Disney World - Best tips for inside the parks! & Some hidden Mickeys ;)

1. A sidewalk that travels past Disney’s BoardWalk Inn (or Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts) and the Swan & Dolphin connects Epcot (through the International Gateway) to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Walking between the two parks takes around 30 minutes and can be faster than any other transportation between the two parks.
2. Disney Vacation Club members staying at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort have access to the Top of the World Lounge, which is a great, uncrowded place to watch the fireworks. 360 degree shows (“Fantasy in the Sky” on December 30 and New Year’s Eve, and “Celebrate America” on July 3 and 4) and shows with perimeter bursts look especially good from up there
3. In the parks, Sunshine Seasons and Electric Umbrella at Epcot, Tortuga Tavern and Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, Backlot Express in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Restaurantosaurus in Disney’s Animal Kingdom all have drink refill stations for free refills.
4. At Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, the 1/2 Chicken and BBQ Rib Combination with mashed potatoes and a seasonal vegetable costs over $15, but is a standard option for a counter service credit. This can feed two adults with moderate appetites, making it a great way to use 1 counter service credit for two meals!
5. Disney’s Character Warehouse is an outlet carried heavily discounted and discontinued Disney merchandise. They have two locations off property, on I-Drive near Universal Orlando and on Vineland near Downtown Disney.  The Vineland location is larger and closer to Walt Disney World.
6. The Resort Loop monorail stop order is Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
7. If you’ve never visited Walt Disney World, you should go in with at least a rough plan of attack. Failing that, prioritize the following as the first attractions to do each morning when you arrive: Toy Story Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Test Track & Soarin’ at Epcot, Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Fantasyland or the “mountain” attractions in the Magic Kingdom.
8. You can enter the Animation Building in Disney’s Hollywood Studios for some of the best character meet & greets in Walt Disney World by going through the Art of Disney store (skipping the Animation Academy attraction). Likewise, you can experience Turtle Talk with Crush without doing the Nemo dark ride by entering The Seas pavilion through the gift shop at the exit.
9. The best viewing place for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime parade during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is, without question, Main Street USA. It snows on Main Street during the parade, and the Christmas ambiance is best on Main Street.
10. Get a free caffeine fix at Epcot’s Club Cool, where there are eight flavors of Coke products from around the world. Make sure to try the Beverly.
11. If you want to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from outside the park, the best location is from the Ticket & Transportation Center, to the right of the ferry launch. The beach at Disney’s Polynesian Resort is an alternative, but the view isn’t as good.
12. Walt Disney World counter service restaurants will give you a free cup of water (ask for a large cup!) or a free cup of hot water.
13. Depending upon your skipper and the guest demographic of your boat (i.e. no kids), you might get an “edgier” Jungle Cruise experience if you ride late at night.
14. The Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream (Beach Club) is an experience, not just a dessert. If you have a part of 4 or so, order it. Your kids will love the “show” when the Kitchen Sink is brought to your table.
15. 50s Prime Time Cafe serves arguably the best milk shake at Walt Disney World. If you want one, but don’t want a full meal, stop by the Tune In Lounge located in the same building as the restaurant, where you can order just a milk shake.
16. PhotoPass Cast Members will take (free!) photos of you with your camera, so don’t be afraid to ask! Make sure your settings are dialed in before handing them the camera, as they will not typically adjust settings
17. Attractions don’t close when the parks close, meaning that you can get in a 90-minute line at 10:59 p.m. when the parks close at 11 p.m. and be in the park well past closing. This is a great way to experience rides with perpetually long lines, like Toy Story Mania without wasting “valuable” time.
18. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that are displayed on the Streets of America during the holiday season typically stay on for an hour after the park officially closes.
19. All of the World Showcase countries have little nooks to explore, but Morocco is one of the best. Head deep into the pavilion to find an authentic shop. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s fun to peruse.
20. The bridge connecting Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club to Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is a decent place to watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth from outside Epcot.
21. If you’re staying at a Disney-owned hotel, you can have merchandise you purchase in the park sent to your hotel so you don’t have to carry it around all day.
22. Don’t be afraid of having some fun by decorating your room window in a Disney hotel. Lots of guests do it, and it can be a lot of fun for the kids. Christmas lights, posed stuff animals, and homemade signs are just some of the things you can use to set the “scene.” Don’t be surprised if MouseKeeping has a little “fun” with your set-up, too!
23. Shops on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom are open up to an hour after the park closes. Do your shopping once you can’t do rides.
24. Request a free wake-up call each morning from Mickey or Stitch on the resort hotel phone. It’s better than a buzzing alarm, and it’s a cool way to wake up (it might even get your kids excited to start the day!).
25. If you are visiting when there are two showings of Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, always see the second showing. The line will be much shorter and you’ll get better seats. Same thing goes for the Main Street Electrical Parade in the Magic Kingdom when it has two runnings.
26. If you don’t want to wait eons at Enchanted Tales with Belle in the Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland, you should arrive at park opening, and it should be your first stop of the day.
27. There are “party line” phones on Main Street and in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom. Pick them up to listen in on some hilarious conversations
28. Citrus Swirl served at the Sunshine Tree Terrace in the Magic Kingdom is just as delicious.
29. Character meet & greet lines are typically shortest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and typically longest in the Magic Kingdom.
30. Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom is open for breakfast an hour before the park opens (so is Cinderella’s Royal Table). This is not just a great opportunity for an early breakfast, but also for empty photos of the Magic Kingdom!
31. If you go to Be Our Guest, ask for the recipe for the Grey Stuff, or at least what's in it.
32. Tell the Toy Story characters "ANDY'S COMING!" - they used to drop to the floor and freeze, but now they say Andy went to college.
33.  If you see Mary Poppins, say to her "I can say Supercalifragilisticexpiadocious backwards", then turn your back on her and say Supercalifraglisticxpiadocios.
34. Go see Pocahontas's raccoon and give him a cracker; He will follow you and leave his station!
35. When you see Dug the dog from UP, shout SQUIRREL!
36. Ask the cas-tmembers working the Haunted Mansion "What are your bat names?"
37. There's a spot to the right of the American adventure in Epcot (as your facing it) that they use for a testing area for new cast members that are just practicing being characters.
38. Tell Woody "There's a snake in your boot!" - He will run away!
39. Ask Tigger to bounce with you
40. Go in Tinker Bell's Nook and tell the cast member that you want to wake Tink!
41. Tell Donald that Mickey is your favorite - he will have a meltdown!
42. Make an effort to hang around the Magic Kingdom for 30 minutes after it closes. You’ll be rewarded with The Kiss Goodnight. - The closing of the park with a magical speech.
43. If you see a tree creepin’ down the walkways at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, stop and watch. It’s actually DiVine, an incredibly talented (and camouflaged) performer. Likewise, if you see a trash can roaming around Tomorrowland, stop and chat with it. His name is PUSH!
44. http://kennythepirate.com/disney-world-character-schedules/character-interaction-ideas/ - HAS THE MOST DETAILED CHARACTER INTERACTIONS!
45. There are two hidden references to the Nautilus (the ship from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea). The first is inside the tree at the entrance to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh queue. This tree was originally over part of the former location of the 20,000 Leagues attraction. The second carving is in the queue to the Little Mermaid dark ride, which is also on the old 20k plot. You can still find an ACTUAL Nautilus at Disneyland Paris in their Discoveryland area of the park.
46. When Dinosaur (or Countdown to Extinction, as it was originally known) opened in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the sponsor was McDonald’s. In the loading area, there are red, white, and yellow pipes with chemical names on them. The chemical names are the ingredients for ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard. 
47. Near the entrance to Lights, Motors, Action! in the Streets of America is an umbrella attached to a lightpost. Push a button on the umbrella and it “rains” overhead, making for a fun photo op.
48. As you’re entering the sound testing room, you’ll see an office door with the name “Dean Finder” on it. This is a reference to Dreamfinder, of the original Journey into Imagination. Here’s hoping that this remains after the Journey into Imagination 2014 refurbishment (unless Dreamfinder himself returns with that refurb)!
49. This one received a lot of fanfare last year when it returned, but in case you never heard about it, there’s an Orange Bird behind the counter in Sunshine Tree Terrace. He first appeared back from the opening of Walt Disney World until the mid-1980s as a character created to promote the Florida Citrus Commission. This figure is actually the same one that had appeared in the Sunshine Tree Terrace back then (he was recently found by the Disney Archives).
50. Here’s an interactive one that requires a bit of advance planning. In these films, there are parts where objects come toward the audience. If you bring items with you to the park, you can impress your spouse or kids by catching items that fly out “into” the audience. The best options are jewels in the Little Mermaid scene of PhilharMagic (a red jewel is best here, but a ring would work if you want a fun proposal), or a golfball during the golfing portion of Soarin’, which is hit by none other than former Disney CEO Michael Eisner.
51. In the first room of the attraction, Mr. Toad is painted on the wall, handing a deed over to Owl. This is a reference to the attraction Pooh replaced, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Pooh had a habit of replacing fan favorites…in Disneyland, he bumped Country Bear Jamboree, and actual audio animatronics for Max, Buff, and Melvin are actually inside the attraction and visible if you look behind you at the right as you enter the “honey” room during the ride!
52. As you cross the bridge after leaving Kali River Rapids, there are buttons that can be pressed to deploy the elephants to spray guests on the ride. Just remember…what goes around comes around!
53. Cast Members at Cosmic Ray’s will give out Sonny Eclipse stickers if you ask for them (and if they have some in stock).