Driving to Disney from RI, suggestions to save on the ride?

[boettj]

For our trip this November, it's been determined that flying is out of the question. As a result, the 5 of us, (DS-10,DD-7 and DD-3) will drive down in my DW's minivan. We've driven from home to Washington D.C. That was a 7 hour drive. This is suppose to be a 19 hour drive. (I am banking on a 22 hour ride. That includes stops for food, gas, and the occasional bathroom break. Not to mention traffic.) Yeah, like I don't have enough gray hair. Hahaha.

When we drove to Washington D.C., we put together treat bags for each of the kids. They included puzzles, reading, treats, movies and games. Most of this was purchased at Walmart. Each bad ran us about $25. The movies were from the $5 rack at Walmart. 2 DVD's in each bag. We'll need to refresh the treats as well as the movies. The puzzles and game books are still good. They only finished a little bit of them.

Any suggestions on moving saving tips from buying gas to meals on the road to treats for the kids bags would be a great help.


Thank you

 

[Evi]

if your determined to drive I'd plan to leave early am like maybe 2am or something so you don't hit morning traffic in nyc or dc. and you'll hit disney at a time that you can go to bed and not feel like you missed the day.

I'd also plan some stops at maybe some scenic rest areas or parks so you can stretch your legs you can also pack all your meals, snacks and beverages so your not wasting money on road and then you wont sit on highway rest areas and can hit the more scenic spots where you can take a break and actually feel rested.

I'd plan on a possible stopping pt maybe n or s Carolina just in-case price a few places out better to be prepared then feel exhausted driving and over pay for a hotel you could all probably find a great deal for a night including breakfast at a number of hotels and still make it ontime to do disney by afternoon and not be beat.

Either way pack lots of music, dvd and laptop unless you have dvd in car, videogame players and earplugs, baby wipes and papertowels I hate spills and such in the car lol =) and enjoy the trip. Im sure its going to be a fun road trip good luck

 

[inthemood]

I just wanted to say we are going the same exact time!

We purchased airfare in June.
We got $109 pp down, and $79 pp back. SW out of Prov

Not great, but Not bad.

See you there!

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Google 'Staycation Coupon'. There is a $2 coupon that is good off many of the $5 movies. Eventhough the ad says Target, you can use them at Walmart.

I also have a 3 year old, you can get a travel aquadoodle or magnadoodle. If she has something to lean on her lap, Michaels sells crayola crayons that don't roll and Dollar Tree usually has Disney coloring books.

Another tip... Redbox! Let each kid pick a movie at Redbox, you can reserve it on-line or just pick out a movie at the box. $1 a day and you can return them anywhere! Nearly every Walmart and Walgreens has one. I already plan on it for the flight down and there are a ton of Redboxes in Orlando to return it to.

 

[Priorityonecb]

When we drive (from NC, a 8 hour drive)...we leave around 2am. My girls fall asleep within minutes, and when they wake up in the morning we are already 6 hours done with driving! We stop for breakfast and bathroom break and get them settled in with their movies and activities that carries them through the next 3 hours until we arrive!

We plan something very calm for our first evening (this year we'll be doing Downtown Disney) and an early bedtime for mom and dad!

 

[The Princess]

I make a folder with disney trivia questions and the winner gets a prize (money for disney) and the loser gets a prize (money for disney)

 

[boettj]

if your determined to drive I'd plan to leave early am like maybe 2am or something so you don't hit morning traffic in nyc or dc. and you'll hit disney at a time that you can go to bed and not feel like you missed the day.

I just wanted to say we are going the same exact time!

We purchased airfare in June.
We got $109 pp down, and $79 pp back. SW out of Prov

Not great, but Not bad.

See you there!

Unfortunately I waited to long to purchase tickets. I have 1 free anytime ticket on SWA. However the cost for round trip is 240 pp. That would blow either our Disney or our Xmas budget. Thus the reason to drive. Not what I wanted to do. My parents loved to drive everywhere, and they met us in Disney twice. They flew once, and drove the second time.

We are going to leave at 5pm on the 5th. That puts me in NYC at 8pm and D.C. around midnight. Hopefully the DW sleeps, and can take over driving around 4amish. That would give me 5 hours of sleep before the last push. I'll be mapping out our rough gas stops and breaks in the middle.

Either way pack lots of music, dvd and laptop unless you have dvd in car, videogame players and earplugs, baby wipes and papertowels I hate spills and such in the car lol =) and enjoy the trip. Im sure its going to be a fun road trip good luck

Another tip... Redbox! Let each kid pick a movie at Redbox, you can reserve it on-line or just pick out a movie at the box. $1 a day and you can return them anywhere! Nearly every Walmart and Walgreens has one. I already plan on it for the flight down and there are a ton of Redboxes in Orlando to return it to.

We have two netbooks and my work computer which will have their movies on the hard drive. Whenever we buy movies, I ripped them to the home desktop computer as a backup. The netbooks have no DVD player, so they will be on the hard drive. I will bring an external hard drive with all of the movies in case they want something they don't have.

Google 'Staycation Coupon'. There is a $2 coupon that is good off many of the $5 movies. Eventhough the ad says Target, you can use them at Walmart.

Thanks for the coupon. Will be using that. We often will hit Walmart to pick through the $5 movies. You can find some cheap treasures now and then.

I also have a 3 year old, you can get a travel aquadoodle or magnadoodle. If she has something to lean on her lap, Michaels sells crayola crayons that don't roll and Dollar Tree usually has Disney coloring books.

My DD-3 has a magnadoodle. Crayons with coloring books are part of their bags. Forgot to mention. Though I like the none rolling crayons.


Thank you

 

[wedindis'00]

Check out gasbuddydotcom. It gives up to date gas prices. When we drove a few years ago with little ones, we tried to find parks/playgrounds to let them out and stretch their legs. There is also a great resource on the DIS home page go to transportation and scroll down to "driving to florida" it gives exit info for route 95

 

[3mickeymom]

leaving around dinner time and driving straight through, alternating drivers and napping. We drove from Central NJ though. My recommendations are not budget but I hope they help. Bring a sleep mask for the person napping. This keeps your eyes sheltered from the sun or headlights and really helps you sleep. Bring earplugs or an ipod for when everyone us is singing along to the radio or watching a movie to help keep it quiet for resting. We brought a beach towel for everyone to use as a blanket or neckroll then used it for the pool at our hotel -worked great. Oh, we packed a cooler for drinks and brought along fruit and sandwiches which did save us from eating along the highway. We arrived in Disney around 12, spent an afternoon at the pool and strolled the boardwalk at night. We were ready to go the next morning. Coming home is MUCH harder, I am sure you already anticipate that though. Have a wonderful trip.

 

[Disney Ron]

No tips from me to offer yet. Your thread made me smile because based on our tickers ...we will be on the road around the same time as you. We are taking off from Johnston RI with a 2.5 year old DS and a 11 wk old baby.

DH is working out all the driving details. I think we are planning to leave around 1am so the kids get alot of sleep in.

Happy travels!
Mrs. Disney Ron

 

[Nicholfamily5]

We are thinking of driving from Ma for our trip next year, depending on the airfare of course.

I have taken long driving trips, I love to drive. Good thing too because I get brutally carsick as a passenger. So there is my first tip. Bring a few grocery bags and a package of baby wipes for unexpected car sickness! If your kids are used to a long trip like that, chances are pretty good someone might hurl

Also, check out AAA's fuel calculator. It will give you a really good estimate on what you will be spending for gas, which really helps with the budget. I would also map out a few hotel locations along the way for just in case. You never know what may come up, and it is better to have an idea of locations you can stop than trying to find a non creepy motel at 11 pm in the pouring rain. KWIM?

Otherwise, good luck!

ETA forgot to add that AC Moore has these cool toys that are magnetic strings, the kids LOVE them, as well as bendaroos, they stick to the windows for designs and come off easily, though a wipe with window cleaner will remove anything left.

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

Good luck to you! We're driving 17 hours from IL to Disney. We're driving overnight (leaving in the afternoon...getting there mid morning) to make it easier on the kids and us. In theory, they'll sleep in the car for most of the ride, thus avoiding bathroom breaks and wanting tons of junk from gas stations and McDonald's etc. We're also packing lots of snacks they love, sandwiches for us, drinks...gas station breaks add up fast...4 drinks alone can cost close to $8! We budgeted for 1 meal on the road...dinner to kick off our trip, but we're also packing a breakfast they LOVE but never get, doughnuts, so we don't have to stop for those.

HAVE FUN!!!

 

[boettj]

Good luck to you! We're driving 17 hours from IL to Disney. We're driving overnight (leaving in the afternoon...getting there mid morning) to make it easier on the kids and us. In theory, they'll sleep in the car for most of the ride, thus avoiding bathroom breaks and wanting tons of junk from gas stations and McDonald's etc. We're also packing lots of snacks they love, sandwiches for us, drinks...gas station breaks add up fast...4 drinks alone can cost close to $8! We budgeted for 1 meal on the road...dinner to kick off our trip, but we're also packing a breakfast they LOVE but never get, doughnuts, so we don't have to stop for those.

HAVE FUN!!!

We plan on bringing two coolers with us. One for drinks and another for perishable foods. We are also banking on the sleeping kids. That should take the bulk of the pain out of the ride. The only meal I am planning on stopping for is breakfast. That will be about the time they wake up. Which will give them a chance to stretch and go to the bathroom to freshen up. The others will be taken care of in the car or at a roadside stop. Just don't want to waste money on fast food. It's the last thing I or the kids need. Plus my DS10 hates McDonalds, Burger King, etc...

 

[reducereuserecycle]

maybe you could use that idea about winning money for the trip and give out disney dollars....something like each hour of the trip they get $1 dis dollar and if they fall asleep and wake up later they will get the dollars they missed while they were sleeping. i don't have specific ideas but disney dollars just seem fun.

 

[boettj]

I make a folder with disney trivia questions and the winner gets a prize (money for disney) and the loser gets a prize (money for disney)

maybe you could use that idea about winning money for the trip and give out disney dollars....something like each hour of the trip they get $1 dis dollar and if they fall asleep and wake up later they will get the dollars they missed while they were sleeping. i don't have specific ideas but disney dollars just seem fun.

We have done this in the past. You get a dollar per hour that you behave. When they watch movies, they get a dollar easy peasy. When they sleep same thing.

Games that is a thought when they hit the wall on watching movies. If we are lucky to get 8-10 hours sleep, then that leaves between 12-14 hours of awake time. We sometimes will ask the kids questions when we go on trips. Such as math questions, spelling, etc. They actually like it.

 

[tlh0726]

Did several trip just me, DD and youngest DS to and from the gettsyburg pa area to foxboro ma last summer to visit DH while he was on the job there (got my van june 08 and it now has a little over 26K miles )

Here are things that I learned during the various trips

-Stop every 2 1/2 - 3 hours maximum while the kids are awake. That seemed to be the magic "I got to go" time frame for DD
-Carry a container(s) with lids for emergency bathroom stops or car sickness. I used the plastic buckets that we get ice cream in. Stuck in backup from a car accident for hours on one trip.
-Have plenty of snack and drinks with closable lids (flip tops work the best) within easy reaching distance. One less stop to retrieve something
-Make sure you pack the van with the seats that the kids will be using in the reclined position.
-If possible do not sit anyone directly next to someone else. Fill up that spot with something else. they can be within arm reach to pass stuff back and forth but not touching each other.
-Pack garbage bags, paper towels, wet ones,and sometype of air freshner in case someone does get sick. You can bag up all the soiled stuff and spray to eliminate the odor as much as possible
-make sure all toys have new batteries, that you have extra batteries, or that you have the chargers for the toys

If I think of anything else I will repost it.

Happy traveling!!!

 

[boettj]

Did several trip just me, DD and youngest DS to and from the gettsyburg pa area to foxboro ma last summer to visit DH while he was on the job there (got my van june 08 and it now has a little over 26K miles )

Here are things that I learned during the various trips

-Stop every 2 1/2 - 3 hours maximum while the kids are awake. That seemed to be the magic "I got to go" time frame for DD

This is good advice.

-Carry a container(s) with lids for emergency bathroom stops or car sickness. I used the plastic buckets that we get ice cream in. Stuck in backup from a car accident for hours on one trip.

We use a baby seat, but this could be better. Especially with older kids.

-Have plenty of snack and drinks with closable lids (flip tops work the best) within easy reaching distance. One less stop to retrieve something

We are set with snacks for the ride. Two coolers for drinks and perishable food.

-Make sure you pack the van with the seats that the kids will be using in the reclined position.
-If possible do not sit anyone directly next to someone else. Fill up that spot with something else. they can be within arm reach to pass stuff back and forth but not touching each other.

The two DD3 and DD7 will be sitting in the front seats with DS10 sits in the way back. DS10 and DD7 will trade off spots.

-Pack garbage bags, paper towels, wet ones,and some type of air freshner in case someone does get sick. You can bag up all the soiled stuff and spray to eliminate the odor as much as possible

Good point. We usually take some grocery store bags, and dump contents at gas stations.

-make sure all toys have new batteries, that you have extra batteries, or that you have the chargers for the toys

If I think of anything else I will repost it.

Happy traveling!!!

Thank you

 

[Julie*]

We drive from Vermont to Orlando every year and you've gotten some great tips.

The main things that we always need are:

DVD player
IPOD filled with songs
Pillow and blanket for each person
Drinks
Snacks
License Plate Game so we can find all of the states
Coffee Can so our son can pee every 15 minutes. (-:

Enjoy the drive. Believe it or not, we actually look forward to it. My DH and I talk and we love to have the opportunity to just chill out with the kids. Sometimes one of us will sit in the back with the kids too just to mix it up and watch a movie with them. They LOVE that. My daughter recently asked how many years it would be until she can "help out with the driving" LOL

 

[3boymthr]

We just did this trip in May (well, slightly longer - we live in SE MA right on the RI border). We're veteran long distance travelers. We drive to DE every year to visit MIL and have gone camping to CA and back with the kids in our van. The actual trip time driving time for us was 47 hours round trip. This includes traffic jams.

Some things to remember:

1) If traveling down 95 pack plenty of 1s and 5s in the wallet. As well as a roll of quarters and a roll of dimes. The Tolls are BRUTAL. I think the total Toll cost was around $75 round trip. All the tolls were north of Washington DC. We didn't use the whole roll but the good thing is when you get to WDW any quarters that you haven't used you can use in the Frontier Land Shooting Gallery.

2) Our gas cost was around $275 round trip. The cheapest place to get gas was believe it or not NJ.

3) We actually skipped goody bags for all our trips. We just let them pack a back pack of their favorite things. I did buy them some new books.

4) If traveling at night bring pillows and blankets. As you are leaving at 5 PM stop around 8/8:30 to change into bedtime stuff and brush. Don't put the kids in their jammies before your leave. This makes the transition to bed time more real and the kids more apt to sleep. Even the 10yo should change clothes. Have him bring a pair sweats or sleep pants to change into in the back of the car.

5) I second PP plan stops every couple of hours and bring a container for accidents. I can't tell you how many times we started looking for a rest area and couldn't find one for over half an hour. Even with the container we STILL had an accident. So pack a garbage bag in case there is a wet seat.

6) Even at that time of night travel thru NYC is rough (I've done it more times than I want to think about it). We generally avoid going thru NYC and travel via the Tappan Zee Bridge then Garden State Parkway.

7) A few places the GPS lost its signal usually at critical junctures when leaving tunnels and a few times tried to steer us wrong when there was major construction underway which changes the exit ramps. So make sure to pack up to date hard copy maps. Make sure to have a navigator available to watch the road signs in high traffic and construction areas as you can otherwise easily end up on the wrong road.

8) In a few places you end up driving right by some major event venues (stadiums/Nascar speedway, etc.) Check before you leave for times for these events so you know to avoid them if possible or to drive by them if nothing is going on (We had to skirt a NASCAR race in Richmond - in this instance it was actually faster to go thru the city instead of around it).

Good Luck!

 

[Mom2PrincessSavannah]

We just came back from our annual drive to Disney, we are from Cape Cod. I definately think driving through the night is best, DH and I use the 2 - 3 hour breaks to switch driving. The road blurs after hours of driving in the dark.
Word of warning, do NOT pull off at any rest area in the Carolina's. On three seperate occassions we were approached by men looking for money. One was quite aggressive.
See if your library has the book Drive I-95 (or something to that effect). It tells you what is off each exit. Try to avoid getting off in sparsely populated areas. Times are tough and tourists are easy targets.
I recommend letting the kids pick their own treat bags, maybe give them a few dollars to buy something new at Wally World. My DD was totally unimpressed with her treat bag this year (spoiled kid).
If you can get a Fast Lane thingy, free in MA. Load it with just what you need ($75.00 sounds right), saves times.
Cracker Barrell or Waffle House are great for breakfast and easy on the wallet. Make sure kids have easy access to toothbrushes (I put them in the "queer thing" on top of the van, duh!)
Have a safe trip