driving from IN with 5 year old

[Skyw]

Now that gas prices are down.....I was thinking about driving down to WDW. Can anyone comment on how was the drive? with a 5 year old and a DH who would rather fly. I figured I could save about $300 driving.

thanks

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We just did it last week with 3 kids ages 9, 7, almost 4. It is not that bad. There wasn't any major construction, and we missed Atlanta rush hour, so we really never had any delays! We did stop for the night because we left as soon as school was out at 4:00. We think we could have made it home without a hotel, but we just couldn't leave and ended up doing Epcot until about 2:00!

We tend to alternate flying and driving. For us, it is a lot cheaper to drive because we have 5 plane tickets. We used our car to go to Typhoon Lagoon, but otherwise used Disney transportation. We had a DVD player in the van, read books, and played Leapsters. My 3 year old slept some.

Good luck!

 

[allyphoe]

We drive from Oklahoma (20 hours if we did it straight through ), and have done that with DD anywhere between 26 months and 4y11m. A DVD player with headphones has been a lifesaver. Mine wasn't reading when we took our last trip, but I'd pack a stack of books for her if we were to go now.

We've tried driving at night, in hopes DD would sleep for more of it, but we've found it works better to just leave early in the morning. Our first day, we go about 14 hours, then 6 the next day, and spend the afternoon at one of the parks.

The rule of "everyone pees every time we stop, even if they don't have to go" is also one that's worked well. We drive through the "future I-22 corridor" aka 3 hours with no services, so we stop at each end and hope not to have to stop in the middle.

We started out with 4 people in a minivan, but it really isn't any more crowded with 4 people in a Camry, and the mileage is so much better.

I've flown that trip before, and I personally prefer driving. Flying for us takes an entire day and can be a hassle with kids.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The rule of "everyone pees every time we stop, even if they don't have to go" is also one that's worked well. We drive through the "future I-22 corridor" aka 3 hours with no services, so we stop at each end and hope not to have to stop in the middle.

We've used this rule in the parks for years, too! EVERYONE - even the adults!


One of the best travel toys is a simple magnetic drawing board. I forget the brand name, but look where they sell Aqudoodle in any big box store. One of the toy companies makes little magnetic drawing boards that they sell inthe same area (Aquadoodle is a neat toy too, but requires wate which is not so good for travel.)
Target has them. Last year they even had them inthe stocking stuffer section for like $5. They are also great for practicing math or spelling words or sight words. They also have a magnetic back and can be used later as a message board.

As for driving....and saving money....don't neglect to add in the cost of waer and tear onthe car - it isn't just gas and tolls that are part of the cost. I'm not saying it isn't still cheaper...but I think it's easy to forget the cost of the maintenance.

 

[wdw71]

We drove from KY to WDW with a 4 yr old and an 17 month old in April and it wasn't bad at all. It took us a bit longer than usual because we stopped more to get them out of their seats and we stopped over night just inside the Florida state line which we never used to do. We had a DVD player in the van (an absolute must) and I made each of them a bag of goodies (cheap toys, crayons, coloring books and snacks) which kept them happy. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Have a great trip

 

[Denine]

We just got back with our 6 year old and she did great. We do not have a DVD player. I pack a bag of surprises and pull something out when she starts to get antsy. I had 2 Leapster cartridges, magic ink coloring books, books, a Little Einstien sticker book. She also gets a couple of "friends" in the car. THis time it was Sorcerer Mickey and her American GIrl, Nellie.
I save all year when it comes to that surprise bag. If I think something would be good for the dirve, I buy it and put it in the bag. I tend to forget what I have in there.
We also got DD one of those roadside games that she could put a sticker on the spot when she saw the sign. We got theat at AAA.
We drove when she was 5 too and did great. Same strategy.
She turned 6 about 2 weeks before we left on our trip.