Driving from WI, Help...

[mickistreeter]

Thanks everyone, you guys really helped! I am looking into the Boppy pillow right now, and love the idea of scrapbooking ideas, and making organizational lists. I also may redo my address book like one of you said your mother in law does on the trip, that is a GREAT idea! A friend also suggested buying some cd's of like Jeff Foxworthy, or someone funny like that. I told my hubby to look into the suggestion of the cd about Interstate 75, I love learning little facts and that kind of stuff. We can do this, we can do this, WE CAN DO THIS! We are taking a break for a few days on the gulf in a condo before heading over to Disney, so that should give us a little rest time after the trip down also. Now the question, How am I going to live without the DIS forums for two weeks? I will miss my morning coffee and sitting at my computer going over the forums!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Check my siggie

We actually enjoy the drive as much as the vacation, I know, we're weird, but my DH works so much it's a blessing to have 7 hours of uninterrupted time to talk.

Our two kids either sleep or watch DVD's or read on the way down.

One thing I didn't see mentioned that we do a lot is leave at 2 or 3 in the morning, because the kids will sleep until 7 am and then we're almost there.

We pack a big thermos full of hot coffee to keep us alert, but it's not really that necessary because we go to bed at 9 the night before so we've had 5-6 hours of sleep and it's exciting to get on the road. Plus at night the roads are much less crowded and it's easier to drive.

We all bring blankets and pillows. We also bring books on CD that we enjoy listening to sometimes.

 

[Emmabean2000]

Well we are joining in on the driving fun, leaving in 16 days. I have heard that the drive is fine, until you get close to Atlanta. Then I have been warned about traffic and road construction. Any tips on times to avoid Atlanta? Also, does anyone know of current construction that would affect drive times? Are there alternate roads we can take? I tried checking their transportation web site, but it really was not too helpful...

 

[mombare]

When we have driven to Georgia, we usually hit there at night. One thing to note...prior to Atlanta, you will hit Chatanooga - something we hadn't planned for. We specifically timed our last meal stop so we wouldn't hit Atlanta traffic, but we hit it there instead. I think we would try to stop between the two next time!
Atlanta can be overwhelming, but if you just pay close attention to signs you will be fine. I am pretty sure they give you plenty of notice of what lanes you need to be in - definitely a time to be very alert! Oh...and be prepared for very FAST drivers! I like to be above the speed limit, but this was ridiculous....a little faster pace than the midwest!
Have fun - driving for us was cheap and fun, and there are so many great benefits. I will never forget the great road trips my family took when we were a kid!

 

[summermac]

We will also be driving all night. We plan on leaving Ohio at 8 PM. We are taking I-77 to I-95 so no ATL traffic for us. Thank goodness!!! We do have to contend with Charlotte, NC; Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA though..but honestly don't think any of those will compare to ATL. Maybe Charlotte but we should it it at about 4 in the morning. It's 8 hours to Charlotte for us.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Well we are joining in on the driving fun, leaving in 16 days. I have heard that the drive is fine, until you get close to Atlanta. Then I have been warned about traffic and road construction. Any tips on times to avoid Atlanta? Also, does anyone know of current construction that would affect drive times? Are there alternate roads we can take? I tried checking their transportation web site, but it really was not too helpful...

That would be me driving ridiculously fast (look for the gold minivan covered in disney stickers ) through Atlanta. Don't take the Perimeter (285) around the city, go straight through, it's faster and you're just as likely to hit traffic on the Perimeter as you are heading straight through town. When you get to Macon, take the 475 bypass, though, it's faster.

Avoid being within 40 miles of atlanta between 6:30-9:30 am, and 4:30-7 pm, and you should be fine. Stay out of the fast lane. Pay attention to the exits (we have exit-only lanes, I know the northeast doesn't do those much), and if you're from NJ or NY, don't speed too much becuase the local law enforcement seems to enjoy pulling over cars with those tags (every time we look it's like, yep, another jersey tag!).

About an hour south of Atlanta there's an exit called Locust Grove that can snarl up terribly during rush hour-the couple of times we've hit it we've been like, man, this is *awful*, so try not to be headed out of Atlanta and be an hour south between 4:30 and 7 pm, either. In the mornings it's been fine since everyone is headed in then.

The speed limit once you get out of Atlanta goes up to 70. Again, stay out of the fast lane unless you're prepared to do about 90. I kid you not.

We just came back Dec 19 and there was no construction on the roads to speak of.

When you're driving down, you know you're about 2 hours to the border when you see the Perry Fairgrounds. When you get to the Florida Farm Bureau, you know you're about 2 hours from Disney.

There's a new road in Fla, the 429, that will take about 30 minutes off your route (we used to go 75-turnpike-I4). Google it to check it out . It'll take you right into the back entrance of Disney.

 

[Lovin' Disney]

Kickapoo, thanks for those helpful hints. We are driving from Upper Michigan (may have everyone beat so far), which is about 24 hours straight through, about 28 hours with breaks/food. We would like to do it in 2 days.

From those who drive from Wisconsin, which roads do you use to get down there? Google says to go through the entire state of Illinois, which sounds really boring to me. I would like to visit a few other states if possible.

I haven't looked at an actual atlas yet, just googled directions from here to Disney.

Any tips/must sees would be appreciated!!!!

 

[Poohbug]

We have taken a few different routes to FL from here in Southern Wisconsin.

On our next trip we will take I-39 to I-74, then pick up I-57 for the rest of Illinois. Yes, it is boring-really boring, but this way has always been the fastest. We bypass Chicago-which always seems to have traffic now.
At the bottom of Illinois we pick up I-24 thru Kentucky-much more interesting scenery. We take I-24 all the way to I-75.

Illinois and Georgia(between Atlanta and the southern border) are the most boring parts.

We just want to get there the fastest possible way with the kids in the car. Stretching the driving out over two days just seems to make us all extra cranky.

 

[MyKidsMom1820]

we will be driving from Grand Rapids Michigan. I am super excited to drive.

One thing I do is always bring some pillows and smallish blankets. That way the kids and I can get comfy and sleep. Then if my husband needs a break we can switch out.....

also, snacks, and drinks, but not too many drinks

 

[becca-becca]

We just did the drive (14 hours) at Christmas with 3 kids ages 11, 9 and 5, my mom, DH and myself. The way down was actually fun. We did split it. We stayed in Macon, GA.

I went into OCD mode for planning the trip down. I made several different CD's with everyones favorite music. (non-disney music, Christmas music, Disney Christmas music and Disney songs (including park music). I had the kids each pick out 2-3 movies that they wanted to watch. Then I scheduled the entire trip. First, car game (30 min) then movie, then everyone had to listen to music and sing, then movie, then they could play their games, then CD, then movie, etc. until Macon.

The next day, did the same thing. However, on this day, I had $50 of Disney Dollars to give away to each kid. We have gotten DVD Scene It from Kohl's and we played that until we had a winner and gave money to each kid who got a question right. At the end, we invented more Disney Trivia until everyone had earned their money.

We stopped at the Florida Welcome center and had OJ (I75). We also hit Chick Fil A for each meal (we don't get it at home and love it). It seemed like before we knew it we were there.

The way back, however, was a movie free for all!

Good Luck.

 

[Babboo]

Our drive was a HUGE help. We drove as far as we could and along the way Sharky went over our "book". She had so meticulously planned and we needed to go over it to make sure we were getting everything we wanted. We were making calls to ensure our ADRs were right and that we had written them all down correctly, we were taking care of last minute details such as planning how to occupy the kids in areas of the park with hidden Mickey hunts, etc. We got to the park and were off without hesitation or pause. There was no rushing - there was no worry. We had our parks planned. Had we been bustling through an airport there would have been all the headaches of security, and packing, and getting us all through the terminals and changing planes, and . . .

I travel for a living and the one thing I absolutely HATE seeing (and see far too often) is the beleaguered family rushing through the airport - stroller invariably dragging behind or hastily being folded - things being dropped - it's a nightmare on legs IMO.

With the drive we had our vehicle, we could pack more suitably that we had what we wanted - had room for trinkets and treasures - snacks, drinks, room, movies, music.

All-in-all I would NEVER consider us flying anywhere as a family for any vacation - why start your trip in a fluster and end on that note too?

Sit back - relax (but stay awake for the drive) and enjoy the company (I know I do, infinitely). The journey is more important than the destination sometimes.

 

[Jumba17]

From those who drive from Wisconsin, which roads do you use to get down there? Google says to go through the entire state of Illinois, which sounds really boring to me. I would like to visit a few other states if possible.

I haven't looked at an actual atlas yet, just googled directions from here to Disney.

Any tips/must sees would be appreciated!!!!

Yes, driving through IL is pretty boring. Your only other option is to go around Chicago and go down through Indiana. But I am sure it would add time onto your drive just because of the traffic. And speaking from LOTS of experience, I-65 through Indiana is not anymore exciting than I-57!

 

[culli]

Just subscribing and want to say thanks great thread. We are thinking of driving in June with 3 young ones (6,3 and 2) for the first time. I will probably fly if we can steal some cheap last minute tickets but I'm not counting on it.

 

[starrynyt]

I would recommend books on tape that will entertain the entire family. DH and I listen to the harry potter series. Or there are Grishem and other great authors you can get to listen to. I find it helps keep your mind busy so you don't notice the time as much. Plus you can borrow them from your local library so it doesn't cost anything.

Enjoy!

 

[KNJWDW]

We have driven from southeast WI to both Florida and Gulf Shores, AL with our 2 young kids. In addition to the usual dvds, leapsters, and lots of different snacks, we decided to invest in satellite radio. We really enjoy it and it our kids ended up liking some of the stations as well. My hubby and I listened to the news a lot and the comedy channels. But our kids actually got into the 80's music station! We don't use the satellite here at home, but just activate it for the road trips. We also plan to use our gps system to check out different points of interest along the way for our trip this coming June.

Happy travels! Amy

 

[Nik's Mom]

We are driving from Kansas to WDW in March. Do any of you buy those table attachments for the car seats? I'm wondering if these would be useful.
http://www.leapsandbounds.com/catal...E_SESSION_ID=db0a8208ac120415746031793725066f

 

[MyKidsMom1820]

All-in-all I would NEVER consider us flying anywhere as a family for any vacation - why start your trip in a fluster and end on that note too?

Sit back - relax (but stay awake for the drive) and enjoy the company (I know I do, infinitely). The journey is more important than the destination sometimes.

So well said! I love the time in the car with my husband.....the kids are strapped in and we can talk uninterrupted! (hardly ever happens!)

 

[tatooed goofy]

Just an FYI....
We live in WI and we priced it out with gas and all and found it to be about $750. This is with gas at $2.50 and all. We would stop but we do CHEAP.
With this said, double check airlines. Some offer deals to fill planes this close to you leaving. Just a thought. We are looking at August and it is about $1030. For the $250 difference, I would fly. It seems like a lot but gives you more park time, and less butt aches...seriously. I am plus sized and know what you mean. Just a thought to ponder. good luck

Less ache on the butt...more aches on the legs in the park..worth it!!!

 

[koolaidmoms]

Just an FYI....
We live in WI and we priced it out with gas and all and found it to be about $750. This is with gas at $2.50 and all. We would stop but we do CHEAP.
With this said, double check airlines. Some offer deals to fill planes this close to you leaving. Just a thought. We are looking at August and it is about $1030. For the $250 difference, I would fly. It seems like a lot but gives you more park time, and less butt aches...seriously. I am plus sized and know what you mean. Just a thought to ponder. good luck

Less ache on the butt...more aches on the legs in the park..worth it!!!

It is funny because I would rather put hot pokers in my eyes than fly with my children! I understand why some people like to fly but for us we had a horrible situation flying (just one month after 9-11). My daughter was sick and cried the whole way (1 1/2 hrs). We did not know she was sick until we were on the plane and she started getting upset as we took off. The people on the plane were yelling and swearing at us by the time we landed which just made DD more upset.

We swore that day we would never put our children in a situation like that again and would not fly if we could help it until they are 21. We are planning a trip around the US in two-three years by car taking two -three months. We are excited. Like I said in a previous post the drive is a big part of the vacation for us. We do the drive to WDW 2-3 times a year and love it.

 

[tatooed goofy]

I am so sorry to hear of your experience.
We have had only good trips on the planes.
I guess your experience can make all the difference.