Driving straight through

[NJOYURLIFE]

We are seriously considering driving straight through on our next trip which will be in April. Just wondering about any tips on doing this. It will be the first time that we are doing this and we are trying it because, now that my son has his driver's license, we will have 3 drivers. It is approx. 18-20 hours (forget exact #). We driving from NE PA. My son and I shared the driving on our trip down last year, but we did it in 3 days, stopping once at the top of NC for a night and then at the bottom of SC (Edisto Beach)for two nights.

Thanks in advance.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Many many years ago we used to drive to WDW from northeast Ohio..and always wanted to het there as quick as possible....driving straight thru....which we did many a time....

The hardest is no matter how many drivers you have, it takes 2 to insure safelty...one doing the driving and a co pilot to make sure the ones that's driving is okay.....moost drivers say they are fine and push the limit of staying awake....we could never let someone drive and all the rest doze off....it's a long monotonous drive.....some stretches worse than others...traffic can be a bear and driving in those conditions tiring and stressful.....

Many years ago, traffic wasn't as bad as now a days.....as we got older, too much stress for a vacation and we switched to the train, regular Amtrak....longer in time than driving, about equal in cost but much more easier on us being able to move about, use the restrooms and not have to worry about anything....

Just take it easy, it is a long trip, boring but exciting going down but and much worse going home, take breaks and keep an eye on the driver.....

 

[bookwormde]

If you have 3 drivers it is easy, since as stated above you can have a driver and a copilot to make sure the driver is OK. We like to leave at about 6-7pm from below Phli since that get us well into NC or SC before rush hour. If you have someone who can sleep before you leave that helps alot. If you can I would leave from your area at about 4pm so by the tie you get to Harriburg or Phili depending on haw you go the afternoon rush hour will be clearing. This should get you in before noon since unless you make extended stops.

This is an especially good schedule if you have kids since it gives 8 hours without "how much longer" while they are sleeping and by hte time they wake up it is less than 4 hours to WDW.

If worse comes to worse you just pull over for an hour and take a nap.

 

[ranthony]

We love to drive straight through from NW NJ (near the Delaware Water Gap). Like the previous poster, we time our departure for late afternoon (around 5pm) so that we miss the traffic in the Phil/Balt/DC area. We have 3 boys, 10, 6 and 6 and they have their DS games and videos to watch. As the evening wears on the kids fall asleep and DH and I take turns driving. It does make the trip seem so much shorter for the kids.

As long as you can trust each driver to not try to 'push it through' a tired spell but be willing to switch off or even pull over, I find it a very relaxing way to travel with my family.

We've also flown when the prices have been great, but those great deals on airfare are tougher to find.

Good luck.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

For long straight through trips, I prefer to get up stupid early get a shower & take off before the sun. What you don't want is to finish your trip significantly later than your "normal" bedtime. Get the goofy hours in on the front end whether that means getting up early or driving overnight. But, arrive at your destination at a decent time of day. If you're used to going to bed at 10 p.m., you don't want to be 14 hours into a 20-hour drive when it hits 10 p.m.

 

[PrincessKendall]

Ive driven straight through twice from canada, my tip is to leave very very early in the morning, and take regular breaks, and bring lots of snacks !
also bring a few cds that everyone likes to listen to, one you can sing along too, haha it passes the time

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

Thanks everyone!

 

[BUTTERHEAD1]

I have driven to WDW from NYC about a dozen times, the last time was this past August. We left at 1am and stopped for breakfast in Va. and then headed straight to WDW only stopping for gas/ bathroom breaks and a drive thru dinner. We pulled in to DTD about 8 pm. My wife drove for a total of 2 hours while I took two seperate naps. It is a lot of driving but I prefer getting it done in one day rather than losing part of the next day.
Driving back home is a different story altogether... It feels like it takes forever . We usually stop in NC or Va for the night before getting home.

A lot of my friends think I am nuts for taking the drive to Florida but I find it to be a fun part of our trip.

 

[LidoDeck]

For long straight through trips, I prefer to get up stupid early get a shower & take off before the sun. What you don't want is to finish your trip significantly later than your "normal" bedtime. Get the goofy hours in on the front end whether that means getting up early or driving overnight. But, arrive at your destination at a decent time of day. If you're used to going to bed at 10 p.m., you don't want to be 14 hours into a 20-hour drive when it hits 10 p.m.

Same thing here! I will pack the car, fix snacks, have everything ready to go. Then I shower, take a sleeping pill and crash about 8pm. If I get on the road at 2am, I have 4 - 5 hours behind me before the day even starts. I'm doing this in May, driving - solo - from Orlando to my sister's in Pennsylvania (16 hours). The next day, I'll drive to our camp in Maine 10 -11 hours.

 

[Soon2B4]

We just did this from the Cleveland area in November. We left about 8am and got into Disney at 11:45pm. We packed lots of food and drinks and stopped for bathroom breaks. Surprisingly, we have a 2 yo and 5yo and they did GREAT! Once we told them where we were going, they never once asked if we were there yet! We had portable dvd players hooked up for them and I went to the dollar store and packed a "new" toy/stuff bag for them. (Coloring books and cheap toys are great when your kids are little. I only wish it would stay that way. ) Good luck with your decision! We prefer to fly, but it was a budget last minute trip that enabled us to take our small fridge and snacks for the week. We would definitely do it again if we couldn't find reasonable airfare.

 

[amcnj]

Hi. I live in southern NJ and drive straight through. It is about 1070 miles. I am careful on when I leave so as to clear Washington DC in a non rush time. For me leaving home at 2:30 am lets me get past DC by 5:30 am and in the Orlando area by 6:30-8:30 pm that night (affected by stops, traffic and weather). We usually stay off-site that first night and then have a really short drive the next morning to WDW. I don't mind the drive and usually do all the driving. The trip home is a little tougher as for some reason I am more anxious to get home than I was to get to WDW!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[I Love Pluto]

Hi. I live in southern NJ and drive straight through. It is about 1070 miles. I am careful on when I leave so as to clear Washington DC in a non rush time. For me leaving home at 2:30 am lets me get past DC by 5:30 am and in the Orlando area by 6:30-8:30 pm that night (affected by stops, traffic and weather). We usually stay off-site that first night and then have a really short drive the next morning to WDW. I don't mind the drive and usually do all the driving. The trip home is a little tougher as for some reason I am more anxious to get home than I was to get to WDW!


We do EXACTLY the same timing from the Philadelphia area. It works out perfectly around Washington DC.

Great minds think alike!!!


Another tip - drink milkshakes instead of the liquid beverages. You get the sugar rush to keep you awake, but you don't have to make 100 stops at rest areas.

 

[sam_gordon]

If I had an 20 hour drive in front of me, I'd try to leave ~5am. That would put me at my destination around 1am the next day. With three drivers, hopefully one is a "morning" person and one is a "night" person. Consider how people are when you pick out who drives when. If someone normally is up at the crack of dawn and is asleep by 10pm each night, let them drive first. Someone who sleeps late but stays up late, should have the last shift.

Assuming a 15 gallon tank and 25mpg, you'd get ~375 miles out of each tank. Average that to 60mph, and you'll get ~6 hours out of each tank. Probably stop ~ every 3 hours for bathroom/snack break and every other break you get gas/swap drivers.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

With three drivers, hopefully one is a "morning" person and one is a "night" person.

^^^Huge help if that's your situation. I went on a camping trip with a buddy of mine years back when I worked 2nd shift & he worked days. We left as soon as I got off work at midnight. He slept all the way across MO & halfway into KS. Around 7:00 a.m., he took over and I woke up just prior to CO