Steps Toward Maymester 2026: First Trip Report

I am part of UGA's Domestic Field Study Fellows program, which provides support and guidance to 10 professors as we plan study away trips. It's my first time planning a student trip, so the help is vital in knowing the steps and pitfalls. I also wanted to make sure I focused on a location that I had covered previously for media outlets and that I knew I could navigate, and Orlando's theme parks were the obvious choice for me. Teaching travel journalism at Walt Disney World has been a longtime idea, with the opportunity for students to cover what's new, write reviews, and capture the theme parks with photos, audio and video. The funding for the program has provided a way for me to visit Orlando for exploratory trips to plan the budget, course topics and assignments them to produce multiplatform pieces in their on-site visits to Disney and Universal. 

It's a much different experience than a typical theme park vacation.

We drove the seven-ish hours to Disney for a four-day reconnaissance trip in May 2025. I have typically stayed off property, mainly to rack up hotel points and to take advantage of more spacious suites and villas. I want students to experience and write about staying in what's known as the "Disney bubble," so I stayed at a Disney resort hotel — Animal Kingdom Lodge — for the first time. I chose this property because it was not walking distance to a park, like many others, and also only had one form of transportation — Disney bus — to the parks. This allowed me to get a sense of the waits and travel time to the parks using the free Disney bus system. I've heard complaints about Disney bus transportation, but every trip worked smoothly for us. A huge benefit was being dropped off right at the Magic Kingdom instead of having to park at the transportation and ticketing center to get on the Monorail or ferry, saving us at least 30 minutes. We also explored other transportation options around the parks and different resorts, which is key in planning the trip.

By the Numbers

Here's a quick look at what we experienced and explored, all focused on providing the most magical, accessible and affordable experience for students in 2026:

53,000-plus steps

60 minutes for the longest wait (Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy's Edge)

30 hours in the parks

5 hotels (visited Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Pop Century Resort, Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and Renaissance Orlando Resort - Disney Springs Area)

5 types of eating options (hotel breakfast buffet, quick service, table service, coffee shops and snack stands)

5 soda and coffee refills at the resorts in a Disney-themed, insulated, handled mug (cost $22.99)

5 Special food and drink items for the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot (Florida Fresh and Tangierine Café)

4 character meetings (Pooh, Chewbacca, Big Al and Goofy), but ignored by 7 others (Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, Woody, Jessie, Kylo Ren and two stormtroopers)

4 modes of transportation (bus, Skyliner, boat and car)

3 theme parks (Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios), with a special package that ended up being $89 per ticket

3 nighttime spectaculars (Fantasmic, Illuminations and Happily Ever After fireworks)

3 conversations with other "Disney adults" there without children

2 Mickey-shaped snacks (pretzel and Mickey Werther's Original Caramel Chocolate Cookie Sandwich at Karamell-Küche at Epcot)

2 Dole Whips

2 single-rider lines (Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run)

1 visit to Disney Springs

1 final experience (Muppet*Vision 3D at Hollywood Studios; read my last look)

1 new ride (Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot)

1 experience I hadn't seen — Flag Retreat ceremony at Magic Kingdom

0 lightning lanes (we did single rider or stand-by line for everything)

Plus, an uncountable number of matching T-shirts, motorized scooters, strollers and "I am celebrating..." buttons.