On The Road Travel

Updated 6/16/22 For the most up-to-date information about the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort, please visit the   Walt Disney World Know Before You Go Guide. House of Blues is a restaurant with a great night time atmosphere that is located on the West Side of Disney Springs. The welcoming exterior is just the beginning of the experience when dining at the House of Blues. Their interior decor is stuffed with murals and artwork that represent the Blues lifestyle. The menu consists of American food, with specialty Southern and Creole dishes. In addition to enjoying the fantastic food, House of Blues also offers a lively environment with live music each week and an extensive drinks menu! House of Blues hosts special events next door at their “club” including ticketed events featuring live musical performances. The location also has live music near their dining/bar area outside and in the middle of their interior dining area. You do not need a ticket to enjoy this ...

Updated 6/16/22 For the most up-to-date information about the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort, please visit the   Walt Disney World Know Before You Go Guide. Sebastian's Bistro is a dining option at Walt Disney World and is located at Caribbean Beach Resort in the Epcot area. One great perk of Sebastian's Bistro and other dining options located at a Disney resort is that you do not need a park ticket or Park Pass Reservation to get into the restaurant! If you have a vehicle with you, you can drive to Caribbean Beach, or if you are coming from Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or another resort along the way, you can take the Skyliner. There is a short walk from when you exit the Skyliner until you actually get to Caribbean Beach and Sebastian's Bistro, so make sure your party is able to walk the distance and build in the time prior to your reservation. Bus service is offered from Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Reservations are required and it is part of Disney...

Updated 6/16/22 For the most up-to-date information about the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort, please visit the   Walt Disney World Know Before You Go Guide. Our family loves enjoying a meal at Rainforest Cafe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom mainly for the rainforest themed environment, but also because their large menu has a wide range of options so we can all find something to enjoy. Located near the main entrance of Animal Kingdom, the Rainforest Cafe does not require a park ticket. However, because of their location at the entrance of Animal Kingdom, you would need to pay for theme park parking if you are driving to the restaurant. Transportation to Rainforest Cafe is available via bus from Disney resort. The Rainforest Cafe takes you on a journey into the jungle filled with animated animals to enjoy your meal. Anyone with kids that love animals or jungles will likely love the over the top theming in this restaurant. There are animated singing birds, elephants,...

Updated 6/16/22 For the most up-to-date information about the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort, please visit the   Walt Disney World Know Before You Go Guide. Located in World Nature near The Seas with Nemo & Friends, you can dine under the sea at Coral Reef in Epcot! To dine at Coral Reef you have to have a dining reservation, valid park entry, and at the time of this writing, you will also need a park pass reservation for that day.  Coral Reef has an amazing atmosphere! We have loved dining here throughout the years for two very different reasons. My husband’s favorite hobby is taking care of our six saltwater tanks (yes, I said six), so he loves that each table at Coral Reef has a view of an enormous coral reef that is home to more than 2,000 sea creatures. I love it because I am an 80’s baby and remember it being the location where Danny proposed to Vicky on Full House. Either way, we love coming here! The atmosphere is themed to match the huge gla...

Updated 6/16/22 For the most up-to-date information about the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort, please visit the   Walt Disney World Know Before You Go Guide. One of the sit down dining restaurant options at Hollywood Studios is Sci-Fi Dine-In. Sci-Fi Dine-In has such a fun atmosphere! Guests sit at a table/booth that looks like you are sitting in a classic car facing a drive in theater screen. Cast Members call these “automo-booths.” Guests who are not seated in one of these automo-booths are seated at picnic style tables scattered around the perimeter of the restaurant. The lights are dimmed (and air conditioning feels AMAZING on a hot Florida day), so it feels like you are at a drive in watching old sci-fi movie clips while enjoying your meal. Since Sci-Fi Dine-In is located in Hollywood Studios, a valid park ticket and park pass reservation are required to dine there. Dining reservations are highly recommended, The best way to get to this restaurant from yo...

Updated 6/16/22 For the most up-to-date information about the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort, please visit the   Walt Disney World Know Before You Go Guide. Trattoria al Forno is a wonderful restaurant located at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort that offers casual Italian dining. Trattoria al Forno is located at a resort so you don’t need to have a park ticket to be able to enjoy this dining experience. Another plus is transportation. Because of the location, this restaurant is within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It is located closer to the front entrance of Hollywood Studios so if you are at your resort, the easiest way to get to this restaurant is to take Disney transportation to Hollywood Studios and then walk all the way to the Boardwalk, take the Skyliner to Epcot’s International Gateway and walk the short distance to the Boardwalk, or take the ferry boat to the Boardwalk. Trattoria al Forno takes one dining credit for those on the dini...

When is the best time to visit Disney World? When is the best time to travel to Disney World? There are many things to consider when deciding the right time to take your trip so it can be difficult to answer that question. What is great for one family may not work for another. Ultimately, it may come down to what works for your family, and the great news is that Disney does a fantastic job of making sure there are magical moments any time of year. I always suggest people start with asking themselves a couple of questions – Are you traveling with kids? If so, are you willing to take them out of school or should we work around their school schedule? This generally narrows it down quite a bit. Crowd levels are almost always lower when kids are in school and it isn’t around a holiday or long weekend. What type of weather would you prefer? Florida weather is generally hot, but there are times of the year where hot takes on a Whole. New. Meaning. So, if you want to avoid the brutal heat...

Updated 3/22/2022  Be sure to request a Resort Guide at the front desk so that you can have the most up-to-date information about resort happenings and schedules.  For the most up-to-date information about the phased re-opening of the Walt Disney World Resort, please visit the  Walt Disney World Know Before You Go Guide. Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ) is a moderate resort located along the Sassagoula River. In relation to the other moderate resorts, POFQ is much smaller and compact. It is themed beautifully to imitate New Orleans French Quarter architecture and splash in bits of the energy of Mardi Gras. The result is a wonderful balance of the beauty of Louisiana mixed with the energy of Mardi Gras (without the party). The buildings are pink and blue with iron lampposts and shuttered windows. The grounds are landscaped with vines, magnolia trees, beautiful lush greenery, and fountains. Resort Address: 2201 Orleans Drive Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 Ro...

Many of my clients wonder if they should wait until their kids are older to take a vacation to Disney.  While bringing a younger child does require more upfront details to plan (that is where we can help!) and may require the ability to adjust plans on the fly, we have found that there are lots of benefits to bringing children under 3 to Disney and have some planning tips to make it easier! Disney was created for the young (and young at heart) Even for a toddler, there is so much to do and more importantly - they will love it!  There are many rides with no height requirements, so your little one can ride with you.  There are also parades, attractions, and character meet and greets that are sure to appeal to the younger set!  Plus, it gives you an excuse to hang out on the “kiddie” rides! And, let’s face it, character meet and greets are more fun with the kids! Making Memories I know younger children may not remember the trip firsthand, but you will! ...

What is better than a birthday celebrated at Walt Disney World?! And, I am not just talking about kids! We have celebrated many birthdays at Disney and there are some great ways to add a little magic to your birthday celebration at Walt Disney World. Get your button Disney has FREE buttons that they can provide to you to help you share your celebration. This Happy Birthday button lets everyone else in on the fun and you will be surprised to see how many cast members and other guests help wish your child (or you!) a happy birthday. This button also got us a couple of complimentary goodies (though this is never guaranteed)! Don’t forget to get your other children that may not be celebrating their birthday a pin too. Disney has pins that say “I’m Celebrating,” which you can write on so they can also have a button to wear. Create a shirt A family reunion and Disney World are one of the few places where matching shirts are a must! You can order on Etsy or at a multitude of onli...

If you are taking your 3-12 year old princesses to Walt Disney World, chances are that you have explored the option of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to give your princess the royal treatment. At Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, your little one gets to be transformed into a princess or gallant knight by choosing one of their hairstyle options and getting a makeover by a Fairy Godmother-in-training in their salon. Prices range from $65 to $450+. We took our girls for the first time when they were 4 and 6 years old and we went with the $65 package and were more than thrilled with all that it included! Plus, if you have Memory Maker, you also get all of the pictures that the photographers take throughout the experience in addition to those taken during the photo session in their studio. Our girls LOVED the special attention and pampering – both during the makeover and after! They got plenty of extra attention and royalty treatment while we walked through the park. It may be a little pricey, but ...

Can I tell you how happy I am that summer is here?! I am so excited to have my kids out of school and we are ready to enjoy our long, summer days! When thinking about my summer plans, I can’t help but start to think about my next trip to Walt Disney World – and I bet you feel the same! One of the first decisions to be made when planning a trip to Walt Disney World is to decide how many days to stay. Whether planning a long weekend or a once in a lifetime trip, determining the number of days you are staying is top of the to do list. When I help clients plan their Disney vacation, if time allows, I always recommend an extra day or two that is designated for non-park fun. When visiting the Walt Disney World Resort, there is so much to do outside of the parks that it makes sense to add another day of fun and/or relaxation! Many clients don’t realize that sometimes the cost to add one more day on to your park tickets may not be much more. You can always have the best of both worlds...

We love helping anyone experience the magic of Disney – but for first time visitors – there are some bits of magic that you need to know so you don’t miss out! Advanced Planning – We all know that a good vacation starts with planning, but a trip to Walt Disney World takes the planning up a notch. Disney has over 40 square miles of property in central Florida and it is full of activities for your vacation. It is no wonder that researching and narrowing down what you want to fit into your vacation is no small feat! There are several things to plan in advance but two things we want to highlight here are table service dining options and FASTPASS+ (aka Fast Passes). Have you ever made a dining reservation 6 months in advance?! Well, for your trip to Walt Disney World, reservations for table service open up 180 days in advance, and the most popular reservations fill up fast (see below for some more information on the famous character dining options)! There are many counter service ...

Hints of spring have begun to pop up and what better way to embrace this new season than to add to our team! Please join us in the comments below as we welcome Lisa Myers to our On the Road Travel team as a Travel Agent Specializing in Disney Destinations! Lisa is an Iowa native and went to Iowa State University where she met her husband/Prince Charming, Larry. They now live in Kansas City and have two daughters. Lisa and Larry love to travel as often as they can, but their favorite family vacations are always centered around a Disney Destination. Even when at home, a lot of their time is spent researching and planning for their next trip to Disney! Lisa’s love for Disney started at a young age when she went to see The Little Mermaid at the movie theater. Then, as a teenager she saved her money from her summer job to help “fund” her first trip to Walt Disney World the following spring break (if you want a fun story, ask her about their flight and what happened when she arrived at...