Am I CRAZY?? - Driving

[WDWorBUST]

We are going to WDW this September 9/24 - 10/2 and then again 11/24 - 12/4. We bought AP's last December so we are wanting to get our "moneys worth". Of course now we have committed to going with friends and then my parents. I want to go both times. In fact I want to fly both times to have more time but there is just no way. We cannot afford to fly both times. I have a 16 month old DD who will be almost 2 in September and then just over 2 (obviously) for our after-Thanksgiving trip. Am I crazy to drive that far with one that little?

 

[dkddis]

I have driven twice from MA and our DD was 16 month for the first drive and 3 for our drive this Feb. She was fine with the first drive the only small problem we had was she slept so much in the car it was hard to get her to sleep at night in our hotel stop on the way down. Other than that she was fine. I say go for it!!

 

[WDWorBUST]

Thanks for the encouragement!! We are renting a car with a DVD player - but right now she doesn't like TV or videos really (I'm not complaining ) I also thought we would leave after work on a Friday and drive straight through - but if we needed to stop we could. I can easily sleep in a car so I could sleep early and then DH could sleep late. The good thing is I know my limits and I know I can't drive worth beans when I'm sleepy. She would be up for a couple of hours then we could get her in her jammies and she could sleep in her carseat. Then we could stop for breakfast in the morning so she could run around and we could get her dressed. THen we would only have have about 7 hours left (it's a 20 hour drive for us.) We could take turns in the backseat with her doing activities. I was thinking about getting one of those carseat tables so she could color (she's just discovered coloring and already LOVES it). Any other suggestions on driving with one that little?

 

[minkydog]

20 hours in the car with a 2yo? I have done it and I hate it. I'd rather gnaw my own arm off. But, hey! It's your vacation and you know your child the best. If you can stand the drive, you'll have more money for WDW.

 

[crzy4dsny]

Those AP's are EVIL They made me drive to Disney twice in one year. I think they have some kind of curse on them or something.

I drove with a 2,4, and 5 year old. We had no problems at all. They were very enjoyable trips. We are buying AP's again this June when we go. We are hopefully going to go back again in August, driving on both trips.

The kids have behaved very well on our trips. Our van had a built in vcr that they watched most of the time. Now we have a suv with a dvd player. They are a must for long trips.

 

[SB in KY]

The driving all night idea is great if you are up for it....I love driving at night and when my girls were little they would sleep right through most of the drive. My DH HATES to drive at night...so we could never go all night....sigh, but if you all are up for it try it for the first trip and see how it goes....if it is awful then you can have the driving trip behind you and fly the second trip....besides, less chance of bad weather for the first trip anyways.

I highly recommend either McDonalds with playplaces or picnics at roadside parks/rest areas instead of sit down meals while travelling....giving them a chance to run and squeal and wiggle sure seemed to help a LOT. We usually avoided McD's like the plague, but those play places were very welcome on long road trips!! Roadside parks were great too....picnics with food from home that they liked and they could run while they ate!!

We always got a lot of mileage out of new coloring books and crayons or markers....a small dry erase board with bright markers was also great for keeping them entertained (actually anything that was new always seemed to hold their interest longer on the road....I always made a run to the Dollar store and got things I thought they would like and kept them tucked away until trip day and then got them out 1 thing at a time as needed.

We also got a lot of mileage out of childrens books on cassette tapes (I am dating myself....I guess they are all on CD's now....those were especially great if their was an adult in the back seat with them to hold the book and turn the pages....but even if the book wasn't even open they liked to listen as we drove.

We dreaded the first long road trip with them (it was 17 hours from where we lived then), they had just turned 2 and 4...(and the 2 year old was not usually a good traveller) but DH and I still remember how amazed we were that they did so well.

I think by thinking it all through and planning well the trip will be easier than you think. (and you are already doing that).

Have a GREAT time.

 

[magsmom]

We loved the Drive from MA to FL in August 2003 and would love to do it again. We squeezed a third trip out of our 2002-03 passes when I did the math and found that it was cheaper to go to FL than to the Cape!!!!

Unfortunately both DH and I now have jobs where we "can't stop to smell the roses" anymore and to go to Disney we need to fly (can't take 2 weeks off in one fell swoop).

If you have kids, make sure there are DVDs, lots of crayons, etc. One warning - the trip back is not as fun as the trip down.

If you can get the time, do it and experience all that this country has to offer. No, you are not crazy. Have a great time. We almost envy the experiences you will have.