Anyone driven cross country to their DVC resort?

[Brancaneve]

We just returned from a wonderful trip to SSR and the DCL and we live in California. The only think that wasn't so great was the flight for a variety of reasons.

Has anyone driven from the west coast before? We are thinking of driving to Hilton Head Island and then making our way down to WDW and then another short cruise.

Would you do it again? Where did you make your pit stops and how many days did it take?

Thanks!

 

[ACDSNY]

Too long of a drive for me, I don't even like driving to DLR.

 

[bwvBound]

We do quite a bit of driving (up to 10 hours a day on long roadtrips) -- but haven't yet tried driving from San Diego to WDW. Flying just isn't as fun as it used to be ... but $240 pp roundtrip is still more tempting than driving! (Besides, we don't have enough vacation time for the drive ...)

Edited to add: Our favorite journey to Orlando was by ship in 2000. We bid on a Panama Canal Cruise leaving from San Diego about 6 days prior to sailing. Drove to the port ... enjoyed two weeks on the ship ... picked up a rental car in Miami ... drove to Orlando ... flew home. That was living!!!

 

[La2kw]

We've driven from L.A. a few times. We usually take about 5 days, stopping in Phoenix, Las Cruces, San Antonio, New Orleans, then Orlando. We have taken longer to get out there, stopping in Pensacola, Baton Rouge, three days in New Orleans, three days in San Antonio, etc. Once we drove for 7 days from L.A. to Key West, FL before stopping. It was a lot of fun, and that's where my screen name came from. We have some wonderful memories from those road trips and my kids have seen a lot of the U.S. as well.

We have also taken Amtrak from L.A. to Orlando, but the train doesn't go through anymore since Katrina.

We usually fly now, but are itching to take another road trip soon.

 

[Brancaneve]

Thanks LA2KW and everyone else who make me think that this adventure is doable. I especially like the cruise idea..hmmmm.

 

[Darthmerideth]

We have driven to Orlando from Oklahoma City twice, three times when I was a kid. It takes 23 hours, if you plan it right you can have an enjoyable 2 day trip. If I combined the best of all the trips, here would be my plan. Drive to Dallas the night before and visit our cousin. Begin the drive the next day, stop in New Orleans to see the quarter, stop in Alabama to see the battleship, it is right off the highway, stop in Panama City to see the beach, arrive in Orlando. The other route thru Arkansas is longer and not as many good sights that I remember. Of course, both these routes are based on getting there as fast as possible. You could make a longer trip and see more.

I think it is worth doing once, but I am spoiled by flying now.