Surviving Disney World...

Disney World is all about rides and characters for children, but it's all about strategies and planning for parents. Seriously, walking into the Magic Kingdom without any plan for the day is a recipe for long lines, screaming kids and frustration. Especially at this peak time of year. So here's a chance for parents to share their expertise -- especially those just returning from Spring Break trips.

Disney World families: What are your survival tips and/or horror stories? Post them in the comments section below.

My family was rewarded for trusting The Unofficial Guide: Walt Disney World With Kids 2011 last week. While the guide gets a lot of mileage for one simple tip -- be at the parks 30 minutes before they open -- it provides very specific strategies for navigating the parks with minimal lines and waiting. It claims to have field-tested its plans, which on average save about four hours of sitting in line each day. When I sought a copy at the Hennepin County Library system last week, 17 of 18 copies were out. Thank goodness for the Roosevelt branch!

Random reflections from the trip:

1) Toy Story Midway Mania at Hollywood Studios is the coolest ride in the Kingdom. I scored 130,000. Beat that!

2) Tom Sawyer Island is underrated. My kids loved romping around the island after hours of fighting crowds and waiting in lines.

3) The play guns and swords for sale coming out of Pirates of the Caribbean present a dilemma. Boys beg for them. But if you travel with carry-on luggage, how do you get these items home?

5) Who among you can claim to have had a character meal with Cinderella? Reportedly you have to call exactly at 7 a.m., 180 days in advance, to secure seats for these meals at the castle.

6) Forget "It's a Small World." The song burned in my brain from this vacation is Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. It is played perpetually on Disney World buses, which is ironic because Buffett has a restaurant parked outside Disney's arch rival, Universal Studios in Orlando.