A Picture a Day (sorta...) to Keep the Disney Blues Away -- Updated 12/6!!

[shalom]

However, DD and Mom would both LOVE to visit the Smoky Mountains again.

Huge Smoky Mountains fans here. My parents lived in Tennessee for over a decade, and the kids were brokenhearted when grandma and grandpa moved to South Dakota (further from us, and definitely NOT Tennessee ). We bought into the Bluegreen Timeshare system, which has a couple of resorts right near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and try to get out there every couple of years. We were planning to go next year, but with hubby's job in danger, I don't know if we'll make it.

Again, we will be spending the night at a hotel we have visited before – this time it is the Comfort Suites at St. Augustine (World Golf Village area).

Day 3 of traveling would have us driving from St. Augustine to Marathon. Marathon is a little town located about mid-way down the Florida Keys.

Annnnd, Bluegreen has a resort at World Golf Village, and one in Marathon! BG isn't a that big a TS system (although it has a couple of locations in Virginia as well), which is why it cracks me up that your post discussed three of its locations. At one point our plan for our next WDW trip included a few days at World Golf Village, but we decided we'd rather go all out and do a gonzo (well, gonzo for such laid back planners as ourselves ) parks trip.

I plan trips that don't always come off when planned, too. So far, we've done all the ones we delayed within a year or two, so here's hoping that if you get delayed, you'll be able to do your Disney trip not too long after your original plan.

Just a reminder that October is "Leaf Peeper" season in the Smokies -- lodging prices are up and I would guess the you'd need to make reservations earlier (you do with TSs, anyhow), and the local traffic can be a bear. Which you probably know, and you definitely know the payoff -- stunner scenery!

 

[GeminiAngel]

I would love to try Cici's. There's one here in Vegas, somewhere.

Can't believe I found it! Drove past it on Thursday.

 

[MEK]

Love the scrap book pictures again. Ah - South Carolina. When you reach SC you know you are really getting close!

Love your plans. That resort in Marathon looks pretty cool. What ever happened to Dizney Dawn??????? She disappeared from the boards and I really do miss her.

Love to hear good endorsements of different hotels. We will be driving from Delaware in June and I have never done that before. Would love to make it to Savannah the first day. We'll see.

 

[tazdev3225]

It was a scary moment, but it happened so fast, we didn't have time to be scared until after it happened. While looking at my old TR (see next note) I was reminded that you were the very first person to comment on my very first TR!

Wow was I really? I have really enjoyed your TR's and watching your DD grow up.

My current plans have us leaving home early in the morning – around 6:00 am. We would stop for some fast-food breakfast and lunch along the way, stopping for the night at a Holiday Inn at Emporia, VA. We have stayed at this particular Holiday Inn at least twice before, on previous trips.

I hate Emporia. We have driven to WDW the past 2 years and have had something happen there both times. Dead battery last year and a blow out this year. I think that area is jinxed for me.

 

[GeminiAngel]

Picture a Day?

LOL!!

 

[shalom]

Picture a Day?

Maybe that's "on average" -- her scrapbook pages have multiple pics, so cover multiple days, right?

 

[GeminiAngel]

Maybe that's "on average" -- her scrapbook pages have multiple pics, so cover multiple days, right?

Okay, I'll accept that as an answer.

 

[ddstratton]

Sorry I've been MIA from my own Pre-TR for a while. Life's just been nutsy lately. Not bad, just busy. I'll try to keep up!!!

 

[ddstratton]

And here are today's pictures. Still in the early part of our 2008 trip (our first Disney trip). I believe we are in Georgia here...

I must have been mistaken on the timing earlier. This page says that Duane checked for damage here, after we ran over that tire in the road.

And we've made it to Florida!!

 

[GeminiAngel]

All is forgiven. You more than made up for it.

 

[shalom]

Where is that Rodeway Inn?

 

[ddstratton]

Where is that Rodeway Inn?

This particular Rodeway Inn is in Jacksonville, FL, near the airport. It was right off exit 363 from I-95. It was a puny little place, but it was clean. Our room didn't even have a clock in it, though!

 

[ddstratton]

At the lovely Rodeway Inn, Jacksonville, FL.

Wednesday, October 22nd -- my birthday!

 

[mickeystoontown]

How'd I miss that you started your pre-trip report? Going back to catch up.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm all caught up now! It sure was fun looking at all of your pictures and scrapbook pages. You always do such an amazing job on your scrapbook pages.

We are planning a Thanksgiving trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and I can pick up some brochures for you if you want. Or maybe I don't need to do that because it will make your Mama and Elizabeth want to go there even more.

 

[MEK]

I see you posted some more scrap book pages while I have been MIA. They are so great! There is something so alive about a scrap book. And you are almost to Orlando. Woo Hoo!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hey! Just checking in to see how you and the family are doing.

 

[ddstratton]

I'm all caught up now! It sure was fun looking at all of your pictures and scrapbook pages. You always do such an amazing job on your scrapbook pages.

We are planning a Thanksgiving trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and I can pick up some brochures for you if you want. Or maybe I don't need to do that because it will make your Mama and Elizabeth want to go there even more.

Thank you!! I love doing my scrapbook pages. We've got tons of brochures from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg still. We love the area. It's a hard thing to decide between a trip there and a trip to Disney World actually!

I see you posted some more scrap book pages while I have been MIA. They are so great! There is something so alive about a scrap book. And you are almost to Orlando. Woo Hoo!

Yup, I've gotten a few posted. Not nearly as many as I should have, but at least there are some!!

Hey! Just checking in to see how you and the family are doing.

We're doing good, thanks! Just busy. I haven't even been on the DIS much to check out the trip reports I've been reading, much less keeping my own up... I'm here to correct that today!

 

[ddstratton]

Please forgive me, dear readers. I haven't given you much to read at all lately, have I?

I think when I last left off actually talking about the Trip Plans, I had gotten as far as us arriving at the CocoPlum Resort in Marathon, FL. This place just looks SO COOL! You have your own little building within the resort, pool and hot tub access, as well as BEACH ACCESS. Yup. Sounds like a great place to be!!

We will likely be spending a few days here. I haven't definitely decided how many, but probably around four days here. One day, we want to take a little drive and go visit Key West. This is another "place we've never been before" that we'll be able to cross off our list.

Of course, we'll have to visit the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum here. DD would be very much disappointed if we went to Key West and did not visit the Ripley's here. She loves the museums with all of their oddities. I'm not sure just what else we'll do in Key West yet, but I'm sure I'll find lots to keep us busy!

This part of the vacation sounds just wonderful to me. Not much to do other than sit on the beach and enjoy! Aaaaahhhhhhh....


OK -- now for a few more pictures.

This looks like as good a place as any to stop for now. The next set of pictures have us getting our first look at the Magic Kingdom!!!

 

[GeminiAngel]

Nice to hear from you!

I am now checking out that hotel in Marathon, FL.
I could do about a week there, easy.

How did you find it?