Any New Englanders drive to Florida?

[iambrink]

So, i know the answer to this is yes, but i am wondering about the drive. I am in NH and we usually fly SW which runs about $900-1200 for the four of us. Our next trip is November for a Thanksgiving cruise and I am considering driving. I hate the idea of using up time to drive versus fly, so i know i am answering my own question, but i would love to hear others experiences with the drive. It would save the plane tickets, parking at the airport, transfers in Orlando from the airport or renting a car and i could pack a little different...But that 24 hour drive, OMG

Yes, i know there are a lot of tolls and i would consider breaking up the drive back so that's a hotel stay. I also know there may be weather issues, but what do you think? It would save probably about $750 or more depending on the prices of flights when they are released in May.

I would like to know what makes other people decide to drive versus fly.

thanks!

 

[megthewonderful]

I'm from NH too and we drive at least once a year, sometimes twice. We'll be driving down again in 19 days. There are 5 of us and driving has consistently been cheaper than flying. We pack a lot of snacks, movies and video games. I admit that we lead a very hectic life, so the drive down is actually great family time for us. We typically leave NH between 3 and 4am (early, I know!), but this year we are thinking about leaving around noon time and doing the bulk of our driving the second day as opposed to day 1. We are still deciding on a driving strategy with only 19 days to go! It's a long drive, but we have a lot of fun along the way!

 

[crazy4mm]

We aren't New Englanders....we are in New York.

When we took the kids for their first trip in Sept 2008, we drove non-stop. We left around dinner time and drove through the night. We arrived the next day, mid-day. We stayed on Disney, so we went straight to the hotel, got our tickets and headed straight to the park. We were EXHAUSTED! (Not our best idea!) For the drive home, we had planned to leave mid-day, however we were having so much fun that we didn't end up leaving MK til after 8pm! It was great!

Being a family of 5 as well, driving is a HUGE savings for us! (Which leaves us more money for Disney!!) And though we originally feared the idea of being cooped up for so long.....it really wasn't that bad. Between the sleeping, bathroom breaks, stops for meals (picnic style and "fast" food), and lack of traffic during the overnight hours....time surprisingly flew by!

In 2011, we flew from CT - direct flight, only 3hrs. It was good, but we realized that we liked the flexibility of having our own car instead (we could pack food and drinks, and work around our own schedule - instead of a flight schedule).

This year, we are driving down for New Year's week! Our plan is to leave around 2am Sunday morning - however we have the flexibility to leave Saturday evening instead, depending on the weather or if our excitement gets the best of us!! We plan to drive straight through again - however, we learned our lesson and will not plan to attend a park on arrival day! Instead, we will head straight to the hotel and enjoy a fresh start for our first day! Then, for the ride home, we are looking forward to the flexibility of leaving whatever time we feel like it!

Enjoy the ride!!

 

[bryannem]

We drove all the time when I was younger because we would camp at Fort Wilderness. We would always spend one night in a hotel to break it up. This was before video games and DVD so we had old fashioned card games and barbies. I loved it! Out favorite part was stopping at the welcome center as you enter Florida. We knew we were almost there. I can't wait to do this someday with my kids. So no, don't think you are crazy at all.

 

[Nevergrow'nup]

We have driven many times! Well worth it!! The trip was 1/2 the fun! Just to have that family time, uninterrupted was great!! We would listen to books on tape and the miles flew!! We almost ran out of gas once as my we weren't watching the gas gauge due to the story!!

Cracker Barrel and your libraries rent out the tapes.
Love car trips!!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

We have driven from NH a few times. We have left in the afternoon and drove about 7 hours to Scranton, PA and stopped for the night, and the next day do a very long day of driving, and staying again someplace and then getting to Disney in the third day. We use the route 84 way to avoid most of the tolls picking up 95 south in Virginia.

I found during the night while the kids slept was very tiring the next day because they were wide awake and we were exhausted.

We have tried getting up early and driving a long day and staying overnight someplace and then another long day the next day gets you to Florida at night and then onto Disney the third day.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've now done the drive from SE MA to Orlando twice. We survived.

We will no doubt do it again because we will be moving there (once we find the right house) and will need to get our cars there. Since we are retired, the extra days driving there and back doesn't affect the amount of time we have in FL.

Cost-wise we found that gas averaged 3.65/gal on our trip earlier this month. We got 26 MPG in a RAV4 but that included driving a few hundred miles around the Orlando area. We were getting 27+ MPG on the actual drive. Depending on your vehicle you may do better, or worse.

Divide the number of miles from your home by the average MPG of your vehicle to determine how many gallons you'll need for the drive. Then multiply that by the $3.65 to get an idea of the cost for gas. Don't be surprised when it comes out to ~$400.

Although we stopped two nights on the road we are considering doing just one stop the next time. Our average hotel cost was $90/night including tax (we qualify for both the AAA and AARP rates). We typically stay at Fairfield Inn properties so that price includes a free breakfast.

Add the gas and hotel prices and you are looking at nearly $600. I didn't calculate the tolls (we have an EZ Pass and I just haven't looked at my account) but its probably around an extra $20 each way.

The real question is, can you stand to be cooped up in a car with your family for that long?

 

[iambrink]

We will no doubt do it again because we will be moving there (once we find the right house) and will need to get our cars there. Since we are retired, the extra days driving there and back doesn't affect the amount of time we have in FL.

Cost-wise we found that gas averaged 3.65/gal on our trip earlier this month. We got 26 MPG in a RAV4 but that included driving a few hundred miles around the Orlando area. We were getting 27+ MPG on the actual drive. Depending on your vehicle you may do better, or worse.

Divide the number of miles from your home by the average MPG of your vehicle to determine how many gallons you'll need for the drive. Then multiply that by the $3.65 to get an idea of the cost for gas. Don't be surprised when it comes out to ~$400.

Although we stopped two nights on the road we are considering doing just one stop the next time. Our average hotel cost was $90/night including tax (we qualify for both the AAA and AARP rates). We typically stay at Fairfield Inn properties so that price includes a free breakfast.

Add the gas and hotel prices and you are looking at nearly $600. I didn't calculate the tolls (we have an EZ Pass and I just haven't looked at my account) but its probably around an extra $20 each way.

The real question is, can you stand to be cooped up in a car with your family for that long?

That is a good question! We have a hybrid that does not do as well on highway, but i figured it would cost about $800 for gas and tolls. My kids are "are we there yet after 5 minutes" type kids, so i am not sure they would enjoy that much "family" time! My husband tolerates lack of sleep much better than i do, so he would probably do most of the late night/early morning driving.

I do find the answers interesting and something to consider. Time would be a factor because i don't want to use up too much "school" time for driving and i am not willing to cut my trip short to fit in the drive.

Oh the decisions!

 

[Jimsig]

I have always said you need to do the drive at least once just for the experience. That said I have done it twice. Once in college and the second time was a pretty much last min trip for the Daytona 500. Both times were straight through with only two drivers. I have done subsequent 13 hour trips from Boston to Bristol TN, and Charlotte NC for NASCAR races with 2, 3, and 4 drivers. Have at least three helps for a straight through trip. 2 is enough if you plan on stopping for a night IMO. I would probably never do it straight through again with only 2 drivers.

If you do drive make sure to get a EZ Pass/Fast Pass for any tolls in the North East/Mid Atlantic. Fla currently uses different system that is not compatible with the transponders we use in the North (thought I think from what has been mentioned on these boards that FLA will be converting at some point). It's nice to breeze through the tolls. Even if it only save you a few min it seems like a lifetime.

Have fun

 

[lucyem]

We drive from NH 2-3xs a year. I will not fly. Sometimes my DH will fly and I will drive with a friend or kids. My oldest will tell you he thinks the drive is fun. It certainly has its moments both good and bad. My youngest can get a little bored and cause problems sometimes. But between family games, movies and other stuff we all stay entertained.

Generally we leave after dinner and drive all night. We get 84 out to NY and then down the NYThruway, Garden State and then 95 the rest of the way. DC by morning. Sometimes we stop in GA for the night and other times we keep going. We play it by ear. Our WDW reservations are always made expecting us to spend a night somewhere since we are DVC.

We have slowly added interesting stops along the way. Once we drove through PA and stopped in Gettysburg. Once we discovered the Good Earth Peanut Company in VA and now stop there every trip. Our next trip is involving a side trip through MD.

We really love the book on driving 95 with a list of each exit and whats at each exit. I write notes in pen when we stop somewhere to remember the good stuff and the places to stay away from - like that nasty rest stop in SC with about 30 ferrel cats in the driveway. My favorite iphone app for the drive is Waze because it it real time traffic by other drivers and it has saved us from many traffic jams.

We love being able to pack what we want and having our own car. My DH is addicted to fresh squeezed orange juice so we pick a lot to bring home. Not things you can do when flying. We have never really figured out the costs of driving. I looked at the EZPass statement last trip and I think $20 is a good approximate the way we drive.

Weather has always been on our minds. One of our first trips I was watching the weather channel like a hawk only for whatever reason the mid atlantic states were not showing the extreme threat of snow. I found out on here we had better leave 24 hours early to miss what turned out to be a massive blizzard a few years ago. But since then we tend to only go down in April & Oct. One April we came through SC a few days after some devestating tornados. Very scary.

 

[WMorganS]

We drive almost non-stop from the Nashua area. We take turns sleeping and it takes us 21-22 hours, with one stop for breakfast at McDonalds in Jacksonville.

DS7, DD7, and I enjoy it, but DW doesn't, so we fly during the cooler months for about $800 total.

 

[alyssa810]

My DH and I drove down once, when we were in college, from SE Mass, and given that we were young and extremely budget-minded, we drove straight through. We stopped for bathroom breaks and to eat, if memory serves, in NJ for lunch, then VA for dinner, and then we didn't stop until GA. We were supposed to switch off driving so one of us could sleep while the other drove, but he wasn't getting tired so he drove most of the way; I only drove about 2 hours until we stopped in GA. We just parked in a rest area for about 3 hours to sleep, and then we were right back on the road. It took us about 25 hours.

Now, if I ever considered driving with our DS, I'd never go commando like that. I think if we had places to stop along the way, I'd maybe consider it, but the thing is, IMO, time is money, and the flights are worth it to us- but that's just my view. I know plenty of people who will ONLY drive too, but for us, it's worth it to spend the money on a flight and be down in 3 hours. If we didn't have limited vacation time, that would be one thing, but when the drive down takes a full day + if you go straight through, and same on the way back, that eats away at park time.

I will say the experience of driving down with my DH (BF back then) was certainly worth it, especially since we were under 25 so renting a car would have been a lot, and flights were pricy for us...we stayed at the super 8 on 192 for something ridiculous like $21.95 a night (free continental breakfast!), and got all sorts of discounted tickets for the attractions...it just makes us appreciate what we have now, and what we're able to do with our DS.

There's also something to be said for driving past South of the Border in the middle of the night, all lit up like a little Vegas LOL!

 

[Sheaboys]

I am from Mass., also, we drove in 2005 with our 3 kids (at that time). We left around 4, stopped for supper around 6:30, stopped to get jammies on at 8, all kids asleep in carseats not long after, they were 7, 5, and 3. They did not get up until 7am the next morning. We drove straight through, to the gulf side, to see my parents first. Spent the night there, which was great, because dh and I were done, done, done, by 6pm or so, my parents watch kids. We left the next day for Disney. We stopped in NC on the way home at a friends house, which was out of the way.

We drove again in 2007, with 4 of our kids. Again drove straight through. In 2008, I drove alone with the 4 kids, they were 1.5, 4.5, 7 and 9. I left at 6:30am, we did our normal stop for lunch, eat outside the van, stopped for potty breaks, we stopped for supper and sleep at 6:00pm. Stayed in Dunn, NC, at a Holiday Inn, I think, free breakfast. So we ate, took some danishes with us, back on the road by 7am. I was at my parents by 7 that night. SO I did many more stops than I would have with dh, but it worked. On the way home, stopped about the same area, we even got off in DC and saw the sights.
Plenty of books, had a dual DVD play with phone jacks for 3 sets of headphones for 3, then single DVD player for 1 other kid. A cooler of drinks, a big bag of snacks, plenty of trash bags and wipe.


This past time, we flew with our 5 kids.

 

[pocomom]

The drive can be a bear. especially around NY, Baltimore, DC. I have an alternate route if you are going at bad traffic times- and don't mind a longer but more scenic and sometimes even quicker drive. Take I84 from wherever you get it through NY and to PA, get on 380 in PA to I81. Stay on I81 almost to Strasburg VA. Take I66, this is a beautiful ride through the shenandoah mountains, to exit 28 RTE 17 south to I 95 south in fredericksburg VA and then continue as normal - No traffic, some beautiful views, but still plenty of place to stop, shop, get something to eat etc. IF you look at a map there are some other alternatives staying on 66 longer but the one above I did the Saturday after Christmas so I can vouch for it being traffic (and toll) free! At least until I hit GA as the sun was going down and everyone hit the brakes!

As far as why we drive, we have three kids that come with us now. It is much more affordable, but I like to also make it part of the trip. We find fun places to stop. Our first one is normally Hershey park. We can park free and go on the hershey chocolate ride for free and everyone gets a free piece of chocolate. The kids normally bring a little money for a candy purchase and that takes care of their junk needs for the trip
This last time I drove our RV (first time by myself!) took 4 days down and three back. Can't say THAT was much cheaper than flying gas wise, but we stayed at the Fort and other places so it's our car and our hotel! When in our minivan I like to stop every few hours and get out even if it is for 5-10 minutes. Makes a world of difference with how you feel and how every acts! I always print up a packet for the kids, with maps they can follow along with, a scavenger hunt, the license plate game etc. They know if they ask me how much longer I am going to make them figure it out we get a couple of redbox movies and deposit them in Fl when we get there, and I make sure we have all the chargers for all their devices and let them have a new game or two and the kids really do great.

 

[iambrink]

The drive can be a bear. especially around NY, Baltimore, DC. I have an alternate route if you are going at bad traffic times- and don't mind a longer but more scenic and sometimes even quicker drive. Take I84 from wherever you get it through NY and to PA, get on 380 in PA to I81. Stay on I81 almost to Strasburg VA. Take I66, this is a beautiful ride through the shenandoah mountains, to exit 28 RTE 17 south to I 95 south in fredericksburg VA and then continue as normal - No traffic, some beautiful views, but still plenty of place to stop, shop, get something to eat etc. IF you look at a map there are some other alternatives staying on 66 longer but the one above I did the Saturday after Christmas so I can vouch for it being traffic (and toll) free! At least until I hit GA as the sun was going down and everyone hit the brakes!

As far as why we drive, we have three kids that come with us now. It is much more affordable, but I like to also make it part of the trip. We find fun places to stop. Our first one is normally Hershey park. We can park free and go on the hershey chocolate ride for free and everyone gets a free piece of chocolate. The kids normally bring a little money for a candy purchase and that takes care of their junk needs for the trip
This last time I drove our RV (first time by myself!) took 4 days down and three back. Can't say THAT was much cheaper than flying gas wise, but we stayed at the Fort and other places so it's our car and our hotel! When in our minivan I like to stop every few hours and get out even if it is for 5-10 minutes. Makes a world of difference with how you feel and how every acts! I always print up a packet for the kids, with maps they can follow along with, a scavenger hunt, the license plate game etc. They know if they ask me how much longer I am going to make them figure it out we get a couple of redbox movies and deposit them in Fl when we get there, and I make sure we have all the chargers for all their devices and let them have a new game or two and the kids really do great.

Great tips! I will revisit all these suggestions after i see what SW has to offer in May! This is awesome. thanks...

 

[Pooh2]

We have driven all the way down to Florida from NH twice, the first time with 3 toddlers, the 2nd time pulling a camper in a winter storm. Def a lonnnnggg drive!

Our last trip we drove to Lorton, VA and got on the autotrain, and slept overnight in coach. It was about a 9 hour drive from NH to VA, then 17 hours on the train.

 

[disneymom06]

We have been driving down to FL for the last 10 years. There are 6 of us, so the savings are significant. Our best experience has been leaving NY at 1am. DH slept from 6pm till about 12:30 am, then showered and drove. The kids and I packed the car and when they got in the car were asleep in an hour. We hit no traffic to speak of and pulled into POR. At 8:30pm. This was the summer.

Winter is different. You need to be prepared for weather, all the way into Florida. These times have not been our easiest drives, but they haven't stopped us. You have to be prepared and very flexible with your time. While we try to drive straight thru, DH doesn't mind the drive, stopping is always a possibility.

 

[angwill]

The transportation boards have a whole thread dedicated to drivers who drive from all over and most are on the east coast and have made dozens of driving trips. The thread can be found here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=47959373#post47959373

 

[iambrink]

The transportation boards have a whole thread dedicated to drivers who drive from all over and most are on the east coast and have made dozens of driving trips. The thread can be found here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=47959373#post47959373

Thanks. I will check it out!

 

[eeyorethegreat]

We drive from Central Maine for us it is just about a 24 hour ride as well. We do stay over one night on the way down and back. There are 7 of us. It is a long drive. But the cost of flights is the hindrance to flying for us. Even with food and lodging it is still less than round trip flights for 7 plus rental car, plus long term parking .

It really isn't that bad. My kids are all teens now but even when they were younger it wasn't too bad. I packed activity bags for them. Books to read, music and audio book cds. For a few trips we had DVD players but we never found one that was of good enough quality to make it worth the cost of them. We have certain "mile markers" that help us see the progress on the road.

We however go in the summer during summer break so we have the time available to us to make the drive.

So, i know the answer to this is yes, but i am wondering about the drive. I am in NH and we usually fly SW which runs about $900-1200 for the four of us. Our next trip is November for a Thanksgiving cruise and I am considering driving. I hate the idea of using up time to drive versus fly, so i know i am answering my own question, but i would love to hear others experiences with the drive. It would save the plane tickets, parking at the airport, transfers in Orlando from the airport or renting a car and i could pack a little different...But that 24 hour drive, OMG

Yes, i know there are a lot of tolls and i would consider breaking up the drive back so that's a hotel stay. I also know there may be weather issues, but what do you think? It would save probably about $750 or more depending on the prices of flights when they are released in May.

I would like to know what makes other people decide to drive versus fly.

thanks!