Hey Griff

[airlarry!]

Saw your note on the Introduction thread...I'm from **, right down the road.

Here is my question. I can't convince my wife to pull our 23' Trail-lite Bantam all the way to WDW...she says its too far for three kids to ride. I see her point, but obviously you've done it.

Any tips for such a long trip in a truck? Do you break up the travel or just make one long haul (I did that once in '95 and swore it would be a long time before I did that).

 

[griff]

Hey Larry, the profile says Ville Platte because that's my mailing address, but the big city like that is not for me. LOL
I'm from right down the road in little ole Vidrine, closer than you thought.

Well there is no getting around that drive, it is long. Every time I drive it I say I'm flying from now on. But a couple years make the drive fade from memory, and Fort Wilderness seem like shangra la.

I have driven to WDW three times and flown twice. The first time we drove straight through. Never again.
The second and third time we stopped at the Swanee River State park in Florida and drove in the next day. That wasn't as bad.

We are leaving this Thursday when my teacher wife gets out of school with the intent of just getting to around Biloxi the first night. I want to be past the Baton Rouge/Hammond traffic. We plan on driving to Ocala the Friday which should be about 8 hrs, then on into Orlando on Sat. morning.

All of my other trips were with our 24' Alumalite, but we have a new 27' Dutchman w/slidelout that is much heavier and I want to build in a little extra time in case of problems.

As for the kids, well they were little in 85 when we started this but my two boys are full grown men now being 20, and 24. I was able to get some real cheap round trip airfare out of New Orleans and they, and their girlfriends, will be flying in to Orlando to meet us Sat. for a week.

The kids will drive you nuts on that drive until you get to Lake City and turn south. From there on there are billboards with Orlando attractions every few hundred yards and the kids just keep starring. Any trouble you have getting there is soon forgotten and our Disney vacations are our favorite vacation memories of all.

Good luck,
GRIFF

 

[airlarry!]

I forgot about the Swanee River State Park. Dad used to stop there on our own trips to Orlando when I was a kid...do a little canoeing, and of course listen to my brother and I yell at each other for "paddling the wrong way."

I'm going to print out your post and show her it can be done. She's a teacher too , but we try to go over during Mardi Gras since we have the school holiday and after 10 straight years, I'm a little burnt on ** Mardi Gras.

How crowded is the campground during the summer? I am assuming it is not so bad since you leave so early...

 

[We4mickey]

We have two boys and we drive all the time. We have a two day trip before we get to FW.
Yes it is long but we love to see all the sight on the way down ,and yes my wife always say wish we where closer
to are favorite place. We to tow a pop-up.

 

[WishUponAStar]

My wife and I both teach also. Doing the AP thing in mid June, so we can go again early June next year. Driving from Sulphur, LA on June 16 right past you guys. I have done the two day and the straight through thing. Getting there is not the problem, the return trip is the hassle. The anticipation makes going not so bad. We will be pulling a 21' TrailLite. We could not leave till noon on the 15th anyway. Have several options. We could leave at noon, drive till dark- should put us between Pensacola and Tallahassee. 8 hours of driving the first day, then the next day another 5 hours the next day does not sound too inviting. Second option leave at midnight on Friday, 13 hours later we pull into FW at 1:00 check- in. The kids will sleep all night, less traffic at night, cooler, if I get tired I can pull over at a Wal Mart and sleep for a while. We have left at 3:00 before and drive getting there about 7:00 with food and bathroom stops, but that was not pulling a trailer. I say pull the trailer and drive it all in one day. Leave late at night. Convince your wife somehow, we are hauling two kids.

 

[airlarry!]

My idea for the return trip was to schedule a day or two at Gulf Shores State Park so that we could look forward to a couple of nights at the beach. And of course, that leaves only a 6-8 hour drive back once we are done with that.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[WishUponAStar]

We needed a couple of days at the beach to unwind after conquering WDW. Great idea. That is a really nice place to stay also.