Anyone from TX have a driving trip report?

[Anne's Family]

August of this year (or next :confused3 ) will be our first time to drive to WDW from Dallas and we'll be trailing our popup camper and staying in Fort Wilderness. I'm looking for anyone who has ever done a trip report detailing their drive from Texas to Florida to help out with my planning. If you stayed at Fort Wilderness... all the better! I think I'll also post this in the regular theme park strategies forum to double my possibilities. Hope that's ok!

[kc5grw]

Hi Anne,

We live in Mesquite and have made 3 trips driving to WDW, 2 of those to Fort Wilderness. The first 2 trips we took I-20 to Shreveport then I-49 to Lafayette then I-10 to I-75 then I-75 to Floridas Turnpike to I-4. The I-49/I-10 stretch through LA can be pretty boring at times. One this last trip we took I-20 all the way to Jackson, MS, then US49 down to Mobile, AL. Distance is about the same, the US49 stretch is probably a little slower but it's still not a bad drive.

[LONE-STAR]

Not sure what you want to know but we have made the drive many times from the Tx. Gulf Coast area. We almost always drive it strait through its around a thousand miles for us. We always stay at FW tried POP once not again. La. roads suck they will beat you and your trailer to pieces. After 1 a.m the truckers fly. If you have a more specific question fire away and I will try to answer.

[4daubers]

We usually make it a 2 day trip but next Christmas we are going to try and drive on through and straight back. We don't have time to waste!

Last trip we sat for over 2 hours waiting for a wreck to clear on IH 10 near Beaumont. I agree with Lone-Star, IH 10 in Louisiana is tough. Make sure you have good tires and everything tied down.

This past trip, we made it to the KOA past Tallahassee (Monticello Exit), got up early and into FW by 1 or 2 PM. The trip before we spent the night in the Minton KOA and made it into FW around 4:30.

Once in Florida, we take IH10 to IH75 To the Tollway and drop down 27 to 192 into the park. I'm not sure that's the best way...just the only way we've figured out.

On the way home last trip, we went up to Jekyll Island Georgia and took a scenic (AKA anything but IH10) route back. Hwy 82 through Georgia, Alabama and connected with IH 20 in Mississippi.

On other trips we've taken Alt 27 to 98 along the coast in Florida and stay in Destin or Pensacola.

[CaptKen]

Saying I 10 is rough between Tx and Baton Rouge is putting it mildly. We popped the front cap loose on our fifth wheel a couple years ago.

[Millermouseketeers]

Hi Anne,

We live in Mesquite and have made 3 trips driving to WDW, 2 of those to Fort Wilderness. The first 2 trips we took I-20 to Shreveport then I-49 to Lafayette then I-10 to I-75 then I-75 to Floridas Turnpike to I-4. The I-49/I-10 stretch through LA can be pretty boring at times. One this last trip we took I-20 all the way to Jackson, MS, then US49 down to Mobile, AL. Distance is about the same, the US49 stretch is probably a little slower but it's still not a bad drive.

These are the only 2 ways we have gone and usually take I-10 through Louisiana as DH does not like I-20 to I-49 route. Yes, Louisiana roads are rough and it seems like a never ending state. We stop in Florida at a security patrolled rest stop and sleep for a few hours. We pull a pop-up also and it seems like too much trouble to set-up for a short time. We try to leave at 4 am, sleep for a few and then hit the fort around 7am the next morning. It seems to take 17-18 hours depending on how many stops. Good Luck!

[4daubers]

Are all Florida rest stops patrolled? Last year we dragged into a KOA at 1:30 in the morning, didn't unhitch, slept a few and back out. If there are patrolled parks...I'm all for that!

[the5coops]

August of this year (or next :confused3 ) will be our first time to drive to WDW from Dallas and we'll be trailing our popup camper and staying in Fort Wilderness. I'm looking for anyone who has ever done a trip report detailing their drive from Texas to Florida to help out with my planning. If you stayed at Fort Wilderness... all the better! I think I'll also post this in the regular theme park strategies forum to double my possibilities. Hope that's ok!

We take 3 days to get to Fort Wilderness because we like to arrive on check in day early! We take I-10 and stay at a KOA in Denham Springs, LA and on the 2nd night we stay at North Ocala RV park off I-75. On the way home we take two days. Take the new toll road off the Florida turnpike it is not busy like I-4.

[kc5grw]

Even if we don't unhook I still like to be able to plug in and run the A/C if necessary. It's a lot easier to do that in the 5th wheel than a pop-up though.

Our first trip to Ft. Wilderness in Dec 2003 we left Mesquite at 7am Thursday 12/18 and pulled into Ft. Wilderness at 4:30am Friday 12/19. Of course we couldn't check in yet so we parked in overflow and napped till about 11am. Our site was ready when we checked back with reception. We got camp setup napped a bit more, ate a Trails End and went to MK for MVMCP. Hopefully it will be a repeat this Dec, even the arrival date is the same.

For are June 2007 trip we left Mesquite at 7am again, but this time didn't get to the Chattahoochee KOA until 2am. I had 2 blow-outs on the trailer and replaced all 4 tires. Caused a bit of a delay. I had already planned to stay at the KOA, I just anticipated getting there closer to 10pm or so.

[4daubers]

Saying I 10 is rough between Tx and Baton Rouge is putting it mildly. We popped the front cap loose on our fifth wheel a couple years ago.

I forgot to mention the cost of dental care and Preparation H. There isn't anything that isn't rattled. ;)

[shultzee13]

We leave by 7 p.m. and we drive straight through and arrive by 1:00 p.m. the next day. GOD LOVE YOU FOR GOING IN AUGUST!! I hope you have 2 AC's in that pop up! We are going in the middle of May this year in our pop-up.
We LOVE Ft. Wilderness. It is the most awesome property on Disney! There is all sorts of stuff to do. You will have a great time.
Our family has so many memories there. We go once every year. Sometimes twice!!!
At Christmas it is truly a site to see the campsite and all the Christmas decorations.

The trip is even fine with us. We don't think about it becuase we know where we are going to end up!!!

We are Fort Experts so ask us anything.
Shults Family

[BigDaddyRog]

I forgot to mention the cost of dental care and Preparation H. There isn't anything that isn't rattled. ;)

:lmao: :lmao: Im suppossed to step in here and say "Louisiana, love it or leave it".....but you guys are sooooo right!! I have to get my vehicles re-aligned at least every 18 months.

[RvUsa]

PA-LEEEEASE, you southerners don't know what a rough road is.... Come on up here to western pa in the spring, pot holes are everywhere, with all the rain/snow/rain/snow/freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw.... you know what pot holes lead to dont you, the pa state flower in bloom
http://www.leo.lehigh.edu/envirosci/enviroissue/sinkholes/images/sinkhole.jpg
http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z5oPaW6LdFY/Rja_-VThYtI/AAAAAAAAAD0/2p3F-8JJuOY/s320/car_in_pothole%5B1%5D.jpg
http://media.wsbt.com/images/pothole346.jpg
and the pa state flower
http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/images/orange_barrel.jpg

[LONE-STAR]

:lmao: :lmao: Im suppossed to step in here and say "Louisiana, love it or leave it".....but you guys are sooooo right!! I have to get my vehicles re-aligned at least every 18 months.

Man ROG I thought you might let us have it talking about your roads like that.

[LONE-STAR]

PA-LEEEEASE, you southerners don't know what a rough road is.... Come on up here to western pa in the spring, pot holes are everywhere, with all the rain/snow/rain/snow/freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw.... you know what pot holes lead to dont you, the pa state flower in bloom
http://www.leo.lehigh.edu/envirosci/enviroissue/sinkholes/images/sinkhole.jpg
http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z5oPaW6LdFY/Rja_-VThYtI/AAAAAAAAAD0/2p3F-8JJuOY/s320/car_in_pothole%5B1%5D.jpg
http://media.wsbt.com/images/pothole346.jpg
and the pa state flower
http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/images/orange_barrel.jpg

Yea but in La. all the roads where built over swamps no solid foundation.

[Anne's Family]

I figured the camping forum would be the place to get the most honest info! Yes, we've driven the bumpfest through LA many, many times (my parents lived in Birmingham). We've just never driven it trailing a pup. Hadn't considered that.

All the info so far has been very helpful. Originally, I thought we might take our time getting there and do some things on the way, like beach or something. That might just drive me nuts though. I don't think the kids can take it going all the way through without stopping though.

So maybe a stop at the beach might be a good idea. Possibly leaving early one morning, drive to the beach, popup for the night, spend part of the day at the beach and move on. Don't know about timing though. I really don't want to be rolling into the fort in the wee hours of the morning. We're staying for two weeks, so we're not worried about getting to the parks on the day of arrival.

Keep the ideas coming. I need all the scenarios I can get. Gotta offer up some choice for the DH.

Rog, nice to see you have a realistic outlook on your humble state.

[4daubers]

Rog - You're being very gracious with us. ;)

I'm spending a week in your state this summer (North Toledo State Park). I think Louisiana is a beautiful state...I just hate IH10.

Come to think of it, IH 10 isn't much better from Houston through Beaumont into La.

[kc5grw]

One thing that we did on the trip back this last time was stop by the Battleship Alabama Museum that is right off of I-10. We saw it every time we drove by in the past and always said it would be cool to stop. We did this time. Man o' man that is a big ship. It is a self guided tour and I don't recall how long we spent exploring, but it really was pretty cool. There are also some other things to see at the museum besides the battleship.

Here's a picture I took from a tower atop the Alabama. That bridge in the background is I-10.
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4392/alabamajc1.jpg

[4daubers]

We tend to do our side trips on the way home from WDW. One year, we spent a few days in Destin. Another year, we spent several days at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach and spent the 4th at Pensacola Beach. This last year we went to Jekyll Island Georgia. We prefer the Florida west coast/panhandle beaches.

It's a nice way to lessen the WDW post trip blues.

[Anne's Family]

The Alabama sounds like a great thing for my kids. They loved the Battleship Texas and we spent hours walking all over it. I'll put that on my list of possibilities.

[LONE-STAR]

Come to think of it, IH 10 isn't much better from Houston through Beaumont into La.

So true:sad2:

[bxtx]

We just towed our TT from Katy (just west of Houston) to FtW - 948 miles.

Best advice I got/will offer - Buy a copy of THe NExt Exit.

DH and I went through and made our own list of every 24 hours gas station between home and FtW, and then I also added rest stops and Cracker Barrell locations. It was a god send.

We left Friday night around 7:30 and stopped just inside Mississipi at their welcome center about 1:30am. There are signs posted everywhere saying "no overnight parking" and then little pull thru's are provided, and its patrolled 24 hours. We left around 8am and made it to the Fort around 9pm.

On the way back, DH decided if we left at 7am he'd just drive til we got home. BAD IDEA. Baby cut a tooth en route, kids slept but man, that was hard. I got to drive through Bumpyville aka Louisiana. Finally got home around 4am.

It's fun but take it easy and definitely spend 2-3 days geting there. That's our plan next time anyway!

Bex

[LONE-STAR]

We just towed our TT from Katy (just west of Houston) to FtW - 948 miles.

Best advice I got/will offer - Buy a copy of THe NExt Exit.

DH and I went through and made our own list of every 24 hours gas station between home and FtW, and then I also added rest stops and Cracker Barrell locations. It was a god send.

We left Friday night around 7:30 and stopped just inside Mississipi at their welcome center about 1:30am. There are signs posted everywhere saying "no overnight parking" and then little pull thru's are provided, and its patrolled 24 hours. We left around 8am and made it to the Fort around 9pm.

On the way back, DH decided if we left at 7am he'd just drive til we got home. BAD IDEA. Baby cut a tooth en route, kids slept but man, that was hard. I got to drive through Bumpyville aka Louisiana. Finally got home around 4am.

It's fun but take it easy and definitely spend 2-3 days geting there. That's our plan next time anyway!

Bex

Yes buy the next exit very helpful when looking for diesel

[Anne's Family]

I have a current copy of The Next Exit. It's fabulous! I think I'll get a new copy every year for all our trips.

Thanks for all the advice guys!

[Familyofsix]

It's no joke about La roads :rotfl: . We live just east of Shreveport and have found the quickest route is to take I-20 east to Jackson Ms then south on 49 in Ms and come in on the northeast side of Mobile to pick up I-10. Smooth sailing through Mississippi but be warned I-20 has some construction on it and can back up between Bossier City and Minden and then again around Monroe (just try to hit non rush hour and should be fine). Ran the route to the Mississippi gulfcoast in Feb and didn't have any trouble and now the wife says we need to look at going back to the Fort in June/July for two weeks with our hybrid:worship: . Needless to say I didn't argue.

[BigDaddyRog]

FamilyOfSix....you guys ever camp at Lake Claiborne St Park?? Thats our favorite LA camping spot....we're about 5 hours from there and do it at least once a season. Lake D'arbonne is nice too.

[poohbearwithme]

We tend to do our side trips on the way home from WDW. One year, we spent a few days in Destin. Another year, we spent several days at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach and spent the 4th at Pensacola Beach. This last year we went to Jekyll Island Georgia. We prefer the Florida west coast/panhandle beaches.

It's a nice way to lessen the WDW post trip blues.

Unfortunately, Fort Pickens is still closed from Damage caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2005. It's not expected to reopen until some late in 2009.

[kc5grw]

Good Luck!

Did you guys survive the weather okay early this morning? :scared1: It sounds the northern part of that squall line that blew through was pretty bad. It got me out of bed about 3:45a here in Mesquite. Nothing significant here though. Lots of wind, rain, maybe a little hail. Didn't actually get up and look out the window.

[Millermouseketeers]

Did you guys survive the weather okay early this morning? :scared1: It sounds the northern part of that squall line that blew through was pretty bad. It got me out of bed about 3:45a here in Mesquite. Nothing significant here though. Lots of wind, rain, maybe a little hail. Didn't actually get up and look out the window.

Yes, thank you we are fine! What a storm! We woke to our sirens at 4 a.m immediately followed by power outage so no radar. Even being a native Texan it was frightening to wake to the sirens and then an announcement saying tornado warning. My 2 older girls ran downstairs to the bathroom but our 9 year was really hard to get up and downstairs. That is the 2nd time we have had siren warnings and it is only April! Thank you for asking. Time to go to the Fort. Glad all was okay in Mesquite.

[4daubers]

Turned black as midnight, lightened and cleared out. We didn't even get rain. We're northeast of Austin. Friends in Breckenridge had heavy damage though.

[kc5grw]

Yes, thank you we are fine! What a storm! We woke to our sirens at 4 a.m immediately followed by power outage so no radar. Even being a native Texan it was frightening to wake to the sirens and then an announcement saying tornado warning. My 2 older girls ran downstairs to the bathroom but our 9 year was really hard to get up and downstairs. That is the 2nd time we have had siren warnings and it is only April! Thank you for asking. Time to go to the Fort. Glad all was okay in Mesquite.

Glad to hear everything was okay. Hopefully things will settle down a bit, but as you said, its only April.

[DisnyMama]

Yes, thank you we are fine! What a storm! We woke to our sirens at 4 a.m immediately followed by power outage so no radar. Even being a native Texan it was frightening to wake to the sirens and then an announcement saying tornado warning. My 2 older girls ran downstairs to the bathroom but our 9 year was really hard to get up and downstairs. That is the 2nd time we have had siren warnings and it is only April! Thank you for asking. Time to go to the Fort. Glad all was okay in Mesquite.

Hi neighbor! I have only been here for less than 2 years (from So. Calif.) and it woke me up this morning too. DS and I had no idea what to do and at what point we should head downstairs to the bathroom. We heard the sirens go off and then after about 15 seconds they stopped and an announcement was being made but the thunder and rain was so loud we couldn't understand what he was saying. All I know is I was pretty scared this morning.:scared:

At what point are we supposed to head for the downstairs bathroom which is the lowest interior point in our home? DS is 16 and thinks I over react with these storms.

Thanks,
Shannon:flower3:

[Anne's Family]

Two nights in a row of that mess was enough for me for awhile. Cramming the four of us and a neurotic cat into the pantry under the stairs just isn't fun. We had one shutter fly off the house and we're getting an estimate on roof hail damage next week. Might have to file a claim for car hail damage as well. Isn't Texas lovely?

Dreaming of the Fort.

[kc5grw]

At what point are we supposed to head for the downstairs bathroom which is the lowest interior point in our home? DS is 16 and thinks I over react with these storms.

Thanks,
Shannon:flower3:

Usually if you hear the sirens you should be seeking cover. If you don't already have one, you should make it to your nearest Fry's, Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc and pick up a Weather Radio with SAME. You can program the SAME radios for your city/county and get warnings when they are issued by NWS along with the location information.

[4daubers]

Two nights in a row of that mess was enough for me for awhile. Cramming the four of us and a neurotic cat into the pantry under the stairs just isn't fun. We had one shutter fly off the house and we're getting an estimate on roof hail damage next week. Might have to file a claim for car hail damage as well. Isn't Texas lovely?

Dreaming of the Fort.

Yikes! Glad y'all are OK. kc5grw is right. If the siren is sounding, should take cover immediately.

We have a weather radio but also have a emergency scanner (Uniden Bearcat)that gets several bands, police, fire, weather, ham radio, air. It's been a big help during bad weather.

[DisnyMama]

Thanks kc5grw and 4daubers. I hope there is no next time in the near future but if and when those sirens go off (and it's not a test) I will have to snap DS out of bed and into that downstairs bathroom.

Also, great idea about getting the weather radio. I did not like having the power out and no way to get any info. That was what scared me most. I'm one of those people that if I know what to expect and have the necessary information I can deal. It's the not knowing that drives me crazy.

Shannon:)

[TheGreatGonzo]

We have a weather radio but also have a emergency scanner (Uniden Bearcat)that gets several bands, police, fire, weather, ham radio, air. It's been a big help during bad weather.
See if you can find the frequency used by the local ham radio weather spotters. Here around central Ohio it's 146.76. These guys are spread out all over the area and give real time reports of what's happening at their locations. Here in Ohio it's coordinated by the National Weather Service.

[4daubers]

Are the frequencies listed somewhere or do I contact a ham radio club? Sorry if off topic.

[TheGreatGonzo]

I see you're from TX. See if this list helps.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/repeat.html

[4daubers]

Thanks!!

[figmentfan1]

FamilyOfSix....you guys ever camp at Lake Claiborne St Park?? Thats our favorite LA camping spot....we're about 5 hours from there and do it at least once a season. Lake D'arbonne is nice too.

Hey that's our neck of the woods! We are 45 minutes SW of S-port and DH and I both went to LA Tech. We are buying our first TT this week (it's in the works) and will go to FW for the first time this Dec. (sister and her DH stayed there last year in their Class C while we were at SSR). We are looking to do some local camping soon!

[4daubers]

Hey that's our neck of the woods! We are 45 minutes SW of S-port and DH and I both went to LA Tech. We are buying our first TT this week (it's in the works) and will go to FW for the first time this Dec. (sister and her DH stayed there last year in their Class C while we were at SSR). We are looking to do some local camping soon!

Congratulations on getting your new RV. Keep us posted. We're going to FW in December as well. It will be a great Christmas vacation.

[figmentfan1]

Congratulations on getting your new RV. Keep us posted. We're going to FW in December as well. It will be a great Christmas vacation.


Cool! Maybe if we are there at the same time we can say "howdy". I actually just got off the phone with Disney because I realized that I had mis-booked (forgot the first day!) of our reservation. We will be there Dec. 13-21!

JE

[kc5grw]

I see you're from TX. See if this list helps.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/repeat.html

This is a good location for all the repeater frequencies. In Dallas County there a a couple of freqs listed, the primary Skywarn frequency is 146.88. Another thing that you'll need if you start listening to the Skywarn Nets is a Mapsco if you don't already have one. All spotter locations are given as Mapsco coordinates.

[BigDaddyRog]

Hey that's our neck of the woods! We are 45 minutes SW of S-port and DH and I both went to LA Tech. We are buying our first TT this week (it's in the works) and will go to FW for the first time this Dec. (sister and her DH stayed there last year in their Class C while we were at SSR). We are looking to do some local camping soon!

Well..HEY neighbor!!! We're gonna just miss each other at the fort...you leave on the 21st and we arrive on the 22nd...maybe we can wave to each other somewhere the on the road!!!!