Any advice on driving from NJ to WDW?

[PatricenPete]

We have a family trip planned for October 2007 and are seriously contemplating driving down. We are thinking of leaving NJ on Thursday evening at 7 pm and driving all night, stopping only for bathroom breaks. We have two toddlers, so we figured that driving over night while they are sleeping will be best.

Any advice? Suggestions? Drawbacks?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[dsnymomof4]

That is EXACTLY what we are doing in 2 weeks! We're leaving on Aug 24th at 7:00pm from NJ and expect to check in at Pop Century around 1:00pm Saturday! We have DS12 and DDs 9,8 and 5. We did it last July and it was fine. They watched a movie for the first couple of hours (DVD player is a must!!!!), slept all night and played games and watched more DVDs in the morning. The I-95 drive is quite boring, but if you can do it at night, I think it's the way to go. It minimizes the time the kids have to be "bored". We bring snacks and drinks and just stop for gas and bathroom breaks when needed. Good luck!

 

[PatricenPete]

How do you handle the first day in Disney? Do you do the parks or do you just relax at the resort for that day?

 

[dsnymomof4]

We usually hit the parks right away. The kids are so excited to be there - they can't wait to go on the rides. Our usual "first" park is MGM - we head right to RnR - that seems to be their favorite. The kids are usually fine because they sleep well in the car, but DH and I are usually tired. We don't usually have any set plans for the 1st day, but with the free dining, we made a ressie for 50s Prime Time that night. We'll probably head back to Pop soon after that, so we can rest up for our first full day.

 

[tinker-belle]

Hi. We live in Northern Jersey & have taken the auto train twice and are taking it again this january. We calculated the cost of how much just GAS would be to drive all the way down to florida (not including tolls & wear & tear on car, as well as ourselves , and the cost was about 350.00
Instead we drive 4 hours to the auto train, load our car on & the train takes us the rest of the way. Kids under two are free. Children are half price of adults. When we are going it is costing 700 for two adults & two kids.... but there are NO codes for when we are going (other than our AAA discount). There ARE codes though for travel through mid december in case this is something you'd want to consider.

 

[cranbiz]

I guess that my mileage is better than yours,

I can make the trip from MA to FL round trip for about $300 and that's driving a mid sized 4X4 pickup. ( and that was with gas in the $2.90 range)

When I drive, I do it straight through also. Our first day is USUALLY a destress day and it may include a quick afternoon/evening visit to the parks. I have been known to drop the suitcases and head for the park (NYE for example) But that does make a very long day.

PatricenPete:

Your timing is about right, you will miss all of the traffic congestion times in the MD/DC/VA/Jax areas. Don't be afraid to take am extra break here or there. In March, DW and I took our two neices 2 and 4 to DW leaving from Wareham, MA. It took us 21 hours going down and 22 hours going back. The majority of our drive was at night. Everything worked out great and we has the best time.