Driving time from Texas

[submarinemickey]

Anyone driven from Houston to Florida? Our GPS says about 15 hours. I have heard as much as 18. Anyone done this and have any advice (i.e. - cheaper to fly, etc.) Thanks!

 

[lil mermaid]

Don't have an answer for you, but I am bumping this because we are considering doing the same thing in May!

 

[Lesley Mahler]

We live in Lafayette, Louisiana and that is about 4 hours from Houston...it takes us 12 hours to get to Orlando from here, so my guess would be about 16 hours, but that is not including stops. Hope this helps!

 

[Momvic5]

Hello fellow Texan! My family drove from Lake Jackson (about 1 hour from Houston)to WDW in 2005, and it took us about 18 1/2 hours. We stopped every two hours for bathroom breaks and we also stopped to get food but we ate in the car. It was a long drive but we were very excited so it was fun. However on the way home, we were all exhausted so the trip was much harder. Again we drove straight through. We drove with another family and split the cost of the gas so it saved us money. Three adults and 5 children in one suburban!!

On our last trip(2007), we decided to fly. We were not going with another family, and for our family of 5, it was not that much more to fly with SWA than it was to drive. From Houston Hobby to Orlando MCO, it took a little over 2 hours. It was wonderful. We arrived fresh and ready to go, and when we were totally exhausted from our week, we just had to sit and relax and with in 2 1/2 hours we were back in Texas.

For us, flying was so nice and we would prefer to do it again, but if it means no trip, then driving was great too. My family has decided that if we drive again, we will probably drive straight thru on the way up, but on the way home, we will plan on breaking the trip up and taking two days.

 

[dbenlee]

In 2004 we drove from the Beaumont area to Orlando and it took a little over 16 hours. We have flown since then. As much as I hate to say it (I hope my wife doesn't read this thread!!), its a lot easier to fly. When you get there you are not worn out from the long drive and are able to start enjoying you vacation immediately. When you leave to return home, you don't have the long drive when you are tired and worn out from all of the fun from your vacation. Of course, if you fly, you won't have easy access to a car if you want to go somewhere off property without getting a cab. And for me, another downside of not driving is that you are flying, I REALLY dislike flying!!

 

[pixiepower1971]

I have driven it many times from San Antonio and it usually takes me just under 20 hours . The best I have done is 18.5. Mapquest says 17.5. We make short stops every 2-3 hours. You can drive it straight through with 2 drivers. It is a long, boring drive!

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

We've driven 4 times from the Houston area. We always take our time on the way there, spending a few nights and time at the beaches on the way. My dh always wants to drive straight back, which I think is crazy (last time he was hallucinating Goofy halfway back) and I'm going to insist we don't do this time. We hit it hard on the way home, only stopping for gas and maybe a short potty break and have made it in about 15 hours... not fun by any means, but do-able.... We're going again this summer and will be driving again - we don't mind it and the kids like the beach on the way down....

 

[rt2dz]

Not too far out of Houston and we drive it every year. Mapquest states it is about 15 hours, depending on exact destination give or take 15 minutes. It takes anywhere, depending on weather, traffic, stops, etc, from 13 1/2 hours to 18 hours. Usually right around 14 1/2 to 15 hours. We drive straight through only stopping for gas when the kids are asleep, but otherwise stop every 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

NOTE: We don't follow the exact directions given to us from mapquest because knowing the route, we know ways that are faster. Online direction sources tend to stick to main roads, but there are lots of other side roads that tend to be quicker, depending on where you live.

 

[bxtx]

We're driving from Katy in March so I'll let you know. We're towing a travel trailer so we'll be slower than most although we sit at 60-65 usually. And it's very useful to have your own bathroom with you, with a newly potty trained 3 year old in the car! I'm figuring 24 hours with breaks etc.
BX

 

[At Home at WL]

Growing up, we drove from Humble, TX to Melbourne, FL to visit family at least every other year. As an adult, I've done it once since but only because we had a family reunion in Mississippi on the way.

Sounds like MapQuest is a little optimistic on the time. I-10 routinely has construction between Lake Charles and Lafayette. Plus there are bathroom, food, and gas stops. Even if able to combine those stops, it still takes time.

You should be able to fly direct on Southwest (Hobby) or Continental (Bush)for $200-$250 per person. Sometimes, it's less (I found Continental for $178 the other day). By the time you add up meals on the road, gas, and hotel if you stop overnight, it generally breaks even on cost between 4 - 5 people depend on your choices and gas mileage.

If you have 5 or more people, multiple drivers and the time to spend a very long day to 2 days driving each way then driving might be an option. For us, it would mean me driving the entire time. I rather spend a couple hours on a plane and get there. Plus, I'd hate to make that drive after my stay at WDW. Leaving the World is hard enough without facing a 2 day drive home .

The challenge with flying from Houston is that the first flights are 7-7:30am. That puts you at WDW around lunch and facing the debate of using a full day ticket to go the parks for half a day. To avoid that dilema, we try to fly the last flight out of Houston and stay off site that night or preceed our visit to WDW with a visit to my relatives in Cocoa Beach . The last flights out are around 6 typically, sometime 8, so have to cut your last day short a bit too so you can get to MCO.

 

[Tinka_Belle]

From Alexandria, LA last year it took us 15 hours. That included one stop for gas, one stop for lunch and three toll stations. Hopefully that helps to give you an idea of about how long it will take.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

With gas as expensive as it is, it may be cheaper to fly depending on the size of your family. Driving has a lot of hidden costs that people forget about. Stopping to eat, for example. A 15 hour trip will require at least two meals. If you decide to spend the night midway, that adds quite a bit more. Plus you may need to take extra time off work to accomodate the driving time.

We were considering driving this last trip, but when we did the math, it was cheaper to fly. From Dallas, it is 1200 miles to Orlando, so 2400 round trip. That's about 8 fill-ups at $75 a pop. So, gas alone would have been $600. That's before we bought food and other miscellaneous crap we always seem to buy on roadtrips. And DH would have had to use two extra vacation days to accomodate the drive time. We got three round-trip tickets for about $200 each.