Driving from SD~Anyone ever do it?

[megan&joeysmommy]

We're considering a driving trip for our next trip to WDW. Most would call us crazy to ride that far with a 2 & 5 year old. Unfortunately, airfare from here outways the cost of gas and added hotel nights and hauling all that stuff on a plane isn't my idea of a good time anyway. What I'd like to know is if anyone from around the midwest has ever driven. How long did it take from where you are and what route did you take?

 

[Straitlover]

Just out of curiosity, I checked Mapquest. From Baltic SD to Orlando is around 1,621 miles. Whoo that's a long drive!!! It's mostly Interstate, so speed limits should be in the 65 MPH range. They estimate straight through at 25 hrs, 27 minutes. Of course that doesn't take into account any construction, bathroom and meal breaks, etc.

I've never driven that kind of trip so I have no advice for you. Could you not drive to a bigger city to get cheaper airfare?

 

[megan&joeysmommy]

When we went last fall, we flew out of Omaha, but we only had 3 tickets since the baby was a lap-sit baby. Now we'd have to buy 4 tickets so it gets spendier. It's also not so much the price as the convenience of loading up and unloading it when we get there, having a truck to drive while there, not having to ride those awful busses with 2 kids and 2 strollers. We figured it would be a 2 1/2 day drive each way which is do-able when separated by 5 days of Magic. We also have been pondering whether to just drive at night when the kids are sleeping and get like 15 hours out of the way with fewer stops.