1st Time driving from NJ, advice, tips, etc please.

[WeLoveLilo05]

We are 90% sure that we will be taking our first drive down to WDW this year from NJ. We usually fly, but money is tight and I have anxiety with flying (don't know how I did it for the past 2 years).
Anyways, it will be me, fiance, and our DD who is 5. We have never driven this far/long before (well Fiance has, me and DD haven't, the furthest was from NJ to NH which is about 7 hours). Mapquest says it should take 18 hours. Our check in dates should be (haven't booked yet) Aug 20. I'd like to leave the 19th in the early morning and arrive in WDW in the afternoon on the 20th,so we could hit a park, is this possible time wise?
Not sure which route we are taking exactly, but can anyone recommend any places to stay? Some nice areas? How much would you have ready for tolls?
Any tips would be appreciated GREATLY since we have never driven this far before. Thanks!

 

[mousebymarriage]

We live in New Jersey too and have driven a few times and we will be driving again in less than 2 weeks. We live in Bergen County about 6 miles from the GWB.
We have left a few different times 2:30am being the absolute worst. It was our first time driving and my youngest was 5 so we listened to a co-worker who has driven many times (but without kids). We woke the kids at 2:15am just enough time to use the restroom and also brush teeth. I put them to bed in sweats and T's the night before so they wouldn't have to get dressed. We were pulling out of the driveway by 2:30am. I thought the kids would go back to sleep...WRONG! They were absolutely wired! My DDwho was 9 1/2 got car sick and puked/ dry heaved through Jersey, Delaware, Maryland & Washington. When we stopped for breakfast in Virginia I gave her a dramamine and we rested for about 45 min and then she was fine. The kids were super cranky and tired after breakfast because they were up since 2:15am.
Our best time was leaving at 4pm (on a Sunday in March). We hit virtually no traffic and the kids were fine. Gave DD a dramamine about 30 minutes before we left the house and again the next morning. No car sickness at all.
We have tried it both ways, stopping over at a hotel and sleeping during the night and driving straight through. We prefer the straight through route. My DH does a lot od the daytime driving and since I am a major night owl I do all of the overnight driving. The day we arrive in Disney we don't do any parks just relax, go in the pool and early to bed so the we are refreshed for our first full day at Disney.
When we leave on Feb. 5th we will be leaving after lunch and will drive straight through. We make sure to stop at restaurants like Chick Fil A or McD's on the way down that have a "playplace" This allows the kids to stretch their legs for about 30 minutes after they eat and also get out some of that pent up energy. We have plenty of time and just don't rush it.

Pack coloring books & crayons, a portable DVD player is the greatest invention ever. Get a couple of new DVD's to go along with her old favorites. Even a few little surprises maybe from the dollar store wrapped up in Disney paper and handed out periodically is a great thing too. My kids love to play the license plate game. We write down all the different plates, our most was around 40 states and a few different ones from Canada. We also have a small hand held game (the size of a tennis ball) called 20Q and it uses questions to try and figure out what item you are thinking about. You can buy it for a few dollars at Target, WalMart, Toys R us etc.

On the way down we have stopped in Santee, S.C. (about 11 or 12 hours from here) and we stayed at Country Inn & Suites. Nice clean hotel in safe area. I know alot of people who have stayed in various hotels in Santee on their way down and no complaints.

Have a great vacation! Just take your time and remember NO SPEEDING IN GEORGIA, the fines there are brutal and they will pull you over!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Thanks for the tips, especially the no speeding in Georgia! I will google Santee. We have a portable DVD player and Nintendo DS so that should keep her occupied for a bit. Thanks, I will go to the $store and get some things and wrap it up, thats a cute idea. I also have a Disney Outlet (we live down the shore, so we drive to the Jackson outlets periodically since its not far) so maybe i could find a few good things there. Last year we found a Cinderella Light Up Spinner for only $4!

 

[disneylovin24]

I live near NYC and I've done the drive 10 times. We almost always leave early in the am, drive to Georgia, and get to disney around 1-2 the next day. We like to stay in the Savannah/Richmond Hills/Pooler area of Georgia.

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

We're in NJ (exit 105... ) and we've driven many times. This year is the first time we'll be flying.

I personally don't like to drive straight through as we both get sleepy at night so we extend our vacation 2 days to allow for travel time (our jobs are flexible). I like to go 2/3 of the way before stopping as it makes the ride the next morning that much shorter.

We pack snacks, drinks, pb&j sandwiches and make little goodie bags that we break out every few hours to keep the kids entertained. With 3 little kids, we stop for potty breaks every few hours and take the chance to stretch our legs.

One book I HIGHLY recommend is "Drive I-95, Exit by Exit":
http://www.amazon.com/Drive-I-95-Ex...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264513529&sr=8-1

It's an amazing book that has detailed info on each and every exit on 95 so you can plan your stops very easily. You can look for particular restaurants, gas stations, parks, etc. It comes in very handy.

We have one of these for each of the kids which is great for eating on, coloring, holding books, and the edge keeps little toys from falling off. Another very handy item for long drives.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Kids-Snack-Play-Travel/dp/B000KJBFC8

It will help make your DD more comfortable if you give her something to rest her feet on - dangling legs for 19+ hours can give you pins and needles and just isn't that comfortable. We stuff a pillow, a box or whatever else is in the car anyway in front of their seats as a footrest. Not sturdy enough to stand on, but enough to give little legs some support.

Have fun!

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

I certainly understand people who don't want to drive straight through; however, that is what we have done.

We haven't done it for a few years, but I think we left around 7 or 8 pm. I would drive first while my wife would sleep. When I started to feel tired, we would switch and my wife would drive while I slept. We would switch again when I woke up.

Because we left in the evening, the kids would sleep all night. Yes, they were awake for the first couple of hours, but they would watch a movie or play video games. Then of course they would wake up in the morning before we stopped for breakfast and then be awake until we got to Disney. It makes for a much more enjoyable trip.

It would take us about 16 or 17 hours including stops for gas and breakfast. We would arrive in Disney right around noon. One time it took a little longer because we pulled off into a rest area to get a couple hours of sleep.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

We're in NJ (exit 105... ) and we've driven many times. This year is the first time we'll be flying.

I personally don't like to drive straight through as we both get sleepy at night so we extend our vacation 2 days to allow for travel time (our jobs are flexible). I like to go 2/3 of the way before stopping as it makes the ride the next morning that much shorter.

We pack snacks, drinks, pb&j sandwiches and make little goodie bags that we break out every few hours to keep the kids entertained. With 3 little kids, we stop for potty breaks every few hours and take the chance to stretch our legs.

One book I HIGHLY recommend is "Drive I-95, Exit by Exit":
http://www.amazon.com/Drive-I-95-Ex...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264513529&sr=8-1

It's an amazing book that has detailed info on each and every exit on 95 so you can plan your stops very easily. You can look for particular restaurants, gas stations, parks, etc. It comes in very handy.

We have one of these for each of the kids which is great for eating on, coloring, holding books, and the edge keeps little toys from falling off. Another very handy item for long drives.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Kids-Snack-Play-Travel/dp/B000KJBFC8

It will help make your DD more comfortable if you give her something to rest her feet on - dangling legs for 19+ hours can give you pins and needles and just isn't that comfortable. We stuff a pillow, a box or whatever else is in the car anyway in front of their seats as a footrest. Not sturdy enough to stand on, but enough to give little legs some support.

Have fun!

We're exit 98 off the parkway!! Thanks for the book idea and that little travel table, that looks ideal. We also hope to drive 2/3 of the way the first day. Thanks again everyone for the tips! It was most helpful!

 

[huskies90]

Check out this thread for tons of info:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1655918

We did it last February from CT and also did the straight through drive. We left at about 4PM Friday night and arrived by 2PM Saturday. We had two drivers and a three row SUV. We set up the kids (12 and 9) one in each row and they spread out and slept most of the night. My wife and I switched off driving and I did the late night early AM shift. If I ever do the drive again, that is the way to go. No traffic at all and a smooth ride the whole way down. I will say that doing the same trip coming back was a bit tougher...