Driving from Houson,TX (help!)

[sheriff_john]

We've driven the last two years from Humble to Orlando.
Since I work nights we leave at 6 or 7 pm. My 3 kids in the back and me and momma up front. We've done it in a pick-up so whatever your driving should be fine.

We always drive past Baton Rouge and then have a long stop for dinner. The kids and momma crash as soon as we get on the highway and I can drive in peace / quiet listening to a Tom Clancy book on tape.

When ever momma wakes up we switch off driving.
It's an early breakfast in Lake City, FL and then on to Disney.
We have stayed at POR both trips (loved it) and both times they had a room available when we arrived (7am and 8:15am)
Mom and the kids can spend the morning exploring the resort while I nap.

We take the bus to the Magic Kingdom then rid the boat launch to the Beach club. We visit Beaches and Cream with our Connections voucher for dinner and watch the water parade and castle fireworks from the boat dock.

It is a great (cheap) first day and you get a real feel for the MAGIC.

When we leave the parks our last night we drive to Gainsville or Lake City and grab a cheap hotel before the LOOOOOOng drive home.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Sheriff_John, we've done similar. Leave about 12 midnight, pull into WDW about 3 PM and check into the hotel for a little nap or swim. Then hit the parks. We used to live in Humble 12 years ago. Have family still there.

 

[gm]

I work in Humble and am so glad to see other people from there too. We drove to disney once but we made the mistake of driving in the afternoon. never again!!!. If I drive it will be at night when the kids are sleeping but with airfare at $91 I usually fly when they have the deal. I got $91 from Delta for December and March and June of next year. Gotta use up the disney annual pass lol.

 

[plgshpz]

We are also driving to WDW in November. We are located on the LA/TX border and figured that Tallahassee would be a little over half way. I hope you have your hotel reservations for somewhere to stay. We made our hotel reservations in Tallahassee the first week of June and almost everything around there was sold out because of football games (?). Made reservations throught flausa.com, check there if you need a hotel. Then the next day we will get up and only have to drive above 5 hours to get into WDW.

 

[Deb & Bill]

plgshpz, how could we forget FL football? You'll have the same problem around Gainesville. By the way, you can get internet rates when you make your reservation using the hotel website. Plus it will show the types of rooms available, plus the different discounts available.

 

[dwbakerjr]

We have made the Houston - Orlando drive a number of times, but we have slightly different tack. We pack Thursday (with an extra motel change of clothes and stuff in a separate sack), and drive for a while after work Friday evening (theres a VCR in the van for the boys to stay occupied). We ususally get to somewhere east of New Orleans, and stop at a budget motel of some sort. Then, we have a not so terribly tiring driive (about 13 - 14 hrs) onto WDW. And this way, we are up and ready to go Sunday morning (rather than arriving sunday mid-day). Maybe just us, but we like to have that full day to start things out.

enjoy the mouse house, however you get there....

 

[Debbie7452]

GM-

I just have to know how you got those airline deals from Delta. Did you mean $91 RT from Houston to MCO? I have been stalking the airlines looking for cheap fares and the best I've seen have been around $158 and that wasn't for next year. They haven't released the deals for next year yet that I can tell.

Please fill me in if I am doing something wrong. I need airfare for next Spring/Summer and I'm really flexible if I can get a deal. There was a brief $108 fare from Delta the other day but it was for travel before Nov. 5.

Help! Help!

 

[gm]

hi!!
Delta had that rate only for 1 day during the first week of August and yes it is $91 r/t. I was so shocked because I put in different popular dates and all were $91 so we booked christmas dec 20-28, spring break march 8-15 and june 1-7. They all have 1 stopover but for that price i dont care. Keep looking every day on either orbitz, snooze you lose deals on tom parsons site. It is a tough looking everyday but that how i snag the deals.

good luck.

ps any airline will have a good rate for a few hours so keep looking everyday.

 

[DemonLlama]

Hi all you Houstonian and near-Houstonians!

I'm in Navasota and stalking those round trip fares myself.

I admire you hardy souls who are driving -- my husband and I know our limitations and driving for 18 hours definitely falls OUTSIDE our limitations!

My folks live in Clear Lake (Bay Forest) and we made it to a DIS meet in October 2000 at Kemah's Boardwalk. It was a lot of fun and it made us even more excited and looking forward to our upcoming trip.

If anyone would like to plan a Houston DIS meet soon, let me know and I'll help with the organization!

 

[Grog]

DemonLlama (and anyone else), there is one in the planning stages right now. Here's the link



Houston DIS meet

 

[tkd eeyore girl]

Greetings Jennypooh and all other Texans!

I too am driving from Houston (Webster, right next to Clear Lake) to WDW.
this will be my 5th trip to WDW - i have driven twice and flown twice.

I am the only driver (i travel with my not 13 year old autistic son) so not having a driver to switch off with makes a slight difference in calculating hours.

Its a nice trip by car, I really enjoy it.

first trip - oct. 1998 - houston to just past mobile; then on to WDW the next day; return - orlando to ocean springs, mississipi spent night at a sleep inn;
seond trip - september 1999 - houston to ocean springs (was advised not to even try to go further east for a hotel room due to hurricane Floyd!!) - 2nd day ocean springs to orlando; return - spent way to much time at downtown disney so the first day we only made it to pennsacola (motel 6) and 2nd day Pennsacola to Houston (830 am to 8ish pm);

I take breaks when necessary for leg stretching etc. even it for only a few minutes (like i said, only driver); my son is a great car traveller - always always have game boy, magazines, cds to listen to etc.

We compete at the wide world of sports in taekwondo!

Hope you have a great trip!


i see some folks have left their "history" so here is mine -

98 - CBR - Martinique
99- Allstar Music - Jazz
2000 - Allstar Music - Jazz
2001 - Vistiana time share and 1 night at Hard Rock!
2002 - Holiday Inn Family Suites and 1 night at Hard Rock!

17 days to go!!! whoo hoo!