Travel with the Whitakers

The world is quickly heading back towards “normal” and so many people are ready to start traveling again. We’ve traveled a few times in the last few months, and I took my solo trip back in October. We just got back from a magical Disney World vacation – we stayed at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort from June 17 – 23, 2021. We thought we would share with you what it’s like at Disney World RIGHT NOW! First, it’s HOT! But that’s to be expected, it’s June in Florida. We’d never been to Disney in the summer. (Except for in September.) It was in the 90s and it was incredibly humid. We caked on the sunscreen, we broke down and bought a cooling towel, we dealt with the sweat dripping down our backs, and we had an amazing time. Covid measures are changing quickly, and the Florida theme parks are no different. Both Disney World and Universal Studios have changed their mask requirements in the last few weeks. Both parks only require masks to be worn when indoors for those that are no fully vac...

Remember how we talked about being flexible on any trip last week?! The day after posting that three of the four Whitakers were off on a last-minute trip. I’m talking about a trip that was planned Tuesday night, and then we left early Friday morning. It was only a quick weekend trip, but we all had a lot of fun, and it was good to see friends and family after two years! We’ve posted our road trip tips before, but today I want to share with you how to make a solo (with kids) road trip easier! Like I said, the kids and I made the drive from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, and it’s a whole different ball game driving with just yourself and kids in the back seat compared to having a driver and someone else that can help the kids if need be. So, here are my tips for a solo road trip with kids. Leave early . This tip holds true for just about any road trip. Leaving early guarantees that there will be fewer other cars on the road, that you’ll get to your destination earlier, and that you...

I hope that your June is off to a good start! Things are going well so far in South Carolina. This week we’ve had A LOT of rain. It’s good, though. Our little garden is growing quite nicely thanks to all the rain. This week I have for a short, sweet, and to the point post about how to have the best trip to anywhere. 1.       1.  Have a plan. If you know me, you know I love to plan. If I didn’t, I would have the job that I do. Having a rough plan is always a good idea no matter where you’re traveling to. Disney World – knowing which park(s) you’re going to visit, where you might want to eat, and when Fastpass+ is a thing again, what rides to Fastpass is big. Taking a road trip? Having a general idea of where you’re going to stop along the way, and fun things planned for each night’s destination makes this so much easier. 2.       2.  Be flexible. I know, I know, I just said to have a plan. Having a plan is great, but the ability to change yo...

At the end of April, Disney Cruise Line revealed many details about their newest ship, the Disney Wish. The ship is going to be AMAZING! We’re so excited about the newest addition to the Disney Cruise Line fleet, and we can’t wait to step aboard and set sail. Actually, this morning, early booking opened for Gold Castaway Club members for Summer 2022 sailings, and we are officially booked! So, what do we have to look forward to on this new ship? The brand-new ship will set sail on its maiden voyage, a five-night cruise, in June 2022. After that, it will sail three and four-night cruise in the Bahamas from Port Canaveral. At this point dates and itineraries have been announced through September 2022. One of the most important parts of a cruise ship is the staterooms. The Wish will of course have inside, oceanview, verandah, and concierge staterooms like the other four DCL ships. However, the Wish will be the first Disney ship to have two two-story royal suites, and a two-story suite ...

Life was crazy for a couple of weeks, but things are starting to calm down again. We packed up everything we owned, loaded it into a moving truck, and drove from San Angelo, Texas to Sumter, South Carolina. If you’ve read our past posts, you know that we normally leave before the sun comes up on each day of our road trips, that way we can enjoy the city we’re in once we get there. This trip was a little different, though. Our last night in San Angelo was spent it a hotel, and Christian went to one last Cub Scout meeting with Pack 22. In the morning, we made sure that everything was packed and out of the hotel room before driving to our old neighborhood one more time to pick up the moving truck and Howard’s car that was on the back. Howard and Christian took the truck while Bella, Sansa, and I took my car. We spent he rest of the morning, and into the afternoon, driving across east Texas. If you haven’t been to Texas, it’s a BIG place. Seriously, the drive the first day was six ho...

Starting in July, Disney Cruise Line will be setting sail again! Well, one of the four ships will be. The Disney Magic will be providing Disney staycations from the UK for UK residents. Recently the safety guidelines for those sailings were released by Disney Cruise Line. Now, some of these guidelines could be different once cruising resumes in the U.S., however many of them could very well be in place to meet the requirements of the CDC in order to set sail from an American port. Today, I’m here to talk about what we COULD see. Signage and Ground Markings – These have become the norm since the beginning of everything last year. We’ve seen them at stores, airports, and Disney World. I see these being in use at least until the major threat of covid is gone. Physical Barriers – You know that plexiglass that popped up overnight at grocery stores last year? The same plexiglass that has made its way onto most attractions at Disney World to allow for greater on ride capacity. I see thi...

  Our last family adventure was at the end of December, it was only a few months ago, but a lot has happened since then. It feels like it was FOREVER ago! Our next adventure is just around the corner, though! In just over two weeks we’ll be leaving Texas and starting our road trip towards our new home in South Carolina. Just like to get anywhere, we’ll be spending most of our first day on the road driving in Texas. We’re planning on stopping for the first night in Louisiana, and continuing with our road trip tradition of pizza for dinner on the first night. After that we’ll drive through a bigger part of Mississippi than we have in the past, and then stop in Alabama for the night. The plans for that night involve checking out an ice cream shop that we found online during our pre-trip research. On the last day of the trip, we’ll finishing driving through Alabama, drive through Georgia, and then make it to our house in South Carolina. The kids and I have never been to Georgia, or...