Help save MONEY & TIME. Driving from Fort Worth to see the Mouse!

[RSADP]

3 adults, 3 pre-schoolers...in a Suburban. Please help me plan this drive.

Would like to arrive at WDW on a Saturday evening, with plenty of time to get some rest for a busy Sunday at MK starting with BBB at 8am. We probably won't be able to leave Fort Worth until late Friday afternoon.

Is this drive do-able with 3 drivers? hope to drive straight through so we won't have to pay for a hotel halfway.

Any suggestions on where to stop to let the kids burn some energy? Any cheap places to eat?

Whats the best route to save time and avoid traffic jams?

And what's a Mickey Mile???

Thanks in advance

 

[Justsyd2]

I can tell you that my son did this drive alone in 22 hours. I don't know how he did it! I can suggest that you NOT try to do it straight through with 3 pre-schoolers. I think that's just simply too much for them. I suggest stopping over night. They are going to need a bed to rest in since it's such a long trip, and it will be long because they will need to stop fairly often. As for drivers, you will want to change at least every two hours, so none of you are going to get straight-through sleep. I'm sure that you can use the internet to find simple, affordable lodging along the way.

 

[chickapinhill]

We did this drive last November from a town about 40 miles Northwest of Austin. We left around 3pm and had 2 stops before midnight of about 2 hrs. total. We had pitstops for gas, of course, quick bites to eat, etc. We took I-10 the whole way to Florida, then I-75 and down to WDW. I'd say we hit the resort about 5pm or so. Of course, we got lost in the middle of the night in Louisiana bayou country which was really fun. Hubby wasn't paying attention to the mapquest turn off and thought he could just go another way instead of turning around. Not!! We wasted probably 4 hrs between getting lost and the early stops we had to make plus a stop once we hit Orlando area for a Walmart. Anyway, the kids slept through most of it, and our toddler was really good! We adults (myself and hubby) were quite tired and jet lagged for a few days to tell you the truth. Next time I think I'll opt for a stay over in hotel to get some rest. Good luck with your trip!

 

[RSADP]

We did this drive last November from a town about 40 miles Northwest of Austin. We left around 3pm and had 2 stops before midnight of about 2 hrs. total. We had pitstops for gas, of course, quick bites to eat, etc. We took I-10 the whole way to Florida, then I-75 and down to WDW. I'd say we hit the resort about 5pm or so. Of course, we got lost in the middle of the night in Louisiana bayou country which was really fun. Hubby wasn't paying attention to the mapquest turn off and thought he could just go another way instead of turning around. Not!! We wasted probably 4 hrs between getting lost and the early stops we had to make plus a stop once we hit Orlando area for a Walmart. Anyway, the kids slept through most of it, and our toddler was really good! We adults (myself and hubby) were quite tired and jet lagged for a few days to tell you the truth. Next time I think I'll opt for a stay over in hotel to get some rest. Good luck with your trip!

Thank you for your response. I am starting to lay out an plan!

 

[rockandrollmomma]

We've driven the last 2 years from about 50 west of Houston. We usually leave town about 7:30 p.m. and drive straight thru alternating drivers every 3-4 hours (2 adults and 2 kids). We'll stop in Tallahassee for breakfast at IHOP and arrive at the WDW about 3:00 p.m. The kids are usually out between 10-11 p.m. and sleep until daylight. It's so peaceful and quiet............we stop for gas and bathroom breaks along the way but it's not that bad.............the excitement and a couple of 5 hour energy shots keep us going.

 

[edk35]

22 hours straight through with pre-schoolers
I was worried about 14 hours straight thru with dd19, ds16, ds 11 and dh from MD to WDW next month. I guess ours will be a piece of cake. LOL GOOD LUCK!!!!!

 

[Boston Tea Party]

We are in the Houston area and have driven several times, the most recent being March of this year.

The first time we tried to drive straight through but almost had a wreck at 2 AM in Baton Rouge when a semi entered the freeway and crossed all lanes.

Shortly after that we stopped for the night.

Now we leave Friday evening about 4:30 right when I get off from work. We make it to Mobile for the night. We get on the road early the next morning and make it to WDW in the evening on Saturday.

Driving can be so tiring, even with the stop. The distance between Pensacola and Tallahassee goes on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. It feels like you will never get to I75!

For us, we don't want to start exhausted so the stop is necessary.


Enjoy your trip and drive safely!

 

[Akmayeli]

We drive every year from Houston to WDW. There is no way I could do it without stopping. Honestly, my kids probably would be fine because they could sleep the entire time. I just don't feel that it's very safe to drive for that long, to me it is very tiring. We always stop in Marianna, FL for our midpoint on the way there and in Mobile, AL for the way home. In both towns you can find cheap, nice hotels. I would really think about it if I were you. It's worth to spend a few extra bucks to make sure your family makes it to WDW safe. Also, you will need to be FULLY rested and energized for your days in the parks. Have fun!

 

[Akmayeli]

I forgot to add that when we stop in Marianna FL it only leaves about a 4-5 hour drive left to get to Orlando. We usually make there in time for late lunch and then head to the parks. And you will be well rested, so you'll have plenty of energy.

 

[apnep]

3 adults, 3 pre-schoolers...in a Suburban. Please help me plan this drive.

Would like to arrive at WDW on a Saturday evening, with plenty of time to get some rest for a busy Sunday at MK starting with BBB at 8am. We probably won't be able to leave Fort Worth until late Friday afternoon.

Is this drive do-able with 3 drivers? hope to drive straight through so we won't have to pay for a hotel halfway
Any suggestions on where to stop to let the kids burn some energy? Any cheap places to eat? Whats the best route to save time and avoid traffic jams?

Thanks in advance

Hi, I'm from Plano. DH and I tooke our 3 kids and left on a Friday at about 1pm. With 3 kids, I am going to recommend that you just stop and rest for the night. Don't kill yourselves trying to get there by making a 20 hour drive straight through. One night's rest is all you need. On our way back to Texas, we saw a horrible accident that happened just one car ahead of us, one that I still can't get out of my mind. Please, for your sake and for the 3 beautiful children you are taking, stop and rest so you can be alert while driving.

We stopped in Mississippi just over the bridges and watched a beautiful sunset. The kids ran up and down a hill and climbed on top of a cannon and also, walked over to a pedestrian bridge. They really enjoyed it.

We also took I-10 and 75 as a previous poster stated.

Good luck and hope you have a safe and happy trip.

Angela

 

[apnep]

I will add that we went from Plano, TX to Daphne, AL--10 hour drive.

From Daphne, AL to Orlando, FL--7 hours.

Good luck.

Angela

 

[CapHook]

I think you could do it if you hit the road by 6 am you could plan to be there by midnight (which would be 1 am in Florida). With 3 people you could drive three hour shifts and have plenty of time to sleep between driving.

However, if you get there at 1 am, then you hit the parks early the next day, at some point someone in your group or all of you are going to feel very fatigued.

Also, I-10 is crazy driving. The flow of traffic is about 20 mph over the speed limit. If you are going slower, people on that road will tailgate you and cut closely around you. I would not let a teen drive on it.

 

[RSADP]

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE RESPONSES! VERY MUCH APPRECIATED! Now we are re-thinking and re-budgeting for a stop or maybe even stopping at a rest stop and all crashing for 4-5 hours. We are not sure but there is still time to figure this out.

Thank a million!

 

[dbarker]

Our strategy when we drove:

Have meals at fast food restaurants w/ playgrounds.
Stop at every State's welcome center.
We take I-10. The stop in LA has a nice area to waalk around. The one in FL gives free juice (orange or grapefruit)

We also spent the night in Mobile, AL. The panhandle of FL is treacherous. A wall of pine trees on each side of the road that goes on forever - you can't even see the cars on the other side of the highway.

 

[paysensmom]

We just got back from Disney on Friday

I went with my 5 and 8 year old children. I drove from San Antonio to a rest stop in Florida about an hour past P-cola. The rest stops have night time security. I just pulled up and parked across from the security guard. Took the kids into the bathroom, brushed our teeth and used the toilets. I have a minivan, I put a large beach towel on the visors in the front and draped it into the front winows and layed the edge on the top of the front seats. This way, nobody could look in at us since the back windows are tinted and have the pull up window screens. I layed one of the second row seats all the way back and grabbed my pillow. My son slept in the other second row seat and my daughter is small enough that she layed on the floor in front of us. We got a full 8 hours of sleep! It was just fine for us. I really didn't want to spend $100 on a hotel and I felt safe with the security right there and my doors locked.

On the way back though, the rest areas closer to Texas do not have night time security. So, I stayed at a hotel. But, with 3 adults. I don't see a need to stop at all. If I had another adult with me, I would not have stopped at all. We would just take turns sleeping

Good luck on whatever you choose and have a great time!

 

[Keishag]

I'm also in Fort Worth and just curious what the savings is for driving vs flying? I guess I had assumed it would be about even with the cost of gas, hotel, snacks, etc. We're going next June and may consider it.

 

[Aristocath]

I'm also in Fort Worth and just curious what the savings is for driving vs flying? I guess I had assumed it would be about even with the cost of gas, hotel, snacks, etc. We're going next June and may consider it.

It sort of depends on the size of your family and airfare/gas at the time. We are a family of five and drive a Suburban. We have driven our last two trips to WDW and will fly this time. I got roundtrip for all five of us for $947 from DFW to MCO. If we drove our Suburban, we are probably looking at $600 for gas plus hotel for two nights plus meals. We figure it is about even this time.

I'm on the West side of Fort Worth, how about you?

 

[tzolkin]

I have the opposite opinion of many of the other posters... We actually prefer to drive straight through with little ones because it makes the drive much shorter for them.

We also have a 22 hr drive. Since my kids will sleep in the car for at least 11 hrs, that cuts it down to an 11 hour trip for them. If we stopped it would make it two full days of driving for them instead of one. (Also, my parents used to drive with 4 preschoolers when I was little... they tried stopping, but since we had all been napping in the car we would not sleep when we got to the hotel so mom and dad just had a stressful night with no sleep and prefered to drive straight through from then on.)

We have never had any issues with the kids and DH actually looks forward to the drive.


Last year we added on an extra night at Disney instead of a night on the road. We arrived in the afternoon and DH was able to rest while I took the kids around the resort/swimming and to the grocery store. We then all went to bed early and were up and ready for am EMH.

 

[rockandrollmomma]

We are in the Houston area and have driven several times, the most recent being March of this year.

The first time we tried to drive straight through but almost had a wreck at 2 AM in Baton Rouge when a semi entered the freeway and crossed all lanes.

Shortly after that we stopped for the night.

Now we leave Friday evening about 4:30 right when I get off from work. We make it to Mobile for the night. We get on the road early the next morning and make it to WDW in the evening on Saturday.

Driving can be so tiring, even with the stop. The distance between Pensacola and Tallahassee goes on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. It feels like you will never get to I75!

For us, we don't want to start exhausted so the stop is necessary.


Enjoy your trip and drive safely!

I agree - that 3 1/2 hour trek from Pensacola to Tallahassee is AWFUL! Somehow, I always let DH drive that leg..............