Driving from Dallas?

[AR81]

We are seriously considering this for next summer. We would really prefer to fly but with the whole family going and my parents picking up most of the tab for the trip it is just not feasible. Any advice/tips? The longest we have ever driven for vacations was 9-10 hours. The last and only time we went to Disney we flew. Is it going to be as miserable as I am thinking? My plan is the way down drive straight through--possibly leaving during the night around 2am and take shifts driving all the way. But on the return break the driving into 2 days with a hotel stay half way home. According to mapquest it is a 17-18 hour drive--is this accurate?

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

We are seriously considering this for next summer. We would really prefer to fly but with the whole family going and my parents picking up most of the tab for the trip it is just not feasible. Any advice/tips? The longest we have ever driven for vacations was 9-10 hours. The last and only time we went to Disney we flew. Is it going to be as miserable as I am thinking? My plan is the way down drive straight through--possibly leaving during the night around 2am and take shifts driving all the way. But on the return break the driving into 2 days with a hotel stay half way home. According to mapquest it is a 17-18 hour drive--is this accurate?

Yes, from my house just south of I-20 in Desoto, it takes a minimum of 17 1/2 hours driving straight thru with only brief bathroom/gas/fast food stops. This is if there is no major construction, no wildfires (we had to detour once in FL due to wildfires near the interstate), etc. There are just two of us adults taking turns driving, and the kid sleeps in the back seat or watches movies. It is doable, but I hate it and much prefer to fly, because we arrive at Disney tired and get home exhausted. It might not be so bad if you had more adults driving in each vehicle and the rest could sleep, and you took two days to get home. We have just chosen not to stop on the way home so we could stay longer at Disney. I am happy to answer any specific questions if you want to PM me.

 

[greymauser]

It is a lot easier than you think. This way, you have a car on property and do not have to depend on Disney Transportation. Plus you can bring a cooler and snacks and you have more room to bring back souviners. Just remember do not kill yourself on the drive. It is more about the journey and the memories. And do not use Mapquest as your soul choice. Get out an atlas and plan to at least visit one place on your drive to your destination and one place on the return. That is one of the joys of driving yourself, you get to experience more.

 

[AR81]

Thank you all for your responses. Do you drive straight thru or break it up in two days? The point for us driving is to save money. So we are trying to figure out what we are going to spend driving. We'll have 2 suv/suburban type vehicles so I know the gas is going to be astronomical as well as food on the way down. And if we stop then that is 2 hotel rooms also. I know airfare is expensive but driving would only be appealing if its saving us a ton of money... If you know what I mean...

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

Thank you all for your responses. Do you drive straight thru or break it up in two days? The point for us driving is to save money. So we are trying to figure out what we are going to spend driving. We'll have 2 suv/suburban type vehicles so I know the gas is going to be astronomical as well as food on the way down. And if we stop then that is 2 hotel rooms also. I know airfare is expensive but driving would only be appealing if its saving us a ton of money... If you know what I mean...

We have never stopped overnight along the way, because, like you said, we only drive to save money and getting a hotel room, more meals, negates the savings. We did stop for a few hours at the Florida panhandle area beaches for a few hours one time on the trip home--that was nice. When we drive, we take a cooler with drinks and sandwiches and snacks, but we do usually stop for fast food at least once each way also. I usually see what airfare will cost (plus figure in bag fees--if it's summer, I can do carryon only but in winter that wasn't possible with bulkier clothes), then estimate gas cost/food cost for driving. To some extent you also have to consider the wear and tear to your vehicle and any maintenance that you might have to do sooner rather than later. My breaking point is about $500.00 - $600.00 for the three of us--if I can fly for about $500.00 or less more, then we fly. Our time and enjoyment at Disney is worth it! We don't really care so much if we dont have a car at Disney if we are staying on property, so if we fly and stay on property, I don't factor a rental car into the equation.

 

[disneymom443]

I am for OKC and we've driven a couple of times. We leave at 4:00 am and drive for 16 hours. We stoped in Pencola Fl. With you being from Dallas (4 hrs closer) You clould do the all in one trip. But once you hit the Orlando area it does get busy. If you leave at 12am, that would put you arriving at around 4pm. Just look at how you feel about driving that long and try to take turns driving.(my DH doesn't like to switch, so he can do it all himself)

It can be done... we do the frive in two days. Drive for 16 the first day, 4-5 the next. Just in case for traffic, shorter day for the second.



We"ll be at our Happy Place in just 33 days!!