According to Google maps, the drive from VA Beach to WDW should take you about 12 hours. Looks like a fairly easy drive.
But still, that's 24 hours out of your vacation. Some of that time that could be spent enjoying Disney if you fly down instead of driving. And flying is safer than driving.
Get a good night's sleep, leave your Virgina Beach house at 6-7 in the morning, check into your orlando hotel at 5-6 at night, (it'll probably cost you $200 in gas round trip) and use some of money you save to go out to a fancy dinner somewhere in Orlando.
NO BIG DEAL !!!
Or... hope for a decent flight time with a decent fare, drive and park at the Airport 2 hours early, deal with security, hope for no flight delays or stops along the way, fly down to Orlando wait for your luggage, go find your rental car or Limo and dive to your to your Hotel.
Chances are it'll cost you more than $200 round trip, parking, rental or Limo.
My wife hates to fly.
The first time we went to Walt Disney World, April 2004 with my 3 year old daughter We decided to go to WDW a couple of months before we went with little planning. We rented some points off the DIS forum, checked the airfares a couple of times and picked up a trip tick from
AAA.
We drove from my office in downtown Boston to WDW Old Key West stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks.
After the first 3-4 hours in the car driving the rest of the way to WDW isn't that bad; more like a series of short trips.
Our Trip to WDW started Friday, 3/26/04 at 1 pm: Miles, Stopped, Time
Leaving, Boston to Walt Disney World: Friday, 3/26/04, 1:00pm
1, Boston to New Jersey 212 212 6:00pm
2, N J to Aberdeen MD 183 395 9:07 pm
3, MD to Rocky Mt NC 266 661 1:36 AM
4, NC to Florence SC 209 870 4:40 am
5, SC to S Newport GA 210 1,080 7:58 am
Arrived, GA to WDW 251 1,331 12:00 PM
Started, Friday, 3/26 0 1:00pm
Finished, Saturday, 3/27 1331 12:00pm
A 23 hr trip with 5 stops along the way down
76 gallons of gas, $131 for the gas, 17.78 mpg 58mph
Driving around WDW 21
The Trip Home started Friday, April 2nd 11 AM: Miles Stopped Time
Leaving Walt Disney World to Boston:Friday, April 2nd 11:00 am
1, WDW to St Augustine FL 116 116 12:44 PM
2, FL to Savanah GA 178 294 3:55 PM
3, GA to Florence SC 174 468 6:22 pm
4, SC to Battleboro NC 181 649 9:30 pm
5, NC to Aberdeen MD 295 944 2:17 am
6, MD to Bloomfield NJ 181 1,125 5:30 AM
Arrived, NJ to Boston, MA 237 1,362 9:30 am
Started, Friday, 4/02 11:00 am 0
Finished, Sat, 4/03 9:30 am 1362
A 22 1/2 hr trip with 6 stops on the way home
81 gallons of gas $126 for the gas 17.58 mpg 60.5mph
Driving around WDW 62
157 gallons, $257 for the gas, $44 tolls, 17.68 mpg, 59.2mph 2776
The traffic was a mess from Hartford through Delaware on the way down.
It rained from North Carolina to Boston, Mass. on the way home
Me and my wife alternated turns driving our Nissan Xterra when we stopped for gas. My 3 year old held out a lot better than I thought she would on the way down and on the way back to Boston, WITHOUT, tapes, DVDs, video games, just a lot of singing and sleeping.
It's not that Bad!!!
April 2005 we caught a break in fares and flue down and back out of Logan on a non-stop with American Airlines , $504 round trip total for the 3of us.
April 2006 we caught a break in fares so we're flying down and back out of Logan on a non-stop with Song/Delta , $496 round trip total for the 3 of us.
The 2007 story and stops are pretty much the same as 2004.
We drove from my office in downtown Boston to WDW, Orange Lake Country Club, stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks.
After the first 3-4 hours in the car driving the rest of the way to WDW isn't that bad; more like a series of short trips.
Our Trip to WDW started Friday the 13th of April 2007, at 3:45 pm:
Destination, Miles, Total Miles from Boston, Time
Leaving, Boston to Walt Disney World: Friday, 4/13/07, 3:45pm
1, Boston to New Jersey 208 208 7:49 PM
2, N J to Laurel MD 219 427 11:44 PM
3, MD to Rocky Mt NC 250 677 3:36 AM
4, NC to Manning SC 219 896 7:00 AM
5, SC to Kingsland GA 226 1,122 10:30 AM
Arrived, GA to WDW 203 1,325 2:00 PM
Started, Friday, 4/13/07 3:45 PM
Finished, Saturday, 4/14/07 2:00 pm
A 22 hr trip with 5 stops along the way down
63 gallons of gas, $175 for the gas, 21 mpg
The Trip Home started at 9:45 AM, Saturday, April 21,2007
Destination, Miles, Total Miles from WDW, Time
Leaving Walt Disney World to Boston: Saturday, April 21st 9:45 AM
1, WDW to Kingsland Ga 194 194 12:44 PM
2, GA to Manning SC 226 420 4:16 PM
3, SC to Rocky Mt. NC 218 638 7:42 PM
4, NC to Aberdeen MD 292 930 12:26 AM
5, MD to Newark NJ 170 1,100 3:27 AM
Arrived, NJ to Boston, MA 246 1,346 7:30 AM
Started, Saturday, 4/21 9:45 AM 0 Miles
Finished, Sunday, 4/22 7:30 AM 1346 miles
A 22 hr trip with 5 stops on the way home
62 gallons of gas $175 for the gas 21 mpg
Total miles 2,671, about 21 mpg, about 70 mph
Total gas 125gallons $350
Total Tolls $50
Good Luck All,
Joe
