Where and how: Before and after WDW

[Did Knee]

I drive down from Georgia each year for my week at WDW. Since I always get the Vacation package at a resort, I figure I want to maximize my time in the world. I get a motel on 192 for the night before and the night after, and head over to the resort in the early morning. Similarly, I spend my last day in a Park till I'm exhausted, and then go check into a Motel on 192 and drive back north the next day. My motel choice is based on few factors: Cheap, clean, has swimming pool and easy access to World Drive. My question is, do others here do this? If so, where do you stay? And how early in the AM can I pull up to a resort and check in (get my key to the world)? The earliest I've done it so far was just before 9 at the WL, and we got put in a room right away. Could I go earlier than that?

 

[KYfriedPanda]

We always used to get there in the late afternoon on the first day and do Downtown Disney things so we can avoid early check-in. With the Magic Your Way packages these days though, we might just spend an extra few bucks and head to the parks on the first day too. But I'm still a big fan of the traditional late night first day at PI, toasting the vacation and getting it started right

 

[meatloafsfan]

What I did last feb is booked an offsite hotel for the night we arrived (comfort suites Maingate east I think) and then after our package was done I booked a one night room only at the disney hotel we were staying at (POFQ).

This year I am thinking I will book a Value resort (Pop) for the first night since it's almost the same as booking a half decent motel outside of disney.

 

[bluejasmine]

Well this will be my first time doing that. I drive from SC and before we get up early and drive from SC and then just do DTD when we arrive but then the last trip I wanted the whole day at a park so we left in the middle of the night and registered at the resort and hit the aprk about an hour after opening. This trip I am driving by myself so I reserved a room in Jacksonville for the night before and I wil get up at first light the next day and head for WDW but I will just drive non stop (rest breaks of course) back to SC...

 

[Gucci65]

I've gotten to WDW as early as 7am. We check into the hotel (which includes getting our room keys), leave our bags and head for the parks. When we come back at night, there is a # we call and it tells us what our room # is. When we get to our room, our luggage is waiting on us.

Unless you just need to go directly to your room, then this will work for you.

 

[WTBAD]

A couple of times we stopped in Wildwood. The turnpike starts right there & it's about a hour from WDW. Now we drive straight through from the Miss. Gulf Coast. Takes about 9 & 1/2 hours. We Get there around 5:30 local time. Check in and relax or go to DTD or swim. With the AP rates this is just as cheap or cheaper than staying off property. This way we can be at the parks at opening time rested & ready to go.

 

[Jekyll Baker]

Hi Did Knee, what part of GA? Brunswick here. I too will be at WL in September, but from the 11-16. I drive down 2-3 (or more) times a year, but I have an AP so I usually don't worry about "maximizing" my time. My usual trips entail leaving after work on a Sunday and arriving 8-9pm at an on property resort (depending on length of trip and finances I prefer Pop, POFQ, or WL). Then on my last day, I'll hit a park - usually MK - in the morning, then spend a few hours shopping in DTD, and then finally leave for home mid-late afternoon, arriving home 8-9pm. (Then back to work the next day ). And BTW, it's only a 3-3.5 hour drive, depending on I4 traffic (I95 not usually bad) - so it's just convenient enough for a quick day trip once in a while.

 

[hcswingfield]

Hi Did Knee, what part of GA? Brunswick here. I too will be at WL in September, but from the 11-16. I drive down 2-3 (or more) times a year, but I have an AP so I usually don't worry about "maximizing" my time. My usual trips entail leaving after work on a Sunday and arriving 8-9pm at an on property resort (depending on length of trip and finances I prefer Pop, POFQ, or WL). Then on my last day, I'll hit a park - usually MK - in the morning, then spend a few hours shopping in DTD, and then finally leave for home mid-late afternoon, arriving home 8-9pm. (Then back to work the next day ). And BTW, it's only a 3-3.5 hour drive, depending on I4 traffic (I95 not usually bad) - so it's just convenient enough for a quick day trip once in a while.

That settles it! I'm moving back to Glynn County (Years ago I lived on St. Simons and did news for the now-gone radio station on the causeway)

 

[Nut4Disney]

One time about 10 yrs ago when I used to drive down straight through and I was a poor college student, I had a room booked on at a motel on 192, but they screwed up my reservation when I arrived at 6:00 am. So, anyway with no sleep for the last 24 hrs and no room until later that day, I went into the McDonalds and shaved and washed up in the restroom and headed over to MK for the day.

 

[Jekyll Baker]

That settles it! I'm moving back to Glynn County (Years ago I lived on St. Simons and did news for the now-gone radio station on the causeway)

Come on over, we need more Disney nuts over here :lol:

And I know where you're talking about. I just don't drive that way very often so I don't even know if the building is there anymore since they built a convenience store on that corner across from the welcome center a couple years ago.

 

[hcswingfield]

Come on over, we need more Disney nuts over here :lol:
QUOTE]

It would be like coming home. I grew up in Macon, and spent all my summers on St. Simons. When I moved there after college, I worked at the radio station and on the weekends I sang in the little lounge at the King and Prince. The moon would rise over the ocean in the windows behind me while I played the guitar. I was back there about 6 years ago for a family reunion. Only the shell of the radio station building remained. The island has gotten really over-developed now, like a suburb of Columbus, Macon, or Atlanta. I miss the old days when it was quieter.

BTW--I may come back just for the ganache! I saw your recipe on the other thread!

 

[Jekyll Baker]

It would be like coming home. I grew up in Macon, and spent all my summers on St. Simons. When I moved there after college, I worked at the radio station and on the weekends I sang in the little lounge at the King and Prince. The moon would rise over the ocean in the windows behind me while I played the guitar. I was back there about 6 years ago for a family reunion. Only the shell of the radio station building remained. The island has gotten really over-developed now, like a suburb of Columbus, Macon, or Atlanta. I miss the old days when it was quieter.

BTW--I may come back just for the ganache! I saw your recipe on the other thread!

I grew up in Baxley, about a third the way from Brunswick to Macon. I used to drive through Macon going to Atlanta when I attended Ga Tech.
I agree about SSI - I hate driving around that island when I have to.
Anyway, if you come back, I work at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel - we'll see what we can do for ya

 

[KnK]

We always book a day in front and and day in back at one of the Disney Value resorts. We want our full days of fun. We used to stay off property but found it only about $10 per night more to stay at a Value resort.

We also are WL folks, and we usually check in about 7:30 or 8:00 am. We will be there in September doing the same thing again!

 

[Did Knee]

Thanks for all your replies. It had never occured to me to stay at a value resort for a night before and after. I could see that as a distinct possibility. Jekyll Baker, I'm up near Athens (Go Dawgs!), but used to live in the sticks between Macon and Columbus. My drive from here to WDW is about 8 hours. For those of you that talked about driving all night then hitting the paks with no sleep , All I can say is......you are much stronger folks than I!!

 

[Gucci65]

It's an 8 hour drive for us as well.

That's why we fly instead.