right in. We also carried our water bottles with our own water bottle holders. Family Fun Magazine shows you how to make your own. We made some for our Girl Scout troop that were similar: Use two to three feet of webbing, which you can get at a fabric store, or get those cheaper dog leashes from a dollar store. Cut to your desired length, fold each end around a rubber O-ring (found in plumbing areas of hardware stores) and sew the ends to form your water bottle holder. You simply slip the O-ring over the mouth of the bottle and you have a hands-free bottle of water that you can refill and use to keep yourself hydrated.

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 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 three times before noon.