Driving for the first time????

[#1hoosierfan]

I know what you mean. I live in Sellersburg and rive to work at the Clark County Corrections Center. And that drive alone makes me insane with the speeders, stop sign runners, etc.... There's no way I could deal with driving to Disney. LOL

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but we live in New Albany. Dh and I decided after we drove in June 2010 that if we can not afford to fly from now on, we will not be visiting WDW! The drive to the gulf coast is easy, but the extra 5-6 hours to the World seems endless!!!!

 

[powellrj]

We live in central Indiana and use to fly all the time until the end of ATA. They had the best nonstop flights and the best prices that we have never found again.

What we do is leave right after work on Friday night and drive until we are tired and then do the rest of the trip the next day. We then leave early on check-out day and drive straight through on the trip home.

We always rent a car, even when we use to fly, so it has cut out the cost of a rental car. Add the cost of being able to carry food in the car and not have to stop all the time for snacks and keep snacks in our room.

Everyone has their own way to keep occupied during the trip so its not too bad. In November we will have an extra driver which will really help out!

 

[Chelley00]

We are in Central Indiana and we always drive (except for when it was just DD and I and we flew) It's about 17 hours. We *usually* drive straight through on the way there, leaving around 4am with kids in pajamas so they'll sleep the first few hours. Everyone's excited to get there so there's not a lot of complaining and we aren't too exhausted.

We always stop halfway on the way home and sleep. By then we are tired and cranky and the thought of 17 straight hours in the car with 4 kids and DH is beyond pleasant

Try AAA gas calculator. It's always been pretty close to figuring out gas budgets for our trips. Our driving budget always includes:

1. oil change, tire check etc before leaving
2. gas there
3. Food. I try to pack breakfast and lunch in a cooler, and some snacks/drinks. We stop and grab dinner while on the road.
4. Tolls
5. gas while there (driving to parks, restaurants just in case we use the car)
6. gas home
7. food home
8. hotel stop for home

 

[*love*2*shop]

i really think this is a hard decision (other than the $) for anyone else to make for you...

We have driven to FL 3 or 4 times in the past 3 years because for a family of 4 plus rental car ( $1,000 for plane tixs plus 300.00+ for rental suv)

1300.00+ and we havent even arrived. For us, we drive STRAIGHT THROUGH and ONLY stop for Gas and to pee I really mean that too....we live in NH and make it to the World in 19 hrs.

My hubby drives the first part, then we he gets tired i drive (he sleeps) then when i get tired again, he takes over the rest of the way.

We have a 7 passenger SUV with 2 adults and 2 kids( we just drove in FEB and kids were 9+11 yrs- the 11 yrs old is adhd & bIPOLAR AS WELL) . PLenty of room to spread out. There is NOOOO way if we had a smaller vehicle or any more people could i do it( again this is me) Had a friend try it in a 5 passenger vehicle with 5 people and she said *never* again!

We also leave at NIGHT so that the kids can sleep all night in the car and by morning we dont have That much farther to go ( we have done it both ways and Never again we will leave in the am or lunch time)

We pack food ( all we need to eat is breakfast and lunch) and stop to Buy Nothing but gas.

We have tried the On top of the car carrier and the hitch carrier and our car gets better gas mileage using the Hitch carrier.

GPS is a Must and we also have the EZPASS toll so from here until FL we just Fly throught the tolls and it takes it out of our acct( having that gives you a discount on tolls)

We dont go back roads etc to save time or money- we go hways all the way- whatever the GPS says is the fastest!

We also have a DVD player/ xm radio with ear phones which are big helps...

PLANNING, PLANNING ,PLANNING!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[mrodgers]

Oh and BTW, from / to Pittsburgh, just so you know the bottom stretch through West Virginia is exhausting. You drive for hours without ever getting a break from turning the steering wheel back and forth non-stop.

I did calculate my gas mileage. I drove a POS Ford Escape (actually Mazda Tribute, but more would know the Ford as it is the same..) On the way home, the first half of West Virginia is entirely uphill, as I said a constant cranking of the steering wheel without ever going straight. We filled up as we entered WV and stopped halfway where it started going back downhill. The first half we averaged 14 mpg because we were running in 2nd gear trying to hold at least 10 below the speed limit with this junk Ford Escape. After filling up halfway through, it was all downhill (again back and forth non-stop on the wheel) and averaged 28 mpg because I rarely had to even touch the throttle pedal (sorry, gas pedal.)

For the trip down to Florida, West Virginia isn't too bad. We left at 3 AM and by the time we hit the hills, the sun was coming up and it is absolutely gorgeous country. But after driving straight through from Florida at about the 16-17 hour mark you hit West Virginia and the next hour really kicks your rear end.

As far as I remembered, West Virginia turnpike was the only tolls we paid. We followed the basic Googlemaps route that would pop up for anyone going down I-79 to I-77 to I-95 down to Florida. I think WV turnpike was $2 and then another $0.40 for a short stretch before you hit Virginia.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We drive from SE Ohio, it takes us about 15-16 hours, depending on stops. Our only expense is gas. We start with a full tank, and fill up twice on the way. We drive straight through, so no need for a hotel. We take a cooler with sandwich makings, snacks, and drinks.

On the way home, we usually eat breakfast before we leave WDW, then hit a drive through or Subway twice. We usually have snacks leftover, but not sandwich things.

 

[MrsPete]

We also leave at NIGHT so that the kids can sleep all night in the car and by morning we dont have That much farther to go ( we have done it both ways and Never again we will leave in the am or lunch time)

I'm going to disagree with you on that. We did it once for a beach trip that required a 15-hour drive . . . when we arrived, Mom and Dad were exhausted and wanted to nap in the nice hotel room, but the kids were wild and rarin' to hit the beach. It took us a full day to get back on schedule, which was tough with two small kids.

Our girls were YOUNG then. I don't think either one was in school yet, so they needed constant attention. It might work better with elementary school /middle schoolers who could be trusted on their own in a new place.

 

[Tistal]

It depends on your family really.

DH and I drive, and unless the price of flying drops significantly, I will drive every time. It only costs us about $150 in gas (I drive a Focus, and she has a ton of miles on her anyways so I don't worry about the extra miles) one way to drive (I live near VA Beach, VA). We drive straight. The only stops are for gas and emergency potty breaks. We drive overnight. DH drives until the sun starts to come up (I have a hard time with headlights; they give me migraines). It takes us about 14 hours to get there, and we crash in an off site hotel in Lake Buena Vista for the first afternoon/night and rest until the next morning.

I imagine the trip would be substantially different if we had small children, but with 2 drivers, I simply cannot fathom not driving (flying, last time I checked was going to cost us about $600).

 

[goofyandmickey]

Thank you all for all of your input. Driving for me this trip is most definately the way to go. I am so excited becasue we made our ressies yesterday and I was also working on the budget and trip path Saving money here will allow for my sons friend to be able to come along, when they couldn't afford the price of air fair along with their trip as well as save me and my family money to be able to have some give in the budget.

 

[tlh0726]

We are from south central PA just by Gettysburg.
Last time we drove, the return trip was 13 1/2 hours just driving time (van kept track and was in pic I took showing roundtrip mileage), plus food stops and bathroom breaks (can't remember total overall time). DH and I (mostly me due to hating DH's driving) take turns.

Best thing that has worked for us (not just on disney trips) is leaving early in the morning and driving straight through. Getting there is always easier than returning. The time and states just seem to fly by.

Magic number seems to be stopping every 2 1/2 to 3 hours for about a 15-20 minute break.
If the ride is longer than 8 hours, we will leave around 3am to get a good portion in while the kids are sleeping. Only takes about 30 mins on the road before ours are back to sleep.
If less than 8 hours we leave around 6 am, kids normally go back to sleep for about an hour or two.

For the return trip, I recommend stopping overnight.
One trip we stayed and went to the parks and left Orlando around 5pm drove till around 11, stopped for the night, and then finished the drive the next day.
Another trip we left Orlando around 830 am and drove straight through. Never again! The last 4 hours was horrible. Everyone was tired and cranky! Seems no one could even look at each other without starting a fight.
Neither DH or I want to try/attempt the leaving around 3am and driving straight through on the return trip. Giving up our last night of park time to get some sleep is not something either of us is willing to give up. And neither one wants to be the 1st one driving with very little sleep. Not worth the potential risks.

We are currently planning a June trip with a friend and her 2 kids (her DH, what a jerk ) who will be on a very strict budget. We will be driving straight through down and doing the overnight stop on the way back. Packing sandwiches, drinks, and snacks to eat in the car. (love my plug in cooler)

 

[heatherbynum]

You can see an estimate of how much gas would cost you there and back using the trip cost calculator at the link below.
http://www.gasbuddy.com/Trip_Calculator.aspx

 

[tlh0726]

duplicate post

 

[maxiesmom]

I envy you that have shorter trips. Coming from Grand Rapids, MI it is 20.5 hours of drive time, one way. So once you add in stops it is 4 days of being stuck in the car. No thank you! Plus, I can only use one week of vacation at a time, so that would it would take up half my vacation just getting to/from WDW.

If I could take my time and make the trip part of the vacation, it might be fun to drive. Stop and see the sights along the way. But there is no way I would just drive straight down and back. Flights would have to be crazy expensive to force me to do that, and then I would probably just save up until I could afford to fly.

 

[hearts8701]

BeFrugal.com’s new web-based Fly or Drive Calculator compares time and cost of flying versus driving, and provides consumers personalized calculations for any trip
http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/

 

[loveadobie]

I envy you that have shorter trips. Coming from Grand Rapids, MI it is 20.5 hours of drive time, one way. So once you add in stops it is 4 days of being stuck in the car. No thank you! Plus, I can only use one week of vacation at a time, so that would it would take up half my vacation just getting to/from WDW.

If I could take my time and make the trip part of the vacation, it might be fun to drive. Stop and see the sights along the way. But there is no way I would just drive straight down and back. Flights would have to be crazy expensive to force me to do that, and then I would probably just save up until I could afford to fly.

HI Maxiesmom,

Check on price of airfare out of Detroit, instead on Grand Rapids. Got 3 tickets non stop our of Detroit for 180.00 each, nonstop flight. 2 hours, we're there.

Park and fly hotel out of Detroit with 10 days free parking for the night before. Using rewards card for hotel night.
So hotel night, breakfast, and 10 days parking are free.

 

[JB2K]

And I guess you didn't get the joke.

I already said I didn't get the joke...sheesh!

If I want this kind of conversation, I'll go to the Community Board, or something like that...

For the record, I really wasn't trying to be nasty -- I was thinking that perhaps your post may discourage first-timers from driving, and I wanted to point-out the many positives of taking one's own vehicle.

 

[PaulaSue]

duplicate post

Since we live close (20 minutes or so) I am very curious of the trip you took. Without stopping the night and leaving at 3 am when/what time did you get to Disney? I so want to leave early at 3 ish but DH is so not into to. I do want to stop and have 3 cities picked out but hoping to convince him to just go and get far as possiable so more time at the world on the 2nd day.

Also any recommendations of ressie/rest stops to go to or avoid?

 

[budafam]

I envy you that have shorter trips. Coming from Grand Rapids, MI it is 20.5 hours of drive time, one way. So once you add in stops it is 4 days of being stuck in the car. No thank you! Plus, I can only use one week of vacation at a time, so that would it would take up half my vacation just getting to/from WDW.

If I could take my time and make the trip part of the vacation, it might be fun to drive. Stop and see the sights along the way. But there is no way I would just drive straight down and back. Flights would have to be crazy expensive to force me to do that, and then I would probably just save up until I could afford to fly.

I disagree with this. We come from halfway up the state of Wisconsin and it only takes us about a day and a half of driving. My husband only gets a certain amount of vacation as well but with the weekends in there, we make it with ease.

 

[thomas998]

We're from Central Jersey, and have driven the past 3 times. It's definitely cheaper for us to drive that fly, but there are 6 of us. How many of you are there? Based on my personal experience, if there are 4 or more of you, driving makes sense.

Here's where my money went while driving round-trip (approximately):

Gas: $267 (gas was averaged about $3.65/gal, my van got about 24-25 mpg, included my initial fill-up and a fill-up while at WDW)
Tolls: $20
Meals: about $150 for 2 dinners and 2 lunches (breakfast was free at the hotels)
Hotel: $320 ($160 each night, room slept 6....look for suites)

Grand Total: $757

That's much cheaper considering the best I could do for airfare for 6 of us was $230/pp or about $1380 plus airport parking for a week. We probably would have taken ME had we flown, but I like a grocery stop to offset the cost of breakfasts and water while on-site.

And as JB2K mentioned, I had my van to use the entire trip.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!

Not sure if you should include the cost of food... to me food is going to be an expense if I'm on the road or already in WDW.

 

[pklein09]

Not sure if you should include the cost of food... to me food is going to be an expense if I'm on the road or already in WDW.

True. I guess I include it because I could cook a lot cheaper for 6 of us if I was at home. I also don't back a cooler for sandwiches...the van is full of our luggage! I do pack a case of water and some small munchies, but certainly not something I would consider a meal.