Driving am I nuts?!?!?!?

[Elizabeth102003]

Well, the answer to that question is yes of course....
A little back story here may be in order...We are headed off to AKL Kidani in end of November- early December of this year and live in Wisconsin the land of cold and cheese...ok,ok,ok the packers too..... IT SNOWS HERE WHENEVER IT WANTS! IN FACT IT SNOWED HERE APRIL 24th! I am so scared that we will be snowed in if we fly. However driving....(INSERT INSANE THOUGHT HERE) We all know how to do that in these horrible conditions..."watch out I'm headed your way.....more road for me." So I got to discussing with hubby the pros and cons of driving vs flying. After a TON of research I found that I can rent a car, pay for gas, (my insurance covers rentals), and a hotel there and back and still save over $700.00 vs. flying. That's the first major bonus; secondly is no hassle of how am I going to pack (xyz) with out spilling/breaking/or airport security questioning and throwing out my perfume/shampoo? Or on the way back home having that "crap bags over 40# lemme just move my underwear to this bag.... (leopard print thongs burst through the air and past the nice nylon rope as many of my fellow airplane riders get a glimpse)"... Let us not mention the money I will save not having to buy my food in the hotel lobby or rent a car or get a taxi down there after flight just to go to the grocery store....Plus my ds is scared S******* of flying and I myself, not a fan. Financially and emotionally, for us it just makes more sense. This being said, I have now come to the conclusion I lost my ever loving mind!19+ hours in a car with 2 kids ages 8 and 5 and hubby.....Let us not mention, I HATE FREEWAYS almost as much as I hate flying; maybe more if its rush hour.....So on to my questions...... Any of you from here (wisconsin just north of Milwaukee) with driving suggestions?
How long is the drive realllllly? Every site has a different time...
What did you do for 19+ hours in the car? (other than dvd player(s)/tablet(s), video games and license plate bingo)?
Any amazing places to stop for a bite to eat? (preferably in or near Nashville Tennessee)
Good SAFE place to stop for the night?
Do I pay for parking in the parks if I am staying on site?

THANKS EVERYONE!

 

[martinezmom3]

Hello there! We drove in 2009 from just south of Chicago with our three DDs who were 6, 3, and 9 months! I was not interested in trying to pack and carry all that I need through airports, worry if it all arrived,,worry about mid flight meltdowns,,,or nursing in an airline seat. We fed the kids dinner, put them in jammies, and when they woke up we were in Atlanta. Now, this happened to work for us because my husband worked midnights(he's a policeman also, so he was basically used to driving around all night). We took a day trip over to Savannah, which actually added more time to our travels, but we really wanted the kids to see Savannah, so we decided it was worth it. Stayed the night at the Gulf Harbor Westin, had a lovely spa treatment in the morning before the kids woke up, and then finished out our drive to Orlando. It can be done, and we actually really enjoyed our trip down. Parking at your hotel and at the parks is free if you're on property so you don't have to worry about that. We're flying down in August and our DDs will be 10, 7, and turning 5 while we're there,,,where has the time gone! Have a great trip

 

[Metro West]

Welcome!

 

[FantasmicFantasyland]

I love driving to Disney!It gives you a chance to see different states or cities.It could get a little boring after a while so you would need to get stuff to pass by some time.The best part are the signs showing you that you are getting closer!

 

[ptrspmpkin]

We drive from Kenosha. I would say actual drive time is more like 20 hours for us. This includes gas station stops, but not meals. Make sure you plan your departure time so you are nowhere near Chicago during rush hour! Not sure if you have ever had the "pleasure" to experience this, but it makes Milwaukee rush hour look like a walk in the park!!
We love driving and save a fortune! Plus we can bring(or stop and buy) bottled water and snacks to have in our room and bring in the park.
It is nice to have the freedom to not worry about souvenir purchases. We don't even have to leave our daughter's mickey balloon
You may want to stop at one of the many Mellow Mushroom restaurants that will be on your route.
Allow more time than you think you will need, take a few breaks and bring your sense of humor and you should have a great time. Oh, and feel free to pick up and take me with you as you pass through

 

[kristenm514]

We drive from Kenosha. I would say actual drive time is more like 20 hours for us. This includes gas station stops, but not meals. Make sure you plan your departure time so you are nowhere near Chicago during rush hour! Not sure if you have ever had the "pleasure" to experience this, but it makes Milwaukee rush hour look like a walk in the park!!
We love driving and save a fortune! Plus we can bring(or stop and buy) bottled water and snacks to have in our room and bring in the park.
It is nice to have the freedom to not worry about souvenir purchases. We don't even have to leave our daughter's mickey balloon
You may want to stop at one of the many Mellow Mushroom restaurants that will be on your route.
Allow more time than you think you will need, take a few breaks and bring your sense of humor and you should have a great time. Oh, and feel free to pick up and take me with you as you pass through

Just wanted to say heeeey, Kenosha buddy! That's where we live, too. I want to drive this year but with a toddler and a grumpy DH, I don't think that will be happening.

 

[mskermit]

just saw this board.. I drive too and everyone thinks im crazy. we drive from jersey and its not a bad drive at all, been doing it since 2006. we usually stop in georgia but this time we are going right thru. i too dont want the aggravation of the airports. i have a handicap daughter and dont feel like putting her thru the interregation. i want to take what i want to take and bring home everything disney that i can fit in my car!! it takes us about 16 hours and i do all the driving. if i just stop and sleep for like 20 mins im good.

 

[diskids2]

I drove once from NY (takes a little longer then your drive). My kids were 13 and 9. We left at 2 am and DH and I took turns driving. I started because I went to sleep around 7:30 pm the night before. He can sleep anywhere so it is easier for him to sleep in the car.

We had our minivan. Each child took a row. The kids stayed up until we left. They fell asleep about 45 minutes into the trip and didn't wake up for 8 hours. That was a true blessing!

We stopped in Georgia around 4pm and stayed overnight. Looking back I would have driven straight thru. We had about 5 hours to go and DH and I were ok to do it, but I had the room booked and decided to stop.

I LOVED having the car. I LOVED not having to deal with airline restrictions, packing, etc and so on. I also saved money vs. 4 airfares.

Coming home...the trip was awful. BUT I attribute that to the fact that everyone got a stomach virus! Now just try to imagine that!

Next summer I am going to have five going down. I am actually thinking of driving again especially since we will have five drivers. With flights costing me close to $400 a person this summer...it is a big savings. I just have to figure out if I want to spend the time driving.

 

[sharksteve]

Oops misspost

 

[Disney2013Girl]

We're planning to drive in October from northern Indiana for most of the same reasons you listed here. If you're crazy, so are we!

 

[ptrspmpkin]

Just wanted to say heeeey, Kenosha buddy! That's where we live, too. I want to drive this year but with a toddler and a grumpy DH, I don't think that will be happening.

Hi neighbor! I also have a Grumpy who magically turns into Happy as soon as he gets behind the wheel Oh, and 2 teenagers :/

 

[disneymom0811]

We are thinking about driving too (from New York) as well. I guess we are crazy too, I'm the only driver, still working on best time to leave, best routes etc.

 

[KelleyGirl]

I think I wouldn't mind driving from Boston... but I always remember a friend who traveled with his wife and twin boy and girl, age 10, who said if he could have given his minivan away while in Florida, so that he could fly home, he would have!

 

[emjester1]

We drove from the Green Bay Area twice now. It was about 22 hours. The first time, we hit major traffic in Atlanta both ways. Last summer we sailed right through. It is a long drive, but easy.

 

[wiigirl]

Welcome!

 

[MelanieC]

I've done it both ways over the year and as much as I hate driving, for a trip to Disney we like having our car. Now you could rent a car and have one here and save the driving, but that's a huge money savings for you by driving.
Especially with little ones. We found it was easier to travel when the kids when we had our own car. And it hasnt' changed now. Our kids are 15 & 21 and when we travel next year we plan on bringing our car. We go for 2 weeks and it's nice not having to worry about packing as much, worry about having a car in Disney or paying for a 2 week car rental, etc.

 

[ramsfootball92]

My suggestion would be to stop on the way home. From my house it is listed at about 14 hours to WDW. We typically leave at night and hit minimal traffic so it's more like 12.5. Once we arrive, we are on pure adrenaline and don't mind not sleeping

The way home is another story...We typically stop in Macon, GA (about halfway for us) and make it home by mid-afternoon.

 

[VillianDiva]

I keep going back and forth with the idea of driving. Our drive is only 12 hours but it is just me and my son going this year and of course he can't drive!

 

[LLLSRL]

Just wanted to say we are from WI too, Northern WI right on Lake Superior, we drive everytime and it takes us about 28 hours...we love the drive there, talking and excited the whole time, on the way back, not so much, lol...Wouldn't change anything tho, love having our vehicle when we are there because we do US/IOA, Seaworld and Busch Gardens too. Going back this December and we cant wait!!!

 

[vikster1]

We drive from NJ every spring. It is roughly 16 hours on the GPS. We leave 6pm on Holy Thursday. We stop for gas 4 times. Bathroom/food/gas all in one off exit. We drive straight through and I drive till the fist fill up. DH gets the next two. We switch again in the morning at the last fill up. Usually in Georgia. We arrive 11am. The kids sleep most of car ride. They are now teenagers. It helps that we have 3 rows. Roof pack on the roof. No need to worry about all the purchases through out the trip. We have plenty of room for a cooler in the back and a snack bag. I get pizza and hoagies for the ride.

Time passes by as we pass through each state looking for landmarks. We also play animal/vegetable/mineral. We look for the northern most palm tree too.