TimNDansMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2000
- Messages
- 3,093
You know how you get an idea in your head and it grows? Well, this is how I came to take the Greyhound Bus down to Orlando.
To begin, wed last gone down for March Break 2002 and since things were starting to pick up again at Dhs work, by November we started to plan for the next March Break. However, this time the kids, especially Tim, did not want to go with us. What to do, what to do? Dan would be 18 but could I, should I let them stay home on their own, as they dearly wanted? They wouldnt have school to worry about that week either. I spoke to my support system ~ my mother, my sister, a friend and they all said they would call or stop in to check up on them. Okay! Maybe this would work!
I called down to CRO, wanting to book All Star Music at the Canadian Special rate of $79usd, but could only get a room in a preferred building, close to the front, for an additional $10 per night. All Star Sports was available, so I went for that, thinking that maybe Id try again later for ASMu, if any new discounts codes came out early in the new year. We had stayed at ASMu the last few times and really enjoyed it there. (I was a little apprehensive that ASSp would be noisy, but in the end decided to stay with it, since the new code turned out to be for $84.) While making the reservation, I mentioned that I wasnt sure if the kids might come with us afterall and was told that I would have to book the room for four people and pay an additional $10 in my one nights deposit, because Dan was 18 by then and considered an extra adult. If he didnt come, my rate would be adjusted at check-in, no problem. I booked 5 nights ~ Monday to Saturday ~ at ASSp, then made an online reservation at the Comfort Inn LBV for the (Sunday) night of arrival which we always do as a buffer night in case of any delays in driving down.
The closer we got to March, the more comfortable I became with the idea of leaving the kids on their own. Dan would be going to University in September so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to be on his own. For a trial run, Dh and I went to a DISmeet at Niagara Falls Festival of Lights near the end of November and stayed overnight. The boys made out fine on their own. Having two computers helped, Im sure!
Since it looked pretty definite that just Dh and I would be going, I began to think that it would be nice to go down a couple of days early so I could have a whole weekend there. Plus, since we had said goodbye to our leased van (many a trip down south in that vehicle!) I was a little uneasy in driving down in our older car. The more I thought about it, the more I worried that our vacation could be ruined. Dh wasnt concerned at all, but humoured me when I told him that I was looking into the bus to make sure I got there! I had found a special go anywhere ticket that only cost $200cdn return, with 14 days advance purchase! At 16 days, I decided to go for it. It would be a little adventure before Disney. Dh thought I was nuts!
I cant say that leaving the boys at home was less work than taking them with us. In fact, it turned out to be a LOT more work than I imagined. I decided that I had to go through ALL our legal stuff and update everything. I suppose that was a good thing in one respect because I had been meaning to do this for a long while. I prepared copies of itineraries and emergency telephone numbers for everyone and even did Dhs preliminary tax return, which wasnt due until the end of April. I wanted to be thorough and organized before we left! I also spent a fair bit of money making sure that the boys had everything they would need, plus left them extra cash! I dont know if you could really say that they had to fend for themselves because I set up everything for them! And I left them a clean house too! The day before I was to leave, I dropped off a house key with a friend who would be dropping by. Did I forget anything???
My plan was to leave on the 9:30 bus Thursday morning and take just a carry-on bag, with Dh bringing the rest of my clothes in the car. I would arrive in Orlando on Friday evening and had booked two nights at the Days Inn on International Drive, which I thought would be easier to get to, than trying to get down to the Disney area at night. I also still had a Universal PH and thought it would be a good opportunity to go. Dh first planned on leaving after work on Friday night, arriving in Orlando on Sunday, where I would meet up with him at the Comfort Inn LBV. Then when he started talking about taking a side trip to a golf course on the way down, I decided Id better squeeze in a few more clothes in my carry-on, so I wouldnt run short. (Note to myself: pack light, buy clothes down there, if needed!)
I thought I would have an early night before I left, but of course you never do. There are so many last minute things it seems. I even did a bit of laundry for the boys and Dh, in the morning before I left. I also had to drive Dan to school for his 7am band practice since Dh, who usually drops him off, had to go into work extra early. Tim left an hour later and I scurried around checking and rechecking that I had left everything in order.
Not sure if there would be a full bus, I called for a cab to take me to our local train/Greyhound depot an hour before I was to depart. As it turned out, there was only two of us waiting for the bus and the bus was almost empty when it arrived, so I could have stayed home at least another half hour. But then, I probably would have found more work to do there! As we pulled out I called my mother in Niagara Falls to let her know I was on my way.
We pulled into London an hour later where I made the first transfer to another bus. This was the start of what I now call my milk run bus trip to Orlando! No wonder it takes so long to get there! Its mainly all alternate routes through small towns!
I think it was in Windsor that we picked up three college-age boys who were on their way to Arizona to visit a girl friend of one of them. When we finally arrived in Detroit via the tunnel, we all had to debark to customs and take all our baggage with us. I was motioned over to one of the agents who asked me the usual ..where was I going, how long etc. and looked at my passport. He asked me if I was travelling solo and when I said that I would be meeting my husband down in Orlando, he questioned whether I would be driving back with him. I said yes and then it dawned on me that he probably was going to ask me if I had a return ticket or not. I volunteered that I had been told that I had to buy a return ticket, being from Canada, but he never asked to see it. (Gee, maybe I could have saved $75, as one-way was only $125!) I was then directed into another room where all I had to do was unzip my bag, the agent never went through it, and I was back on the bus. We were all sitting there waiting and waiting and finally we found out that one of the students would not be going on with us. He was Portuguese and apparently only had landed immigrant papers, no birth certificate and his passport was not valid! Didnt someone ask him beforehand if he had proper ID??? So, now running late, we were on our way again.
We pulled into the Detroit Greyhound depot where I had another transfer. Up until now, I had had no one sitting beside me, but this is where everyone heading south starts out, it seems and the bus filled up fast. I had found a seat by a window and a young man sat down beside me. Before I knew it, we were talking merrily away. Having only just joined the airforce, he enthusiastically told me all about how he would like to become a pilot someday. He had apparently dabbled in politics in his last job and knew a fair bit about our government in Canada. He was on his way to Alabama to visit a friend before he got sent to boot camp for training. With several stops along the way, we chatted on until we arrived in Louisville, KY close to midnight and we both transferred on to different buses, where I had the whole seat to myself again. I was pretty tired by this point and although I didnt really sleep, closed my eyes and dozed for a few hours. I remember finally looking out the window just before sunrise and managed to catch a glimpse of low mountains in the distance between patches of thick fog. YIKES! Luckily, we were driving out of both or I think I would have been a nervous wreck! I love driving through the mountains, but not in fog, in the dark!
Let me say at this point that we did have a couple of food stops at fast food restaurants along the way. There were also either vending machines with sandwiches, snacks, pop, coffee etc. or little counters in the Greyhound stations. I had expected something more like the cafeterias that you find at the airport. I noticed one lady had brought along her own sandwiches etc. and I think that I would do that if I did a trip like this again. As it was, I had brought along a couple of bottles of water and snack foods. I would also like to comment on the restroom facilities in the Greyhound stations. While all restrooms were reasonably clean, they were well-worn and a couple had locks missing on the cubicle doors or doors that were completely missing!! I would have thought that Greyhound could have kept things in better repair.
We arrived in Atlanta around 8 on Friday morning and had to debark while they cleaned the bus. I phoned Dh at work and told him I was finally in Atlanta and that although cool, there was NO SNOW! After about an hour, we were on our way again. After Macon (the many flowering trees here were gorgeous), we made a stop at every little town I think existed between there and Jacksonville, FL. Sometimes a package was delivered, sometimes someone got on or off and sometimes I think the driver just stopped to stretch his legs!!
(Another note here: if ever we started to run behind schedule, those drivers sure know how to make up time. Think about that when one of those buses goes blasting by you, on the highway!)
I was to make a last transfer in Jacksonville and was all set to board another bus with a couple I had been travelling with, when I was directed to another gate since I was going to Orlando. The other couple, who were going to Deland, got on the bus and drove away leaving me and many others waiting for another bus that was almost an hour and a half late! I can tell you we were all hopping mad, plus the strap on my carry-on broke! (Note to myself: buy a wheeled carry-on bag!) It seems there were so many people that they had to change the schedules. To top it off, when we finally got on the highway, the traffic was backed up for miles as people were heading down to Bike Week in Daytona. I think there was road construction too. Instead of heading to Orlando from Daytona as my original schedule said, I now had to make a stop in Titusville as well. So instead of arriving in Orlando at 8:45 Friday night, I sailed in just before 11. That bus driver did motor though!
I was so tired by this time plus the stress of this last-minute delay that I headed straight for the taxi stand when I arrived. I had planned to take the local Lynx bus to my hotel and save myself some money but I had done my homework before leaving and knew that the cab-fare would be approximately $16 and I could handle that at that time of the night. The cab driver was a very nice Dutch man and chatted with me during the 10-minute drive. He even gave me back the extra $20 I gave him in error because I was too tired to see straight! Luckily, there was no problem with my online reservation, I checked in, had a shower and fell into bed. I was exhausted but I was in Orlando!!
to be continued.........
To begin, wed last gone down for March Break 2002 and since things were starting to pick up again at Dhs work, by November we started to plan for the next March Break. However, this time the kids, especially Tim, did not want to go with us. What to do, what to do? Dan would be 18 but could I, should I let them stay home on their own, as they dearly wanted? They wouldnt have school to worry about that week either. I spoke to my support system ~ my mother, my sister, a friend and they all said they would call or stop in to check up on them. Okay! Maybe this would work!
I called down to CRO, wanting to book All Star Music at the Canadian Special rate of $79usd, but could only get a room in a preferred building, close to the front, for an additional $10 per night. All Star Sports was available, so I went for that, thinking that maybe Id try again later for ASMu, if any new discounts codes came out early in the new year. We had stayed at ASMu the last few times and really enjoyed it there. (I was a little apprehensive that ASSp would be noisy, but in the end decided to stay with it, since the new code turned out to be for $84.) While making the reservation, I mentioned that I wasnt sure if the kids might come with us afterall and was told that I would have to book the room for four people and pay an additional $10 in my one nights deposit, because Dan was 18 by then and considered an extra adult. If he didnt come, my rate would be adjusted at check-in, no problem. I booked 5 nights ~ Monday to Saturday ~ at ASSp, then made an online reservation at the Comfort Inn LBV for the (Sunday) night of arrival which we always do as a buffer night in case of any delays in driving down.
The closer we got to March, the more comfortable I became with the idea of leaving the kids on their own. Dan would be going to University in September so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to be on his own. For a trial run, Dh and I went to a DISmeet at Niagara Falls Festival of Lights near the end of November and stayed overnight. The boys made out fine on their own. Having two computers helped, Im sure!
Since it looked pretty definite that just Dh and I would be going, I began to think that it would be nice to go down a couple of days early so I could have a whole weekend there. Plus, since we had said goodbye to our leased van (many a trip down south in that vehicle!) I was a little uneasy in driving down in our older car. The more I thought about it, the more I worried that our vacation could be ruined. Dh wasnt concerned at all, but humoured me when I told him that I was looking into the bus to make sure I got there! I had found a special go anywhere ticket that only cost $200cdn return, with 14 days advance purchase! At 16 days, I decided to go for it. It would be a little adventure before Disney. Dh thought I was nuts!
I cant say that leaving the boys at home was less work than taking them with us. In fact, it turned out to be a LOT more work than I imagined. I decided that I had to go through ALL our legal stuff and update everything. I suppose that was a good thing in one respect because I had been meaning to do this for a long while. I prepared copies of itineraries and emergency telephone numbers for everyone and even did Dhs preliminary tax return, which wasnt due until the end of April. I wanted to be thorough and organized before we left! I also spent a fair bit of money making sure that the boys had everything they would need, plus left them extra cash! I dont know if you could really say that they had to fend for themselves because I set up everything for them! And I left them a clean house too! The day before I was to leave, I dropped off a house key with a friend who would be dropping by. Did I forget anything???
My plan was to leave on the 9:30 bus Thursday morning and take just a carry-on bag, with Dh bringing the rest of my clothes in the car. I would arrive in Orlando on Friday evening and had booked two nights at the Days Inn on International Drive, which I thought would be easier to get to, than trying to get down to the Disney area at night. I also still had a Universal PH and thought it would be a good opportunity to go. Dh first planned on leaving after work on Friday night, arriving in Orlando on Sunday, where I would meet up with him at the Comfort Inn LBV. Then when he started talking about taking a side trip to a golf course on the way down, I decided Id better squeeze in a few more clothes in my carry-on, so I wouldnt run short. (Note to myself: pack light, buy clothes down there, if needed!)
I thought I would have an early night before I left, but of course you never do. There are so many last minute things it seems. I even did a bit of laundry for the boys and Dh, in the morning before I left. I also had to drive Dan to school for his 7am band practice since Dh, who usually drops him off, had to go into work extra early. Tim left an hour later and I scurried around checking and rechecking that I had left everything in order.
Not sure if there would be a full bus, I called for a cab to take me to our local train/Greyhound depot an hour before I was to depart. As it turned out, there was only two of us waiting for the bus and the bus was almost empty when it arrived, so I could have stayed home at least another half hour. But then, I probably would have found more work to do there! As we pulled out I called my mother in Niagara Falls to let her know I was on my way.
We pulled into London an hour later where I made the first transfer to another bus. This was the start of what I now call my milk run bus trip to Orlando! No wonder it takes so long to get there! Its mainly all alternate routes through small towns!
I think it was in Windsor that we picked up three college-age boys who were on their way to Arizona to visit a girl friend of one of them. When we finally arrived in Detroit via the tunnel, we all had to debark to customs and take all our baggage with us. I was motioned over to one of the agents who asked me the usual ..where was I going, how long etc. and looked at my passport. He asked me if I was travelling solo and when I said that I would be meeting my husband down in Orlando, he questioned whether I would be driving back with him. I said yes and then it dawned on me that he probably was going to ask me if I had a return ticket or not. I volunteered that I had been told that I had to buy a return ticket, being from Canada, but he never asked to see it. (Gee, maybe I could have saved $75, as one-way was only $125!) I was then directed into another room where all I had to do was unzip my bag, the agent never went through it, and I was back on the bus. We were all sitting there waiting and waiting and finally we found out that one of the students would not be going on with us. He was Portuguese and apparently only had landed immigrant papers, no birth certificate and his passport was not valid! Didnt someone ask him beforehand if he had proper ID??? So, now running late, we were on our way again.
We pulled into the Detroit Greyhound depot where I had another transfer. Up until now, I had had no one sitting beside me, but this is where everyone heading south starts out, it seems and the bus filled up fast. I had found a seat by a window and a young man sat down beside me. Before I knew it, we were talking merrily away. Having only just joined the airforce, he enthusiastically told me all about how he would like to become a pilot someday. He had apparently dabbled in politics in his last job and knew a fair bit about our government in Canada. He was on his way to Alabama to visit a friend before he got sent to boot camp for training. With several stops along the way, we chatted on until we arrived in Louisville, KY close to midnight and we both transferred on to different buses, where I had the whole seat to myself again. I was pretty tired by this point and although I didnt really sleep, closed my eyes and dozed for a few hours. I remember finally looking out the window just before sunrise and managed to catch a glimpse of low mountains in the distance between patches of thick fog. YIKES! Luckily, we were driving out of both or I think I would have been a nervous wreck! I love driving through the mountains, but not in fog, in the dark!
Let me say at this point that we did have a couple of food stops at fast food restaurants along the way. There were also either vending machines with sandwiches, snacks, pop, coffee etc. or little counters in the Greyhound stations. I had expected something more like the cafeterias that you find at the airport. I noticed one lady had brought along her own sandwiches etc. and I think that I would do that if I did a trip like this again. As it was, I had brought along a couple of bottles of water and snack foods. I would also like to comment on the restroom facilities in the Greyhound stations. While all restrooms were reasonably clean, they were well-worn and a couple had locks missing on the cubicle doors or doors that were completely missing!! I would have thought that Greyhound could have kept things in better repair.
We arrived in Atlanta around 8 on Friday morning and had to debark while they cleaned the bus. I phoned Dh at work and told him I was finally in Atlanta and that although cool, there was NO SNOW! After about an hour, we were on our way again. After Macon (the many flowering trees here were gorgeous), we made a stop at every little town I think existed between there and Jacksonville, FL. Sometimes a package was delivered, sometimes someone got on or off and sometimes I think the driver just stopped to stretch his legs!!
(Another note here: if ever we started to run behind schedule, those drivers sure know how to make up time. Think about that when one of those buses goes blasting by you, on the highway!)
I was to make a last transfer in Jacksonville and was all set to board another bus with a couple I had been travelling with, when I was directed to another gate since I was going to Orlando. The other couple, who were going to Deland, got on the bus and drove away leaving me and many others waiting for another bus that was almost an hour and a half late! I can tell you we were all hopping mad, plus the strap on my carry-on broke! (Note to myself: buy a wheeled carry-on bag!) It seems there were so many people that they had to change the schedules. To top it off, when we finally got on the highway, the traffic was backed up for miles as people were heading down to Bike Week in Daytona. I think there was road construction too. Instead of heading to Orlando from Daytona as my original schedule said, I now had to make a stop in Titusville as well. So instead of arriving in Orlando at 8:45 Friday night, I sailed in just before 11. That bus driver did motor though!
I was so tired by this time plus the stress of this last-minute delay that I headed straight for the taxi stand when I arrived. I had planned to take the local Lynx bus to my hotel and save myself some money but I had done my homework before leaving and knew that the cab-fare would be approximately $16 and I could handle that at that time of the night. The cab driver was a very nice Dutch man and chatted with me during the 10-minute drive. He even gave me back the extra $20 I gave him in error because I was too tired to see straight! Luckily, there was no problem with my online reservation, I checked in, had a shower and fell into bed. I was exhausted but I was in Orlando!!
to be continued.........
)
How many hours does it usually take to drive compared to the bus? I think you should come over and talk to my parents, when they go on away on trips, I usually just get a "See ya!". No itinerary... and no spending money! 
