Driving from Chicago...anyone do it?

[We_love_WDW]

How is this drive? We have 2 small ones..what time do you leave...do you stop...how much is gas.....or is it easier to fly????

 

[WOODY13]

How is this drive? We have 2 small ones..what time do you leave...do you stop...how much is gas.....or is it easier to fly????

We have driven several times and are driving again this Sept. I don't think the drive is to bad. About 19 hours we usually try to get past Atlanta(avoid Atlanta during rush hour) the first day maybe Perry Ga. or around there. Then finish up the next day. We drove when the kids were small , but we did bring a small TV/VCR so they could watch movies when they were bored. It helped alot. Now so many cars have the dvd players in them allready. Gas allways seams to be cheaper in Ky.,Tenn.,and Ga. then in Il., In., and Fl. Is it easier to fly? Yes you can't beat being in Fl. in 2 hr. and 40 minutes. But it does cost more and we like to have a car so you may have to rent a car which adds to the cost. What time do you leave? This Sept we are going to leave about 3:30 am and drive all the way though and get to WDW about 11pm. We like to leave very early or kinda late to avoid the traffic around the Indiana border and that area. That can be pretty bad. We also allways take I-65 down. Some people like to take I-57 but it adds about 60 miles to the trip. Though it does mean you avoid Indianapolis. We have taken this trip about 10 times so if you have any questions feel free to ask. After all like Sparky said when Rusty asked why arn't we flying . Getting there is half the fun.

 

[debbiedana]

You couldn't pay me to drive. But that's just me.

Airfare has been around $179 round trip from Chicago to Orlando. If there's not a ton of people going with you, it may be only slightly more expensive to fly, once you add up hotel, gas, meals, etc.

For me and DD:
$100 hotel
$125 gas and tolls
$75 meals
2 days in the car =
ONE VERY CRABBY MOM

Then multiply by 2.

No thanks, I'll fly. It was $358 round trip total ($179 each) for me and DD.

 

[hearts8701]

we drive from chicago o'hare area several times a year i love the ride we stop along the way for dining, snacks,etc we drive straight thru but i have no ittle children i stop in murfreeboro Tn. they have a walmart plently of places to eat ,hotels i think its exit 78 not sure if its 78a or 78b canton Ga is nice too a college town drive safe

 

[SeedsLuvDisney]

And I couldn't be paid to fly, would kill me to be strapped down by an airline schedule or by their rules for what and how much we can bring down and back.

Someone said its 60 miles further to take 57, that sounds like a bit much..

We always leave VERY early in the morning, maybe 1:00AM and drive to Ocala or the WDW area, can be there by dinner time and gives the kids time to swim..

 

[hearts8701]

60 miles difference between 65 & 57 is this true i know 65 seams faster to me but 60 miles??

 

[PoohsFan1]

You couldn't pay me to drive. But that's just me.

Airfare has been around $179 round trip from Chicago to Orlando. If there's not a ton of people going with you, it may be only slightly more expensive to fly, once you add up hotel, gas, meals, etc.

For me and DD:
$100 hotel
$125 gas and tolls
$75 meals
2 days in the car =
ONE VERY CRABBY MOM

Then multiply by 2.

No thanks, I'll fly. It was $358 round trip total ($179 each) for me and DD.

I am with you there

We drove once while the kids were younger and decided that was more than enough. My DH insisted on driving all the way through and by the time we got to Disney we were so exhausted that our first day was spent sleeping or just being lazy. So on our next trip we decided to fly and it was so much better. We got an early flight out and 2 1/2 hours later, we were at MCO and on our way to the resort. After that, we decided that we were never going to drive to Disney again.

 

[geffric]

we have driven from NW Suburbs many many times..

when the kids were little we stopped hours at a rest stop or McD's for them to play. We had races for them many times.. we drove 65 and the last trip 57 way.. either one is fine but gas prices are cheaper in IN.. we filled up outside Merrillville and in Indy near the airport.. ( see flying j wab site for current gas prices) , the 57 way through ILL did not have cheap gas.. but was less hassle..

I let the kids go to sleep in their clothes.. they had their stuff all packed the night before.. which was DVDs, clicker, stuffed animals, little blanket, and pee pee cup.. ( pm me if you wanna learn about the pee pee cup).. they took a bath, put clean clothes on and when to sleep.. we finished packing the car..and left about 3:3o am.. picked them out of the beds and their pillows, changed diapers or made them pee.. and then back to sleep in the van.... we drove and drove with them asleep.. breakfast was either at the ponderosa at scott IN or anywhere on the road..

had lots of snacks, juice boxes, had a dozen bagels and 1 lb of lunch meat for them and us to eat allong the way..

 

[WOODY13]

60 miles difference between 65 & 57 is this true i know 65 seams faster to me but 60 miles??

My mistake My math was off it is about 30 miles more on I-57.

 

[SeedsLuvDisney]

I guess its been my expierence that the extra 30 miles can be made up easily by avoiding NW Indiana....

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We've driven several times from Chicago and prefer the I-57 route. It is a few more miles but a lot less hassle and traffic. I65 in Indiana was loaded with construction when we traveled it the 2nd week of July on our way to Louisville, KY.

We've made the trip with our kids at several different ages, the youngest of which was 4 weeks and we'll be driving again next week (ages 13, 11, 8 and 2). We drive to Marietta, GA which is just before Atlanta, stop for the night and head on out the next day. This trip is a little different because we'll be staying in Marietta an extra day to check out Six Flags Atlanta with our season passes.

In the past we've driven and we've flown. If the stars align and we get airfare and ven rental for what I consider a reasonable price we fly. If not, we drive. Either way we get to WDW!

Have a great trip!

 

[WOODY13]

I guess its been my expierence that the extra 30 miles can be made up easily by avoiding NW Indiana....

We avoid the traffic at the border of IL and IN by leaving very early. I just wish there was some way to avoid going down there completely. I am pretty sure even if you take I-57 you have to pick it up close to the border. Any suggestions would be great.

 

[kksmom92]

We few a couple years ago and then drove again last year. Each has their pros and cons.... Since we will be staying off site when we go we would have to rent a van (we also go to Orange Beach, AL for a week) and prices as of right now are higher for us to rent a van down there than up here (we are from GR Mich.. but since we take I-94 to I-65 I thought it would be ok to put my 2 cents in ) so whatever we spend on airline tickets would then be above and beyond pretty much since we tend to drive straight through.

We take off at night time. Sometimes it might be a couple hours before the kids bedtime , then there has been times we had to wait till my DH got home from work and didn't leave until 2am. (Every Feb, except the one we flew, we go to Orange Beach, AL so we always take I65 south) We love driving at night because not only do you have the roads pretty much to yourself, but we usually get down to Atlanta by the time the suns coming up and the kids wake up. (Of course it seems like no matter what time we leave we always hit Atlanta during rush hr traffic) I usually take the 1st leg until I get tired and DH takes over during the night time hours until 6-7ish when I take back over so he can sleep.

We make sure we bring enough stuff to keep the kids entertained.... laptop (to use as DVD player) with adaptor so we can have it charging while driving, Leapfrogs, BOOKS, and for younger kids a great thing to bring is a potty! You never know where you might be when one of them tells you that they have to go.

Gas ~ every year we have kept track of where we bought our gas and for sure our first 2 stops are Lebanon Indiana at exit 139. Then the next time we stop would be exit 6 in Kentucky. (Both those exits we have found is always the cheapest for some reason) From then on it was if we saw it cheap... then we would fill it up.

 

[JB2K]

...though I will soon be making the trip from Southern Illinois, I can say from previous drives that I-57 is way easier than I-65 through Indy and Louisville.

As for expenses, I am budgeting gas to be (at current prices) a little under $250 r/t with tolls (within Florida) to be at around $5 r/t.

I have found the best gas prices to be in places like Oak Grove, KY and throughout the state of GA.

And to the PP - I can always agree with Exit 6 as that's my hometown...

 

[Nicole721]

Just did the drive last week.

We live just north of Chicago, and we did 294-80-65-24-75-4 (I think!). We left around 3 am and stopped for the evening in Georgia (Buckhead...a very nice area in Atlanta) and I think we hit Buckhead around 4:30 pm GA time. We had a seven-hour drive the next day and it was pretty much seven hours (plus an hour we spent at our favorite peach farm...Lane's Packing Company...two hours or so south of Atlanta, right off I-75. Fresh peaches and pecans, amazing homemade ice cream, and a nice outdoor play area for kids to run off some energy).

There is construction in Indiana. We left super early in the morning and it didn't affect us at all. On the way home, it added about 20 minutes to our drive (we hit it around 6:00 pm). Wasn't bad at all.

Gas was more expensive than I thought. We're close to Chicago so our prices are semi-inflated as is, but usually, once you get out of IL, prices are cheaper (at least $.30 or more) and they were the same price or more (by about $.20) than they are at home.

The drive is long, but once you get out of Indiana, it's pretty nice (Indiana smells funky every time we drive through and there isn't much to look at). The drive through Tennessee is very scenic and it goes pretty fast.

 

[RAD]

Made that drive many a time when I live in the Chicago area, and I also vote for the 57 vs. 65 route. Even if it's a but longer you miss the NW Indian and Indianapolis, Louisville traffic. Plus you get to see that Illinois actually has a couple hills in it when you get down into Little Egypt.