Detroit to Disney...

[Madame]

Hi all! I posted this originally on the 2000+ miles thread, but figured it would get more traffic on its own thread...

We are planning our 2nd trip to the world for March 14-21. We live about 30 mins from the Detroit border & will be crossing there.

This will be our first time driving (my Dad was a long-haul truck driver with a Toronto-Miami route, so I've made the trip several times, but I'm thinking a semi with a bunk & 2 adults & 3 kids in a minivan will be a bit different lol!!)

We'll cross the border about 3pm on Fri the 13th - would love to leave earlier, but I'm a teacher so no can do. My DH is taking Friday off and will sleep all day so we can drive straight through. We figure with stops every 2-3 hours we'll make it around 6-7pm Saturday the 14th. We'll start home Sat the 21st early am & will take 2 days.

Any recommended stops for meals - we are planning to eat in the van, but will stop to eat supper Fri PM & brunch Sat.

Tolls - I think there are toll roads, but am not sure...

Hotel for the way back - do we need to book for Sat night or should we be able to find something en route? A room for 5 sometimes complicates things.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We're hoping driving works for us - airfare for 5 is crazy expensive!!

 

[wendinator]

This totally doesn't answer any of your questions, but having done the Toronto to Disney drive twice this year (different routes), if you have an iPhone, check out the app called iExit. It doesn't require a data connection while you're in the States, but uses the phone's GPS and the app's stored database to tell you what's available at each exit along the way. You can set up favourite searches – in my case the one button searches for upcoming Wendy's, Dairy Queen and Starbucks. I found it very handy.

Safe travels and enjoy your trip!

 

[Madame]

This totally doesn't answer any of your questions, but having done the Toronto to Disney drive twice this year (different routes), if you have an iPhone, check out the app called iExit. It doesn't require a data connection while you're in the States, but uses the phone's GPS and the app's stored database to tell you what's available at each exit along the way. You can set up favourite searches – in my case the one button searches for upcoming Wendy's, Dairy Queen and Starbucks. I found it very handy. Safe travels and enjoy your trip!

Awesome!! I'll definitely download it

 

[Redarrow5150]

Have you checked into getting a rental vehicle on the way down there and flying back?

Hi all! I posted this originally on the 2000+ miles thread, but figured it would get more traffic on its own thread...

We are planning our 2nd trip to the world for March 14-21. We live about 30 mins from the Detroit border & will be crossing there.

This will be our first time driving (my Dad was a long-haul truck driver with a Toronto-Miami route, so I've made the trip several times, but I'm thinking a semi with a bunk & 2 adults & 3 kids in a minivan will be a bit different lol!!)

We'll cross the border about 3pm on Fri the 13th - would love to leave earlier, but I'm a teacher so no can do. My DH is taking Friday off and will sleep all day so we can drive straight through. We figure with stops every 2-3 hours we'll make it around 6-7pm Saturday the 14th. We'll start home Sat the 21st early am & will take 2 days.

Any recommended stops for meals - we are planning to eat in the van, but will stop to eat supper Fri PM & brunch Sat.

Tolls - I think there are toll roads, but am not sure...

Hotel for the way back - do we need to book for Sat night or should we be able to find something en route? A room for 5 sometimes complicates things.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We're hoping driving works for us - airfare for 5 is crazy expensive!!

 

[Madame]

Have you checked into getting a rental vehicle on the way down there and flying back?

It's actually the flight back that's the expensive leg unfortunately.

The only reasonable flight I found was out of Cincinnati - but it would take over 6 hours to get there & when I add in an overnight hotel & parking it's still $2000. I figure if we pack a bunch of snacks & with gas it shouldn't be more than $700 out of pocket.

Most of my childhood vacations were spent on the road (I've been to Florida over 15 times & just made it to Disney for the first time this year!) - for me driving long distance is a right of passage rotfl!!

We are pretty set on driving both ways. I'm taking my students to Québec city in Jan. leaving 5am Wed back 10pm Sun - 13 hours each way on a bus with 50 teenagers every year, so I'm hoping this will be a cake-walk lol!!

 

[mapleleaf4ever]

We did this drive this past spring. I also live about 20 minutes from Windsor. I would highly recommend Dave Hunter's book 'Along I75". Lots of good information. (Including hotel recommendations, restaurants, gas, rest stops, etc.)

There are lots of places just off the highway to eat. If you are looking for a place to get out of the van, we really enjoyed the Cracker Barrel's. If you are crossing the border around 3:30 you might want to stop and eat just before you get to Cincinnati.

As far as tolls - there is the toll at the border and then no others until after you get off I75 in Florida.

Depending on what time you plan to stop, you don't need to pre-book hotel room on the way home, but I like to check out the reviews and see the room layout. We had 5 adults and found that we had a lot of choices. Just need to decide how far you want to drive on each leg.

Some of my family wasn't looking forward to the drive, but now that is part of what we are looking forward to on next years trip.

Best advice I can give is enjoy the trip, don't tire yourself out, and stop often. Also, stop at the state welcome centers, they are a good place to stretch your legs.

 

[Madame]

We did this drive this past spring. I also live about 20 minutes from Windsor. I would highly recommend Dave Hunter's book 'Along I75". Lots of good information. (Including hotel recommendations, restaurants, gas, rest stops, etc.) There are lots of places just off the highway to eat. If you are looking for a place to get out of the van, we really enjoyed the Cracker Barrel's. If you are crossing the border around 3:30 you might want to stop and eat just before you get to Cincinnati. As far as tolls - there is the toll at the border and then no others until after you get off I75 in Florida. Depending on what time you plan to stop, you don't need to pre-book hotel room on the way home, but I like to check out the reviews and see the room layout. We had 5 adults and found that we had a lot of choices. Just need to decide how far you want to drive on each leg. Some of my family wasn't looking forward to the drive, but now that is part of what we are looking forward to on next years trip. Best advice I can give is enjoy the trip, don't tire yourself out, and stop often. Also, stop at the state welcome centers, they are a good place to stretch your legs.

Thanks so much . I'll definitely get the book. I agree that a long road trip can be part of the whole vacation experience! I'm actually pretty excited about the drive (plus having a tv in the van helps lol!).

 

[maxiesmom]

I would never recommend someone drive straight through. Especially with that recent accident where the driver fell asleep at the wheel and went off of the road, killing almost his whole family, on their way to WDW. Plus, I have had my own experience with a driver who thought they were just fine driving off the road. The rumble strips woke him up.

 

[Mommee]

I think your math is off. Unless each stop is going to be ridiculously long... We live an hour from the michigan/ohio border and with stops (most 15-20 minutes) every couple of hours, plus lunch taking an hour, as well as an hour at the Florida Welcome Center, we always end up around 21 (22 if we hit any traffic jams) hours for the whole trip. I'm showing an hour twenty to get to the border from the bridge, so only twenty minutes longer than us. So if you cross at 3 pm, you'd arrive at Disney around noon-1pm the next day.

Of course, maybe DH drives really fast

Sleeping all day usually doesn't work out well. We drove through the night once, and NEVER AGAIN. I was supposed to sleep while DH drove, then take my turn. Well, I couldn't sleep! I was miserable.

 

[Madame]

I think your math is off. Unless each stop is going to be ridiculously long... We live an hour from the michigan/ohio border and with stops (most 15-20 minutes) every couple of hours, plus lunch taking an hour, as well as an hour at the Florida Welcome Center, we always end up around 21 (22 if we hit any traffic jams) hours for the whole trip. I'm showing an hour twenty to get to the border from the bridge, so only twenty minutes longer than us. So if you cross at 3 pm, you'd arrive at Disney around noon-1pm the next day. Of course, maybe DH drives really fast Sleeping all day usually doesn't work out well. We drove through the night once, and NEVER AGAIN. I was supposed to sleep while DH drove, then take my turn. Well, I couldn't sleep! I was miserable.

Oh yes my DH is a turtle at the wheel!! But I figured in an extra 5 hour cushion or so because 3 young kids = three tiny bladders .

Plus they are seriously going to need some running around to get their wiggles out - I figured we could stop at a couple comfort stations (not sure what they are called). I seem to remember from years ago little forested areas with a washroom?

We are both going to stay awake during the drive, switching off every couple hours. If we get too tired we *will* stop for the night (even if it's just midnight to six.

I'm not going to endanger my family for a cheaper vacation. I would also never let a teen drive after dark - here very new drivers are not allowed to drive after dark. Believe me, I took that post very seriously. If we get tired, we will stop

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Right now Akron Ohio to Tampa is $110 each way. Not a far drive from Detroit

 

[Madame]

Right now Akron Ohio to Tampa is $110 each way. Not a far drive from Detroit

Thanks! If that's SW it's a great, deal but we would have to sacrifice Sat am & Friday pm to get that price (I scored BoG for Fri evening booking 5 months out).

I did find Akron -MCO for our dates $1550, but my DH says if the flight's not out of Detroit it isn't worth it. We'd have to pay to get there & to park for a week.

It would be if the exchange rate weren't terrible. We pay exchange on gas too, but still save as gas rates here are almost double US prices!

 

[mapleleaf4ever]

I know that a lot of people are suggesting flying over driving, but I for one think the drive is one of the best parts of the vacation, plus you have your own vehicle, can bring along as much as you want, and for us Canadians bring home a little more. As long as you are self aware of your driving limits and don't push yourself, you should have a wonderful drive.

 

[Madame]

I know that a lot of people are suggesting flying over driving, but I for one think the drive is one of the best parts of the vacation, plus you have your own vehicle, can bring along as much as you want, and for us Canadians bring home a little more. As long as you are self aware of your driving limits and don't push yourself, you should have a wonderful drive.

Thanks! We're pretty excited about the road trip (whether or not we'll feel the same after 40 odd hours in the car is another matter .

I just order the Dave Hunter I75 book & downloaded iexit. Planning the trip down is as fun as planning park days

 

[maxiesmom]

I know that a lot of people are suggesting flying over driving, but I for one think the drive is one of the best parts of the vacation, plus you have your own vehicle, can bring along as much as you want, and for us Canadians bring home a little more. As long as you are self aware of your driving limits and don't push yourself, you should have a wonderful drive.

If you have enough time to enjoy the ride, that is one thing. Driving down to just get there, and driving back home to get home, and not stopping to enjoy things along the way, is another. Unfortunately I am limited on how many vacation days I can take at a time, so driving at a relaxed pace is not an option.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Economy parking at the Akron airport is $6 a day or $36 a week And on SWA you could be in Orlando in 2hrs 15 minutes rather than 2 days

First ½ hour $1.00
½ to 1 hour $2.00
1 to 1½ hours $3.00
1½ to 2 hours $4.00
2 to 2½ hours $5.00
2½ to 24 hours $6.00
Weekly Rate $36.00

 

[mapleleaf4ever]

Economy parking at the Akron airport is $6 a day or $36 a week And on SWA you could be in Orlando in 2hrs 15 minutes rather than 2 days

First ½ hour $1.00
½ to 1 hour $2.00
1 to 1½ hours $3.00
1½ to 2 hours $4.00
2 to 2½ hours $5.00
2½ to 24 hours $6.00
Weekly Rate $36.00

Not really comparing 2 hrs 15 minutes to 2 days. Akron is over 3 hours from the border crossing. Ned to allow for time at airport for screening, baggage check, parking, etc., as we'll as adding a cushion for traffic and border delays. Your 2 hours 15 should be more like 7 and then you still have to get from Orlando airport to Disney and collect baggage. So assuming your flight is not delayed you are saving about 12 hours. (It takes about 20 hours to drive). And you are tied into the airlines schedule, not your own. For me the few extra hours are not worth the cost, but I do understand that not everyone enjoys driving, so for those people it may be worth the extra thousand dollars or so.

 

[Madame]

Not really comparing 2 hrs 15 minutes to 2 days. Akron is over 3 hours from the border crossing. Ned to allow for time at airport for screening, baggage check, parking, etc., as we'll as adding a cushion for traffic and border delays. Your 2 hours 15 should be more like 7 and then you still have to get from Orlando airport to Disney and collect baggage. So assuming your flight is not delayed you are saving about 12 hours. (It takes about 20 hours to drive). And you are tied into the airlines schedule, not your own. For me the few extra hours are not worth the cost, but I do understand that not everyone enjoys driving, so for those people it may be worth the extra thousand dollars or so.

Yes, Akron is a little over 4 hours from our house, not taking into consideration March break border wait times & the fact that it's a late night flight - I think we'd get to Disney by 10pm if everything went smoothly, compared to between 1 & 6 driving. We'll also have our car to get around.

No way is it comparable to a 20 hour drive, but $1000 US is nothing to sneeze at. Plus we are looking at this as an adventure. If it's disastrous then it will be a lesson learned. Airfare is almost always going to be expensive for the periods when I can go on vacation. If we enjoy the drive then we can continue to take 2 vacations per year instead of one .

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Not really comparing 2 hrs 15 minutes to 2 days. Akron is over 3 hours from the border crossing. Ned to allow for time at airport for screening, baggage check, parking, etc., as we'll as adding a cushion for traffic and border delays. Your 2 hours 15 should be more like 7 and then you still have to get from Orlando airport to Disney and collect baggage. So assuming your flight is not delayed you are saving about 12 hours. (It takes about 20 hours to drive). And you are tied into the airlines schedule, not your own. For me the few extra hours are not worth the cost, but I do understand that not everyone enjoys driving, so for those people it may be worth the extra thousand dollars or so.

It takes us 20 minutes from the time we park our car, check in at the ticket counter and get through security. And I am not kidding 20 minutes! Akron airport is such a small airport only has three gates and the airport is hardly busy at all.

 

[ain0004]

Not sure if you are willing to think about flying. You can take southwest out of dayton Ohio. And I just ran the numbers 1310. You could take DME. Just thought I would throw that option out there for you. We live about 2 hours from Detroit. South. Thought about driving many times. In the end we just don't to put the miles on the car or take the extra time off