Road trips to Disney World. What’s good and what to avoid on your way to Florida.

Air travel is our family’s preferred method of heading down to Walt Disney World.  However, from time to time we would pack the minivan and hit the road to Florida. Firstly, full disclosure, we live in Southern Maryland, so it is a 12-hour door-to-door journey and a straight shot down I-95 to Florida.

Well, gone are the days of traveling straight through to the Sunshine State.  There are many opportunities to indulge in the majestic sceneries of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. So with that being said what should you consider when road tripping to Disney. 

1. Overnight stays. When we first traveled to Florida, we would drive straight through and only stop at rest areas for a couple of hours.  Honestly, that proved to be a little daunting.  By the time we arrived in Kissimmee, we were tired and spent whatever was left of the day in bed. No good, if your goal is to hit the parks. As years passed by, we’ve become smarter in how we road tripped. Think about staying overnight somewhere. Also, right off of I-95 is Florence, SC. This was the perfect stop for an overnight stay for our family. Hotels, restaurants, and shops are conveniently located off of I-95. We stayed at one of the new hotels in the area and our suite had a full kitchen with a separate bedroom and two televisions. The lobby and dining areas were clean. The staff was friendly and gracious.

2. Try to have more than one driver. If you are the only driver in the family, then a road trip would not be the best. Driving can sometimes wear you out.

3. Good navigation and road trip websites. Google Maps and the i95exitguide.com have become our friends. 

Google Maps provide you with directions, but it also offers ideas on how to find hotels, gas stations, and rest areas along your route, and i95exitguide.com offers info on hotels, traffic, rest areas, etc. along the I 95 corridor. We decided to drive halfway, spend the night and begin anew the next day.  After extensive research, we determined that anywhere between Florence, SC, and Manning, SC would be the best place to stop for the night.  Working our departure time to coincide with our arrival time in South Carolina had us there around 7:00 pm.

4. Think about secondary roads. The easiest start for us is traveling down Route 301 and catching I-95 right before you hit Doswell, VA. This is where you will find another amusement park, Kings Dominion.  The first city we hit in Virginia is the capital city of Richmond. Richmond is located about one hour and a half from our starting point.

5. Roadside attractions. There are many roadside attractions along the way.  We never stopped here, but South of the Border is right at the North Carolina/South Carolina border. You will know it’s there, having seen signs along I-95 of its existence.

If you do want to venture there, it has hotels, restaurants, and recreational activities for the family.

6. Go beyond I95. If you are up to venturing away from I-95, one of my all-time favorite places to visit is Savannah, GA, so I made my husband (yes, I said it) make a stop so I can pick up some pralines at Savannah Candy Kitchen https://www.savannahcandy.com  (that’s how much I love chocolate).  Savannah is approximately 10-12 miles east of I-95, so it makes a great stop to have a meal and eat some chocolate.

7. Costs.  Economics always depends on the season, the number of people traveling, and time commitment.  Be sure not to forget to factor in gas, tolls, parking at the Disney resorts, and other hotel stays. Bringing things from home can save you money, especially if you pack meals for your road trip.

Standard Overnight Parking charges per Resort Category:

• Disney Value Resorts: $15 per night
• Disney Moderate Resorts: $20 per night
• Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $25 per night

Standard park parking is included for guests of Disney Resort hotels.

For more info, check out this link: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/parking/

8. See Florida. Having your own vehicle allows you to venture around the Orlando area. You may even decide to head out to Universal Studios.

9. Timing is everything. Tried to time your departures to coincides with hotel check-ins and meal stops.

10. Have fun. Traveling by air will get you to Walt Disney World quickly, but on the other hand, a road trip will create memories and appreciation of this country.

Are you interested in free help planning your Disney and Universal Studios vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

Get a free quote and planning help from Magical Fairy Travel

What’s new at Disney during this age of pandemic.

New looks for Mickey, Minnie, and Friends.

After a year of quarantine, I am ready to get out there and enjoy Disney again.  My family and I will be heading out to Walt Disney World in December. For those who can’t wait until December, Disney has been steadily working on phased reopening.  

One of the biggest events for 2021 is Walt Disney World’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration, which begins on October 1, 2021, and will run for 18 months.  So what better way to get back to our “normal” than to enjoy “The World’s Most Magical Celebration”.

What to look forward to when you head down to Walt Disney World for the celebration:

• Disney Enchantment – Want to enjoy nighttime entertainment, then you will find it with Disney Enchantment. Here, you will discover fascinating Disney music, lighting, fireworks, and projection effects from Main Street, USA to Cinderella’s Castle. Location: Magic Kingdom
• Harmonious – Fireworks and visual effects are the main attraction for this showcase. Location: Epcot
• Beacons of Magic – Each park’s iconic symbol will light up into Beacons of Magic. Location: All parks on selected days.
• Disney Kite Tails – Come out and watch the three-dimensional kites of Simba, Zazu, King Louie, Baloo, and more as they take flight above the Discovery River Amphitheater. Location: Animal Kingdom Park
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – A 4D attracted based on the Disney and Pixar film Ratatouille. Location: Epcot

What else is new

Resorts

• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has reopened and with this exciting news, you will find new, guest rooms inspired by the Pacific Ocean and details from Walt Disney Animation Studios film “Moana.”

• If you will be staying at one of the Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Disney Resort hotels you will have the opportunity to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks. Information regarding specific dates and parks will be shared at a later time.  So be sure to return to this site for the most up to date information.

Reservations for Park Entry

Attendance at the parks is managed via the Disney Park Pass System.   You would have to purchase admission tickets and then make theme park reservations.  You will find a calendar on the Disney.com website with what parks have openings.

Dining

Disney is planning to bring the dining plan option back at a later date. However, Disney has continued to add new and returning dining options to its website.

Keep in mind that some restaurants require reservations and it is truly recommended—and are required. You can make reservations up to 60 days in advance, so be sure to contact me for help regarding dining reservations.

Dining Experiences

Character Dining is still available, however, only at certain restaurants: Garden Grill Restaurant, Hollywood & Vine, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera, Chef Mickey’s, and Tusker House Restaurant.  Dinner shows are not available and some restaurants are still closed. Stay tuned for updates.

Remember to travel light.  Disney has made an effort to make sure that any contact between Cast Members and Guests is kept to a minimum.  Guests still have to walk through a metal detector, however, they would have to carry their belongings.

Remember to stay safe, abide by the rules and most of all have a wonderful time. Here’s to returning to a sense of normalcy, at least we can enjoy it with Disney.  We can talk if you want more info.

Are you interested in free help planning your Disney vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

Get a free quote and planning help from Magical Fairy Travel

Love Halloween and cruises. Halloween on the High Seas is Disney’s answer to a unique and original way for your family to enjoy trick o’ treating while cruising.

Do you ever think about trick or treating on a cruise ship?  Not only did my family and I have the pleasure of taking a cruise during Halloween, but did it on the Disney Dream.  I always said that Disney is known for taking it up a notch and they’ve ruined me for other cruise lines, but this time they took the cake.

My husband and I wanted to make my daughter’s 13^th birthday extra special, why not, she was entering her teen years.  It so happens that her birthday lands on the 3^rd of November.  Just to let you know Disney starts celebrating Halloween in September and ends around October 31^st.  We found a 4-night cruise leaving Port Canaveral on Halloween and returning on November 4^th.  Perfect!

What are the best reasons to sail during Halloween:

1. Halloween-theme events for the whole family:

Some of the Halloween theme activities include: Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party (games, trick or treating, and character sightings), theme activities at the youth clubs, storytime in the atrium and wait for it, an adults-only costume party with a costume contest. My husband and I enjoyed the adults-only party; the costumes were great.

We knew not only to start planning for the cruise but also plan for our costumes (adults enjoy dressing up just as much as the kids).  Of course, it had to be Disney-related.   My daughter opted out of a Disney family theme costume and went as Harley Quinn, however, my husband and I love the movie Up.  So, my husband decided to go as Carl Fredricksen and I went as Russell. 

2. Disney Cruise Lines oldies but goodies

In addition to the Halloween theme events, you will find that Disney Cruise Line’s traditional events are still held.  An oldie but goodie is Pirate night.  Everyone on the ship is a pirate for the night, even the Disney characters.  The evening ends with a deck party.  While Disney provides a pirate handkerchief, cruisers, myself included have been known to bring their pirate wear.

Just to let you know, some of the events like character meet and greets require advance tickets, so if you have more than one adult in your party have them line up on embarkation day to do the sign-ups.

Our last night on the ship was my daughter’s birthday.  So, you can purchase a cake in advance through Disney.  We had the cake bought out during dinner and shared it with our table mates.

3. Land and sea during Halloween

Make additional Disney Halloween memories with a land and sea vacation. Prior to or after the cruise head out to Magic Kingdom for Disney After Hours Boo Bash. This is a 3-hour event that begins August 10, 2021 and ends on Halloween. Depending on the date events begins at 9:00 PM or 9:30 PM.

We have been on many Disney cruises, but this was our first Halloween cruise.  We had so much fun, that we are looking forward to booking a cruise for the Christmas holidays.

Are you interested in free help planning your next Halloween on the Seas vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

Get a free quote and planning help from Magical Fairy Travel