We've had lots of driving adventures too. In March we were dodging a snowstorm and drove all night through rain until we hit Florida! That stank! On the way home we had great weather! Go figure. But it's a risk we take driving - especially in winter.
Lady Lallie:
Marc & I are debating driving this January and my biggest concern is the snowy weather because it takes quite awhile for us to get out of the "Snow Zone". I really want to have a car down there but I do not want to spend the money on a rental. I don't know. I keep going back and forth.
Your DD room looks amazing! Wish my DD's room was that neat and organized! Hannah's tends to look like a tornado went though....
Your plans sound great! I think driving sounds best this time! Free is always the way to go!
Now I'm not so sure! 
And it was not even raining or nothing 
I noticed your ticker and it looks like we will probably miss each other by just a few days in October.
You will be down there at the same time as a big gang of DISers-MeMom with Brooklyn, Anita, Megan, and Jen, and some others too. I know I am missing Anita by just 1 day and MeMom by either 1 or 2.
I thought driving was the best thing too until these gals in here started sharing their driving horror stories!
Driving is a breeze. Our trip is 11.5-12 hours and we do it multiple times a year! On the way down, I pack food and stuff and we only stop for bathroom breaks and gas. Now, on the way home, when I am in no hurry whatsoever, we stop to eat along the way!
Rinky - I am so sorry, did not mean to make you start to rethink your decision about driving but I do agree that I-95 is the pits when it rains. I am not fond of highways as it is cause I hate the Big Rigs. I was in Ohio once and heading home to Ct on a Sunday night well I hit Pa and I swear I was the only car on the road it was trucks everywhere. I pulled off and got a room for the night rather than share the road with the trucks
I've been going back and forth over the driving vs. flying thing for a long time now. Neither one is a great option to me. I seem to be missing everyone in October.
Hmm, I'll have to check back with Memom because i think the last time I asked her, we didn't overlap either. Seems like I missed her by 4 or 5 days or something like that.
Our cruise is April of 2012 during our spring break. We are on the Dream for a double dip to Castaway Cay. So, I am loving reading all the trip reports of cruises to get ready!!
I think April would be a nice time to cruise. The weather should be similar for both of us. I'm wondering about the water temps in the spring & fall. I hope it is warm enough for us both to enjoy.
The pictures of your DD are very cute. I had to smile because last year my dd had her hair short and yours had hers long. Now yours is cut shorter and mine is growing hers out!
I like the shorter hair because it's easy in the mornings, but I miss being able to do more cute things with her hair. The long hair is fun for braiding and such.
Don't listen to them!!
Oh, and this trip (last week), my in-laws rode with us. If I can do that, you should be able to handle just about anything!!
Lord forgive me, but I would probably jump out of the car at a high rate of speed after about an hour with my in laws! Bless your heart!!!!!!!!!!! 
You are so right! If you can do that, then I need to just hush my whining! 
It does seem to take forever with all the stops. If we didn't stop for anything, had perfect weather, and traffic was light, I bet we could do it in 9 hours. After you add in all the stops though, it takes about 12!Your DD's room is super cute! Great colors on the bedding. She looks so cute all decked out for the 4th!
Driving really does make sense for you, at this point. "Free" is a very good word.
It really would be a waste of money to pay to fly... it is just so much easier.OH MY!
So I guess you drive it straight through in one day both ways? I like the idea of packing food.
It was just quite crowded with all of us in there. Thank goodness we have a nice van!
Really, if I could do it in 10 hours we would probably always drive. It's the 10+ hours 2 days in a row that got me The free gas is a definate bonus, we get that with Don's company car too, it's a great perk!
It wasn't that bad with them, really.
We do drive all the way through and have done that since our kids were 3 and 5. We leave at 3 AM and don't really hit any traffic anywhere. It's actually a very easy drive. Not much to look at, but the kids and I can read/electronics and that helps pass the time. With just bathroom stops and 2 gas stops we did it in 11 hours. It's really not that bad, I promise!
I do think that if we get some books on CD, that will help pass the time. We did that about 10 years ago on a trip to Gatlinburg, TN and it made a huge difference. I'll just have to see if I can find something appropriate for the whole family. That might be a challenge. I think driving sounds like the best option for you too - and you know how much I loooooove riding in the car
Stacy, there is no way in H E double hockey sticks I could ride in the car with my in-laws for 12 hours - just kill me quickly and get in over with, please.
I am right there with you Michelle! No way, no how, no can do! I wish we could do that. I think it would make for wonderful family memories years from now, but my in laws are not sane, and somebody in the car would be dead before we made it to the SC border! That was just for 3 roundtrip flights, parking at the airport, a one night stay at the port, and 2 DCL bus transfers. $1000 vs. $45 (parking at the port).... even fuzzy Disney math can't cover that up!
The long hair is pretty and fun to do stuff with, but on a daily basis, it is a chore! She complained every time I brushed it and pulled out knots. I just got tired of the drama so we had to let it go. And it was finally thick enough for a bob. Her hair has always been so thin that I could never cut it short, but now it is filling in nicely! I highly recommend the short hair if you are still the one doing her hair in the mornings!
She needs a trim right now and I think I will have them cut off a lot of it. It reaches her waist right now so I can have a lot cut off and it will still be long. She just doesn't want it short.Stacy, there is no way in H E double hockey sticks I could ride in the car with my in-laws for 12 hours - just kill me quickly and get in over with, please.
Well I'm glad that you can tolerate your in laws like that. That must be nice. I wouldn't know anything about that.
Those fun family memories we were supposed to be making??? Ya, not so much. So, the car ride home was frigid, at best.
Well we have a deal if she complains I will take her and get it cut. She usually will start and I say, "Ok I will call and make an appointment to get it cut then." She clams right up then.
Ladies, let me tell you, the car ride home was not as pleasant as the car ride down. On the way down we were all filled with that beginning the of the trip excitement, you know how that is.
During the trip my father- in- law almost got murdered. Yes, by me.
We were eating with them on the 4th (my mil's attempt at smoothing everything out) and we were talking about next year's trip with my niece and her husband. My fil said something about how he was offended that I didn't invite them again. I told him that I never make the same mistake twice. Everyone laughed but he knew I was dead serious!
The irony, I guess, is that it was all MY idea. My fil has prostate cancer. Right now it is in remission but when it comes back, and it will, there's nothing else to be done. So, I talked to my hubby and his sister about doing this trip. (My sil and her daughter also came with us. Her hubby didn't have enough vacay time). We all agreed that it was the right time to do it-great ages for the kids and my in laws are both still able enough to handle it. Well, it backfired on me. Talk about only wanting to sit in the hotel all the time.
I hear ya about traveling with others. We went one year with friends and I got too wrapped up in them having a good time and us staying together all the time. Since then, I've changed the way I think about it and have had great trips. My inlaw issues aside, (and they weren't about park touring, really), we've had some fantastic trips with family--this one included with my sil and niece.
So maybe it really isn't that we can't travel well with others... it's more that we don't have anyone decent to travel with! 
