Arielfan98
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2017
Following! You and your husband are adorable!
Good for you! I just finished your last trip report and I’m excited to read this one!Non-Disney folks just don't understand why we wanted to go back to Disney again after just getting home. Why are you going back so soon? Isn't it crazy expensive? There are so many other places to go. I cannot explain it if you just don't already get it. So when I was asked about 20 times "you're going back to Disney again?" the answer was a loud and proud "YES".
Tuesday July 3 - Travel day
I hate to fly. I can say that since I have flown before and I do not like it and will likely never change my mind. Too many restrictions. Too tiny of seats. Way too tiny bathrooms. And I have a real fear of heights, so it is just not a good thing for me to fly. So we drive. We have a fabulous 2010 Chrystler Town and Country mini-van that is comfortable and always at the ready to hit the road. And while driving from Kentucky to Florida is a relatively easy drive (get on I-75 south and just keep trucking) there is the mind numbing area that is known as Atlanta.
Cue dramatic music . . .
When we drove down last time, we did not time it well and we were stuck in traffic for about two hours. It was horrible and my honorary title of the mayor of grumpy town was shining brightly. So I had a fantastic plan. We will leave the house at the butt-crack of dawn and be able to time it so that we get to Atlanta around 11:00 AM and the traffic won't be too bad. Since Tony does none of the driving, he was completely on board with this plan. So on Monday night, Tony loaded up the big suitcase and the extra drinks leaving only our small suitcase (with toiletries and medicine) and the cooler to go in the van the next morning. We both got showered, layed out our clothes for the next morning, loaded up on Melatonin and went to bed early.
I couldn't sleep. Even with the medication assistance, the "we're leaving for Disney in the morning" excitement was bubbling up inside me. It was closer to midnight before I finally fell asleep and the alarm was set for 3:00 AM. Shockingly, I was pretty awake when the alarm went off and we went about getting ready and packing up the last items in the van. After a quick check of the thermostat and ensuring the house was secure, we were out the door. But not quite to the interstate just yet. The first stop was to Speedway for caffeine and ice for the cooler. And then we were on the road. What time do you ask?
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4:10 AM and we were on the road. Not too bad if you ask me! We also had my angel dream catcher. Mom likes to ride along with us.
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Not much prettiness happening at that hour of the morning. Tony thinks he needs his shades before the sun comes up.
So with Pandora playing and podcasts at the ready, we went down the road. Since there was little traffic, getting thru Kentucky and onto Tennessee was fairly painless. We watched the sun come up over the Knoxville area and just before the Tennessee/Georgia border, we decided to stop for a quick breakfast and to fill up the van. We both had a craving for pancakes, so we stopped at Denny's for a grand slam of yumminess/carb overload. We're on vacation, so calories do not count!!! As we got closer to Atlanta, it was around 11:00, so the plan I had put in my head was working. Would we hit traffic? Was I going to have road rage?
The answer was no - to both questions.
Shockingly, our timing was about as close to perfect as it possibly could be. There were some slow down and delayed areas, but overall, it was not bad. We really only lost about 30 minutes.
Our final destination for the evening was the Candlewood Inn and Suites in Valdosta, Georgia. This is a very new hotel. So much so that there is not one single sign pointing you in the direction of the property. I pulled up my confirmation e-mail and it routed me to the hotel. We got there at around 3:30 PM, which was what I had expected. Go me! The hotel was about 1 1/2 miles off of the interstate.
Sorry, I took no pictures. I was so tired at this point that all I wanted to do was stretch out in the bed and take a nap. After checking in Tony unloaded the van and we got into the room. It was a king-sized room with a nice sized work area and a full kitchen and huge bathroom. But here is my issue, which was a small theme for the trip. While I appreciate the large pillow top bed, my legs are not very long. And the bed was pretty high. Without some assistance from Tony, it was close to impossible to get up in the bed. But with some pulling and tugging I got in the bed and took a little nap. I didn't want to sleep too much or I would have never slept that night. We had an early dinner at Olive Garden and a blissful sleep in the super-high bed. It really was comfortable despite the height.
Up next - Happy Birthday America - let's go to Disney!
Loving your trip report. I rented an ECV last year we stayed in Port Oreans and had the same issue with less room in the room when you park the ECV.
Staying at Sports in Sept. so I can save money and do Deluxe Dining Plan. I am pretty excited about staying here. We usually stay moderate or Deluxe when we take our week long trips (cause we live in FL and do not need to pay to fly or drive) We do stay value for our overnight trips but not sure we will any more since they charge for parking.
I really feel like I am more in The Disney Bubble when I stay value because of the theming and cause I am nuts that way.
Loving your trip report.
Congrats on your accomplishment!
Yeah, I get the emails too, not the texts. I also get my Annual Passholder emails sent to my work email, which has never been associated with an AP! Gotta love Disney IT!
Good to know that the ECV was not a problem and it was taken care of fast.
Love that you said " then I'm Tony's worst nightmare. "
That is a very long trip but lovely to be able to do it in your own time and not be tied down.
I am with you on the WDW sign. I am never convinced I am going to get to Disney until we pass under there.
I always reckon I could pull my case to my resort from there if necessary
Looking forward to the rest
Following! I read your last TR and back for this one!
Glad to have found this new TR! I enjoyed your last one .
Following! You and your husband are adorable!
Nice that the company was quick about the ECV!! We stayed at All Star Sports for a quick trip and enjoyed it!!
Following along. I just binge read your last report. Can't wait to read more!
Good for you! I just finished your last trip report and I’m excited to read this one!
I just love those pictures at Disney Springs! You guys are adorable!! Where do you get these done?
The rose gold ears look good on you! But I guess I like the traditional ears best!
Love all the pictures. You have such a fun personality. This is gonna be fun!
Those are great 4th of July photos!
Following! I read your last report and came over from there. Really enjoying reading about your adventures! I really hope you saw fireworks on the fourth somewhere. Guess we’ll know soon.
Following along. I love your reviews.
Sounds like a fun trip so far. I always love the Christmas store in both Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs. I actually have enough ornaments to fill one whole tree as just Disney. Yes, I have a problem.
I love those backdrops for your 4th of July pictures! Very cute!
Following along! Super excited to hear more about your trip!