1 year, 10 months and 16 days from today - A May 2016 PTR FINAL UPDATE 5/6/16

[GeminiAngel]

You guys are gonna love Dwarf's Mine Train! You must get an FP though. The stand by was 2 hrs when we went. With our FP, we waited less than 10 mins.

 

[KatMark]

I think the plans sound great, Darla. I think just doing your favorites at each park and then filling in will work perfect. We LOVE Crystal Palace (we did not love Ohana).

 

[MEK]

Your plans do look great!

I think you are going to love Mine Train. I am sorry I only got to ride it once during my last trip, but it is really cute.

Your must do rides are meals are exactly the ones I would pick!

 

[ddstratton]

I think the plans sound great, Darla. I think just doing your favorites at each park and then filling in will work perfect. We LOVE Crystal Palace (we did not love Ohana).

Thanks! We loved Crystal Palace, so it is pretty much a must-do. Ohana - we liked and might want to do again, but I'm not sure...

Your plans do look great!

I think you are going to love Mine Train. I am sorry I only got to ride it once during my last trip, but it is really cute.

Your must do rides are meals are exactly the ones I would pick!

I am really looking forward to the Mine Train!

 

[ddstratton]

Day 10 Plans

My original plans had us travelling home on the Auto Train. Boy, have those plans changed.

First of all, the AutoTrain has made a lot changes recently, and we’'ve decided that it is no longer a good option for us. The cost vs. amenities offered just isn'’t worth it any more for us. They’'ve taken away a lot of the little “nice” things that made it worth the extra cost.

And to top it off, the AutoTrain wouldn'’t work for our trip anyway! We'’re taking a detour. Well, more than a detour. As previously mentioned, we’re adding a whole new segment to this anniversary trip. We’'re going to Nashville!! Oh, and Gatlinburg!! Yay!!!

On this morning, we'’ll get up and grab a quick breakfast either in the room or at the food court. We’'ll be driving from Orlando through Atlanta, GA, to spend the night in Dalton, GA.

We’ll stop for lunch in Tifton, GA. I found a restaurant called Ole Time Country Buffet that gets pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor. We love a good buffet, and it should be a good place to stretch our legs and get a nice lunch.

We have to make one quick stop on the edge of Atlanta, GA. DD wants to visit the hospital where her Idol was born --– Jerry Reed. That'’s it --– she just wants her picture taken in front of the hospital'’s sign. Not too hard to please, is she? It looks fairly easy to get to, with a parking garage right nearby.

There is just SO much we could do in Atlanta. However, I think this trip is just a drive-by. We'’ll make this one stop, then go on through.

After this quick stop to stretch our legs, we’ll continue on to our hotel for the evening, in Dalton, GA. Most of this day will be driving, with the quick stop in Atlanta. Dinner tonight will be at one of the MANY restaurants near the hotel. Anything from Red Lobster to Wendy’'s to Cici’'s Pizza to Outback Steakhouse to Five Guys Burgers and Fries to…... You get the idea. We'’ll have lots of choices for dinner on this night.

 

[pkondz]

My original plans had us travelling home on the Auto Train. Boy, have those plans changed.

First of all, the AutoTrain has made a lot changes recently, and we’ve decided that it is no longer a good option for us. The cost vs. amenities offered just isn’t worth it any more for us. They’ve taken away a lot of the little “nice” things that made it worth the extra cost.

And here you had me all excited about the auto train...

Oh, well.

As previously mentioned, we’re adding a whole new segment to this anniversary trip. We’re going to Nashville!! Oh, and Gatlinburg!! Yay!!!

Yay!! Backatcha!

We’ll stop for lunch in Tifton, GA. I found a restaurant called Ole Time Country Buffet that gets pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor. We love a good buffet, and it should be a good place to stretch our legs and get a nice lunch.

I took a quick peek at Trip Advisor, looks like a great place.

We have to make one quick stop on the edge of Atlanta, GA. DD wants to visit the hospital where her Idol was born – Jerry Reed. That’s it – she just wants her picture taken in front of the hospital’s sign. Not too hard to please, is she? It looks fairly easy to get to, with a parking garage right nearby.

I totally get it.
Hey, this is the guy who took a two ferry rides just to get a picture!

 

[ddstratton]

And here you had me all excited about the auto train...

Oh, well.

We've done the AutoTrain in the past. Twice, actually. Once going North and once going South. We really did enjoy it. It cost a little more for the roomettes rather than going coach, but we thought it was worth it. From what I've read, they've changed a LOT - cost-cutting measures, you know.

For example - meals are no longer "upgraded" if you are in the sleeper cars. Same meals for the entire train. And it's not on real plates/silverware/etc. It's all disposable stuff now. Wine is no longer served at dinner. You can have a soda, but only one - no refill. Bananas no longer offered with the breakfast. Only one lounge car for the entire train, rather than one for coach and one for the sleeper cars. No cheese/crackers/veggies/etc offered before the train leaves the station.

Individually, none of these would really matter. Add them all up, and the experience is no longer as special and unique.

If you want to see what we thought of the AutoTrain in the past, we rode it on the way home in our 2008 Trip Report, and on the way to Florida in the 2010 Trip Report.

I took a quick peek at Trip Advisor, looks like a great place.

I love Trip Advisor. You get the good and the bad, and a fairly good overall view. I've found a lot of places through Trip Advisor that I'd never have run across without it.

I totally get it.
Hey, this is the guy who took a two ferry rides just to get a picture!

Yup. And the things we'll do for our kids... If it was my choice, I would find a route that would avoid Atlanta traffic. But no. We'll be driving right THROUGH Atlanta.

 

[QueenJen]

Darla - my ultra planning research has found that adding days to extend any vacation is the only solution.

Sounds like you guys will really enjoy whatever you settle on.

 

[KatMark]

Darla, the plans sound great. I'm sorry the autotrain is not working out, but I think you guys will be happy with your Nashville and Gatlinburg stops.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

​

 

[MEK]

Wow - sorry to hear they made so many changes to the auto train. I have never taken it, but I have to admit the idea of wine with dinner really works for me. Oh well.

At least now you have some really nice side trips planned. I love Nashville! It's such a cool town!

 

[KatMark]

​

 

[MEK]

 

[Steppesister]

Hi There!!

Your title intrigued me because I too just launched a PTR at 20 months out. Just couldn't contain my excitement anymore! I have some doing to catch up on yours, but thought I'd pop in and say hi.

You'll be headed there about 5 months before us, looks like. Long live the long-range planners!!

 

[ddstratton]

Darla - my ultra planning research has found that adding days to extend any vacation is the only solution.

Sounds like you guys will really enjoy whatever you settle on.

Yup.. This trip has morphed into a two-and-a-half-week trip altogether... So far.

Darla, the plans sound great. I'm sorry the autotrain is not working out, but I think you guys will be happy with your Nashville and Gatlinburg stops.

I know we will love the Nashville/Gatlinburg stops. So much! DD loves Nashville and we all love Gatlinburg.

Wow - sorry to hear they made so many changes to the auto train. I have never taken it, but I have to admit the idea of wine with dinner really works for me. Oh well.

At least now you have some really nice side trips planned. I love Nashville! It's such a cool town!

They did make a LOT of changes to the AutoTrain. I know that they're a business and need to make money, but they've taken away so many little niceties...

This anniversary trip has turned into... hmm... let me count how many "mini" trips combined... 6, possibly 7 trips in one!

Hi There!!

Your title intrigued me because I too just launched a PTR at 20 months out. Just couldn't contain my excitement anymore! I have some doing to catch up on yours, but thought I'd pop in and say hi.

You'll be headed there about 5 months before us, looks like. Long live the long-range planners!!

I love doing a PTR, even though I haven't done much with this one in a while. I should remedy that today.... I just LOVE planning a trip!

 

[Steppesister]

I love doing a PTR, even though I haven't done much with this one in a while. I should remedy that today.... I just LOVE planning a trip!

ME TOO! (And yes, you should. )

 

[ddstratton]

Day 11 Plans

We'’ll have a quick breakfast at our hotel, then head north towards Nashville, TN. We'’ll actually be bypassing Nashville first, though. We plan on visiting Loretta Lynn’'s Ranch. We had attempted this once before, with not-so-great results. We made it there, but didn'’t get to tour at all. We had some major car problems.

~~Flashback to May 2007~~

Shortly before we got to Loretta Lynn’'s Ranch, DH noticed some fluid leaking from the car. From the transmission pan area. We decided to go ahead and try to get to Loretta Lynn'’s, as we were planning to have lunch there, as well as tour the museums and house. By the time we got there, the fluid was just POURING out of the transmission. This was as close as we got to Loretta Lynn'’s.

Close enough to take a picture, but none of us were in the mood to tour now. We were 800 miles away from home with a busted vehicle. DH is a mechanic (thankfully!!) and had packed some emergency-type vehicular supplies. He poured some fluid in the transmission and we limped back to the hotel I had reserved for the night.

Once back at the hotel, we called around to see about renting a vehicle with a tow dolly to get home. Nope. The closest we could come was a box truck (u-haul type) with a dolly. Problem is --– they would only seat two or three people --– we had four. Darn it.

DD wanted to swim in the worst way, so me and my mom took her to the hotel pool while DH took a walk to the truck-stop/gas station across the street. He came back with a bottle of Lucas Oil Transmission Fix. For a motor the size of my car, you were supposed to use a half-bottle. DH poured the whole bottle in, and filled the fluid back up. We were going to cross our fingers and pray we made it home. If the car broke down between there and home, we’'d call for someone to come get us. At the time, DH worked for a local mechanic shop. Worse case scenerio –-- if we broke down for good along the way, we'’d call them and they'’d come get us with their roll-back. We stopped at every rest area from Dickson, Tennessee to check the fluid. It was working!!!! The Lucas Oil Transmission Fix has stopped up the leak in the pan gasket. Good to go, right? Right???? WRONG!!!

Just outside of Columbus, Ohio, we lost power steering. The battery light came on. The air conditioner started blowing hot air. AAAAAHHHHH!!!! We babied the car two miles to the next exit, praying we wouldn’'t have to stop at the top of the ramp. We were in luck and the light was green! DH pulled into a gas station just off the expressway and got out to look at the situation. Apparently a pulley for the serpentine belt seized up and the belt came off. Great. Now what? The guy in the gas station tried to be helpful, but had no clue where the nearest car parts store was. There was this little used-car lot across the street. DH went over there to ask about someplace to buy car parts. These nice guys in the dealership called the local Car Quest (five miles away!! would have been a bit of a walk!!). They had the part DH needed. IN STOCK. And they would DELIVER. Woooo hoooooo!!!! They also gave us the used-car dealers discount! THANK YOU!!!! After some cussing and fussing, DH got the car fixed and we were on our way again.

We made it the rest of the way home without incident. We got home very late on Sunday night.

The following Thursday, I was on my way home from work. About two miles from home, I noticed that the car just didn'’t seem to want to go over 50 mph. I stopped to get the mail. We have a rather long, slightly up-hill driveway. I had my foot to the floor just to get up the driveway. DH looked at the car that evening. DEAD. The cam-shaft is NOT supposed to be in two pieces, he said. (Or was that crank-shaft??? I don’'t know my car parts. That'’s DH'’s specialty. Either way, the car wasn't moving. DH said it was only working on 2 of it's 6 cylinders.)


~~end Flashback~~

Moral of that long story? I still wanna see Loretta Lynn’'s Ranch!! I got soooo close before, and I wanna do it this time!!

After touring the ranch and museums she has there, we’ll go to Loretta Lynn'’s Kitchen for lunch.

Unfortunately, this place hasn'’t gotten great reviews on TripAdvisor recently. We'’ll still give it a try, just because it’s something we'’ve been thinking about for a long time.

Then again, depending on what time we get there, we may do lunch before the ranch and museum, but either way --– we’'re doing both!

We are going to head back towards Nashville, but a little south, for the night. We’ll be spending the next two nights at a La Quinta inn in Franklin, TN. We'’ve never stayed with this chain before, but this hotel gets decent reviews on Trip Advisor and is priced right.

For supper tonight, we want to go to the Loveless Café. It’'s one of those little local restaurants that I ran across…. Somewhere. I don'’t even remember where I heard of it! I think I found it when I was planning a visit to Nashville last time, but we never made it to this restaurant.

That’s about it for Day 11!

 

[Steppesister]

Not a fun experience for sure to be stuck with no wheels!

My folks live just north of Nashville (Bowling Green) and go there a few times a week to eat and for a Bible study group. They have never mentioned Loretta Lynn's- I'll ask if they've ever done it as they're always looking for new places to try out.

 

[MEK]

That Loveless Cafe looks fun!

Sorry you had to miss the Loretta Lynn tour during your last visit due to car problems. That definitely is worth a do-over. It sounds like fun!

 

[GeminiAngel]

I WANNA GO WITH YOU!!!!

You truly take the greatest trips. I LOVE reading everything you write.

 

[KatMark]

That is scary with the car problems. I would have been a nervous wreck.

I am glad you are going back and trying again.

We always stayed in LaQuinta's when we did Mark's business trips. They are nothing fancy, but they are clean and the price is usually right.