How do you bare driving home 22 hours after a great WDW trip?

[SandraC]

Hi all! I know the drive to WDW would be fun! Filled with anticipation. But what about the drive home. 22 hours would seem like 22 years! How do you do it? S

 

[tracycd2]

Hi Sandra,
Well I think you got it right when you said Years!
After our 27 hour drive home to North Bay last year I swore
I would never do it again. BUT....... Its definately a lot
cheeper to drive. I think if you plan to stay over a least one
night maybe two and make lots of "stretch your legs"stops it
won't be so bad. AND.... On your way home if you think of all the
wonderful things you did while in WDW it will make the trip
home a little easier.
Hope this helps
Tracy

 

[katypop]

hi sandra,
we drove to wdw our 1st trip in 2000. the ride home certainly was a LOT longer than going there, but...like tracycd2 said, it is fun to talk about all of the exciting things on your trip. we all voiced opinions on our favorite ride, parade, meal, resort etc.we had fun reliving special moments with characters, etc. and the BEST part of the ride home was the planning of the next trip back

kathe

 

[Nagle]

It sure is tough to leave, but DW and I are similar in that we feel when it's time to go, it's time to go. We drive home as hard as we did to get there. I start looking forward to seeing our dog, seeping in my own bed, etc.

 

[hockey mom]

We plan our next trip. Also this year we are doing typhoon lagoon before we head home so that should wipe all 4 kids out. The drive home never, to us anyway, seems as long because you are not as anxious to get there.

 

[TimNDansMom]

It is a long drive, Sandra, but it doesn't really seem that bad as my mind is filled with all that we have done on our vacation and we talk about those and the "must does" for next trip. I usually have a ton of brochures to read and look through, that I picked up on the way down at the Florida Welcome Centre and while in Orlando. We also split up the drive with an overnight in Knoxville.

 

[maryliz]

I'm always very sad on the morning we leave WDW ... until we get on the turnpike heading North. At that point, dh and I have both come to terms that we must return home and start looking forward to being back in our own house. We always stay at the same hotel coming home, so we actually look forward to it. And once we cross the border at Windsor, it's like we both breathe a sigh of relief to be back on Canadian soil -- that last 2 hours is sometimes the longest of the trip because we know we are so close to home !!! Of course a good Timmy's certainly helps in that last 2 hours

Mary Liz

 

[cdnmickeylover]

Had to laugh about the remark about Timmy's b/c for my DBF that's part of the drive home. On the I75 there are 2 Tim's in Ohio so it becomes a game to guess at what time we will get there. Oh course crossing in Windsor is also good b/c then he gets a real Tim's. It helps to pass the time on the trip home. We also go over the trip and discuss what we want to do the next time.

Cdnmickeylover

 

[pkitty]

Hey Sandra!!!!
I'am mentally gearing up for the drive as we speak (due in the world on Feb24th 2003 Yippee!!!!!) and yup it's true the drive back is only made bearable by the 22 hours of endless WDW discussion....and planning...and figuring out the financial implications of our next vacation!!!!!And yes absolutely Tims makes it all worth while...my husband is a copper (OPP) and it's his reason for getting up in the morning!!!! I remeber our first drive down...missing the last exit for Tim's in Ohio and him lamenting the fact until about Lexington!!!! Oh fun times!!! And yes I vowed after my first drive (all the way from Northern Ont...New Liskeard actually)that I would never drive it again....we've flow ever since....But we live near Barrie now and flights are expensive so if it means the difference between going and not going I'll keep driving...and coping!!!!!

 

[Micheme]

Books on Tape!!!!


We drove the long drive last may and i swear the thing that made it bearable was listening to books on tape or Cd. It is wonderful. The time goes so quickly and you are done a 6 hour tape before you know it. YOu can pick these up at the library.
Also i heard that cracker barrel loans these and you can drop them off at your next cracker barrel stop.

Try it

 

[cdnmickeylover]

So true that the time flys by when you listen to them.

Cracker Barrel does loan out the tapes -- you buy the first one and then when you return it you get all your money back except for the rental charge which I think is $3/week. We did this all the way down and all the way back both in April and in September. It's a great way to pass the time. You don't have to eat at the Cracker Barrel to rent the books either. We like to eat there but we've also just used it as a rest stop as well.

Cdnmickeylover

 

[SandraC]

You guys are awesome! dd (9) has been to WDW three times. Every single time we leave, she cries. Actually, the night before we leave is so hard on all of us. April 2002 trip was so sad. The night before we left, we eat at Crystal Palace. dd cried the whole time. The morning we left, dh took her swimming one last time at CSR. She and I walked around the resort video taping the place and talking about the great trip.

I am a little worried about dh and the drive. He pretty much insists on driving the whole way there and back himself. He trusts my driving, it's just he is a nervous passenger. Do you all only have one driver doing the whole trip?

I never thought about Tim Hortons! Definately something to look forward to. I think I would look forward to sleeping in my own bed too!

I think we would take 3 - 4 days to come home and make it mini-vacation sight seeing.

I am so sad Maurice Gibb died. S

 

[minnie56]

While the drive down is filled with anticipation and the drive home is somewhat sad...it's not so bad really. We did it in 20 hours and came I95...through the mountains. Not so boring...and despite the threat of bad weather only encountered some fog in West Virginia.

But....I am not convinced it is so much cheaper to drive anymore. Fuel is more costly as are hotels along the way, as well as food for 4 people for 2 days.

To pass the time I sleep when not driving (a lot!) and we have a T.V...so my daughters and I tape movies and watch them along the way....along with an assortment of C.D's etc...It can be fun...

 

[Debbie]

Sandra, in that case be absolutely sure to get the Along I-75 book by Dave Hunter. You can go slow and shop and visit the Lost Sea and shop and see the first KFC and shop and see the Cumberland Falls and shop and get an ice cream from the World's Best Ice Cream dairy and shop and see Ruby Falls and shop and check out the cotton fields and....did I mention shop? It is a wonderful trip when you take it easy and do lots of the side trips, too.

 

[maryliz]

For those of you who have visited the two Timmy's in Ohio, do you happen to know the exits they are at? And is it worth the stop, or will we just be terribly disappointed? Ohio is about the point that dh becomes "awake" on our drive down and the prospect of a Tim's just might help him get through the rest of that long first day. Hey, is this information perhaps in the Dave Hunters book people keep talking about? Debbie -- don't forget to pull yours out so I can borrow it for our upcoming trip.

Mary Liz

 

[DisFan2]

We usually drive down in the fall (October). Compounding the dreaded drive home is the knowledge that the weather will only be getting colder (at least until May)! We've now decided that any future trips will take place in March (but not during the break) or April. At least we won't have to face the depression of the onset of winter too!

 

[CindyAnn]

Hi Sandra! I promised I would post about driving after our WDW/Cruise trip from December 27th - January 12th. We had fantastic driving weather on our two days down and two days back. The trip down is certainly a little easier, and Dave Hunter's book "Along I75" even shows you things like where to see the first palm tree in Georgia. The children had a TV, which did help to pass the time for them, and they also did some homework and reading in the car. We didn't stop for very long during the day - just gas, food, bathrooms, and a very quick stretch of the legs. The first day of each trip we pushed a little harder, driving from about 6:45 to 10:45 on the way down, so that we could have an easier second day, arriving at WDW around 6:00 p.m. We used the same approach on the way back, too.

Dave Hunter suggested the Jameson Inn chain of hotels, and we stayed overnight at 2 different ones. With tax the room was about $65 per night for the four of us, and they have a basic continental breakfast to speed you on your way in the morning.

Normally it's cheaper for us to fly, since DH is self employed and has to take the extra time off. However, since this was a 2 week vacation and the drive could mostly be done on the weekends, we decided to give it a try. Driving on the weekends also means that you avoid most of the bottlenecks on the I75 around Cincinnati, Atlanta, etc.

Cheers,

 

[DSNY FN]

We pass teh time with talking about all the great things we saw and did and the talk of our initial plannng for the next trip down it really helps make the best of what is usually a bad situation.

 

[abbyndrewmom]

Two words OUTLET MALLS we almost always stop once or twice along the way home. I like the one in Vidallia, Ga and there is one in Kentucky that we also stop at.


Allison

 

[melindaandrob]

Oh my gosh I need help. We just returned yesterday and in order to go back before annual passes expire dh and I were trying to figure out how we could cut costs for a second trip. Driving being one with the advantage of bringing groceries to help with food costs.
So, here I am checking the Dis boards for tips on driving to WDW. We have barely been back 24 hours