ADR's,long drives and park tickets

[stitchaholic]

so,I will be heading down on an unexpected trip to the world jan 2-9th, if the airfare doea not go down,i will be driving from montreal.
i would love any tips to keep from going out of my mind while driving over 20 hours with DS 8 and DD10.
can i get park tickets at the resort (WLV)?

planning on the following ADR's

kona
whispering canyon
le cellier
mama melrose(fantasmic)
cape may-breakfast
t-rex
crystal palace-breakfast

and am struggling to make a choice between teppan edo,ohana or garden grill for our last choice for TS.

I am totally excited that we will be able to see the osbourne lights,just in the nick of time.
also excited to be staying in a villa,WL looks great!

[VWL Mom]

You can get tickets at the resort. There is no front desk at VWL so it would be WL.

I tried to PM you some information on the villas yesterday but it says you do not accept PMs. I tried the email option, did you get it?

[stitchaholic]

yes,i did get it, thank you!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We've driven to Disney a couple of times from Toronto, about 22 hours with DD (now 11).

Our driving strategy is to leave super-early (usually between 5am and 6am) so DD is still tired and she might even sleep a bit on the way. Somehow, driving in the early morning just doesn't seem as bad as driving late into the evening.

She packs an activity bag for the trip. Usually it has her homework , a new book to read, paper, markers, some small puzzles or travel games, etc. We do have a portable DVD player that we take, but we have a family "rule" that she can't use it until we're 1/2 way through driving for the day. That way, it seems "new" and keeps her entertained towards that end of the drive, when we're all getting tired of being in the car. They are really cheap now, I'd buy one for each kid, if you don't have them already.

You might also want to look into the autotrain. It leaves from Washington, DC and travels overnight to Florida. We've found it to be a bit cheaper than regular airfare and we enjoy not driving ALL the way. Your car comes with you on the train, so you still have the advantage of having it with you in Florida, and being able to pack as much as you can cram into the car.

Oh! We love Garden Grill, it is a must-do dinner for us each trip

[stitchaholic]

I never heard of auto train,i will look into that, i tried checking amtrack,but i had a hard time with that,i have to find a location that actually goes to orlando...
the only thing that worries me about the drive,is that the weather is so unpredictable at that time of year.
thanks for all the great ideas!

[puppypolice]

We drive every year w/ my now DS7. Our drive is only about 11 hrs, but I have found that if we leave around his bed time, DS sleeps almost all of the way. Another plus that I have found from driving @ night is the lighter traffic.
As for your dining request, My family loves Ohana.

[Ms. Mode]

We'll be "on the road" together

My DD (19) and I love the road trip...but...this is our first time to try it in the winter months. Still, that has got my DH looking to leave two days early Dd always has her IPod and portable DVD player so we never get much out of her during the trip.

See you there

[Mickey'sGirl]

We usually drive down from just east of Toronto. It's a 21 hour trip using the I-95. In August we drove 14 hours to Columbia SC, then only had 7 hours to WDW from there the next day. Coming home, we tend to stop somewhere in Virginia, and then drive home the next day (usually arrive late afternoon). We have done the drive in the summer and in the winter, and we actually enjoy it.

The boys have portable DVD players and their handheld gaming systems. They bring books and we listen to music, and they have their own maps, so that they can follow the trip themselves and get a "visual" idea of where we are and where we are going to.

We make efficient stops, that is we do what we need to then we get on our way again. Typically we stop for lunch along the way, get a snack when we stop to use the facilities in the afternoon, then we get our dinner when we stop for the night. We always select a hotel with an indoor pool for our overnight on the road, so that the kids can go for a swim at night.... it's a bit of a reward for them for handling a long day in the car so well.

I love all of your last TS choices, but we would go with Teppan Edo, as our kids are sushi lovers. We always make at least one stop there during our holiday!