Driving from WI, 8 1/2 days, still fun?

[Agent P]

Been driving from MI to Disney annually since my son was an infant, now 10. Leave around 4pm and get to Disney around noon the next day. Spend some time in the parks or at the pool then crash early that night. Trip down is easy, exited to get there. Usually pretty tired after a week in the parks so take 2 days to drive back, stop around Nashville. Kids enjoy reading and watching movies or playing video games, also they sleep a large chunk of the way down.

 

[tami82]

We live near Milwaukee and are thinking of driving to Florida, is it a bad idea?

Family is myself, my husband, 2 kids (8 and 5.) We have friends outside of Atlanta to stay with. I've calculated and we aren't saving a ton of money with only 2 kids. But I don't like flying, and I thought a road trip, and seeing the country, seeing friends, etc. might be fun. But...is that crazy. Too many long days in the car for it to be fun?

Plan would be to leave on a Friday evening, drive till the middle of the night, stop to sleep in KY. Next day drive 8 hours to GA friends, get there in enough time to spend the evening with them and their kids, cook a healthy meal, get some sleep. Leave 5ish next morning to get to Disney with enough time to enjoy the evening. We would have 4 full days (five nights) in FL. Then we'd have to drive all that way back!

I figured leave early, make the long drive back to ATL area (made a touch longer by the fact that we are going to be staying a little further South than Disney at this point, Gulf Coast.) Spend the night. Next day leisurely drive through TN and sight seeing. Then the 9 hour or so drive home the following day.

I like the idea that we could see sights and friends. But is spending 4 9ish hour days in the minivan overall just a stupid idea and we should just fly?

As a child I loved road trips and still do. They are my best memories especially when we would stay in a town near my dads family in Florida for a few,days. We would than ride a few hours somewhere else in Florida and see another relative of my dad. Back then it was only one or two days in Disney but that was ok I enjoyed meeting the relatives. It depends on what you want out of the vacation. This year we are flying which was an unplanned thing once figuring out expenses and 4+ days traveling, we got good airline ticket prices and booked right away. Me and my younger daughter love the road trips and kind of bummed about it. My husband and older 24'year old daughter who I thought would never be on vacation with us again decided to join us, they are limited on time so I'm not arguing about this and just going to try something different this time.

 

[scrapquitler]

We live near Milwaukee and are thinking of driving to Florida, is it a bad idea?

Family is myself, my husband, 2 kids (8 and 5.) We have friends outside of Atlanta to stay with. I've calculated and we aren't saving a ton of money with only 2 kids. But I don't like flying, and I thought a road trip, and seeing the country, seeing friends, etc. might be fun. But...is that crazy. Too many long days in the car for it to be fun?

Plan would be to leave on a Friday evening, drive till the middle of the night, stop to sleep in KY. Next day drive 8 hours to GA friends, get there in enough time to spend the evening with them and their kids, cook a healthy meal, get some sleep. Leave 5ish next morning to get to Disney with enough time to enjoy the evening. We would have 4 full days (five nights) in FL. Then we'd have to drive all that way back!

I figured leave early, make the long drive back to ATL area (made a touch longer by the fact that we are going to be staying a little further South than Disney at this point, Gulf Coast.) Spend the night. Next day leisurely drive through TN and sight seeing. Then the 9 hour or so drive home the following day.

I like the idea that we could see sights and friends. But is spending 4 9ish hour days in the minivan overall just a stupid idea and we should just fly?

Doesn't sound like fun to me. You are going to be exhausted by the time you get in the car to drive home. And your plan doesn't actually leave much of any time to visit with your friends or do any sightseeing along the way if those are the objectives. I'd rather spend a little bit more money and have a couple of extra days of actual vacation in Florida.

 

[DisneyOma]

I've done the 1200+ mile trip three times in one year to WDW, from up here in northeast MA. Whole family has done it multiple times. First time the kids were 5 and 2, we spent 2 nights on the road, so they could get lots of breaks, etc. Second trip they were 8 and 5, just one night. We'd take our time coming back - did DC/zoo the first trip, Philadelphia/Independence Hall the second trip. We've also taken a month long trip to drive around the country.

As long as you have stuff for the kids to do, space for them to spread out, and take lots of breaks I think you've got a great plan.

 

[cjparker0110]

We live near Milwaukee and are thinking of driving to Florida, is it a bad idea?

Family is myself, my husband, 2 kids (8 and 5.) We have friends outside of Atlanta to stay with. I've calculated and we aren't saving a ton of money with only 2 kids. But I don't like flying, and I thought a road trip, and seeing the country, seeing friends, etc. might be fun. But...is that crazy. Too many long days in the car for it to be fun?

Plan would be to leave on a Friday evening, drive till the middle of the night, stop to sleep in KY. Next day drive 8 hours to GA friends, get there in enough time to spend the evening with them and their kids, cook a healthy meal, get some sleep. Leave 5ish next morning to get to Disney with enough time to enjoy the evening. We would have 4 full days (five nights) in FL. Then we'd have to drive all that way back!

I figured leave early, make the long drive back to ATL area (made a touch longer by the fact that we are going to be staying a little further South than Disney at this point, Gulf Coast.) Spend the night. Next day leisurely drive through TN and sight seeing. Then the 9 hour or so drive home the following day.

I like the idea that we could see sights and friends. But is spending 4 9ish hour days in the minivan overall just a stupid idea and we should just fly?

Hi there! We live in Minnesota so I know all about long drives. I'm sure you've had your question answered (have not read all the responses) but let me offer my few thoughts here:

1. I'm originally from southern VA (where my family still lives). We drive out there to visit because it is cheaper for our family (6 of us) than flying. I would prefer to fly but the cost is more than our whole trip and then requires a rental car and 4 car seats (which we would prefer to not have to bring with since we already have our hands full with kids and luggage!). That gets real expensive. We take a leisurely drive, letting the kids out often so it takes about 3 days to get there (it can be done in about 20 hours if two adults just drive straight there). We visit for 4-5 days and then turn around and drive back. By time we get home I am plain and simply exhausted from so much driving and all we did on our trip is drive and visit with my parents. That said, I don't think I would even want to think about how tired I would be from all that driving after running around WDW for a few days in the process.

2. I understand the fear of flying. It's actually safer than driving! However, if you are still worried about it, then how about trying out the train! I took a train to WDW once from VA and it was awesome. It's a great experience that you and your kids will not forget and will allow you to rest a bit more than driving all day.

3. Driving is great if EVERYTHING goes right. We were heading to Virginia one time for a wedding in Northern VA. We decided to leave a week early so I could visit my family while being so close. As luck would have it our van broke down on a Saturday afternoon on the way down. Not a mechanic open and I couldn't fix it myself. So we spent 2 nights in a hotel and then $500 on a repair job Monday morning to have another issue come up Monday evening. Another hotel and $200 more on repairs and we were on our way with enough time to make it to the wedding...not enough to visit family. Glad we left early or we would have missed out on the whole reason of our trip!

4. Another driving issue is traffic. While it's usually not bad until you hit the east coast, I've seen some horrific traffic backups that are unlike anything you've probably experienced even in Milwaukee. Seriously, I sat still for over 2 hours one time on a trip home...luckily I did not have kids yet. I can't imagine how bad that would have been. I'm just saying this because if you're schedule is pretty dependent on timing and you get stuck in a nasty traffic jam...or worse yet, an accident, then your trip could be ruined.

5. It's awesome that you have some friends you can see and stay with. However, I would feel horrible using a friend as a "hotel"...that's just me though. I'd let my friends do it at my place, but I just wouldn't feel right doing it. Just something to consider when you're traveling because some people will feel taken advantage of...especially if you are running behind and then you take off early the next morning before they are even up!

6. Also keep in mind how well your kids do on a long trip. My oldest just turned 5 so all of them are in car seats right now. And they don't like it for long stretches. Your 9ish hours could turn into 12-14 if your kids don't want to get back in those seats. I can't say for sure. We have 4 so we are more likely to have to stop extra times for potty breaks or diaper changes. And I just can't deal with screaming kids in the van for too long so if they are getting antsy I would rather pull off and relax than push on and everyone be frustrated (it took us 4 days once!).

Anyway, those are just a few thoughts for you. Whatever decision you make is yours alone. Just be sure that you know what you are getting into. You know your kids and your stamina best!

 

[maxiesmom]

Another possible flaw in your plan is your first night. You state you plan to leave Friday evening and stop in Kentucky. What time are you leaving Friday? That first stretch will be around 8 hours without stops. If you leave at 5 you will hit Kentucky around 1 am or so. I'm assuming your kids will be sleeping in the car at that point? Do you really want to haul them all into a hotel, probably waking the up? And how early are you going to be able to leave the hotel, refreshed and ready for a hard day of driving?

 

[mommy123]

We also live just south of you, near Chicago. We have driven for the last two years with our kids ( school age) whirlwind trips of driving straight thru, staying 3-5 nights, and driving back straight thru as well. Works for us. Saves a ton of money over flying, and I feel there is much less likelihood of delays, etc.

 

[mortimor]

If it sounds fun or makes sense financially, go for it....We have been driving from northern Minnesota roughly two times a year since our kids were the same age as yours and have done it countless times. The trip is somewhat boring on the interstate, but is the only way to go if you are looking to keep it as short as possible. We have dual screen DVD players and let the kids pick the movies they want to watch. The trip goes surprisingly quick We drive straight through with two adult drivers. When they were younger, we had a small present that they opened at each state. It helped to break up the monotony and gave them something to look forward to. We pack a cooler full of food/snacks and the kids eat what they want when they want. We also do not set sleep times. The kids more or less sleep all night, and nap when they get tired, but if they wake and want to watch movies, go for it. Our goal is to get there and to get home. Stops are at a minimum for gas and bathroom breaks. We switch up our trips between flying and driving and I would venture a guess that the kids are at odds over which they enjoy more. The bonus of driving are many. It is nice to pack and have everything you want with you, not have to deal with the price of a car rental/parking at the airport and the obvious savings over flying. Christmas for us is almost a guarantee for driving. It costs less for gas to drive than what the car rental will cost. Our next trip is this coming August. If we can find a flight that is reasonable, we will most likely fly, but we are ready to drive if needed without a second thought.

 

[mshanson3121]

We live near Milwaukee and are thinking of driving to Florida, is it a bad idea?

Family is myself, my husband, 2 kids (8 and 5.) We have friends outside of Atlanta to stay with. I've calculated and we aren't saving a ton of money with only 2 kids. But I don't like flying, and I thought a road trip, and seeing the country, seeing friends, etc. might be fun. But...is that crazy. Too many long days in the car for it to be fun?

Plan would be to leave on a Friday evening, drive till the middle of the night, stop to sleep in KY. Next day drive 8 hours to GA friends, get there in enough time to spend the evening with them and their kids, cook a healthy meal, get some sleep. Leave 5ish next morning to get to Disney with enough time to enjoy the evening. We would have 4 full days (five nights) in FL. Then we'd have to drive all that way back!

I figured leave early, make the long drive back to ATL area (made a touch longer by the fact that we are going to be staying a little further South than Disney at this point, Gulf Coast.) Spend the night. Next day leisurely drive through TN and sight seeing. Then the 9 hour or so drive home the following day.

I like the idea that we could see sights and friends. But is spending 4 9ish hour days in the minivan overall just a stupid idea and we should just fly?

I'm a little late to the party But, go ahead and drive. We drove from Atlantic Canada, it was 28 hours driving time. The first day we drove 12 hours to PA, second day 10 hours to SC and then the last day about 6 hours to our rental home. We stopped in VA on the 2nd day and toured the Shenandoah Caverns. We honestly loved the drive down, it was so much fun to see the country, the scenery. Our kids were 8 & 5, and they were phenomenal. It also saved us a lot of money over flying (my husband hates to fly). What we did:

- Took a plug in cooler and packed snacks (fresh fruit, granola bars, crackers, nuts etc...), drinks (juice boxes and water) and stuff to make sandwhiches (PB & jam) for lunch. The only meal we bought was supper. This saved a lot of money.
- Used hotelcoupons.com, and never paid more than $65 a night for great hotels - they were clean, easy access off the highway, had a pool and full hot continental breakfast. The pool was a great way to relax after a long day spent in the car.,
- Took a soccer ball and football. We stopped at the large rest stops for gas/bathroom/lunch etc, and whenever we stopped we always got out and stretched our legs by playing some football or soccer. Even just 10 minutes running around is a great break.
- The kids had their DVD player and DS, as well as a bag packed with coloring supplies, favorite books and a couple small toys.

Now, the drive home was harder, I admit it. Now, I will say, DH didn't mind the drive home as much as I did, but I was a) sick, coming down with a cold b) my leg was hurting me thanks to the zillion miles I walked at Disney and c)... let's just say it was a bad time of month . The first day was honestly fine, no problems. Around the middle of the second day kids and I especially were getting pretty tired and they were getting a little snippy. We also took a different route home than we took going down which was a boo-boo and ended up taking us into the thick of Hartford or some horrible area traffic in CT, and it was just stressful. We were all a little cranky The last day was never-ending, lol. But mostly just because it was that "so close, so far away feeling" (we had stopped the night before only 5 hours from home) and that particular stretch of highway is boring as heck at the best of times, lol. But honestly, even amidst that, we still had fun, and there were still some laughs. Haha, I remember one part, DH was frustrated with the traffic in the area trying to get back to the highway (we had detoured to some outlet stores on our last day), and was getting a little testy, and then we almost missed the (pathetically marked) turn off to the highway, and he ended up taking us off-roading through the ditch back up onto the highway ramp. And I remember thinking "Oh God, he's going to BLOW!", I looked at him, he looked at me, and we just burst out laughing our butts off. It was an adventure, lol.

What I would do differently on the way home next time is 1. stick to the route you know! 2. I'd possibly consider adding a scenic or entertainment stop on the way home, so that you have something to look forward to, and something to break up the monotony of the drive.

 

[disneymom0104]

We have driven from Denver to Disneyland (1,039 miles) 3 times now, with 3 and 4 kids. The first time the kids were 10, 7 and 1; the second time they were 11, 8 and 2 and then a year ago with 13, 10, 5 and 1. We don't mind it at all and it is part of the fun for us. We drive about 10 hours the first day and then 6 the second day. I will say that our drive through Utah and Nevada is probably easier than WI to FL- just a lot less people and a lot less traffic. But we take 2 days to get there, 2 days to get home, and spend 5-6 days there. It does sometimes feel long, but we always look back with good memories. We obviously will be flying from CO to FL, though (just because we want to spend more time at WDW and can't apply it to driving time).