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Friday, March 29, 2024

Disney World: Back and Better than Ever

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Disney World is just about in full swing now that Covid regulations have calmed down. Let’s look at ways to get down there with the family quickly, affordably, and as easily as possible. 

The Wonderful World of forming a bridge between your adult and younger selves offers value, moderate and deluxe resorts for the last stop on your travel accommodations. All options are listed on their website, based on your personal preference and pocket. Factors like dining, amenities, themes, meal packages, and even room size may come into play when choosing where to stay. 

Regardless, your children’s lives will be changed for the better – just as yours was once upon a time if this is a repeat visit. Don’t take it for granted! 

There are also off-property hotels and suites you can bring into the mix to ensure you don’t overly spend on your Disney adventure. A place like Summerfield Suites in Orlando offers complimentary breakfast, a pool, and even provided transportation to and from all Disney parks. You can’t miss the Disney theme when the whole point of Disney is what it means to you within, anyway. Save where you can so you can spend freely when it matters most. 

From personal experience, I implore you – make park reservations. In post-Covid times, they are MANDATORY. Park capacity has undergone heavy monitoring of late, and therefore those without a reservation will be denied entry on a whim at the gate. 

Believe it or not, the hidden gem comes at the very beginning of your travels – especially those flying out of Long Island’s MacArthur Airport, centrally located in Ronkonkoma. When getting dropped off early enough, there is close to no traffic – and parking your own car is also a smooth process. 

Town of Islip residents may obtain a parking pass for $40 a year (or $60 for two years). For non- residents, long-term parking is $18 per 24-hour period, and short-term is $3.75 per hour with a maximum charge of $26 a day. 

With significantly less commotion than in New York City airports, check-ins and TSA stopgaps can take as little as ten minutes, depending on the circumstances. 

MacArthur’s airline connections are: American Airlines, Breeze Airways, Frontier, and Southwest Airlines. Each offers competitive credit cards equipped with perks and discounts towards your next flight; however, Breeze Airways does not offer flights to any place other than South Carolina, Virginia, and a connecting service to New Orleans. 

Frontier Airlines has gained popular recognition throughout recent years for its affordability. According to their website, flights from Islip start as low as $26. Sure, there are other fees for carry-ons, checked bags, and even in-flight drinks (yes, even soft drinks). But, in many cases, with the right deal, you may just be saving on your flight – just don’t expect your seat to recline! Luckily, it’s only a two-and-a-half-hour flight, tops. 

β€œDisney’s Magical Express” participates with all three Islip based airlines – Frontier, American and Southwest. Magical Express is a complimentary roundtrip service that takes your luggage to and from the airport. This way, after your bag is checked, the next time you see your suitcase is in your hotel room, provided you are staying on Disney property. Which again, can offer an extreme peace of mind when taking the entire family down to what’s still considered one of the most accurately billed magical places on Earth decades into its run. 

Planning a vacation can be time-consuming, and overwhelmingly stressful. There is much information to be gathered for the whole operation to be viewed as a success afterward. If you need to consult a travel agent, who can go over every inch of what you know needs booking, and also what you didn’t realize very much did, exercise that option. It’s more than worth it.

Deana D. Boles
Deana D. Boleshttp://www.messengerpapers.com
Deana D. Boles joined The Messenger as a contributing reporter in February of 2022. Now a staff writer, she covers a wide variety of topics, including entertainment, politics, health and parental guidance - in addition to conducting food reviews of local restaurants as part of her weekly column, "Dining with Deana."