July Disney World Vacation

Disneyland (CA) or Disney World (FL)?

We will be in DW the week before. From what I've ready anywhere is a good spot to see the fireworks. I've read that near Cinderella's castle is amazing.

I'm helping my SIL try and find a place. Hilton is having some good deals right now, and there are some places in Kissimee that are around $80 a night. There are also some amazing prices on Hotwire.com

As for the trip, try to travel at night so that they'll sleep. Don't have suggestions on where to stay along the way.

M.

Hi! Can't help you with the fireworks part, but you should check out the website below for booking a place to stay on the way (or there, if you haven't made reservations yet). A cool thing about this website - sign up as a preferred customer (which is free to do) and you get a lot of extra benefits like free flight insurance and 30 min. of concierge service every time you book there. So you can call and get restaurant recommendations, directions to the closest Starbucks, directory assistance, etc.
www.BrackTravel.com
Have fun!

Just wanted to correct the previous post about time/distance from Atlanta to Disney...
Disney/Orlando is about 2.5 - 3 hours south of the Florida/GA state line. And from Atlanta to the Florida/GA state line is between 4/5 hours, depending on how fast you are driving. Holiday traffic (4th of July) makes for LOTS of state troopers, so I wouldn't push it too much in that regard. So if you stop over in Atlanta, the drive to Disney from there may run you around 7-8 hours, depending on how many stops you need to make for potty breaks, etc, not the 4 hours mentioned below in the previous post.

We always stopped in Chatanooga, visted the Choo-Choo there to stretch our legs and then found a hotel. Always seemed to be the best stopping point. And we love the Cracker Barrel restaurants along the way, too. Good luck.

I googled how long it will be to get from Chicago to Disney, and Chatanooga, TN is about the halfway point. If I were you, I would stop no sooner than Chatanooga, and if you can make it, get to Atlanta (which would leave you only about 4 hours until you would get to Disney). Both places should have plenty of cheap hotels and things to do if you are looking to spend some time there.

As for fireworks, Magic Kingdom will obviously have the best, but they will also have the largest crowds. Epcot has beautiful fireworks that go off nightly and I can guarantee that the crowds will be a third of what the Magic Kingdom's are. You are just going to have to figure out what's more important to you.

Stress free driving...no way! However, there are things I suggest to make the driving more bareable. First, if you don't have portable DVD players, invest in them now (one for each). This way, there is no fighting on what movie to watch, and they can be entertained for hours. I also suggest bringing along coloring books, toys, portable gaming systems (we LOVE our Leapster), and maybe a few new cheap toys that you pick up (the "newness" will keep them entertained forever).

If you have not done so already, order the free Disney DVD that will explain more about the parks. It is completely free (there are no catches), and it really does give you a lot of good information. Second, as the time grows closer, begin to plan your days out ahead of time. If you are staying on property, make sure that you participate in extra magic hours (they save you SO much time). I also suggest trying to stay on property. Most of the local hotels are not any cheaper than Disney themselves, Disney offers better perks, and it will make the experience much better for you and your kiddos!

Good luck and have fun! :)

P.S. Just read the last mom's review...Discovery Island no longer exists at Disney World. Don't try and find it, because you would have a difficult time ;)

If you have enough time, and are looking for a quiet thing to do away from the big parks, take a boat from one of the Disney hotels to Discovery Island. It's a nice little zoo that is uncrowded and worth checking out.

Definitely take a potty with you so the kids don't have to use gross bathrooms along the highways. A DVD player and Leapsters (or similar) would be good to take along. My parents always got us up at some ridiculously early hour and we'd beat the traffic out of Chicagoland. Other option is to drive at night when they'd be sleeping anyway.

I think we always stopped overnight in/near Chattanooga when I was growing up.

Oh, and a warning - the drivers in Georgia are terrible! At least, they were 10 year ago.