Disney Tips for Parents: The Drive Down

I've got several previous posts from over the past few years about the trips I've taken to Orlando, FL. They are labeled "Orlando" or "Disney" if you want to back search for them. I've been itching to write a post specifically for parents taking toddlers to Orlando. A friend of mine will be traveling to Orlando soon with her family, and it reminded me that I never posted my tips here in this blog! Without the proper planning, insight, advice, etc..., this type of trip can sometimes vary from extremely frustrating to an all out nightmare. I've broken these tips into 3 parts, with one to be published each day over the next 3 days: Travel (the drive down), where to stay: the pros and cons to prepare for, and where to visit: which places are more family friendly. This post, as the title suggests, is on the subject of "the drive down". If you're driving to Orlando from metro-Atlanta, the total time on the road is approx. 6 hours, not counting lunch or other rest breaks, of course. My family of 4 has done this trip 3 times since the kids were 3 and 2 years old, and by now we have it down to a science.

Tip 1: Have a portable DVD player in the vehicle

If you haven't invested in one already, be sure to borrow one from someone if at all possible. Be sure to toss 3 - 5 of the kid(s) favorite movies somewhere in the vehicle. Suggestion: Don't fire up the first movie until you've been on the road for about 30 - 45 minutes or so; this may help stretch out the amount of time you get before you have to make your first stop. As an example, this is how my kids operate: by the time they appear restless (around 45 minutes) BAM! We just pop in their favorite movie, pass the popcorn and drinks back to them, and they are set for the next 90 minutes! By the time the movie ends, you will already have driven for more than 2 hours (over a third of the entire drive) with only one movie down! After the movie goes off, go ahead and stop for a potty/snack/stretch their legs break. By the time you get back in the vehicle and pop in the second movie, they will probably be asleep within 20 minutes, and sleep for about 1 1/2 hours at the very least. When they wake up it will probably be time for a lunch break anyway, and you will already be over 4 hours (2/3 of the total way) into your drive! Suggestion: have headphones to use with the DVD player; otherwise, your FM signal will most likely be compromised by kids movies the whole way down.



Tip 2: Be sure to load up the mp3 player with all of your favorites My hubby and I have done so many road trips over the 14 years we've been together (dating and marriage) that we've also got this down to a science as well. 6 hours is a very short trip to us, and unless my hubby is extremely exhausted, he does all of the driving. We usually spend the first 30 - 40 minutes talking and getting caught up with everything we haven't had a chance to talk about. After we're done with that, the hubby always turns the volume up on the iPod. This really helps the time go by SO fast. I always have my own iPod with all of my road-trip favorites as well...I actually have a "Road Trip" play list on my iPod at this point! I also rip my favorite DVD's onto my computer and upload them to my iPod ahead of time as well. That REALLY helps the time go by fast for the passenger! Suggestion: Also, don't forget your Sudoku/Crossword books, novels, magazines, whatever you love reading to pass the time, if that doesn't make you car sick.

Tip 3: Chart out where you plan to stop beforehand, if at all possible
You will probably only need to stop a maximum of 3 times during the entire trip, hopefully. And there's nothing worse to me than ending up waiting too long for a potty/food break and having no choice but to stop in Bohunk, South Georgia. (especially if you're black, you might want to be planning ahead to avoid this) Here are some suggestions: the cities of Tifton and Moultrie are within 2 to 2 1/2 hours away from Atlanta. Lots of fast food options here: the Moultrie exit even has a nice CiCi's Pizza that we always try to stop at. Valdosta is 3 hours away and is the halfway mark. And Lake City, FL is 4 hours away from metro Atlanta. We love the Steak and Shake in Lake City and there is a mall there also where I usually stop and get my mani/pedi (if I can't make time before leaving metro Atlanta) while Chris walks around with the kids for about 30 - 45 minutes or so. The mall is kind of ghetto in my opinion, but what started out as an accident 5 years ago has turned into a tradition. :-D



Tip 4: Take lots of $1 bills and quarters Once you leave Lake City, FL, you will only have about another hour and 15 minutes or so before you start hitting the infamous Florida Turnpike tollbooths. And depending on what part of Orlando you're staying in, you can hit up to as many as 6 of those things! I would suggest having about $15 in singles on hand just for the 2.5 billion tolls you will have to pass through.

Please come by tomorrow for the post on "Where to Visit" which will probably be my favorite to blog about!!! :-)