Driving from Chicago with a toddler

[Iheoma]

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has driven from Chicago to WDW recently? I wanted to fly but Dh has some very serious problems with flying and since we both decided to take 14days of vacation I agreed to drive. We're renting an SUV because neither of us wants to put that many miles on our personal cars. Also, dd (2.5) will be with us. DH and I have taken many long road trips but never with dd. So any advice? Any websites to help with the route planning? Anyone ever rent an SUV for a small family like this? Any ideas would be great. Thanks

 

[Jon99]

I think most here agree that I-57/I-24/I-75 is the best way for most people in the Chicago area to take, its the way we take and it works out quite well..From the Kankakee area we can make it in about 16 hours, though this will be our first time with child (7mo) so I am sure we can add on at least an hour....

We leave at 3:00 pm when my wife gets off work and drive straight thru the night arriving at WDW mid morning, its probably not the best way to go for most people, but it works well for me...

Renting an SUV is a nice idea, we have done it for short trips of over 1000 miles, but for two weeks its probably going to cost you close to $1000, and for us we would rather put 2800 miles on our Jeep than spend $1000...

Any other questions, let me know..

 

[perpetualplanner]

EVERYTHING will depend on how your child reacts to being seated for that long. I'm lucky and we've driven the distance without a complaint from my 2 boys - my neighbors tried it and discovered that one of their sons got severe car sickness after a couple of hours.

My best advice would be that when you stop to eat - etc. stop at a Mc D's or Burger King etc with a play area. Let your child play (run around) while you eat. They can eat in the car after letting off some steam. It's always worked wonders for us.

 

[FloridaCat]

with the high gas prices down here, would a van make better choice?

 

[Jon99]

How are the gas prices down there??? We are creeping up on $2.00 here..

 

[FloridaCat]

Unleaded Regular is running 1.59 to 1.69, but said to be goingup more. It depends on which county you are in as each has a differnt tax. Racetrack, in FL, has the best prices, so watch for them.
When I drive between here and IL I have found GA to be the cheapest and always gas up before I cross the FL line.

 

[Iheoma]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the responses. I actually got a great rate on an SUV from Alamo for $215.00 per week. The "total" price with taxes for and fees, ect. was quoted as $510.00 for 5/1/04 - 5/15/04. I used the coupon code "TV" and booked online. So the renting is actually about the same as 3 tix from Southwest. If we flew out of MDW or ORD we would have to leave our car in the parking lot and pay an additional (90-120 dollars for parking for 7 days) and then rent a car while at WDW for probably about $175-195 for the week. Sooo in the end the cost is about the same. I am glad that someone mentioned gas prices because that will be something to budget for. Again, thanks for the tips and info.

Iheoma

 

[megan2346]

We did a 15 hour drive with my son when he was two and a half and I have to say the best thing we had was a small tv with vcr built in. We bought it a Target for $120 and we have already earned it back. He loved the fact he could watch tv in the car. We only use it on long trips so the novelty doesn't wear off. It was great.
Megan

 

[NotUrsula]

If I were you I'd check with Alamo and get it in writing that you are allowed to take the SUV all the way to Florida for that price. Rental companies are starting to sometimes use GPS to track the whereabouts of their vehicles, especially SUV's, because they are the most at risk for being stolen. There may be fine print in the contract that prohibits the vehicle from leaving a certain state or region. (Even w/ unlimited mileage, you can still have a clause stating how far from the rental station you can go.)

There are lots of lawsuits going on currently because of this. One driver that I know about (who rented from Budget out of Chicago) got hit with nearly $4000 in penalties for taking his rental to Florida. He said he told the rental agent that he was taking it to Florida, and that the agent hadn't warned him it was prohibited, but they held him to the clause in the contract, anyway. He found out about it when he got to Florida and discovered that his CC had been maxed out by the penalty fees.

 

[Iheoma]

Thanks for the info NotUrsula After I read your post, I called MDW Alamo and was told that Alamo doesn't have such restrictions on the rental cars. To verify I called the national number 800-462-5266 to ask the reservationist if there was a policy about taking an SUV (or any other vehicle) out of the region. I gave her my confirmation number and everything so she knew what I was talking about and could look at my specific reservation. She told me there was not such a policy at Alamo-it was even possible to take it to Canada. She did mention that Enterprise does have a more restrictive policy about where cars can go.

Thanks for bringing up the topic because that would have definately changed our travel plans if such restrictions existed. It's a shame that the driver got stuck in such a bad situation- it really makes you weary of rental companies.

 

[FloridaCat]

In 2000 I flew up to Minnesota from Florida and I rented a car in Minneapolis, National, I think, and they informed me it could not go out of Minnesota, except to Wisconsin, which was no problem as I was driving to Walker to fish.

On a happier nte, sing with the Mouse.

http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/7840/select.htm

 

[dzneelvr]

WE've driven to WDW once (and will never do it again by the way) but with a toddler, ovenight is your best bet. Drive time when it's his sleep time will buy you some sanity.
TV/VCR is something we wouldn't have left our driveway without. Trust me, you can always resell it for just about what you paid for it if you never want to use it again. Don't be fooled by getting a large size, however, 9 inches or a little more is all that will probably fit safely between the seat.
Get a plastic square laundry hamper and cut out one section of the front; store all your cords, videos, "stuff" under the hamper and then use bungee cords (a couple bucks at Walmart) to tie the VCR/TV combo on the top. Make sure it's tied down tight. you don't want it becoming a flying projectile in a sudden stop.

I'm surprised you can make it in 16 hours. Wish we could have. It takes us 21 since we're in extreme NW Illinois.
WDW in June !!