Driving from Ottawa in March - Any tips?

[NARM Forever]

We're off to Disney at the end of March. Our first and only trip was this Aug and we talked ourselves into the DVC (now we just have to figure how to pay for the bloomin' thing )

We have two DS age 8 and 5, we'll be buying a DVD player and borrow GameBoys so hopefully that's enough to entertain them.

If you've done this trip, can you give me tips: where to stay/stop enroute, places to avoid, how long it was etc etc.

We have a night planned at HH on the way back so we don't have to leave too early on the Friday but I'm wondering if its worth it or whether we should get a cheaper place to stay.

Cheers

 

[Bea]

I can't really help you with the actual drive as we have never done it but are doing it this March break for the first time. I will be watching this thread closely.

We are staying in Chester, VA on the way down. I have heard some of the hotels along I-95 are scary so instead of paying a lower rate we are spending more and staying at the Fairfield Inn for $84.00 (CAA-I think). I have already ordered our triptix from CAA and I also purchased "Drive I95 by Stan Posner (overkill, I know ).

Good luck with your planning.

 

[siobhan1997]

We used to do this drive every March from Pembroke. We would leave very early about 4 am in the morning and drive as far as Rocky Mount NC our first night. I always made sure to make a hotel reservation in advance and no matter what time this was our stop. We also found from previous driving experience that if you do not make a reservation during the winter months you maybe driving forever trying to find a hotel that has any availability. When we hit the Virginia area we hit a terrible snow storm. Took us 4 1/2 hours to drive only 50 miles as they really don't know how to take care of the roads during a storm.

Now, we fly from Syracuse on Jetblue. This year I booked early and got $885.00 canadian for 3 of us return. I wouldn't go any other way now. A few years ago our DD and SIL were coming back from Florida during the winter and had an accident. TG no one was hurt , but it messed up their car and caused more headaches than anything getting back home again.

 

[Torontogal]

Take breaks when needed - don't try to drive like a madman - enjoy the drive. Get a DVD player and some great music. Map our IKEAS and Toys R Us' on the way - Toys keeps occupied for a good break and IKEA has cheap and good meals.
Get a trip tik from CAA. Make sure your vehicle is well maintained (air pressure, etc). Pack a surprise bag for kids with small treats and things to keep them occupied. Don't forget the gravol for motion sickness. I find drivers in US are very good - don't hog the fast lane!
Have fun - don't drive when tired and enjoy the drive which can be scenic.

 

[tink&cinderella]

We have driven several times now and love it.

We went last March Break and had no problems with bad weather. We prefer driving over flying - no hassles with the suitcases. The kids like to watch movies and play gameboys

I usually pick up stickers and little activity books from the dollar store - a little surpise bag at the beginning of your trip goes a long way in entertaining the kids.

Also pack lots of snacks - juice boxes, fruit treats, chips - stuff they would normally not have - this makes it more tolerable.

We cross over in Niagara Falls and head down via the I 79, 26 and then I95.From TO about 22.5 hours.

We leave around 3:00 a.m. and try to make it to Charlotte, North Carolina on our first stop. The benefit of stopping there is that it is a large city with many nice hotel options. We prefer the Country Inn and Suites or the Hamptons Inn. We look for a place that includes breakfast.

We continue around 8:00 a.m. the next day and stop for a longer stop in Savannah, Georgia. It has a super wal mart close to the highway.

We then arrive around dinner time at WDW. The kids 8 and 4 push to get there "sooner" but this is about as fast as we can do it. Make sure to stop at the Florida Welcome Center for a sampe of fresh squeezed orange juice. Also the kids love to get the disney pamphlets there and they start to look for Palm trees.

The drive through the mountains is beautiful. The weather can be unpredictable- we've had heavy fog, rain, and sunny conditions all on the same trip.

We also pack a pick nik lunch with us on the way down with PB & Jam sandwiches, juice boxes etc and stop at the rest stop to have lunch.

On the way home it usually takes us a day longer and we look for larger cities on the way home. The only time that reservations were an issue was last march break when all the CDN were on their way back and we stopped at the Outlet Mall in Erie and wanted to shop there. We did get a room at Motel 8 - not our first choice, but it was fine. So if you go in March I would call while on route via cell phone to make a reservation - that way you are not tied to a certain place ahead of time if you feel like driving for a longer period of time.

Don't forget to pack change for the Tolls - there are quiete a few at the onset of the drive. I also take Gravol and a beach bucket, a towel and lysol spray just in case. (We used it the first trip when dd got car sick) The bucket was a life saver.

Enjoy the drive and be safe! We also just bought into DVC and will be doing the trip in December. Hope the weather hold out.


Denise

 

[NARM Forever]

Mega thanks everyone. Great tips. We'll definitely do the drive this March. We're managing to miss March break, we have an understanding teacher! and family from the UK who are meeting us there. Our plans for 2008 include March break so we'll take the tip to look into Jet Blue for our 2008 trip.

At OKW in March, using airmiles in Dec to take DM to SSR and hopefully somewhere new (BCV perhaps) in 2008. Ain't life grand