Do you have a sample driving schedule I could see, or provide input on mine?

[Minnie824]

I posted this on the Disney for Families board as well, but thought maybe someone here could also help.

I'm working on putting together a schedule for driving, basically what time we leave, how long we drive, how often breaks, etc. We will be driving around 19 hrs with a 4 and 1.5 yr old so I know that my schedule, by no means will be kept. BUT I would like to have a basis to figure out milage for the 1st day, and figure out where to stay overnight, based on about how far we plan to get. Anyway, does anyone have a schedule they could provide me to get an idea? We'd like to try to get as far as possible on the first day. Thanks!

Heres my current plan:
DAY 1:
leave 2:30am -> drive 3.5 hrs
breakfast 6am - 6:30am -> drive 2 hrs
break 8:30am -8:45am -> drive 2.25 hrs
lunch 11am - 12pm -> drive 2.5 hrs
break 2:30pm - 2:45pm -> drive 2.25 hrs
dinner 5:00pm - 6:00pm -> drive 2.5 hrs
stop for night at 8:30pm

DAY 2 (eat breakfast before we leave)
leave 7:30am -> drive 2 hrs
break 9:30am - 9:45am -> drive 1.75 hrs
lunch 11:30 - 12:30 -> drive 1.25 hrs
arrive at 1:45pm!

What does everyone think?

 

[manning]

you are wise taking breaks!!

 

[DisFlan]

I don't know where you're driving from, but 2:30 am to 8:30 pm is a LONG driving day, especially with two little ones. Even with breaks.

Our driving time is also about 19 hrs. total, and after about 12 or 13 hours on the road, we're pooped and ready to stop. I'd split it a little more evenly between days. And have a place to stay planned beforehand. When you're already tired, it's a pain to have to find somewhere when you need it. You may get stuck with someplace awful, or somewhere that costs more than you'd planned.

DisFlan

 

[Gooofy-Blade]

2:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m......I think you will be sorry! I agree that a better split should be considered. I don't think there is any way your kids will endure your first day schedule...but then again, you know them better. lessen your first day start time and then start a bit earlier the second day. We do that on a 17 hour drive.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Do you have the time and flexibility in your budget to spend an extra night? I realize you are trying to maximize the time you actually spend at WDW so arriving later on day 2 is probably not palatable. Here is something to consider.

Day 1
Leave your hometown around the time the kids go to bed. Hopefully they will actually sleep. Drive 4-5 hours and stop at a place where you have made a resevation.

Day 2
Leave the hotel around 7AM and follow the balance of your schedule for Day 2 (if you leave earlier than 7AM you can stop earlier, or arrive sooner at WDW on day 3)

When we do long distance traveling, If we don't have a reservation, I like to have a AAA tour book with me so that when we figure out where we would like to stop, I can be calling hotels in the town where we have decided to stop for the night as we drive. That way I can do a little price shopping and not have to go from place to place looking for a vacancy.

We travel from Cincinnati to various destinations in Florida 2-3 times a year. If you are going to be driving 75S for your trip, feel free to PM me and I will be happy to share info on my favorite stopping spots for eating, sleeping gas, etc.

Good luck and happy driving.

 

[crzy4dsny]

I don't know where you are driving from but we have about an 18 hour drive. If we leave home at 2:00 am and drive straight thru, we could be in Disney between 8:00 & 9:00 pm. It is a long day but it is only one day. If you are planning on driving that much in one day, then another 7 hours the next, it may be too much. If you tell us where you are coming from someone could give you a good plan.

Try to get as much driving done the first day as possible. This way the second day isn't so bad. When we stop for the night we make it so the next day is only about a 2 hour drive. If your kids are going to be sleeping in the morning I wouldn't stop for breakfast so early. Wait until they wake up to stop. We bring bagels and juice in the car and give it to them on the way.

 

[pumpkinboy]

snip...We will be driving around 19 hrs with a 4 and 1.5 yr old so I know that my schedule, by no means will be kept...snip

Well, I seem to be in the minority here, but I think leaving at 2:30 AM is a darn good idea. And maybe, stopping before 8:30 PM would make sense, making an early night of it. But I can just imagine you getting up, taking your pajama-wearing kids and strapping them in still sleeping (4 yr old in a pull-up of course), and hitting the road, one of you dozing off in the passenger seat, and the other buzzing on caffeine, barrelling down the highway, hoping to miss NYC, Philly and DC rush hours...

And I see the 2-2.25 hour snippets of trip, about the length of a Disney movie, perhaps. We don't have a DVD player in our car, but I can see it being a huge advantage in keeping the little ones' minds from thinking about how miserable it is to be in the car for so darn long (hence the popularity of the airlines with TV screens at each seat).

Good luck to you. We have trouble with anything over 2.5 hours, so we haven't driven outside of New England yet (flying is fine, just the long drive, not for us).

Have a great trip!

 

[Disney_1derland]

I'm just thinking that if I woke my kids up (or even if I tried really hard not to) and put them in the car at 2:30am they would be up for hours and it would throw everything off.

If I were you I would try to leave the night before. Eat dinner, get the kids ready for bed and put them in the car. Drive through the night until they wake up in the morning. Stop for breakfast, let them out to play then back into the car for a bit, stop, play, drive, stop play drive. If they sleep the whole way through they don't even notice the long drive. This works well for us, not sure how it would work for anyone else.

When we drive it's 12 hours and this is how we do it. By doing it this way we usually make it straight through without stopping overnight but on the way back we always stop overnight.

 

[sanibelover]

I tend to agree with the more even split camp. 2 reasons:

Drove straight through with 4 adults - even though we left at 8:30 pm as opposed to your 2:30 am, we were fried by 4 pm the next day. It would have been hard to get in at 8:30 and get back in the car again early the next am.

Just drove about 19 hours from TN to CT and really liked that we kept a somewhat normal schedule. The kids didn't have to adjust to weird times, etc. so we drove all day, stopped at a reasonable time, swam, and slept all night. Got up early and did it all again the next day. Yes, you will get to Disney in the evening, but I think you will all be a lot less exhausted.

NONE of our rest stops were only 15 minutes long..............yes, we had 3 kids, but they didn't need my help in the bathroom, I had no diapers to change and we still couldn't seem to get it together at the rest stops.

Hope it all works out well for you.

 

[crzy4dsny]

Well, I seem to be in the minority here, but I think leaving at 2:30 AM is a darn good idea. And maybe, stopping before 8:30 PM would make sense, making an early night of it. But I can just imagine you getting up, taking your pajama-wearing kids and strapping them in still sleeping (4 yr old in a pull-up of course), and hitting the road, one of you dozing off in the passenger seat, and the other buzzing on caffeine, barrelling down the highway, hoping to miss NYC, Philly and DC rush hours...

And I see the 2-2.25 hour snippets of trip, about the length of a Disney movie, perhaps. We don't have a DVD player in our car, but I can see it being a huge advantage in keeping the little ones' minds from thinking about how miserable it is to be in the car for so darn long (hence the popularity of the airlines with TV screens at each seat).

Good luck to you. We have trouble with anything over 2.5 hours, so we
haven't driven outside of New England yet (flying is fine, just the long drive, not for us).

Have a great trip!

-----------------------------------

You lost me here, first you say "it's a darn good ldea", then you go into how bad and "miserable" it is going to be. Maybe I'm reading it wrong???

When we leave at 2:00 am my 3 kids, wearing pajamas, sleep until about 9:00am. The ride is not miserable at all. It is kind of fun actually.

I don't know any 4 year olds who wear a pull-up

 

[Minnie824]

Thank you for all the input. Thats why I wrote here, to get others opinions. This is our first time going to Disney w/kids, and our first time driving, so definitely open to modify our schedule. As for where we're leaving from, Chicago area. I was originally hoping to get to Valdosta first day, but if thats too far, and if anyone has a suggestion for a good place south of Atlanta (we definitely want to get past Atlanta), that would be helpful, and would lessen our first day. The 2am start time...4 yr old won't need a pullup..she goes to bed 9-8 and has no bathroom issues. I figured I'd put her in comfy clothes to bed, up at 2am, bathroom, and she'll be out within 10 minutes of being in the car again. The 1.5 yr old, again, just comfy clothes to bed, diaper change, and she sleeps normally 7-7, so she'll fall asleep in the car also. Thanks for all the input!

 

[Jon99]

We live in Kankakee County, takes us about 17 hours... We leave mid afternoon and arrive at WDW the next day by 10:00 AM.. Leave before your kids fall asleep and let them sleep on the way down and you will be much happier.. We try to leave by 3:00, stop in southern Illinois for dinner/break, daughter sleeps most of the time from 9:00 PM until 6:00 AM, when we stop for breakfast...

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

We like to stop in either Macon or Tifton, GA. We like to stay at the HI in Tifton--it is right off exit 62 on I-75. The rate includes a full buffet breakfast in the AM. Tifton is about an hour from the GA/FL line and about 266 miles from Orlando. Macon is about an hour north of Tifton. When we stop in Macon, we like to eat at J & L's Barbeque off of exit 3 (I-475). When we stay for the night, we stay at the Travelodge at that same exit. Continental breakfast included in the rate.