Driving to Disney world from Houston, need some suggestions

Drive to Vegas and be like "This does't look like Disney World"

 

there was a similar thread last year. try searching it you might find some useful info there.

 

I remember doing that when I was little. That was the last family roadtrip we ever took. It was planes from then on.

 

I missed that sort of 'important' part of your post, emjohn, sir. I apologize. But still, man... people need their sleep!

I'll add to what other peeps said about FastPass with saying that the amount of passes is limited for each ride. For example, for the Toy Story ride in Hollywood Studios (used to be MGM), we didn't find any more passes available and this was at around 10:30 in the morning. We had to wait 2 hours in line, which extended all the way to the stores outside. I stood in line while my wife and girls went and bought stuff to cool themselves. Find out which ones are the most popular rides in each park, see if you can get FastPass for those before any other. I believe in Magic Kingdom the most popular is Space Mountain (for which there is a HUGE LINE all the time).

 

Absolutely dreading Disney...I hate big crowds...and being a teacher I can't exactly take off a week during the school year.

 

Before you leave town, buy a portable DVD player for the kiddos, make sure it has lighter/adapter to plug in the car... let them watch movies until they fall asleep... return it when you get back into town :grin:. Pay for only the restocking/rental fee!

I must admit I sort of felt bad doing this one time, so we bought the same model on the second trip.

 

We did that back in '90 with the family Ram Van, in between we basically just parked at rest stops. Stayed at a Thousand Trails in Orlando (Dad had just gotten the membership earlier that year). Something about being rained out from Wet N' Wild, eating Spaghetti-O's in a single-wide and watching The Outsiders T.V. series on a 6-inch black and white that just detracted from the experience.

 

This..sort-of. You can buy a double-screened DVD player system from Walmart for about $50. They have velcro straps so you can strap them to the back of your car seats for the kids to watch. We use them for our kids and they work great. I don't recommend taking them back afterwards..that is tantamount to stealing. (not judging you Swoly..just my opinion for the OP)

 

I've never done it from Houston, but my area is about the same distance from WDW, and we've driven everytime.

Generally my parents leave really early in the morning Saturday (3 or 4 am) and drive to St. Augustine (which is about 2 hrs away from Orlando, and right on I95) then we sleep in a hotel, and reach Disney by noonish.

Your kids are younger, and I don't know how they are in the car, but when we did it the first time, I was 7 and my sister was 4- it worked out pretty well.

Given that you're coming from Houston, I suggest you stop in Tallahasse (although I've never been there, so don't blame me if it's a slum).

 

I've made a road trip to Orlando for Universal Studios in the 90's. We briefly stopped at Alabama and stayed the night at New Orleans.

Have fun in your trip!

 

Looking at the spots around the Destin/Pensacola area...has anyone ever stayed near Navarre Beach?

 

My dad lives in Pensacola, so I've been around there a few times. Check out Seaside - its a great little town with nice beaches and its very family-friendly. Its not over-booked like destin, but its close enough to Destin / Ft. Walton Beach / etc to be around a lot of different stores, restaurants, etc. Its also the town where The Truman Show was shot.

Of course, Pensacola beach is nice as well..its still touristy..but not near as much as Destin.

 

The Fast Pass isn't for sale. You simply go to the machine and collect a ticket and it tells you when to come back. The wait time varies from ride to ride. You will see the return time before you collect your tickets, so just try to plan your time accordingly. We went on December 26 which was still very busy, and we found Fast Pass return time at Space Mountain was like 2 1/2 hours and Peter Pan was 4+ hours. Your mileage may vary. But it is always much, much better to get a Fast Pass if you can than to wait in the standby line.

 

Will 3 year old have a good time at Disney or should I wait until she is five for her to have a better experience?

 

I don't think your daughter will remember anything from that experience at her age. Why not wait till she hits elementary?

 

Thank for the advise.

 

on the other hand she might have her trip to Disney as one of her earliest memories so I say go for it.

 

I disagree completely. We just got back from WDW and have a little one who is not yet 3. He had a blast, and nearly 2 months after returning home, he's still talking about the trip.

 

I make this trip quite often and am happy to help. Feel free to email me off the board if you want.