Anyone drive from Missouri?

[momto2inKC]

We'll be going to Disney in May and we are planning on driving. I'm just curious if anyone from around me (Kansas City area) has driven and if you have any tips for us. I've heard it takes about 20 hours total to get there. We're unsure of where we'll be stopping to stay overnight. We will be leaving on a Friday and plan on checking in Sunday morning at Pop.

 

[momto2inKC]

Just a little bump

 

[LoveToDisney]

We fly...20+ hours would drive me nuts!

 

[FallDisney]

We fly too, but boy, airfare is really high from KC right now!!!!! Hoping for some fare sale soon!!!

 

[LoveToDisney]

We fly too, but boy, airfare is really high from KC right now!!!!! Hoping for some fare sale soon!!!

I agree...been watching the SWA site daily.

 

[momto2inKC]

We fly...20+ hours would drive me nuts!

Our initial plan had us flying, but that changed as we all decided we wanted to take our time getting back. We plan on heading to the ocean after the Disney part of our vacation. We didn't want to be 'tied' to a schedule, you know So driving we will be! lol I just hope my kids handle it well and don't drive me or my husband too crazy

 

[momto2inKC]

When the fares for May first came out in December for SWA, they had pretty good prices. For the 4 of us we could've flown for right over $700! I've kept an eye on the fares just to see what they're going for and it's quite a bit higher now

We fly too, but boy, airfare is really high from KC right now!!!!! Hoping for some fare sale soon!!!

 

[vossjemi]

We live in Springfield and plan to fly if we can get a good rate in sept. I'd really love to fly from SGF, but that may not be possible....may have to drive to KC, STL, or Tulsa for Southwest if we get a good rate. That being said, there is nothing wrong with driving as it can be a fun way to travel if you have the extra time. Last summer we drove to Galveston and stayed for 5 days. It was a 12 hour drive with a 2 and 4 year old. It actually didn't go too bad. We drove through the night to get there, so the kids slept most of the way. And, then on the way back, we had a tv/vcr combo that plugs into the cigarette lighter. That was a lifesaver. Also make sure to bring snacks/drinks/ and fun car toys to keep the kids occupied. Our trip ended up being just fine, but don't know if I'd do a 20 hour one! Whew! You are brave! ha ha. Hope you have fun & let us know how it goes.

p.s. I just noticed a sticky at the top of this board for info and hints for driving. You might check that out as well.

 

[Melynny]

We drive regularly from ST. Louis in 16 hours... . Kansas city will add about 4 hours to your trip.. so 20 hours is about right. It is about 8 hours for us to get to Atlanta. We also fly alot too!

 

[Princess Tink]

We have drove before. It's not too bad, but I must say DECIDE WHETHER TO DRIVE STRAIGHT THRU prior to leaving.

We live about 45 minutes north of KC. It took 18 hours of DRIVE TIME. That was including our GAS Breaks but not our 35 minute picnic for in TN for lunch, or the nights sleep in FL. Keep in mind my DH is heavy footed, thank goodness for Radar Detectors.

The reason I mentioned deciding to drive straight through or not is because we looked for a hotel Tipton, GA clear through until we found a room in Lake City, FL which I would not recommend staying at. On the trip home we had the same issue, but we never found a room and we had started looking for a room in Murfreesboro, TN and finally gave up by the time we made it to St Louis. We could of made it to FL on the trip down had we not already been so dead set on a nice refreshing dip in a pool someplace, but on the trip home we didn't leave WDW until 130 in the afternoon after we played a little so we were exhausted. On the trip home we drove straight through (not by choice), it was awful. So, my number one tip here is decide when and were to stop before getting on the road and make a reservation. Here is all the details if you are interested:

Left HOME SAT 0522 AM 0.00
Stopped just east of St Louis SAT 0906 AM 3.73
Gased/Break at ALT 41 in KY SAT 1236 PM 3.50
stopped for 35 minutes (300-335PM) for a picnic at Rest Area in TN (beautiful view) (0.58)
Gased/Break at Exit 296 SAT 0447 PM 4.19
Gased/Break at Exit 18 Valdosta, GA SAT 0935 PM 4.80
Left Exit 423 Lake City, FL SUN 1009 AM 0.00
Arrived at WDW-Boardwalk Villas SUN 1230 PM 2.36
18.00

 

[jstbcuz]

We have taken vacations with the kids in the past that we have driven also. We live about 1 1/2 hours west of KC, and have driven to Gettysburg, PA straight through.........Albequerque NM........Rapid City, SD and many other places. And even tho we too had a tv/vcr combo there is no way I would drive to Disney. Not when I have a limited amount of time for vacation. We went last year and decided to fly. We paid 848 for 4 of us out of MCI......and whether that is a good price or not, it was MORE than worth it to not be tired or the kids cranky when we got there. We didnt need to dread the ride home.........just hopped on the plane and in a couple hours were were back. It was one of the most relaxing vacations we had taken because we werent tired or stressed out from traffic, weather while driving or kids wondering when we would be there. If you want to go to the beach...........rent a car !!!for the day!

 

[valeriekc]

We live in Overland Park and have driven to WDW a couple of times in the past ....however we usually did it with an overnight stay in Chatanooga, Tn and then drove on in from there.
And I have to say I haven't done it since we have had children.
Now with our vacation time so scarce we always pay the extra for airfare to spend those extra days in the parks.
Like some of the previous posts have indicated you can do it in 18-20 hours but it is brutal.
But if you want to spend the time there is a neat cog railroad up the mountain in Chatanooga and other fun stuff to see along the way.
Good luck!

 

[momto2inKC]

We live in Overland Park and have driven to WDW a couple of times in the past ....however we usually did it with an overnight stay in Chatanooga, Tn and then drove on in from there.
And I have to say I haven't done it since we have had children.
Now with our vacation time so scarce we always pay the extra for airfare to spend those extra days in the parks.
Like some of the previous posts have indicated you can do it in 18-20 hours but it is brutal.
But if you want to spend the time there is a neat cog railroad up the mountain in Chatanooga and other fun stuff to see along the way.
Good luck!

Well, we are planning on stopping for at least one night. If we do think we need more time, we can always leave a day early. We're pretty flexible with our time. My husband has never taken any real vacation time off from his employer, so they're very accomidating