17 hour drive w/ 8 people in a Toyota Sienna? Roof top luggage recommendations?

[4littleones]

I just booked a townhouse on VRBO for the last week of Oct 2013. This trip will include:

Me, DH, 6yr, 6yr, 5yr, 3yr, grandma and possible another grandma for a total of 8 people.

DH wants to drive again. This will be trip number 3 driving the 17 hr trip. But we have never driven with 8 people in a minivan. We did a trip with 7 of us in the minivan and we survived

We squished 2 strollers and all our stuff in the back but with 8 people (one being my MIL who I know will over pack) I think a rooftop luggage carrier would help us not be so squished.

Anyone have a recommendation on a rooftop luggage carrier? thanks

 

[rwdavis2]

We bought one of the soft-sided one (duffel bag material) and it works pretty well. The only issues is that it is not entirely water proof. But what is nice is that when you get there it can be folded up and stuck in the back of the van. 8 people, 17 hours?

 

[diesel]

dodge mini vans only seat 7 where are you putting the 8th?

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Not sure how you are fitting 8 people, when all 4 of the kids need to be in car or booster seats and a Grand Caravan only seats 7?

You need to set a limit on baggage for the grandmas and stick to it. They can always do laundry during the trip.

 

[4littleones]

Shoot it is a Toyota Sienna. The Caravan was the minivan we had last year. My bad. the Sienna sits 8

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Shoot it is a Toyota Sienna. The Caravan was the minivan we had last year. My bad. the Sienna sits 8

Lol. Honest mistake! Still, set a baggage limit and use a roof rack. All big suitcases go on top, and a small bag goes in the van for necessities for the drive.

 

[auger]

We bought one of the hard carriers years ago at sears and it has served us faithfully for many trips across many years.
It is one of the full sized ones though, not those bullet shaped ones.
I love it, as we are able to get tons of stuff in it, and everything stays dry.
The only downside is the storage of it when you reach your destination.
But you said you are staying in a townhouse, so there is probably a place you could store it.
I would contact the person you are renting from and ask them.

Another thought, if u happen to have a hitch on your van, one of those luggage racks that ride on back would be nice too.
Might cut down on the wind resistance you get from putting the carrier on top.

 

[rwdavis2]

How about having the grandmas fly? The car seats in the siena (we have one) are going to make it a tight fit.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you have a hitch socket, you might want to consider putting it on the back instead; those are much easier on your gas mileage, and easier to unload on your overnight stop. If you go with a soft roof carrier, I recommend putting all of the suitcases into large garbage bags so that if there is a leak, nothing will get damaged.

Trust me, you will NEED an overnight stop. Otherwise, under those conditions, you are all going to go completely cuckoo by the time you arrive.

The PP was right: it might be worth your sanity to put your inlaws on a plane, even if you have to pay for their tickets.

 

[4littleones]

I have thought about a 2nd car rather than a plane so that adults can get a break from the kids. It is going to be VERY tight with 8 of us in there even w/o any luggage.

If we do all 8 in the Sienna I really would prefer to leave at night and just drive through with hope the kids will sleep and not get too upset/awake at the bright lights whenever we do gas stops. That is the only way I can think to do it. I just hope the grandma's can handle it.

My husband is paying for this entire trip for the 8 of us. I can't add plane tickets, even just two. I am smallish so I will spend the entire trip in the jump seat. I will have the grandma's take turns in the back seat and the front passenger seat. I am hoping that 1 of the grandma's will help with the driving or maybe 1 will squish in the jump seat so that I can do a little driving and give my hubby a break.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Renting a small uhaul trailer might be an awesome idea.

I rode in an Astro van with 7 people from Illinois to Orlando and swore never again. There must be at least one open seat in the vehicle for me to consider driving.

Before you finalize plans, I recommend putting everyone in the van in the configuration you are planning on using, and making sure everyone is ok with it. The grandmas may not be aware of how tight it really will be. And if one grandma refuses to sit in the back, then the other grandma is stuck back there.

 

[4littleones]

My mom is 5 hours away so we can't let her try it. I would rather not rent a Uhaul or have anything attached to the hitch. I think I like the idea of putting luggage on the roof. Our Dodge Caravan did not have roof racks so when we did the drive with 7 of us we had to pack all of our stuff in the back and had nothing on the roof. If we did that with 7 people I imagine we can certainly add an 8th person and roof storage w/o a problem.

My mom drove with us last time and she did fine in the back of the Caravan. I think the Sienna is much roomier in the 3rd row. My mother in law sits back there a lot now on short trips and she always tells us how much roomier it is than the Caravan so I think they will both do perfectly switching back and forth from the 3rd row to the passenger seat every gas break.

Maybe I am nuts LOL! It just saves so much money to drive, and it saves so much time to drive straight through.

Also My kids are getting older each year and I don't feel the need to pack so much. We don't need diapers this year!!!! YAY!

 

[maxiesmom]

My mom drove with us last time and she did fine in the back of the Caravan. I think the Sienna is much roomier in the 3rd row. My mother in law sits back there a lot now on short trips and she always tells us how much roomier it is than the Caravan so I think they will both do perfectly switching back and forth from the 3rd row to the passenger seat every gas break.

Honestly? I think you and your hubby need to take a turn sitting in back as well. Why do the Grandmas always have to be shoved back there? If it is as roomy as you say it is, each adult needs to take a turn in the back. It is only fair. This is coming from someone who travels with a family member that is short, but always takes the front seat. Not that I have any hard feelings about it or anything.

I should mention there is no way, no how, I would do what you plan on doing. Way too many people, in too close quarters, with too many bladders and tummies. And without stopping to sleep? No way!!!! Torture!!!!!

 

[toystorymom]

I've been thinking about the roof luggage carrier too. We are leaving in a couple of weeks and we'll have 6 in the van. I think we can fit everything but it would definitely give us more space. Not sure though, the point of driving is to save money, don't want to keep running out buying things.

I know everyone is telling you you're crazy (I get that all the time too). I just want to wish you luck and have a great trip!!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

I just booked a townhouse on VRBO for the last week of Oct 2013. This trip will include:

Me, DH, 6yr, 6yr, 5yr, 3yr, grandma and possible another grandma for a total of 8 people.

DH wants to drive again. This will be trip number 3 driving the 17 hr trip. But we have never driven with 8 people in a minivan. We did a trip with 7 of us in the minivan and we survived

We squished 2 strollers and all our stuff in the back but with 8 people (one being my MIL who I know will over pack) I think a rooftop luggage carrier would help us not be so squished.

Anyone have a recommendation on a rooftop luggage carrier? thanks

For that much luggage I would consider if you have a hitch, a small UHaul tag along. We had five and with a stroller, luggage and scooter used a soft roof carrier which got wet, and a hitch carrier on the rear.

 

[Sunnywho]

Honestly? I think you and your hubby need to take a turn sitting in back as well. Why do the Grandmas always have to be shoved back there? If it is as roomy as you say it is, each adult needs to take a turn in the back. It is only fair.

In a Toyota Sienna, the eighth seat is this little mini seat that is between the two middle row spots and can come forward, so if there's an infant there, the infant can be super close to the driver/passenger seats. It's not a comfortable seat. This is the seat the OP has already offered to take for herself.

 

[DisneyFreaksx4]

We just got back from disney and had 8 people (2 in car seats). We rented a 12 passenger van from Budget and drove 11 hours. We drove all night and it wasn't too bad! Split the cost of van and gas three ways.

 

[disneycrazy01]

First I would like to say have a great trip. Bring a bottle of aspirin with you and a pair of ear plugs.

Two years ago I went with my niece and her two sons who were 11 & 1 1/2 at the time. We went with a friend who owns a timeshare. She had gotten 2 or 3 rooms at Star Island. When she invited us to go along with her and her family we figured it wouldn't be so bad. It was her, her husband and her two kids. Her kids were 11 and 4 at the time.

By the time we were going to leave more people were going. The girl's mother, her sister and her three kids. It ended up being 13 or 14 people in the van and only 2 people were drivers. Another bad part was that the week at Star Island started the day we were leaving. The girl's husband couldn't get off from work a day or two earlier. By the time we got to Star Island we lost pretty much 2 days of our stay there.

The van that we rented didn't have a place for luggage on top of the van. The person that we were going with went to rent the van since she and her husband were the drivers. Her family had packed all their luggage behind the back seat and under the back seat. By the time we got to the van and went to sit down, guess where we were going to sit, car seat and all.

The four of us were in the back row with all the luggage under our feet and behind our seats. The a/c in the van didn't hit the back so we were quite uncomfortable. Imagine a 1 1/2 year old's dirty diaper in a hot van and no room to change him. By the time we got there I kind of regretted going. We had to make so many stops along the way that we didn't have that many days at Star Island.

The girl had planned to drop off her mother in another state along the way and stop in another state to pick up one of her cousins or something.

In a way it was good that we made a lot of stops. We needed it. We needed to get out of the back seat. Between sharing the cost of the van, the tolls, the gas it really ended up adding up. Besides that the 11 year was constantly hungry, buying fresh milk for the young one. Every time we stopped to get gas there was always a McDonald's or something nearby. My niece, her brother, her son were hungry, but how could I for my family without buying something for the other kids.

For what I spent on gas and food alone, I could have planned a cheap 4 day vacation in Atlantic City or something. I think we would have enjoyed it more. I don't want to be a downer, we did get to go to Florida and my 11 year old nephew had a great time. The 1 1/2 year old had so much running space he had a good time and missed the balcony when we got home. He wanted to get in his stroller and go sit on the balcony and fall asleep looking at the stars.

The only bad part was the ride from NY to Orlando and from Orlando to NY. The only good thing was that on the way home they didn't have to drop off or pick up any one. On the way home I was counting pennies because it cost so much.

Getting back to your situation - how old are the grandmas? Do they have arthritis that would also interfere with them sitting for such a long amount of time? You should also pack plenty of drinks in a cooler for the kids. They get really thirsty on the way and that is where the money starts adding up.

You should also bring some hand games or coloring books for the kids so they will be entertained. Being in a car with some cranky kids will also make for unhappy grandmas.

Good luck. Have a safe trip.

 

[Tigger1]

Once we had 7 in a van. two adults and 5 children ages 6 to 16. This was a 1350 mile trip we did without stopping. Thereafter we took two vans or one van and a small car. We also stopped one to two night each way( love the gulf coast).

We used a van topper. I do not remember where we bought it but it is a big grey plastic shell. Warning, do not forget its on top. I almost drove into the basement parking garage at Disneys Vero Beach resort. The ceiling has lots of water lines I would have hit. Family will not let me forget that almost incident.

I liked the idea of Grandma flying. Maybe send one of the children with her. If you fly SW you could send two cargo luggage and a carryon with each that flew. They might even allow the stroller to fly if she takes one of the grandchildren.

As far as who sets up front. Being a young grandmother myself, I say let grandmothers take turns up front. My legs cramp so quickly now. Children will also enjoy having mom and dad in back with them.

 

[maxiesmom]

In a Toyota Sienna, the eighth seat is this little mini seat that is between the two middle row spots and can come forward, so if there's an infant there, the infant can be super close to the driver/passenger seats. It's not a comfortable seat. This is the seat the OP has already offered to take for herself.

That makes it even worse. No one wants to start their Disney vacation with a sore back or body from being smushed for hours on end into a seat not meant for an adult.

And the OP seems to be forgetting all about the ride home. So she will have to do it all again. Only this time everyone will be worn out and a bit cranky. I have to say, I wish you luck OP.