When?

[HouCuseChickie]

I feel like I'm on vacation as soon as I'm on the highway, driving home from work, and our office tower is no longer in sight. However, while I will sometimes repeat "I'm going to Disney World!!!!" to myself before actually arriving, the feeling that I'm going on vacay to WDW doesn't fully hit me until I've seen something that's inside that magic bubble.

Case in point, if we fly in I can easily pick out Spaceship Earth, Swan and Dolphin from the air...which makes it immediately much more real for me.

 

[Goofyernmost]

We are practically neighbors!!!! We will be traveling with an 8 year old....this will be our longest car trip to date. I am not sure how many stops we will have to make, but our plan is similar...bagged lunch for the road and only stopping for potty and gas. We do have some dear friends that moved from here to Palm Coast Fla last summer and we plan to leave here on early Saturday morning June 15th and drive to their house for dinner and a slept over and then head out to Disney early Sunday morning for our check in. Palm Coast is about an hour and a half from Disney from what they are telling me. I am as excited about that visit as I am Disney, well....almost

It shouldn't be a lot more then 8 hours to Palm Coast (give or take) so it sounds about right. Hope you have a good trip. When we first traveled from VT. to Disney in '83 both my girls were younger then your boy. They traveled really well. We just packed stuff to keep them occupied and they were just fine.

 

[GSP Guy]

We drive so for us it's sort of two things... the first moment is when we officially pull away from the house. The second moment is when we pull under the WDW gate and are officially on property. In between there are some landmarks for us that give us the same "it's real" feeling too!

My feelings exactly!

 

[George]

Funny thing about that. I started going to WDW in 1983. In those early years economics forced us to drive there from Vermont. That was 1500 miles there and 15000 miles back.

I don't know what route you took on the way back, but you REALLY didn't want to go back to work.

I feel like the vacation starts as soon as we pull out of the driveway to either drive down or head to the airport. No more work or work stress (especially now that I've started disabling ye olde work e-mail on the phone).

 

[Disvillain63]

I start getting excited for my Disney vacation as soon as I make the reservation...it begins to consume my every free thought...
Otherwise, as soon as I close the suitcase and DH heads towards the car with it...then crossing the Florida border...then joining I-4...finally, getting on property...

 

[mrdisman]

When do you feel like your Disney vacation has started? That magical moment!

when I book the trip...

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

on POTC. Sometimes that isn't even my first attraction though I usually try to head that way first so I can get that ol' Disney feeling.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

for me it would have to be when we check in at the resort because it means we are there.Two days of travelling doesn't do well for my nerves ... but for the DW it would have to be the moment we clear immigration @MCO . we both also get a little more happy when we spot the Hooters on I-4 (never been but it always makes us laugh )

 

[ExtinctJenn]

when I book the trip...

I wish this was true for me... when I book the trip I'm a) so far from the trip actually beginning and/or b) have so much to do until it does that I so can't consider my vacation started! LOL

 

[popcenturylover]

Today?!?!

No, I wish! What I meant was that the last day of work the week of vacation. The minute I clock out I am sooooooo excited & already in my own little place of happiness! Then the "MAGIC" has begun!

 

[DebDeb]

When the suitcases and all 6 of us are packed into the suburban! Then the crying starts when we pass the first gate, and then we cry again when we walk into the GF, and then I cry again on the monorail, and then cry again when we round the corner and see the castle! We call it our "WE"RE HERE!!!" moments!! Gosh we sound like a bunch of cry babies! They are all happy tears of course! They become sad tears when we have to say goodbye and do all these things in reverse though! BTW the only time my hubby is crying is when he sees the cc bill!

 

[mrdisman]

I wish this was true for me... when I book the trip I'm a) so far from the trip actually beginning and/or b) have so much to do until it does that I so can't consider my vacation started! LOL

that's when I start dreaming about the trip...looking things up, watching videos, etc. Keeping busy is good because then it arrives before you know it.

 

[graphite1326]

Totally agree with you there hatter, god forbid if i ever forgot anything as im like a nervous wreck untill ive made sure i have everything i need. But then my other half will always pop up and say "as long as you've got the passports, travel tickets and money, anything we've forgotten we can always buy" clearly doesn't share my panic at times . For me its the week before, the packing, the excitement of saying "just think this time next week we will be at Disney"

LOL. My wife gets a little mad at me because I am constantly checking to see if I have the airline boarding passes, bus paperwork for Magicla Express and the resort paperwork. I keep it all in my carry-on in the side pocket. I will check it probably a dozen times. I relax when we are on the ME.

 

[DVC4bestvacations]

When I'm on the way to the airport. I do consider the planning and anticipation of the vacation part of the fun

 

[Alexis]

Well, I start getting excited when my parents start talking about it. Then when they book it, EVEN MORE EXCITED. Then when I'm in the car on the way up, VERY EXCITED! When we arrive at our first Disney destination, either the hotel or Magic Kingdom...ECSTATIC!!!!