AshleeH
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2011
- Messages
- 2,151
We live a couple of hours from Indy - it's a 13 hour Disney Drive for us (longer with breaks) and we've driven on both of our trips and we'll drive this year as well. Flying is not an option for us - one big reason being the prices just aren't worth it when driving works just as well and has more advantages.
The first year we left at 6:00 a.m. (planned to leave at 5:00 a.m. but that never happens) stopped in Valdosta for the night and that was good for the first day, but the second day we were just waiting to get there and everyone was constantly checking to see how much longer before we were there. We got there later than expected and headed to Epcot (original plan was AK, but we had never been there and worried about not having enough time for it, so we pushed it to another day). We stayed in Epcot for a while before going to our ADR at Chef Mickey's.
Last year we decided to push it a bit further - our kids are fabulous car travelers, so it's mainly the issue of DH driving the majority and not exhausting himself. We drove to Gainesville, which was great in theory, but I had to drive for the last few hours and those last two hours to Gainesville were horrible because we were all so ready to be out of the car and we were tired (having been on the road since 6:00 and it was nearing 10:00 p.m.). The next morning, however, we slept in a bit, had a late breakfast, drove the remaining distance, spent the day at Islands of Adventure and then checked in to the Contemporary that night and headed over to Epcot for two hours and some pumpkin funnel cakes. Epcot is our go-to park of choice when we get there late, having the late hours and being the biggest park, so even if it's crowded, it doesn't feel like it is. It's also what our family used to dub "The Boring Park" (we have since come to love it very much, but the name has stuck for sentimental reasons
) and we liked to go there before the magic and activity of the other parks.
On the drive down, we try to stop frequently. My kids are late risers, but usually when we get them out of bed and get them in the car, they are up for a while (they might nap in the late morning or early afternoon), so the first year we stopped an hour outside of Nashville for a sit-down breakfast. It ate up so much time (horrible waitress!!) that last year we stopped for donuts on our way out of town and we were good to go until the first bathroom break.
Target Stores are excellent for us - we get bathroom breaks, we get to stretch and walk around in air-conditioning and grab a snack if we want to, and then we take a few minutes to peruse our aisles of choice - the kids get to look at the toys (and occasionally get to pick one out for the trip if it's inexpensive and not bulky) and I get to look at the books while DH checks out electronics. We much prefer this plan and using up about 10 additional minutes over filthy gas station bathrooms that usually have people waiting or banging on the door while we're in there. We will use bathrooms and rest areas if they are our only options, but if it's been several hours and we see a Target, we pull over.
We always try to have at least one sit-down meal. It does take quite a bit of time, but my parents swore by this method when I was growing up (and we traveled a lot) and now I can see how valid it is. Occasionally we'll stop at an actual restaurant like Red Lobster or Cracker Barrel, but we also love Chick-Fil-A and those are great for the kids because they have play areas where they can burn some energy after they eat.
I like having the control of where and when we stop and I love having our own car at Disney!
This year we're toying with the idea of leaving on Friday instead of Saturday, picking the kids up at school and driving to Atlanta (about 6 hours away), drive the rest of the way on Saturday and spend the night at the Nickelodeon Hotel to do a little something different. This will be the first time we're not going to Universal Studios, so we could do a character breakfast with Nick characters and then check-in at Disney and get to the parks by late morning. We're still tossing ideas around for alternate plans to make each trip fun and memorable, but that is the favorite so far.
The first year we left at 6:00 a.m. (planned to leave at 5:00 a.m. but that never happens) stopped in Valdosta for the night and that was good for the first day, but the second day we were just waiting to get there and everyone was constantly checking to see how much longer before we were there. We got there later than expected and headed to Epcot (original plan was AK, but we had never been there and worried about not having enough time for it, so we pushed it to another day). We stayed in Epcot for a while before going to our ADR at Chef Mickey's.
Last year we decided to push it a bit further - our kids are fabulous car travelers, so it's mainly the issue of DH driving the majority and not exhausting himself. We drove to Gainesville, which was great in theory, but I had to drive for the last few hours and those last two hours to Gainesville were horrible because we were all so ready to be out of the car and we were tired (having been on the road since 6:00 and it was nearing 10:00 p.m.). The next morning, however, we slept in a bit, had a late breakfast, drove the remaining distance, spent the day at Islands of Adventure and then checked in to the Contemporary that night and headed over to Epcot for two hours and some pumpkin funnel cakes. Epcot is our go-to park of choice when we get there late, having the late hours and being the biggest park, so even if it's crowded, it doesn't feel like it is. It's also what our family used to dub "The Boring Park" (we have since come to love it very much, but the name has stuck for sentimental reasons
) and we liked to go there before the magic and activity of the other parks. On the drive down, we try to stop frequently. My kids are late risers, but usually when we get them out of bed and get them in the car, they are up for a while (they might nap in the late morning or early afternoon), so the first year we stopped an hour outside of Nashville for a sit-down breakfast. It ate up so much time (horrible waitress!!) that last year we stopped for donuts on our way out of town and we were good to go until the first bathroom break.
Target Stores are excellent for us - we get bathroom breaks, we get to stretch and walk around in air-conditioning and grab a snack if we want to, and then we take a few minutes to peruse our aisles of choice - the kids get to look at the toys (and occasionally get to pick one out for the trip if it's inexpensive and not bulky) and I get to look at the books while DH checks out electronics. We much prefer this plan and using up about 10 additional minutes over filthy gas station bathrooms that usually have people waiting or banging on the door while we're in there. We will use bathrooms and rest areas if they are our only options, but if it's been several hours and we see a Target, we pull over.
We always try to have at least one sit-down meal. It does take quite a bit of time, but my parents swore by this method when I was growing up (and we traveled a lot) and now I can see how valid it is. Occasionally we'll stop at an actual restaurant like Red Lobster or Cracker Barrel, but we also love Chick-Fil-A and those are great for the kids because they have play areas where they can burn some energy after they eat.
I like having the control of where and when we stop and I love having our own car at Disney!
This year we're toying with the idea of leaving on Friday instead of Saturday, picking the kids up at school and driving to Atlanta (about 6 hours away), drive the rest of the way on Saturday and spend the night at the Nickelodeon Hotel to do a little something different. This will be the first time we're not going to Universal Studios, so we could do a character breakfast with Nick characters and then check-in at Disney and get to the parks by late morning. We're still tossing ideas around for alternate plans to make each trip fun and memorable, but that is the favorite so far.
saying Hi from Busco !! I wrote another reply but It didnt quote like I wanted it to Lol going in june and staying at pop century with 
