Driving Itinerary!

[lnuss1988]

We will be driving from PA, 17 hours. I've done it before, twice. As a passenger once and as a back up driver once.

Now that I am planning my own WDW trip with my family, I have made a driving itinerary! Does that make my OCD and excitement stand out??

My question, has anyone ever driven with an itinerary? Do they work? Hard to keep on schedule? I just started one, would like some thoughts and opinions.

Driving Itinerary – 17 hours 14 minutes

1am – HIT the open road!!
4am – Potty break/Gas break
4:30am – Back on the road.
8:30am – Breakfast break/Gas break
7 hours.

9:30am – Back on the road.
12:30pm – Lunch break/Gas Break
10 hours.

1:30pm – Back on the road.
3:30pm – Potty Break/Gas Break
4pm – Back on the road.
6pm – Supper break/Gas break
14 hours. – 3 HOURS TO GO!!!!

7pm – Back on the road.
10pm– ARRIVE IN WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

A rough itinerary is a good idea, though I always pad ours for unforeseen stuff.

As for potty breaks, we go when the urge strikes. That could be after a couple hours, or it could be 15 minutes after the most recent stop. If someone need to go, we stop.

 

[Woodview]

Sorry if this will throw a spanner in your plan

BUT WHERE ARE YOU spending a LONG REST BREAK

I would HATE to be in Your Car as you try to Stay AWAKE


Plan is good otherwise BUT PLEASE Please please

THINK OF Other Road Users ..

Pick an overnight motel And Be Happy & Safe

17 Hours Driving .....On your Own .... Madness

 

[rwdavis2]

My dad and I did this when I was 20 and he was 44. We took turns driving then sleeping with no long breaks. Worked OK. I don't think I could do it now that I'm 56.

 

[double r]

We just did this trip from De. over New Years but at night, no schedule just stopped when we needed to. I will say this both the wife and I said never again we plan at least a one night stop next time. When we tow the camper down we usually stop twice but then I am the only who drives towing the camper.
Most of all be careful and do not drive sleepy that is worse then driving under the influence.

 

[lnuss1988]

I will not be driving alone! It will be my DH and DD and myself in our vehicle.

We will be driving straight threw and taking turns driving. My DH will start out and probably after breakfast when we hit the 500 some miles on 95 I will take over so he can get some rest. He works third shift once a month, goes to bed around 6pm ish, so for him starting the trip at 1am won't be an issue. I plan to sleep until breakfast, or if I wake up for our first pit stop. Driving long distances isn't an issue for us. Two of the three times I've been to Disney we have driven.

I agree, take stops when you have to go, with a DD who will be 4, that is a must. I feel like having some sort of itinerary for that long a trip would be a good thing to try and stay on top of timing.

 

[dvczerfs]

boy you would be left at the first rest stop if you were with me.

we live in the Lehigh valley, first stop is Virginia welcoming center. (3 hour mark) next is gas at the four hour mark.
the rest of the way is hammer down. stop to use the restroom, in and out!!!!
meals are a drive thru. (don't get it on my leather seat!!!!)

I leave Nazareth pa at 1am and im pulling into okw at 4:30pm. I drive straight thru wife holds on.

this is what most people see!!!

 

[lnuss1988]

boy you would be left at the first rest stop if you were with me.

we live in the Lehigh valley, first stop is Virginia welcoming center. (3 hour mark) next is gas at the four hour mark.
the rest of the way is hammer down. stop to use the restroom, in and out!!!!
meals are a drive thru. (don't get it on my leather seat!!!!)

I leave Nazareth pa at 1am and im pulling into okw at 4:30pm. I drive straight thru wife holds on.

That is how it is when I went with my Mom and Dad!! We would FLY down 95!! If it was up to me, your way of going would be my way. My husband likes to stop and stretch, he's 6ft! I figured if I added a meal break, I could kill three birds with one stone, Gas Food and Potty! We might do one meal as a drive through. If it was up to me we would do all meals as a drive through, but I can't torture my DH, DD, MIL and FIL like that!! I made the breaks a little longer than I am expecting them to take just for itinerary purposes. Once my husband gets on the interstate he goes, so I'm hoping he makes up the time for the breaks!!!

 

[dvczerfs]

That is how it is when I went with my Mom and Dad!! We would FLY down 95!! If it was up to me, your way of going would be my way. My husband likes to stop and stretch, he's 6ft! I figured if I added a meal break, I could kill three birds with one stone, Gas Food and Potty! We might do one meal as a drive through. If it was up to me we would do all meals as a drive through, but I can't torture my DH, DD, MIL and FIL like that!! I made the breaks a little longer than I am expecting them to take just for itinerary purposes. Once my husband gets on the interstate he goes, so I'm hoping he makes up the time for the breaks!!!

the more people in the car, the longer the stops. more people.... more putzing.
everyone does it different. im an outside sales rep so I spend a lot of time on the road driving.(40-45k per year) and I could drive forever. driving never bothered me. my wife is not nuts about flying so driving makes it nice for both of us. I do fly for work a few times a year so I have nothing against the unfriendly skies. anymore, flying is such a pita to me.
I like the freedom of driving. Im in control of my vacation and after all these years of driving it has become part of our lives. we are comfortable and stress free driving. others rather fly which is fine too.
I have to be reminded a lot of times about stopping or I could drive from gas station to gas station.

 

[nono]

Yes, I find it easier to make an itinerary now that we've done it about a dozen times. First time, it's a crapshoot!


We pretty much nail it to within 10 minutes, but generally, we enjoy the ride so much that it really doesn't matter if the whole thing goes haywire...

Hope you guys enjoy the ride!

 

[Tallent]

We are driving for the first time this summer (auto train back) from central md. Because I will be the only driver and my ds gets car sick we plan on doing the trip on 3 days.

Day 1 leave afternoon, stopping in Norfolk NC.
Day 2 hotel pool and relaxing. Leave after checkout and drive to savannah
Day 3 drive to disney!

Each day is about 4 hours driving however if all is going well we can go an extra hour. But I'm the only driver so dint want want to push it.

 

[DizDaD7]

I've done it twice now. Both were in April if I recall..

I worked the day we were going to leave, whether that being a Wed. or a Thursday. My Van is already packed and ready to go prior to me leaving for work in the morning. I get home at usually at 4 pm & I ready & raring to go by 4:15.

We start out up here in Northern NJ, basically 10 minutes from NYC... The key for us is to get near the Wash. DC area after rush hour, which we do around 745 or 8. Whenever we need to stop for a potty break I usually fill up the van to kill 2 birds with one stone.... after eating a quick dinner, the kids put there pj's on on basically asleep from 8:30 or so until at least 6 the next morning, by that time I'm already in Ga. Besides the Breakfast/gas stop (usually 30 mins. or so) we end up arriving at our resort somewhere between 11- & 12. Just in time to check in to our room... This part of the trip is rough ,but knowing where we are going makes it all worth while....

Now once the trip is over, that's a totally different story...I dread this part.... Plus we leave just after lunch & it seems sooo much longer. I'm already planning flying trip for November, but a 2 weeker driving trip for summer 2015, & trying to incorporate HH on the drive home, as well as Williamsburg too. This will break up the ride considerably and we won't feel like the vacation is over prior to us leaving WDW,

 

[lnuss1988]

I have us checking in a day early (friday) but we won't arrive till around 9-10pm. So that gives us a full free day saturday to start our trip. I have us leaving the following Saturday. I'd like to stay that Saturday as our last day and leave sunday morning, but chances are my DH, MIL and FIL will have to go back to work Monday, so that'll make for a long last day off. Still in the pre-planning phases though.

 

[dsnymomof4]

I usually make a driving itinerary - just to get an idea of how long it will take, but don't really follow it exactly. I think it's good though - as long as you can be flexible. Also, I would cut the food breaks down from an hour - you could get there so much earlier if maybe you packed food to eat and just took shorter breaks to use bathroom and stretch. Good luck!

 

[monorailsilver]

Dh and I used to drive pre kids/marriage in his fiero to car shows in the mid west from CT.

We did the trip ticks/pre phone so we would try to figure out our goal, like Columbus would be one goal.

When we drive to FL last April. Out goal was the fl line or at least mid way thru GA but an hour pit stop thanks to my son who had to poop and then decided he didn't have to poop but we waited and traffic south of DC out a damper in that. We only made it to santee. The next day we had a 9 hour drive.

So yeah, our goals are towns. I don't put planned put stops in there because at 11:30 we could be no where near a place to stop for lunch, or we could still be full from the last meal or snack we had.

 

[dvczerfs]

Dh and I used to drive pre kids/marriage in his fiero to car shows in the mid west from CT.

We did the trip ticks/pre phone so we would try to figure out our goal, like Columbus would be one goal.

When we drive to FL last April. Out goal was the fl line or at least mid way thru GA but an hour pit stop thanks to my son who had to poop and then decided he didn't have to poop but we waited and traffic south of DC out a damper in that. We only made it to santee. The next day we had a 9 hour drive.

So yeah, our goals are towns. I don't put planned put stops in there because at 11:30 we could be no where near a place to stop for lunch, or we could still be full from the last meal or snack we had.

CT to FL in a fiero???????

 

[monorailsilver]

CT to FL in a fiero???????

Actually no, we upgraded to a dreaded minivan.

We only drive the fiero to old orchard beach Maine, Pontiac Michigan (FYI I do realize there should be commas between city and state), Columbus Ohio, Louisville Kentucky, Nashville Tennessee, St. Louis Missouri, Indy and Williamsburg va.

I learned how to pack light and do laundry as well as if he was getting gas it was time to hit the bathroom. He would start pumping and he'd go and then I would go while it finished pumping.

 

[lnuss1988]

I usually make a driving itinerary - just to get an idea of how long it will take, but don't really follow it exactly. I think it's good though - as long as you can be flexible. Also, I would cut the food breaks down from an hour - you could get there so much earlier if maybe you packed food to eat and just took shorter breaks to use bathroom and stretch. Good luck!

I will probably cut some of the breaks down, maybe eat breakfast and lunch on the go. We most likely won't follow it exactly, around the times if we need to stop we will, if not skip that stop. I mostly made it to try and figure out what time we would arrive, and I am being generous on the break times right now I would like to arrive when it's still daylight out so I can get a picture of the arch way!! If not, we will be making a trip so I can get a picture!!