Leading a Vacation- Walt Disney World Strategy

Mark72

@Ben - I can be shirtless and walking in 70°F weather for 45 minutes and be drenched. Not necessarily stanky but drenched - chest, face, scalp, arms, everything. I don't even have to move sometimes and I get sweaty.

@Angeline - I have been doing both Down to 209 from 225
Need to visit Threads Thread more often as I will need a new wardrobe by July

Tennee

Help with Not Sweating at WDW:  https://marriedmansexlife.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/329363#Comment_329363

Gillette Clinical Strength.  Weird stuff.  Expensive stuff.   Works. 

MiddleMan

Just did some fine-tuning on our dining reservations. We now have a reservation that hopefully puts us in prime viewing position for the EPCOT fireworks on our last night there. 

Trip starts in 11 days!

EDIT: Goddamn autocorrect put an extra "ip" in there.

Mark72

MiddleMan said:

Just did some fine-tuning on our dining reservations. We now have a reservation that hopefully puts us in prime viewing position for the EPCOT fireworks on our last night there. 

Trip ip starts in 11 days!

6 here, homey. See you there

magenta

4 days to the OG! Ba bam!

Mark72

magenta said:

4 days to the OG! Ba bam!

You're going to WDW too?

Mark72

I thought I remembered that @Chief_TC was taking his family too... did I remember correctly?

magenta

Mark72 said:

magenta said:

4 days to the OG! Ba bam!

You're going to WDW too?

Nope...going to the OG (original), as in West coast!

Angeline

Rico said:

Angeline said:

I have recommendations for stopping in Atlanta/Macon stretch.

I'd be interested as well... we're heading down to Tampa in a month on I75, probably stopping in Atlanta on the way home.

Sorry for the delay in responding. Crazy week at work with people trying to cram projects through before the holiday.

CptCartographer said:

I'll let Angeline handle hotel recommendations but if you want to stop near Atlanta to eat with kids I recommend Truett's off exit 221.  It's a 50's style diner with an upgraded Chick-fil-A menu and impeccable service.  Younger kids get a big kick out of the decor and the model train that runs around the room.  Since Truett's are only in the Atlanta area it will be a fun way to eat somewhere that you can't when you are home.

Second Truett's. Truett Cathy was the founder of Chick-Fil-A, so the food is tasty, if not super healthy. Not a great place to stop for the night though, because it's less than 10 miles from one of the busiest airports in the world.

Rush hour will add an hour to your trip, if you're lucky. If you get caught behind a wreck, or like a couple weeks ago, a plane crashing into the highway, you could be stuck for hours.

• Morning rush hour begins at about 5:30am, and is solid until about 9am. Everything headed towards downtown will be clogged.
• Evening rush hour in Atlanta begins at about 3pm, and is solid until 7pm. Everything headed away from downtown will be clogged. People commute here from other states, so don't take the traffic lightly.

Atlanta has a bypass around it and a big X through the center, and it pays to review the maps a bit before you're trying to decipher traffic reports on the fly. The best local radio for traffic reporting is AM 750. The XM traffic report for Atlanta is useless. There are also apps for the Ga DOT traffic program:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.meridian.metgdot&hl=en
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/511-georgia-atlanta-traffic/id584675609?mt=8

Good places to stop for the night:
Links should show hotels with prices, so you can get a snapshot of each area.

I-85 Heading into Atlanta

Exit 149 Commerce, GA, Outlet Malls exit - tons of hotels but you might want to avoid if you have a shopaholic on board.
https://goo.gl/maps/i2J6K

Exit 126 Chateau Elan Winery and Spa
Pricey, but nice if you're in the mood for a side trip
http://www.chateauelan.com/

Exit 115 Mall of Georgia
literally hundreds of restaurants and hotels
https://goo.gl/maps/0W9kv

Exit 111 Suwanee
Not quite as nice as Mall of Ga area but less expensive
https://goo.gl/maps/PCUxa

That's about the limit for plenty of hotel and food options and safe area.

I-75 heading into Atlanta

If you can only make it as far as Chattanooga, stop on the south side near Georgia, it should be cheaper, quieter and safer.
Exit 1 South Chattanooga
https://goo.gl/maps/GDWYC

Exit 290 Cartersville
https://goo.gl/maps/rXIe8

Exit 277 Acworth
https://goo.gl/maps/KFBcT

Exit 271 or 269 Kennesaw State U
https://goo.gl/maps/KFBcT

Exit 260 Windy Hill Rd (home of the Big Chicken KFC)
https://goo.gl/maps/muutM

That's about the limit for plenty of hotel and food options and safe area.

I-75 Towards Macon - BE SURE to take the bypass, I-475. Unlike many bypasses, it's actually shorter.
Exit 1 - Middle Ga State College - tons of hotels. Make a quick check but the college should be all quiet for summer
https://goo.gl/maps/LJDpE

Exit 136 Perry, GA
State fairgrounds nearby so there's tons of hotels
https://goo.gl/maps/v594N

JellyBean

The app Waze is good for finding routes on the fly. 

Re: sweating -- you can use spray antiperspirant/deodorant on your whole body, not just your underarms.  It's isn't the healthiest thing to do on a routine basis, but if you want to keep from sweating through your clothes while enjoying the central Florida humidity, it might help.

Mark72

JellyBean said:

The app Waze is good for finding routes on the fly. 

Re: sweating -- you can use spray antiperspirant/deodorant on your whole body, not just your underarms.  It's isn't the healthiest thing to do on a routine basis, but if you want to keep from sweating through your clothes while enjoying the central Florida humidity, it might help.

I use the Waze app for my morning and evening commutes. Real Time traffic updates and police...

Angeline

How many days, guys? 

Mark72

Thursday. I may make the executive decision to leave tomorrow night

Angeline

I sincerely hope you have a wonderful trip, and wish for you great reserves of grown up calm and patience, vast quantities of A&A and STFU. BE THE GROWNUP IN EVERY SITUATION.

MiddleMan

D minus one day for the Middleman Clan!

Mark72

We just got back Friday

MiddleMan

How did it go, @Mark72? I'm currently sitting at our gate at MCO, awaiting our flight home. 

Mark72

It was amazing. The kids had a blast. We did too. We didn't bond so much but it was all about the kids anyway.

Mark72

On a side note, I used the Waze app for the whole trip. On the way back, I thought I'd try avoiding the toll roads. Well, it took us up the East Coast. I avoided $15 in tolls and added about $30 in gas and a few hours to the trip. We got to see some new sights though, she had never been in either of the Carolinas and now has been... but the downside was I-40. We both now hate I-40. H.A.T.E.
Hate.
Not dislike. 
Hate.

Mark72

And @Angeline, we ended up staying in Lake City, FL since we left really early Thursday morning. On the way back we stayed in Orangeburg SC