Your experience driving from Maine?

[mguilford1]

We will be going the last 2 weeks October 2014. We are trying to decide if we should drive or fly. Flying will cost $1000 plus a rent a car for 2 weeks. I would sort of like to drive because then I could take my espresso maker and anything else I might need but I dont want to end up spending more to drive. We would probably spend the night in a $75 hotel 1/2 way on way down and back. Please let me know how driving went for you and would you do it again? Any suggested routes? It will be my husband, 8 yo granddaughter and myself. Thank You for your help.

 

[tweety38]

Fly!!!!!! I have done the drive a few times and it was only me and one other adult. If I had a few days to drive down and a few days to drive home then MAYBE but I doubt it. Flying you can be there in a few hours and not be over tired.

 

[JessM]

I wouldn't rule out flying yet. Flights out of Portland to MCO have come down quite a bit and if you hit a good sale you could fly all 3 of you for under $700. I booked round trip flights on SW for December for $220 a person.

I've driven from the Portland area to DC a few times and it was miserable, there's so much traffic down the east coast no matter when we went it seemed. Keep checking flight prices, you will be exhausted when you get there if you drive for 2 days straight.

 

[happymommy]

We drove once from the DC area (so down I-95 most of the way, then you cut over I-4 I believe). But, it was right after the attack on September 11, so we were unsure of flying with our precious 2 and 4 year olds. (We had a trip that October booked, just the two of us, to Hawaii, but canceled that, and decided we didn't want to vacation away from our kids quite yet). This drive down was in mid-December, and we had just bought a terrific minivan (with a DVD player - our first, so I bought a bunch of Disney DVD's for the drive, which was super cool).

We stayed for 11 nights (of course got a great deal, since Disney was very quiet after the horrible attack) at the Boardwalk Villas. Then drove down to Naples to see my folks and then ALL THE WAY home (yuck) from south Florida.

The positive: we had a comfy minivan, brought our double stroller, all our groceries, snacks. bottles of water, etc... We never even needed to go to the grocery store - matter of fact, once we got settled into the villa, we never once used the van until we checked out. I loved having all our stuff (and I love road trips). We left after the kids got out of school (preschool, so it was about 11:00AM, picked up DH at work then just got on the way). Kept planning on stopping, but the kids were sound asleep by 8:00PM so just kept driving. Finally, stopped and stayed at a Downtown Disney hotel for the night (the Boardwalk didn't have a villa ready or it would be more $ or something so we wanted to save by staying somewhere cheaper, since we pulled in about 1:00AM and just needed a few hours of sleep). Also good was that (I think due to less people traveling) I-95 was not too terribly busy. It can be SUPER busy, like bumper to bumper for miles and miles. Trust me: I have driven to Williamsburg from here, and it should take 3 1/2 hours and it sometimes takes DOUBLE that with the darn I-95 traffic.

The negative: we were so tired next day, but the kids were up at 6:00AM. Still, we had lots of time, so took it slow and easy. Also - the drive HOME. Sucks. No way around it. It was LONG.

Now, you live way north of me. My cutoff for a road trip is 12 hours driving (I have driven to St. Louis to see family, but we normally fly, and I-70 west is no where near as bad as I-95). You're talking a LONG drive. LONG!

I think I'd definitely research flying and renting a car. You'd be there in just a few hours, and feel so much better than if you drove. You can get rental cars in Orlando at a decent rate, especially if you check early and often for good deals. I got a car for 15 nights last August for less than $250 taxes included - so the kids and I flew (and we got deals with Interval International getaways, so it was a good cheap long trip).

I just think that's a long long long drive, and that highway can be a bear through DC and just south of DC.

 

[aj2hall]

We live in southern NH and are planning a trip in February. My kids are old enough that the drive wouldn't be terrible, but we decided we'd rather spend our vacation time at Disney instead of driving. And I looked at the cost of driving and gas alone would be over $500. Depending on where in Maine you are and what kind of car you're driving, the difference in cost might not be a lot, especially for just 3 of you. AAA has a fuel cost estimator here

http://fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/

 

[pjlla]

Just chiming in here...

I am guessing, depending on where in ME you are, that it would be about 26-28 hour drive. And you are planning just ONE overnight?? Even taking turns driving, you are talking about two 12 -14 hour days in the car (without accounting for stops). That is some REALLY LONG days... for all of you!!

And then you need to count food along the way (at least 4-5 meals), although they could be packed in a cooler and brought along to save $$. Plus gas, tolls, and at least one additional oil change. And of course, you would want to have a thorough inspection on the car and tires before heading out, to avoid any unplanned stops. Throw in any new "extras" you might need to make the trip more bearable (DVD player, CD player, car toys, books, Kindle/Kindle books). I would say that in addition to the $75/hotel each way, you should add in at least another $200 each way for those other expenses.


Still cheaper than your current flying budget though, right?? But have you looked into flying from Manchester, NH?? Lots of Southwest flights from there to MCO every day. Again, not sure where in ME you are, but if it is less than 2-3 hours from MHT, it might be worth looking into.

If you are still bound and determined to drive (and I can definitely see some benefits), then how about a "trial run" this fall or next spring? Plan a short trip somewhere with your granddaughter and see how it goes on a shorter drive.... maybe 5 hours or so? That would be a good test run. I know for myself, my DS's limit in the car is about 4 hours.... that is the point where he is about to climb out the window! I can push it to 5, but beyond that he is pretty cranky and miserable. When he was younger and I could plan the drive around napping and sleeping it wasn't so bad, but can't do that as easily with older children.

As others mentioned, you will be TIRED when you get there if you drive. But with a 2 week trip planned, it seems like you could spare a day on either end to take it a bit easy and rest.

Best of luck, no matter what you decide!.............P

 

[KristinU]

We've driven down from CT a few times- once in a car while staying at the BWV then the other times have been towing campers to the Fort. I think it really depends on you and whether or not you like a road trip. Personally I love it. I love being able to bring along what I like and not worrying about my 3 ounces and whether my luggage will make it and if the guy in front of me is sick or annoying or whatever. The way I see it is that your travel day on a plane is all but shot anyway...maybe you'll get into the parks for the evening, but still. I love being able to see our progress toward the destination, see the scenery and seasons change, and enjoy the silly conversations with my family that we might not otherwise have.

As others have mentioned, I'd recommend stopping two nights on the way down and arrive fresh and ready rather than beat down and exhausted. We drove straight through once and it was not fun for us. To WDW we usually stop two nights, but we've done one as well. However, we're in CT, so we have a few hours on you.

I thik there's a long standing thread on the Transportation board about driving, you might want to poke in there to get some insight.

Oh, and there are some good routes around the populated corridor. We go out 84 through NY and into PA then pick up 81 in Scranton, then pick up 17 around Winchester, VA to cut over and pick up 95 south of DC, just north of Richmond. Smooth sailing. On paper it is longer and calculates to be a longer drive time, but it ends up being a wash or shorter when you take traffic into account.

Best of luck!

 

[jakenjess]

We've driven from Portland four times now, all straight through down and back except the last trip on the way back we stopped to look at colleges for DS. It ranges from 22 to 25 hours, depending on traffic and construction. We leave late afternoon/early evening. This avoids the rush hour traffic from NY through DC. DH and I take turns driving/sleeping and it works well, but it is LONG and exhausting, especially on the way home! If you're going to drive only during the daytime, it will take longer with the extra traffic. We've driven since the kids started high school because the airfare over school breaks is crazy high.

I would check airfare when it's released. For three of you in October, you might be able to get something decent. We had accumulated enough flyer miles that we are actually able to fly this April. Driving doesn't deter us from going, but we much prefer to fly!

 

[JenLanDisney]

I agree that PWM flights have come down. We tend to fly out of Manchester, NH (MHT) on Southwest because they have lower fares and direct flights to MCO.

For us, not changing planes is worth the drive to Manchester.

I would think about if you really need a car for the entire 2 weeks that you'll be at WDW. Will you be staying on site? If so, maybe you can rent a car for just a few days when you plan to be off property?

 

[Pooh2]

I am not big on flying so we have driven down to Orlando from Central NH a few times. It was nice to be able to pack all our stuff into the car, have my own pillow and cooler, etc.

The drive does seem endless at times, we have done just one overnight, as well as two overnights on the way down. On the way home, we tend to drive straight since the excitement of vacation is behind us.

We have also taken the autotrain out of Lorton, VA. We were able to pack our car to the hilt, not have to get a rental but yet it broke up the long drive. We did coach, next time we will try a bedroom.

We are also considering regular amtrak for our next trip south, but of course, then you do not have your car but saves us the 8-9 hour drive to VA.

 

[peigirl]

We live on Prince Edward Island and it takes us about 9 hours just to get to Portland, Me. But we don't mind the drive to Florida. It is nice to have your own vehicle and take whatever you want.

BTW many people from PEI drive to Portland to fly out of because the rates are so much cheaper than here.

Paula

 

[4 Ears]

Although we now live in Winter Haven, Florida we drove down many times from the Rumford/Mexico/Dixfield area. With as little as 2 drivers and as many as 4.
I say fly! We hop on the flight and although we may need a nap or go to be early, it does not take 2 days to catch up.
Have you looked at flying out of Bangor and into Sanford on Aligent? Direct flight
You would have to taxi or rent a vehicle from there though as Mears doesn't pick up there.
Our youngest DS who although had flown with us had never flown alone. He gets dropped off in Bangor and we meet him at the bottom of the stairs in Sanford. Yes it is a bit further out, be prepared for tolls if you take the 417. Like $8 each way.
I still say fly, hope this helps

 

[Eureka]

I grew up in Bangor and it is a long drive up there from MD, let alone there to FL. My sister and her family flew from I think Portland to Sanford for a reasonable price. My parents flew from Bangor to Orlando but had several layovers, I think Philly and Atlanta. In the winter that can be a bad thing with possible missed connections.

 

[mguilford1]

Thank You for all the help. I live near Portland, Maine. I will check into cheap flights, we don't want to be tired! I don't know how I will live without my espresso maker

 

[mguilford1]

Thank You for all the help. I live near Portland, Maine. I will check into cheap flights, we don't want to be tired! I don't know how I will live without my espresso maker

 

[mdinme]

We are west of portland and planned to drive one year but we got flights from mht and back so cheap itmade no sense. We are thinking of maybe going during feb vaca and driving since air is pricey.

 

[alicat8]

I've driven from ct twice and regretted it. Never again! The way down is fun, but coming home is awful. So so awful...

 

[Dsnyfireman]

As a kid we drove from portland area every year. It wasn't too bad but I do like the three hour flight and done. I have been looking into flights from Boston and price is a little better sometimes and most are non-stop. If you stay at a hotel near airport you can park there for free. I want to drive just once with my kids but I will wait till they are older.

 

[mdinme]

Return drive must be brutal.

 

[lucyem]

We drive from NH to WDW about 2xs a year. We generally start at dinnertime (lets say Friday), go through the night and stop somewhere in SC or GA for the night (saturday). Then we are at WDW by lunch (Sunday). More then once we have kept going and been in Orlando Sat night. The drive is long but we have it down to a science. The worst part is NYC/Philly/DC but by driving all night we are through before breakfast. We have audiobooks and games and movies for the kids. We have places we like to stop en route. I have one of the Route 95 guides which has been great.