Are we REALLY crazy for driving?

[mapmakerj]

Another WI Dis'r here who has driven to WDW. We just took driving trip number three this June and, as always, it was a piece of cake. We only have one DS but he has ADHD so it seems like more! He was 4, 6 and 9 on the three trips and was a very good traveler. We just made sure to have an activity bag for him to play with and the DVD player was a great help at times. We actually like the drive and now have some favorite places that we have to stop at during the road trip. We also love having the space to take a cooler with snacks, extra room for souvenirs on the way home and having our own car to make some offsite excursions (ie Universal, Sea World, outlet Malls etc.). I say if you don't mind driving, go for it.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

We did it from northern VA and it was a bit rough. My kids are great in the car, it was just tiring on the way back after touring the parks for a few days. Dh almost fell asleep 10 minutes from the house. We drove 12-13 hours straight though at that point.

We stopped at a hotel on the way down but not the way back. I wouldn't do that again. I would drive that far again though.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I would have a very hard time getting back into the car on the second day of a 3-day trip. Hand that sharp stick over here, dizzy duck, I would need it next!

Yeah, I hate driving long distances THAT much. And my kids are teens/young adults! Not only do I hate it, but DH hates it even more. Which means that even after the road trip is over, I get to hear about how bad it was for the following 3 days!

Are you crazy to consider this, OP? Not necessarily. But I would be if I planned to!

 

[DVCtinkerbell]

We have done it several times from Chicago to WDW. My kids say they actually prefer to drive. We start out late in the day and drive as much as we can through the night while the kids sleep. Then day 2 we would stop in Georgia; Macon, Tifton, or Valdosta. We would have an early dinner, let the kids swim/relax. The the next day it is a much shorter drive, especially from Valdosta.

The drive home we drive straight through but we leave Orlando later in the day. Then we are home the next day by dinner time in Chicago!

My kids like to read, watch dvd's and have Gameboys to keep them occupied.

 

[todzwife]

I think it really depends on several factors:

1. How your kids do in the car is the #1 factor. If you have great travelers, then I'd consider it.
2. How much money are you REALLY saving (by the time you factor in gas, hotels, eating out for an extra couple days on the road etc.) If there isn't much difference, I'd fly. The logistics of flying with kids sounds more complicated than it is. Have Disney Express pick you all up and you don't even have to deal with the car seats!
3. How old is your car? does it ever have any problems? Nothing spells disaster like being 200 miles from your destination with a dead car.
4. Do you have time to rest AFTER your drive home before returning to work? The drive THERE probably wouldn't be a problem, but that drive back after touring the parks. It's a lot harder.

Good luck!

 

[kellydizfan]

No you are not crazy. We just did it from Saugerties Ny to Orlando FL. I did 99% of the driving. What we did was left on a Sunday morning and drove to delaware and stayed overnight with my Husbands family - they had a family reunion of sorts as we hadn't been back in a few years. We got up and drove from Wilmington delaware and drove 12 hours to Savannah GA. Stayed over night there and then drove the other 5 hours to Orlando on Tuesday morning. We were in the parks by 3 p.m. and stayed till 11 p.m. We were not tired at all. Coming back we got up early from the Nick Hotel at 6 a.m. and drove to Norfolk and stayed over night with Husbands cousins and went to the beach the next morning for a couple of hours and left at 3:15 p.m. and made it home at 12:30 a.m. the next morning. It really wasn't bad at all. My kids are 15, 12, 9. I told them if they asked are we there yet or started any bickering - they were going to be left by the side of the road. We drove my Saturn Outlook and put the 2 younger ones in the middle seat and oldest in back and she was in charge of drinks, food, etc. as the cooler was on the seat next to her. I had dvd player, books, ds-lites, travel bingo, etc. We purchased 1 ds game for each of them before we left and they were not allowed to use it until we were on the road. We will do it again in a heartbeat. The drive back was worse - seemed to take forever. We did stop at South of the border for a rest - 1/2 hour or so, then stopped for an early lunch in Mcdonalds in SC and then Applebees for dinner before stopping at dh family. we only had one nights hotel cost plus gas. I always said I would never drive it as I have done it a couple of times as a child but now - this is the way to go!

 

[monorailsilver]

We thought about driving in August 2007 for our August 2008 vacation.

All it took was from my then 6½ yo to say "are we there yet?"

We were on the way to BJ's from our house, 25-30 min away. I think we were 10 min into the ride.

 

[jacobsmom]

we live in Wisconsin and drive down to Florida every year on vacation (we are here right now!!) I wouldn't trade it for anything!!! We pack our dvd player for the kids, lots of treats, everything we need--no questions asked! We love love love it! This time we did stops on our way down---the children's museum in indianapolis, louisville slugger museum/factory tour, Atlanta aquarium (amazing)... and shopping in downtown disney--which my boys LOVED. The best part is--we pack whatever we want/need and take our time.

 

[Goofygirl17]

There's a thread on the transportation board about driving 2,000+ miles (round trip). There is a lot of information and advice there.

HTH!

 

[Jennifer in MI]

How are your kids in the car? We drive from MI and don't have a problem. Our kids are a little older though.

When our kids were almost-3, 5, and 7 we drove from MI - AZ - CA and back over 4 weeks. So, we're used to long driving trips and do them often. So, an 18 hour drive to FL is nothing!! We start out at 4 - 5 am. The kids sleep in their clothes and hop in the car with their pillows. We get a good 3 - 4 hours on the road before they wake up. It works very well! We stop to eat breakfast and keep going!

When they were smaller, we drove to the DC area and took the auto train down. That was a LOT of fun!! Check into the pricing on that.

Have fun!!

 

[LaurenT]

I've done both...drove and flown. If I had unlimited fianciall resources, I would always fly and rent a car..but, alas, such is not the case.
We fly when it's a shorter trip (a week or less) and we are staying on disney property and therefore will not need a car.
We drive when it's an extended trip (for instance, July we drove to Atlanta for 5 days - then on to Disney for 6 days, then a stop overnioght on the way home to visit friends in SC, etc). We live upstate NY - driving time is about 23 hours each way - so we get as much out of the way as we can the first night - and then find a hotel and continue the next day.
Money wise...much cheaper for us to drive. We pile everything into the Prius...so gas runs less than $200 round trip - then we have a car so we don't have to rent - figure $200 for hotels - so, $400 as opposed to round trip airfare of around $1,000 for the three of us and then car rental for the week..maybe another $250? - That's about $850 in savings..enough for quite a few signature meals

 

[Poohbug]

How are your kids in the car??

I have made the drive from So. WI many times and it can be done in 21 hours easy. I personally do not like to stop-it just makes the trip longer for me.

The four yr old will be fine with a DVD player, books, etc. The two yr old may be unpredictable.

You can still make it to WDW in two days. Start out early the first day and you can make it to No. Georgia the first night. Then you can finish up the next day and arrive at WDW around 3 or 4 p.m.

Some driving tips I have learned. Avoid Chicago-there is always traffic. Driving thru IL the long way is really boring but it is still the fastest way. I like to drive thru the mountains in the day-just makes me feel more comfortable. Stop at the FL state tourist wayside-get an OJ and take a little break.

You are not crazy-just plan ahead. We had planned on driving down for our last trip but at the last minute found airfare for little over $100 pp that we could not resist. You can still find good rates for air if you want to hold off on the road trips until the kids get a little older.

 

[mom_2_K'Lynn]

Fellow WI diser also here. I can remember driving to Floriday many times as a child. Once I got older, I do remember it being a chore, but when i was younger the extras (DVD player, books, games) were enough for me. We always went to grandmas house during the day before we left so mom and dad could sleep and left at our bed time. That way we would sleep through a good portion of the trip. The one thing I do remember is traveling through the mountains. One way we would do it in the day and on the way back through the night!!! I can still remember being in awe during the night!!! I do not think you are crazy!!! It made for some great memories. Now we would rather fly because my daughter is the most impatient traveler and would not survive a 18 hour drive, but if you kids are good travelers, I say GO FOR IT!!

Just in case you think it would be too much work in an airport, it is definately doable. I flew with my daughter (4) and niece (18 mon) and it all went really well.

Good Luck, either way you will have a great trip and eventually your kids will forget how long it took to get there and remember that in the end, they got to go to DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ORMom2Four]

We just got back from a 7 hour each way drive to Idaho. Me, Dh, our 17, 15, 6 & 4yo in our mini van.

Dh and I both agreed we will not drive any more than that. We would rather fly and save the time & energy. You would not think driving takes energy, but it's exhausting. You will drive 2 days and need a day to recouperate.

I would much rather fly. A few hours and your there. Much, much easier. Take into account the food you will need along the way, the hotels, the gas.....it might cost you more to drive.

 

[mpls_mm]

We have driven from Minnesota the last three times and now we will drive from Iowa. I fly a lot for work and we have flown to Disney twice. Even with scheduling flights early and getting a nonstop, we always seem to get delayed. Getting two kids through security checkpoints and getting a ride to the airport and getting a rental or my idea of a nightmare on wheels, Magical Express is too much. Our most memorable trip is when my daughter fell asleep 5 minutes into a flight and woke up mid vomit. Of course she vomited on the nice little old lady next to us ( who was no longer nice and was yelling at me for feeding her something awful)and it leaked down onto a $300 laptop bag (I know because the guy yelled it at me)
We just bought a new car with third row seats so each kid gets their own row, I get to work on my laptop while we drive and I love spending time with hubby, and I get to stop at as many Waffle Houses as I want. Plus I get to take an extra 4 days vacation and visit some of my favorite clients. I said last year the trip was just about 3 hours too long, now we are 4 hours closer so it will be perfect.

 

[libell25]

We're planning our first vacation to DW in September 2010. I've booked it already and we're set! It'll be me, my husband, our 2 year old daughter and 4 year old son. We're from Wisconsin. We're driving. Are we nuts for driving? We have a minivan so it's not like we'll be super cramped or anything. I'm not a fan of flying and I'm just worried with all of our luggage, stroller, snacks, toys for the kids, etc, that it would be easier (and cheaper) to just drive. I love to see the country as well and I figure a good 2 days of driving and we'll be there. Everyone we tell thinks we're crazy... will it really be that bad???

We drive from Ontario Canada every time (every year or two) and although its not a walk in the park its duable. We drive a minivan and have three daughters 2, 4 and 6. The last time we went the girls were 3 months, 2 and 4. The drive down started off rough - the baby was not happy but turned out well and pretty uneventful. Definatly stop at McD's where there is a play place. Let the kids run off some steam. The drive home was horrific. We hit a severe ice/snow storm and had to pull off the road. Finally though it had passed and started off again only to hit another. In total we were on the road for 32 out of 36 hours.

In saying that, we are doing it again this coming February. Because of our dates and our jobs we're prepared this time for a storm and if one hits we're going to find a nice hotel and hunker down for a day with the kids. Watch some movies, swim, etc. No point killing ourselves trying to get home. If we get word a storm is coming the day before we are supposed to leave to go south we'll pack up and leave a day earlier.

If you go into with an open mind thinking you'll enjoy it you probably will.
Good Luck - remember its worth it to get to WDW!

 

[sk!mom]

We're planning our first vacation to DW in September 2010. I've booked it already and we're set! It'll be me, my husband, our 2 year old daughter and 4 year old son. We're from Wisconsin. We're driving. Are we nuts for driving? We have a minivan so it's not like we'll be super cramped or anything. I'm not a fan of flying and I'm just worried with all of our luggage, stroller, snacks, toys for the kids, etc, that it would be easier (and cheaper) to just drive. I love to see the country as well and I figure a good 2 days of driving and we'll be there. Everyone we tell thinks we're crazy... will it really be that bad???

For me it would indeed be "that bad." In my view, yes!, you're nuts! But good luck!

 

[Planogirl]

We've both flown and driven and to be honest I dislike both. Driving is far less costly for us though so that's what we have been doing lately.

 

[palavra]

I don't think it is crazy at all. Like someone else said, make the trip down part of the vacation!

We are in Georgia, so it is only about 8 hours to WDW, but we drive every couple of years to visit my husband's family in Niagara Falls, NY. Our daughter was 4 the first time we did it, and she did great. Take advantage of play lands at restaurants and frequent potty breaks!

 

[TinkLovinMomma]

Im with you all the way! we are going to Disney in January 2010 and October 2010. We live in New York and will be driving both times. I have told everyone I know that I would much much rather be in my car with snacks, movies, food places, and rest stops (we will be driving straight through) than on a plane with my 2 year old screaming, kicking the seat in front of me, throwing food on the floor, crying, and needing to be changed in the 3 foot by 3 foot bathroom on an airplane. We once drove from NY to TX without stopping and my oldest son did not complain the entire time. That was 30 hours of driving time! I think we can handle 19 hrs... most of which will be sleeping time for the kiddos