Driving from Milwaukee

[sydprincess]

Okay Milwaukee Disers, I need some major advice! We've never driven down , but are taking our chances and doing it this time around. I have three little ones and am really worried about pushing it too hard, but we want to get down there in 2 days while making one overnight stop (no night driving) and without putting too much stress on the kiddies by making them sit for too long. Can anyone tell me if they have been in the same boat, how you managed it, how it went, and how long it took? We will be taking 57 though IL to avoid Chicago. Thanks!

 

[Inkmahm]

I can tell you that in 1980, the last time I drove to Florida from Milwaukee, it was 21 hours to Daytona straight through. It is a LONG drive and I'm sure traffic has gotten worse in the last 30 years. I will probably be retired before I do that drive again.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Hi Neighbor-

Well, it IS a 20 hour drive. I just mapquested it for fun. I think your two youngest may be a bit TOO young for such a long ride.

I don't think I could handle three kids that young in a car all together for that long. Maybe you have more patience than I do!

While I would love to get in the car and "drive to Disney," I'm afraid Milwaukee is just too far of a hike.

2 hours on a plane vs. 20 hours in a car........GOOD LUCK with whatever you decide. Please report back if you drive!!!!

 

[Zoma]

Racine resident here I can't say whether your youngest can handle it but, our DD6 was fine when we did this years ago. We started the drive after work(5ish), drove to about Indianapolis and stopped for the night. The next day we made it to southern Georgia at dinner time. I would avoid Atlanta if we did it again, the traffic was CRAZY We started early the next morning and made it to Disney by lunch time. I would do it again.....of course the little 6 year old is nearly 15 now My favorite memory is from the trip home. My DD had the backseat to herself was completely surrounded by stuffed animals and on

Every major road trip we go on we set up the car with all kinds of entertainment. She has a DVD player with tons of movies, music and books. I have always found lots of little things at Target and the Dollar Store to dole out during the drive when I sense boredom creeping in. Find some coloring books, new markers, stickers, silly putty, etc....I also have lots of prepackaged snacks like nuts, crackers, dried fruit and I throw in some candy for fun. I found some great seat back "desks" at Wal-Mart, a couple of years ago, that worked really well at keeping the backseat chaos in some order.

Go with a little extra patience. Take a break at a nice rest stop and let the kids run around and stretch their legs. Order a pizza for your hotel room so you can all relax instead of going out.....or sit by the hotel pool Enjoy the trip, you'll be making some great memories

 

[yoopermom]

Just had to say hi Zoma I grew up in Racine County, and am back frequently to see family! We drove with DS from that area frequently, but either drove at night or took our RV. There are many threads on here about driving with kids, but it is a VERY long drive, and you have to think about the drive home as well. Good luck with whatever you decide...

Terri

 

[twinsplusone]

I'm in the Milw area also. I would love to drive to WDW just once but the thought of 20 plus hrs or 2 1/2 hrs is no contest for me. We would have to take 2 to 2 1/2 days each way and for us that is too much time for a week vacation. Maybe if we had a longer vacation. When I was a kid we drove but we only did WDW in a day. That was way back when there was 1 park and paper tickets. and my dad took 2 weeks of vacation and mom was a SAHM so time wasn't so precious.

Have a fun trip no matter what you decide.

 

[Minniedap]

Racine driver here. We have done this drive everyyear since 2001 when my granddaughters were 15 months and 3 months. It is my daughter, son-in-law and myself. The girls are now 10, 9 and 3. They do very well. We usually plan on stopping on the way down but they always want us to keep driving so we can get there. We have movies and they have their hand held games. On the way back we do stop. We will be heading down to Florida in 3 weeks. This time we will leave at 3 AM and should miss the peak time in the major cities.

 

[DanG07]

Okay Milwaukee Disers, I need some major advice! We've never driven down , but are taking our chances and doing it this time around. I have three little ones and am really worried about pushing it too hard, but we want to get down there in 2 days while making one overnight stop (no night driving) and without putting too much stress on the kiddies by making them sit for too long. Can anyone tell me if they have been in the same boat, how you managed it, how it went, and how long it took? We will be taking 57 though IL to avoid Chicago. Thanks!

We have made the drive from the north suburbs of Chicago the last four times to WDW and our kids, who around the same age as yours, handled it great. I would make sure that you have plenty of things for the kids to do while in the car, such as dvds, hand-held game systems, i-pods, etc. Also, we play different games such as 20 questions to guess a Disney character, spotting cars with different states' license plates, and trivia games. As some pp's have mentioned, our kids love and constantly talk about the 20 hr drives almost as much as they love being at WDW. If you leave super early in the morning from Milwaukee, like 4 or 5 in the morning, you can even drive through downtown Chicago, as you will miss the rush hour traffic. Just make sure that you are through Chicago no later than 7:30 am, as that's when the traffic starts to become bad.

Unlike you, we try to drive straight through and leave our house at 1 or 2 in the morning. However you mentioned that you wanted to stop for the night. If you plan on stopping, I would recommend that you drive into Georgia before getting a hotel. That way you do the bulk of your driving the 1st day and the 2nd day goes quicker.

From a family of 6 that loves to drive, welcome to the driving club. Don't let all of the negative flyers discourage you. You just may find, like we did, that we actually prefer to drive to WDW than fly. As an added bonus, you will have your car in Disney and won't have to rely on the WDW transportation, which can be spotty at times.

 

[mom2lns]

Originally from Milwaukee, we now live in Orlando. During the summers of 2009 and 2008 we drove back to Milwaukee for about a week each time. Our kids now are 7, 5, and 4. I was apprehensive the first time as well--to the point of wishing for failure so we'd never have to do it again. Our trip went so well that I'm happy to do it again, and looking forward to this coming July when we all pile in again and head "home".

Having said that, I think our schedule was a little different than what yours might be. We leave at about 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, pack sandwiches (for dinner) and snacks for in the car. We bring lots of dvds, games (leapsters are great), stickers, and coloring books with crayons and markers. I tend to go buy a few cheapo toys or trinkets that I keep to give to them when they get a little antsy. But, a couple hours in, and a movie or two later, it's dark out and we put jammies on and continue driving while they sleep during the majority of the drive. DH is the motivated one who can drive while the rest of us sleep (he's even done the drive 2x by himself!). Come morning, we stop outside Indianapolis for breakfast and then finish the drive.

If you're prepared, you'll do just fine. Food, snacks, games, movies. Good luck.

 

[DisneyDetective]

Wow! i thought the 10 hour plane trip from Glasgow was long!

 

[WiscMomof2]

Hi neighbors We live in Kenosha. Just wanted to say good luck whatever you decide. We drove several times when I was a kid and I look back on those trips fondly, but of course I wasn't the one driving at the time I can't get my DH to agree to drive down, but I would love to do one big 'road trip' with the kids before they're too old. Nowadays there is so much more to keep kids entertained in the car with portable DVD's and other electronic devices so it's probably not too bad. Heck, we make due with I-SPY, the license plate and alphabet game and survived just fine.

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

Hi ....Kenosha county resident here!

Having made long road trips with the kids in the past....I'd say it's DEFINITELY doable! There are so many devices that entertain kids nowdays that travelling by car is EASY!

I say go for it! If I had two (EXPERIENCED) drivers (it's just me and the kids going), I would drive, but since I'm the only highway driver in the bunch...we will continue to fly (for Now anyway).

 

[LJD2143]

Although we don't drive - as a resident of western Racine County, I had to join in on this one!!!.........Hello fellow SE WI peeps!

As a child, my parents drove us down to FL/WDW every year. However, we had an RV which made the trip super-easy and super-fun! Good Times!

I would love to try driving with my 3 kids (11, 8 and 8), but as a PP said, our limited vacation time is just so precious nowadays. Renting an RV would make the trip so much more enjoyable, but it would cost more than flying!

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

Although we don't drive - as a resident of western Racine County, I had to join in on this one!!!.........Hello fellow SE WI peeps!

As a child, my parents drove us down to FL/WDW every year. However, we had an RV which made the trip super-easy and super-fun! Good Times!

I would love to try driving with my 3 kids (11, 8 and 8), but as a PP said, our limited vacation time is just so precious nowadays. Renting an RV would make the trip so much more enjoyable, but it would cost more than flying!

Sheboygan County checking in! As you can see from my signature line, we're planning on making the drive in a few years after three trips flying. There's just something about flying that really turns us off, so we're looking forward to hitting the road next time. I made the drive many times as a kid (well ok, my parents actually made the drive, I just tagged along) -- two parents, three boys, luggage, all in a 2-door Honda hatchback. Good times! No, seriously. I gripe about it now, but it actaully was a lot of fun. And we didn't have iPods or DVD players back then, either! Good luck, and have fun!

 

[yoopermom]

Has there ever been a SE WI DIS meet? We should have one, obviously! I'm in Union Grove this week, and feel surrounded by my DISboard friends.

Driving to WDW is an adventure!

Terri

 

[sydprincess]

Thanks for all of the incredible advice!!! I truly appreciate it and it has helped me prepare for the drive down. And yes, we need a SEWI greet! What a fantastic idea