Trip Report Last Minute Cruise - Disney Wish February 2025

Seriously, this trip was incredibly last minute. We had been throwing around the possibility of taking a cruise since the December 2024 trip and we had cancelled several prior to that. Disney released great deals on select cruises so it was becoming more of a reality. However, the husband kept dragging his feet and only made a decision a week or two before the cruise departure date AFTER the sale had ended on the cruises we were watching so he ended up paying more than necessary. Which meant plane tickets were expensive for those still available. And that meant a road trip from Virginia would be required. This was my first ever cruise and only his second (and he hardly remembered the first one when he was a teenager lol).

Who: Me and the husband, R
Why: He said it was for his birthday and was discouraged with our home search
When: Road trip started Feb 1st, Cruise started Feb 3, and a road trip back home
What: Besides the cruise, we had absolutely no idea what we were going to be doing or staying (major anxiety from me ensued)
Where: Disney Wish, All Star Music, and various places along I-95

I'm still having issues with my technology (must get a new computer!) but it's doing better than it was in December. And with no surprise trips planned, I should be able to finish this one much more quickly. I promise I'll try

 

[Wicked Sisters]

Really looking forward to reading this trip report. 1st as well

 

[LeighM]

So none of my Disney trips can occur with some kind of drama from my in laws and this trip was no exception. After the holidays, I told R that we were going on vacation during the holidays next year - I'm tired of this nonsense LOL. So now I'm trying to plan ahead for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.

We left by 9AM on Saturday morning to start the road trip. It was nice to be able to overpack and not have to worry about checked luggage, fitting everything in our carryons, or liquid rules. A couple days before leaving, a room at All Star Music opened up for only $123 for the night so I grabbed it. I was hoping that the cheerleaders would be more quiet since it was the last day of competition. We thought about going to Epcot for the Festival of the Arts but none of the food options really appealed to us this time. So instead we loosely planned on going to Blizzard Beach since it was free on check in day. But we were playing it by ear to see how we did on our time and the weather when we arrived. I was just glad to be spending one day on Disney property after all!

The weather was looking good and traffic was more congested than it used to be on Saturday morning. But we were still making good time and soon we were in Florence, SC where we had to stop and see what Buc-ee's was all about.

And, oh my gosh, the crowds were insane! It definitely was not ideal for someone with claustrophobia but the bathrooms were very nice. I got the pork bbq sandwich and R got the brisket one.

I've had better but it wasn't bad for gas station food and it was quick, which was nice. I do wish that they had places to eat outside though. After a short break from the road, we hopped back onto 95 with plans to stop in Brunswick for the night.

I couldn't remember the place we used to stay during our previous road trips to Disney but Holiday Inn Express and Suites had decent reviews so that's where we ended up. And things did NOT start well. Our first room still had all of the cleaning equipment in it so we went back downstairs to let the front desk know. The housekeeper was sitting in the lobby watching TV and said he could go upstairs and move it. I told him it was fine, that I would rather be moved anyways because there was a loud room right down the hall and wanted someplace quieter. So then we were moved to the second room which we couldn't enter because the key wouldn't work so I go back downstairs and the front desk person fixed it. We looked in the room and it was fine. But upon leaving, we saw that the door was actually broken and wouldn't latch because pieces of wood were missing. The manager was there when I went back downstairs again and was shocked to hear it and that the room wasn't taken out of rotation. They reduced the cost of the room to $100 a night for my issues after I mentioned just going to another hotel. But R was tired, hungry, and not interested in moving so we just took the new room that was offered. It was nice but loud due to the road directly behind the hotel. Here are the pictures, excuse the messy room but I only remembered to take pictures the day we checked out.

And in case anyone is interested in the bathroom door dimensions LOL

The blackout curtain was very nice and they had some of the softest bedding I've ever experienced in a hotel. But the bath amenities were all over the place and a dirty wash cloth still hanging over the shower curtain from a previous guest.

 

[LeighM]

This is the road located behind our room. Your mileage may vary in terms of the noise but it sounded like people kept racing and there's an exit to 95 a little down the road.

I have no pictures of the small gym (which did look nice) or the small outdoor pool, which didn't look like it was kept up all that well but maybe it was because it was off season.

But yall, the woman working the breakfast was one point! They had a free hot breakfast that was really good. The bacon was crispy and the biscuits were light and fluffy. I complemented her on fixing such great bacon (which I don't really like all that much) and another woman who heard was surprised to find out that it was made fresh every morning.

I don't have pics of R had but I got the omelet with bacon.

And the perfect, buttery light and fluffy biscuit

They even had POG juice!

We might stay here again just for the free, good breakfast. The road (and Disney) were beckoning so we got back onto 95. We were hoping to get to Disney property by 11AM but it was closer to noon.

 

[LeighM]

Really looking forward to reading this trip report. 1st as well

I have to start this one while the memories are still fresh LOL. Because I remembered to take a working pen this time but left my travel journal behind

 

[LeighM]

It didn't take long before we were crossing the Florida border

We were able to stop at the Florida Visitor Center where R was able to get a cup of fresh orange juice

I was able to pick up some visitors guides since most places no longer mail them out. Yes, I'm at that age where I prefer to have a hard copy over a digital one At the Visitors Center they had these comics and a box of Band Aids that I just had to pick up - Captain Citrus!

Jacksonsville traffic always scares me as do its roads. GPS had us take 295 around it so we missed a lot the worst of it. And, I am discovering that the older I get, the more I become like my mother because I'm now uncomfortable on higher bridges...

The traffic was worse on I-4 than it was during our previous road trips. Luckily, we had EZ Pass so we could afford some of the worst of it. We were nervous about staying at an All Star resort but it was just for one night. You can't really complain about $120ish dollars at Disney LOL. I forgot to mention that we were originally booked at AS Sports, which I was not happy about and I was considering upgrading to Coronado Springs but it didn't seem worth an extra $100/night but then when I looked a few nights before leaving, a standard room had opened at Music so I snapped it up real fast.

I was ready as we were approaching these gates

I received a text that our room wasn't yet ready so when we got to the lobby, I asked a CM if there was a room ready in a section away from the cheerleaders. She looked and there was one. We were placed in the Broadway section near the parking lot. It was actually tucked into a quiet little corner, which we liked.

Pardon our mess again, but I had to rearrange my packing as I made a mistake in the clothing planning

The room was very toasty but I was able to override the thermostat settings and soon it was getting cool enough for my likings.

R went into the room completely clueless about anything All Star resorts and he was very pleasantly surprised by the room. I wouldn't mind staying here again for shorter trips but it might get too cramped for us for longer stays. And I missed the 2 sinks.

 

[LeighM]

Here is the cleaning schedule in case others haven't seen it.

After we got freshened up, we walked around the resort and took some pictures while walking to the bus stop. I think this was my favorite section.

We decided not to do the water park since it was already close to 1PM and he wanted to eat at Polite Pig. Maybe next time.

I took this picture to send to a cousin of mine whose son loves the arcades at Disney resorts to let her know about the arcade competition. I meant to do the scavenger hunt but it totally slipped my mind soon after taking this picture.

We went to the gift shop to buy a resort pin. We had a nice conversation with the CM about our upcoming cruise - and I was getting more nervous the closer it was to becoming reality. After our purchase, we got in line for the bus for Disney Springs, which arrived less than 2 minutes later.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the large bendy buses in use at the AS resorts for MK. I wish they were still being used at Riverside but I never saw them once while we were there in December. Maybe they brought them out because of the cheer/dance competitions? We did run into many noisey groups and were hoping for a quiet night.

It felt so nice to be back on Disney property. Mind boggling to think it was our 3rd trip in less than 12 months, which is something we never thought we could do. I miss my little Pip horribly but the many vacations do help take my mind off of it.

When we got to Disney Springs, we went straight to Polite Pig and were shocked at the lines during an off dining time on a Sunday. I was able to snag a table outside when R got to the register to place the order. Thankfully the weather was fantastic and not too hot or humid. I got their Cobb salad and was reminded just how large it was. And R got his go to chicken but with the mac and cheese and cole slaw as the side.

The plan was for me to get the steak and cheese at Pepe but the salad was more filling than I remembered. So we went into the M&M store. I saw this shirt and a matching cup.

I sent a pic to my friend back home because she is very particular about coffee mugs and this one looked like her type. Plus, we are two anxiety filled peri-menopausal women so I thought the message was very fitting LOL. It was her kind of mug and I asked if she wanted me to pick one up for her. She looked online at their store and it was in stock and they did shipping. So she ordered it. She placed the order on Sunday and received it on Tuesday so it was a very quick turn around. I would've bought the shirt but orange is a ghastly color on me. Truly, it's just awful beyond words.

I wanted to stop by Glazed donuts to see if anything tempted R. And sure enough, he had to have this one.

He said it was a very good donut! We walked around some, browsed some stores, fought the crowds in World of Disney, while I was fighting nostalgia over how much I prefered the old store with the statues in the ceiling. Then I remembered I wanted to go to the Patisterrie since I forgot last two trips. There was no line when we got there but it quickly grew. R wasn't going to get anything because of the donut but then he saw the creme brulee. I struggled with making a choice and settled on the Goofy mini cake which had peanut butter mousse.

We both loved them!! The orange on the Goofy cake was much brighter in person and was almost too pretty to eat. But I did. The small milk we also purchased came in handy to cut the sweetness. While eating our desserts, we discussed what to do next. We were going to go to CBR or Pop/AoA but the bus was already at All Star Music stop so back to the resort we went.

 

[LeighM]

We decided to walk around AS Movies to see which we liked better. The pools at Music were decent for the size of the resort but the one at Movies was being refurbished.

We didn't get pictures of R's favorite section of Fantasia but did get a few in the others.

I never did much like 101 Dalmations especially after I realized what Cruella was doing. Instant and lifelong hate for the movie. But Toy Story was much happier.

And I had to get a picture of me with Herbie because I grew up watching those movies

The light was working against us with this picture and this was the best we could get. If I'm here again, I'll do it earlier in the day when the sun has a different placement. We looked into the food court at Movies and I preferred the theming here. But it was this point, I realized I was getting hungry. So back to Movies we went.

I got the garlic shrimp with string beans and cauliflower while R got a slice of pizza with carrots and celery.

I couldn't believe the amount of shrimp the CM gave me. And it was all extremely good. But the events of the day were catching up to us and we were crashing hard. So we went back to the room for an early night. It did stay very quiet and we couldn't hear the chanting cheerleaders in the "road" in the middle of the Broadway section.

Up next - Monday and boarding the Disney Wish!!!!