Since leaving for our family “vacation” I’ve been surprised by the number of friends and acquantinces who have asked for our advice as they approach their own trips to the “happiest place on earth.”

(I think the quest for tips is because you know you are about to spend a good amount of money, and you don’t want to miss a thing.)

Now, there is no question, that on all things Disney I am not an expert. And there are many sites, books, podcasts and videos dedicated to giving you the inside scoop on the house of mouse. But my husband and I did discover a few things we thought were worth recommending:

Shoes & Bags
As the saying goes – you can never have too many shoes . . . except in Disney. I brought four pairs – sneakers, heels, nice sandals and Tevas. Given the cool temperatures and the many, many, many miles walked, I could have lightened my load by packing just my sneakers and nice sandals (which are super comfortable).

Of course sneakers don’t have to mean athletic shoes – I wore a cute pair of plaid Airwalk sneakers from Payless.

With the heels, you can also leave your pocketbook and wallet at home. Instead, pack light (license and one or two credit cards) and bring a good backpack you are willing to wear everyday, because you’ll need it to carry hats, sweaters, wipes, camera. . . you get the idea. I’m always on the hunt for the “perfect” bag, and for this trip I may have found it in the Xhilaration® Grey Neon Backpack from Target. I used it as both my carry on, and for the parks.

"Smooshed" pennies

Collections
From pins and lanyards to “Vinylnation” characters, there are lots of things your kids are going to want to collect. May I suggest two inexpensive options – autographs and pressed pennies.

Our 6 year old filled her Disney autograph book ($14.95) with signatures from characters as well as various cast members (including the waiter from our Princess Dinner and the Pirate League make up artist). It took us a couple of days to realize the Disney app on Steve’s phone (more on that below) showed which characters were appearing at each park, allowing Sophie to maximize her efforts.

While our 9 year old wasn’t interested in collecting autographs, they were both hot to collect pressed pennies. Hidden in corners and secret spaces, each machine has a different selection of designs available, based on their location. To help us find the machines, which are not marked on the official Disney maps, I downloaded pdfs from ParkPennies.com. Each “smooshed coin” costs 51¢, so their collection of 20 coins was something I could happily sponsor.

As I said on the show, my plan is to have Steve make Sophie a pressed penny charm bracelet.

(You should know that I have a “no coins” rules, and never allow the kids to put coins into rides or vending machines, so the idea that I was letting them put coins into machines was a treat).

One of several family photos we had taken

Pictures & Disney PhotoPass
There are official Disney photographers throughout the park, which is helpful for families like ours where, as the family photographer, I am rarely seen in photos.

The first time you have your photo taken, you will be handed a Disney PhotoPass which you can give to other photographers each time they snap your picture. But don’t worry about rushing to the photo center before leaving the park – instead, open a free account at DisneyPhotoPass.com. With this account you can register each of the PhotoPass cards you receive, and review all photos that have been taken.

At the end of your vacation, you can review your photos and purchase any you may want. You can also choose to buy all the photos as a download for $149.95 (I went with this option because we had at least 10 photos  we wanted to purchase, at a cost of $14.95 each).

Before you buy all the photos, make sure EVERYTHING is loaded into your account. Right after I hit “purchase” I realized I hadn’t added the codes listed on the receipt from our daughter’s Princess Dinner. Good thing I had prints which I could scan at work. Oh, and make your purchase within 30 days, otherwise you can kiss the pictures goodbye.

Update: In a comment below someone mentioned they were given the wrong PhotoPass and lost some of their pictures. One way I kept track of our cards was to register them immediately through the site’s mobile-formatted interface. If I didn’t see our pictures appear within a timely manner (a few hours), I stopped at one of the photo spots to have our account checked. (Turns out sometimes the photos appear on the full site before they appear on the mobile site). Taking a picture of the card (as suggested below) is also a great idea.

Sophie doesn't seem so excited about the Tower of Terror

Ride Photos
After watching my family plummet down the Everest rollercoaster, we wanted to buy the photo as evidence of our daughter’s first big roller coaster.

Just as I was about to buy a 5×7 photo, which I didn’t really want because I load all our photos into iPhoto for our album, I noticed a small sign next to the cash register. Turned out I could save $2 and some space in my luggage, by ordering an electronic copy of my ride photo. And, it would be added to my same Disney PhotoPass account.

Food
I have good news – the food at Disney World does not suck. Which is a big change from the last time I visited. Selections at the walk up restaurants ranged from hamburgers and hot dogs to grilled veggie sandwiches and salads. The kid meals all came with bags of grapes and yogurt crush cups.

As for dinner – make reservations. Even on days when traffic in the parks was light, it seemed there was a line at every restaurant we went to at night. You can look for availability and make meal reservations online. The site is also mobile formatted so you can plan from your cellphone.

I want to be this Jedi when I grow up.

Free stuff
While we joked that we could hear a faint sucking sound throughout our vacation (that would be the sound of money leaving our wallet), there are several great activities available for free.

During the Jedi Training Academy, children ages 4 to 12 are invited to participate in the live show and learn how to “use the Force.” You need to get to Hollywood Studios early to sign your kids up (first come first serve), and don’t make the mistake we did – dad cannot run ahead. The kids need to be present when you sign them up. Details about show times and  where to sign up are on the daily schedule.

Sophie gets her orders from Kim Possible

While Anders rode rollercoasters with my brother, Sophie took charge of our group, leading us through several challenges as part of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. Each adventure takes 30-45 minutes to complete, so you have to have some patience with the process, but Sophie loved it and tried to take the “Kimmunicator” home.

Speaking of free stuff  – After our first day, I noticed several people wearing “1st visit to Disney” buttons. Visiting the concierge at our hotel I was able to secure a button for Sophie, as well as “I’m celebrating” buttons for the rest of us. A few days later I returned to get “Family Reunion” buttons which I forced everyone to wear because, well, they were free.

Technology
Finally, technology was our best friend on this trip to Disney. Steve downloaded the Disney Mobile Magic app (it was free for Verizon Wireless customers) which helped us keep track of ride wait times, character appearances and dining options.

Update: There were some apps available for purchase through iTunes. If you aren’t in a “mixed marriage” (Verizon and AT&T) like I am, I would suggest spending a few dollars to get an app. We found it really helped.

While it was tempting to leave the cell phones at the hotel, text messaging was the easiest way to keep track of each other when we went our separate ways. Rather than making 4 phone calls, I would send one text to each member of our group with any plan changes or updates.

When you get home
My final tip is get the vacation photo album done right away. I started organizing the photos on the flight home (yes, I brought my Macbook Air with me) and ordered the album four days after we returned.

I’m sure if you are an experienced Disney go-er, I’m sure these tips may seem obvious. But honestly, I wish someone had told me some of these things.

(Readers – feel free to share your tips. Betcha’ you’ve got some good ones).