Anyone else enjoy the drive to WDW?

[mrsg00fy]

We don't really enjoy the ride from NJ........but we do perk up once we hit Georgia!We also make a big deal of crossing each state line.

 

[arthur06]

Depending on your kids ages... give them a roll of quarters and every time they ask if we are there yet, they have to pay you a quarter. It usually doesn't take my kids long to realize that if they keep asking they will be broke!

 

[Finally DVC]

Depending on your kids ages... give them a roll of quarters and every time they ask if we are there yet, they have to pay you a quarter. It usually doesn't take my kids long to realize that if they keep asking they will be broke!

Fabulous idea! This would work even better if the roll of quarters was their only souvenir money!

 

[mac_tlc]

When the kids were younger, we would wrap up a small gift for each state we were going to enter. For us, that's 10. As we crossed each state line, they would open one. It was more exciting for the first 6 hours of the drive, since we would open 5 gifts -- after that, it gets a little longer between gifts!

mac_tlc

 

[Leenie74]

We always drive from Indiana (right at 1000 miles), but our girls typically do pretty well. We always have plenty of movies to watch, DS games to play, and CDs to listen to. And like a few others, I typically hit the dollar store and buy goodies to hand out every 200 miles or so. And we usually stop in Cordele, GA to sleep the first night and finish the trip in the morning. I grew up with long road trips and my girls have had 3 hr trips to visit grandparents since they were born, so they don't start complaining until hour 4 or so. I love the quarter idea...definitely trying that the next time No matter what, the high we feel when driving under the WDW sign makes it worth it!

 

[bwvBound]

Anyone else enjoy the drive to WDW?

From San Diego? No, not really. In fact, I don't even much the enjoy the drive to DLR anymore. The drive along I-5 feels alot like the beginning of the old Star Tours: B-R-A-K-E-S!

 

[ty_n_cy]

We've only done it twice so far... but I LOVE the drive. We have left at around 6pm each time (we're leaving a little earlier this year) and the kids are up in the car until about 10pm. We stop in Maryland to use the restrooms and grab some food and something to drink and then it's a nice, peaceful drive for the next 4-5 hours until we hit South of the Border.

We stop there to use the restrooms and stretch our legs. Tyipcally, we'll switch drivers there. My wife will take over and drive until just about Savannah. We'll grab breakfast around then and then it's just a countdown. Once we hit Jacksonville... we can hardly contain ourselves.

By the time we reach Orlando and we start seeing the signs... we're all WIDE awake and ready to go. It takes until around 4pm that afternoon for us to all absolutely CRASH!

The drive home... well... I hate that drive. Until I get into New Jersey. Then I'm looking forward to my bed.

CY

 

[fuji]

We have a 21 hour drive and we love it, we have taken a flight down but we felt that we missed half the trip, even my kids 16,10,5 love the drive. We have an atlas and the kids keep track of where we are most of the trip down, even the youngest likes to see how far we are and how far we have to go. Fun and educational.

 

[chepic]

Two questions:

What and Where is South of the Border?

And what little traditions do you have for marking off the miles?



We stop and take a silly photo under the Welcome to Florida sign at the welcome center. But it would be fun to add more silly traditions like that.

South of the Border is a really cheesy place to stay about 1 hour over the SC border. They have cheep motels, a strip mall to buy cheep stuff, places to eat, and a gas station. We have stopped there once for the novelty, but never have stayed there.

When we have driven, (7 times) we have done all sorts of things to mark the miles and pass the time. We try to stop every 2.5 hours just to get out and stretch. Then each time we hit a new state, I break out a silly game. We have a car bingo that we do; I made cards with things like road signs, license plates with different states, and things to read the advertisement. Then I give out Disney dollars for the winners. I have also done Disney trivia and have done map quests. I take old Disney maps and then have everyone look for things on the maps like the closest bathroom to the entrance, or the farthest ride from where we are having dinner....again winners get Disney Dollars.

Those things really do help them pass the time. For the ride back we have usually picked up something they can play with in the car from Disney and I save some games and videos too.

Hope this helps.

Cheryl

 

[Carl'n'Ellie'sDad]

Two questions:

What and Where is South of the Border?

And what little traditions do you have for marking off the miles?



We stop and take a silly photo under the Welcome to Florida sign at the welcome center. But it would be fun to add more silly traditions like that.

The best way to describe South of the Border is the ultimate tourist trap. There are billboards advertising it every few miles in southern VA and all through NC on I-95. Previous poster pretty much hit it spot on, although the one time we stopped, I remember them having pretty good fried chicken. Of course there's the obligatory fireworks store, as SCs fireworks laws are liberal ( not "liberal" . )

 

[Donald is #1]

I'll be doing my second drive in August. My first drive was from NH down to Cape Canaveral for a DCL cruise. On that drive we basically did it in 2 days though we actually spent 3 days each way because we spent a day sightseeing in each direction.

In August, I'll be doing it in 3 stretches on the way down with a stop in DC for a long weekend and 2 days on the way back with another day along the way for sightseeing.

 

[corpcomp]

We fly down from CT to Ft Lauderdale to visit my mom for a few days then rent a car and drive up to Disney on the FL turnpike. Once we reach the appropriate exit, we notice all the building going on, the malls, apartments and then cross I-4. Thats when we really get excited and finally see the archway welcoming us to Walt Disney World. We all smile big, then we argue about which exit to take to BCV, which I never remember. Oh well, we get there, drop the car off and enjoy.

PS: no way I would drive all the way from CT. Our vacation can only be one week long and we cannot afford a couple days in a car.

 

[ekm]

We made the 22 hour drive from the Toronto area many times since the 80's, when our kids were small.
Now that we are empty nesters, we don't enjoy the long drive any longer, and we fly. It's so much easier being there in less than three hours.
We still get a thrill when we arrive at OKW and are welcomed home!

 

[dbprimeaux]

I am so looking forward to the drive!!

 

[DVC Jen]

love it love it love it. for my family the drive is a part of our vacation and we enjoy it on the way down. Now coming home we go a lot faster because we are in the vacation is over mind set and ready to be home and see our dogs again.

 

[Tea4Alice]

love it love it love it. for my family the drive is a part of our vacation and we enjoy it on the way down. Now coming home we go a lot faster because we are in the vacation is over mind set and ready to be home and see our dogs again.

Does your family drive straight through,or do you have certain place you stop for the night?

 

[szymcl]

We love the drive as well. Sometimes we stop a little shy of half way down, in Calhoun, GA (We are from Indianapolis) to spend a night with my brother, sis in law and niece. But my favorite was last time, leaving the house in the dark at 3 am, taking minimal stops, checking in to Wilderness Lodge Villas, then getting on the boat to the Magic Kingdom before 8pm for an EMH night! (Ideally it is a 15 hour trip for us, but it always takes about 17 hours with traffic in Nashville!)
Although the day is tiring, I think of it as a long work day, and it actually seems a little easier to not stop for the night to unpack etc!
We love seeing the states go by too!

 

[dbprimeaux]

I love reading this thread. It is getting me ready for our drive!

 

[mdsd8700]

I wish I could love the drive. We only did it once and that was 12 years ago. I cannot drive anywhere over 5/6 hours, just not for me. We live outside Chicago in the suburbs so it is a long drive to WDW. Even though air fare has become ridiculous in price recently I just cannot see myself ever doing the drive again. However never say never.

 

[maburke]

We always do the 8 hour drive from Atlanta. I've even done it twice as the only driver with 3 little kids. We make the drive home a little more pleasant by using the time to plan our next trip! I do all the planning, and DH never wants to talk about it in advance, so by "debriefing" him on the way home, I find out what he liked and didn't like to better inform my planning of the next trip.

Since I started pin trading, I also use the trip home to sort those out.