In 1973 we went off to Disneyworld, our vacation to Orlando. We took our three boys and my mother. These were in the days before we had air conditioned cars, so it was a bit warm for a drive. However, off we went.
This was the gas crisis! Gas had jumped from $0.29 per gallon to $0.69 per gallon and we were in shock! There were gas lines everywhere. We went to odd and even day rationing to make the lines shorter. It was a real crisis and people had stopped traveling! No one who didn’t have to be there was on the road.
We were almost adventurers!
The little bits I remember were not unusual, great fun with lots of kids and the lines waiting for the rides were pretty good as there were less people to go.
The part that stands out for me was the cost, not the Disney costs which were whatever they were, and not the food because it was normal, but it was lodging that has imprinted in my memory.
We left from Baltimore, and I believe we were only out one night, but that could be wrong. My kids were too young to remember any details except my oldest son remembers well the signs for that store, “South of the Border”. They hearken back to the old “Burma Shave” days.
The motels coming and going were in the neighborhood of $5 for the single (my mother) and $6 for the family. We had no reservations, no discount coupons; we were just one of the few traveling families on the road.
In Orlando, we followed signs for bargains and found the Orlando Howard Johnsons, with a pool. It was $11 for the family and $8 for my mother who had several of our boys sleeping in her room. Each room had two king size beds.
Alsa, there was no free breakfast, however.
This was the gas crisis! Gas had jumped from $0.29 per gallon to $0.69 per gallon and we were in shock! There were gas lines everywhere. We went to odd and even day rationing to make the lines shorter. It was a real crisis and people had stopped traveling! No one who didn’t have to be there was on the road.
We were almost adventurers!
The little bits I remember were not unusual, great fun with lots of kids and the lines waiting for the rides were pretty good as there were less people to go.
The part that stands out for me was the cost, not the Disney costs which were whatever they were, and not the food because it was normal, but it was lodging that has imprinted in my memory.
We left from Baltimore, and I believe we were only out one night, but that could be wrong. My kids were too young to remember any details except my oldest son remembers well the signs for that store, “South of the Border”. They hearken back to the old “Burma Shave” days.
The motels coming and going were in the neighborhood of $5 for the single (my mother) and $6 for the family. We had no reservations, no discount coupons; we were just one of the few traveling families on the road.
In Orlando, we followed signs for bargains and found the Orlando Howard Johnsons, with a pool. It was $11 for the family and $8 for my mother who had several of our boys sleeping in her room. Each room had two king size beds.
Alsa, there was no free breakfast, however.
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