Miami, Key West, and Disney..Oh My! The January 2024 Girls Trip – Day 6 – Disney World

If you missed any of the previous days, click here to get up to speed; otherwise, keep reading for a recap of today’s adventures.

January 15, 2024 – Today, we were checking out of our house in Key West and making the 6-hour drive to Orlando to spend the next few days at Disney World. I was up early and took one last walk to Cuban Coffee Queen to pick up coffee before we packed the car and hit the road. There are chickens that run everywhere in Key West – here are a few I ran into on my morning walk.

On our way down, as we were leaving Marathon, I noticed there was a place to stop just on the north side of the Seven Mile Bridge. It looked like you could park your car and walk along the bridge out to a small Key and back, so when we got there, we pulled off for a pit stop to check it out. We walked a little onto the bridge, took some amazing pictures of the beautiful scenery, and discovered it connects Marathon to Pigeon Key National Historic Island. You can either walk there via the two-mile-long bridge or take a train that leaves from Marathon if you don’t want to walk the 4 miles round trip. We didn’t have time to make the trek out to the Island, but I want to check out it in the future.

We were getting hungry when we reached Key Largo, so we stopped at Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen for brunch and a slice of Key Lime Pie. This was one of the restaurants on almost every trip blog I read about the best places to stop on the drive to Key West. There are two locations: the original that opens for breakfast and lunch and a second bigger location that is open for lunch and dinner. It was tasty, especially the Key Lime Pie, and I’m glad we made this stop. (Sorry, there are no pictures at this stop)

After we ate, we got back on the road and finally drove under my favorite sign in the late afternoon.

I reserved a studio at Boardwalk Villas using my DVC points, and we ended up with a room in a great location overlooking the Luna Park Pool. The studios have a queen-size bed, a double-size Murphy bed behind the couch, and a single pull-down bed below the TV. Here are pictures of our room and the view.

Once settled in and relaxed for a bit, we walked to the Epcot International Gateway to get on the Skyliner. It was going down for refurbishment tomorrow, and Sara and Cara wanted to ride it, so we headed out to Disney’s Riviera Resort to have a drink at my favorite pool bar, Bar Riva. The Riviera Resort is themed after the French Riviera and is so beautiful and peaceful. I stayed here last month, and it is now one of my favorite places. As you walk into the resort from the Skyliner Station, you walk under an arch with amazing mosaics on the walls. One is a Peter Pan-themed, and the other is Rapunzel. Even if you are not staying here, it is worth taking the Skyliner here to check it out, and it is a must-do for me every trip.

After we finished our drinks, we rode the Skyliner back and had dinner at Big River Grille & Brewing Works at our resort. We were seated outside on the Boardwalk, which is an excellent place to people watch and soak in the atmosphere. – As a side note – I am glad we decided to eat here, as the restaurant closed its doors for good at the end of January, so now we will have to wait and see what Disney decides to replace it with. We watched the fireworks along the water on the Boardwalk and then ended the evening at the quiet pool, soaking in the hot tub.