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

[crispychicky]

Not sure what your budget is, but have you considered driving to a different airport (like Philly) and flying out of there? You may still be able to get $49 flights on SW from somewhere in the northeast.

 

[boettj]

I don't remember it being a Residence Inn, the name Cypress Pointe sounds REALLY familiar

Cypress Pointe is not a Residence Inn. It's a timeshare not associated with Residence Inn. In a PP, some stated they have been to a Residence Inn in the area.


Thank you.

 

[boettj]

OT - where in NH? I live in southern NH now .. we have a little vacation place up north a bit, between Concord and Portsmouth.

The Eastern Slopes Inn, North Conway. Not in the main Inn, but across the street.


Thank you

 

[boettj]

Not sure what your budget is, but have you considered driving to a different airport (like Philly) and flying out of there? You may still be able to get $49 flights on SW from somewhere in the northeast.

Not a bad thought, Philly is 5 and half hours to 6 hours. And the prices are only $30 less. I am ok with driving. With some of the suggestions on this thread, the ride should not be too bad.


Thank you

 

[semo233]

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.

It might be obvious, but I'm going to say it anyway....
Get your vehicle a full tune-up/check up and oil change before you leave, checking the tire pressure and gas filter. Fill the windshield washer fluid. Check the tires for wear. Fill the radiator, etc.

I'd suggest allowing for at least 24 hours also. Years ago, I rode a bus non-stop (except for two quick fast food stops) to central Florida from SE CT and it took us 24 hours.

Check out this FREE video....I wonder if you could download it to a disc and give it to the kids to watch in the car. Fill in your own e-mail info and your children's names or family name send it to yourself!

http://www.sun7news.com/spread.php

Depending upon where in RI you are from, you could always skip over to I-84 and take that right over the Tappan Zee and then down into Jersey, missing all of the NYC traffic and lot of I-95 traffic also. This might not work as well if you are from South RI.

If you are worried about motion sickness/car sickness, give the kids some Bodine the day before you leave. Then again the morning that you leave.

If you are bringing the laptops anyway (maybe even work on portable DVD?) how about some music CD's?

Have a safe and happy trip!

 

[NaplesRI]

I just read about a website called cost2drive dot com

You plug in the address you are leaving from and the one you are going to, your yr make and model of vehicle.

It will give you gas costs, total distance, driving time, how many gallons of gas and the average price of gas along the route.

I just tried it out- for some reason it doesn't let me put in the make and model of my car, just the year.
However, it was pretty close to exact. (it doesn't include toll costs though)

We are "snowbirds" and travel each year from Narragansett to Naples, Fl.
(and back)

We ALWAYS travel on weekends to avoid the traffic in NY, NJ and DC.
Once you get out of the Northeast it doesn't matter as much what days you drive, but it can be brutal here. On our returns we hit NJ, NY and Ct on Sunday afternoon and even then there are backups.

Having EZ Pass is a great help, so good that you have it. Get some good maps from AAA if you can- they have come in handy for us when we ran into traffic- Rt 301 seems to follow along much of the way and when we had to get onto it, it saved us from long backups. (we always look to see what trucks are doing also)

If you need toll costs, let me know and I can check since we do keep track of it.

We drive 12 hours and stop in NC- Dunn, Smithfield, Fayetville etc. Dunn seems to be our best stop. Up early the next day for another 12 and we are there.
Since Orlando is just over 3 hours from us, you are probably looking at 21 hrs total.

Hope that helps

 

[boettj]

It might be obvious, but I'm going to say it anyway....
Get your vehicle a full tune-up/check up and oil change before you leave, checking the tire pressure and gas filter. Fill the windshield washer fluid. Check the tires for wear. Fill the radiator, etc.

We just had the oil changed. Before we leave, the breaks are getting worked on. They will also go through things such as the gas filter etc....

I'd suggest allowing for at least 24 hours also. Years ago, I rode a bus non-stop (except for two quick fast food stops) to central Florida from SE CT and it took us 24 hours.

Yes we are going to allow 24 hours.

Depending upon where in RI you are from, you could always skip over to I-84 and take that right over the Tappan Zee and then down into Jersey, missing all of the NYC traffic and lot of I-95 traffic also. This might not work as well if you are from South RI.

Have a safe and happy trip!

We are from Southern, RI. 84 is not an option for us.


Thank you

 

[cheesekate2005]

We have driven several times (19 hours from upstate NY) with our DD12 and DS10. One of the things our children look forward to the most is a treat bag for each state line that we cross. I wrap a little gift (something disney from the dollar store or from the disney store) in a paper bag or wrap, and I make a gift tag out of the paint swatches from home depot (the ones with the mickey heads on them). I write "Welcome to 'state name'" on the tag. Sometimes I make them answer a trivia question about the state before they get the gift - they are old enough for that! This helps them get through the time in the car and they have some great disney things to get excited for the trip! Every time we drive they ask if I have treats for them!

 

[nezy]

WE always stopped for gas in NJ Maryland and Georgia-not sure if they are still the cheapest.

As far food, we would stop during the day in a picnic area usually in NC or SC. The kids would run around w/ a football i would make sandwiches from cold cuts and bread/rolls I brought from home. Ahave also brough frozen shrimp cocktail-cleaned, deveined and when we get to whereever for the night shrimp are defrosted. I rnse them and we eat that w/some cheese and crackers and grapes for a dinner. If kids want i bring some cookies for dessert. That is 2 meals right there. Many hotels have a free breakfast w/otameal, cereal, rolls, bagels, fruit yogurt. Some even have waffles or eggs. We eat there and then hit the road. The kids will usally bring a banana and a yogurt for the ride.We may stop at only one place to eat along the way, but for the most part we bring what we will eat, whcich saves alot when there are 5 of us.

 

[patman]

Drove down 5 times from Fall River. Can't see how you can make it in 19 hours,
unless you eat while driving. I averaged 22-23 hours. This is with two kids, the wife and the in laws in a mini van.

You will be stopping every 2 1/2 to 3 hours for gas and food and bathroom breaks.

The money you save by driving down is huge. A rental minivan in fla is about 50 a day with tax. So you not only save the $1250 in air fare but another $350 in rental car. It takes 10 hours to fly (locking the door to opening the room)

I first started driving to FLA 20 years ago, the days of crayons, etch a sketch and magna doodle, now you have Video games, DVD players, Ipods, along trip today is so much easier on a family.

 

[boettj]

I thought I'd post my plan. See what people think of the actual plan. Remember it's fluid based a bunch of factors: Traffic, weather, kids bathroom needs, how tired I am, if the wife sleeps, etc.... There have been some great suggestions.

Pre-Trip:

• Car:
  • Garage:
    • Have brakes repaired
    • Check fuel filter
  • • Check fluid levels
    • Change transmission fluid
    • Change anti-freeze
    • Change rear wiper
    • Change spark plugs for Bosh Platinum's.
  • Remove bike rack
    • May need roof top box. Depends how much stuff we have.
  • Have car cleaned/waxed/detailed
  • Rainx the windows.
  • Trash bags for the car
  • Emergency bathroom items
  • Roadside kit.
• AAA trip tick for any road construction to avoid.
• Pickup another netbook
• Buy an inverter to power the laptops
• Movies:
  • Pick up three $5 movies for each kids
    • Rip those movies to the computer
    • Put on external USB drive
    • Put the movies that each kid wants on the laptop they will be using.
• Food:
  • Dinner will be eaten on the road. (No fast food for us.)
    • The DW and I will prepare a meal for the ride. As we are leaving at 5, it will only be an hour into the ride before we eat.
  • Snacks
    • Kellogs snack bars
    • Fruit snacks:
      • Orange slices
      • Apple slices
    • Trail-mix
      • M&M's
      • Granola
      • Sunflower seeds
      • Banana Chips
      • Gold Fish crackers
      • Pretzel bites
    • Chocolate (Hersey bars.)
  • Sandwich mixings.
  • Water Tons...
  • Flavor packs for the water
  • Milk for the three year old.
  • Soda
• Kids:
  • Flu shots for the kids against H1N1 (Please I don't want to discuss this. My wife and have already gone through the pros and cons.)
  • treat bags:
    • Check their existing coloring books to make sure there is enough
    • Verify we have their puzzle books.
    • Verify their fun facts flip cards
    • Put first special snack in the bag
  • Print out instructions for car bingo
  • Print out facts for states along the route.
  • Blankets and pillows for each kid.
  • A change of clothes readily accessible in the car. (In case of accident.)
  • Pajamas to change into for sleep
  • Pack 4 days worth of clothes.
  • Books to read
  • Raincoats
• Parents
  • Flu shots if available.
  • Books to read
  • Clothes for 4 days
  • Raincoats

Miscellaneous:

• 2 Netbooks
• 1 Work laptop
• 3 Ipods
• Magna Doodle.
• 2 Nintendo DS
• 3 sets of over the ear headphones
• Ear plugs for Driver
• Camera + charger
• Vid Camera + charger
• Partridge in a pear tree

Drive Down:
Expected drive time 24 hours!

• Start at 5pm.
• Eat dinner 6pm
• First stop 15 minutes - In CT on the Merritt Parkway-New Canaan,CT. (Short hop for bathroom breaks.) Between 7-8pm
• Second stop 20 minutes - Middle of NJ for kids to change into pajamas-Trenton,NJ. Also to fill up gas. Between 9-10pm
• Third stop 15 minutes - Stretch legs for DW and I-Fredericksburg, VA
• Fourth Stop 1 hour - Breakfast/Stretch legs/fill up gas - Florence, SC
• Fifth stop 15 minutes - Stretch legs - Saint Augustine, Fl
• Arrive Lake Buena Vista, FL - Cypress Pointe

I will edit this post as more changes occur.


Thank you

 

[boettj]

Drove down 5 times from Fall River. Can't see how you can make it in 19 hours,
unless you eat while driving. I averaged 22-23 hours. This is with two kids, the wife and the in laws in a mini van.

The money you save by driving down is huge. A rental minivan in fla is about 50 a day with tax. So you not only save the $1250 in air fare but another $350 in rental car. It takes 10 hours to fly (locking the door to opening the room)

Yes, 19 hours was from a trip calculator. It did not take into account stopping times. I am planning on 24 hours after a couple have posted.

Two your second point, absolutely. A minivan or comparable size came in around 450 for the 10 days we are going to be there. We looked at the train as well. The train down would be 26 hours and cost $800 round trip. Not bad. If I take gas into account, the train is not too bad. Call it $500. However, then you have to add the 450 or so for the car rental. Just not worth it.


Thanks for the comments.

 

[Goofygirl17]

Sounds like you have a good plan. I've read all the posts but don't remember if you have a fastpass for tolls. We drove to VA Beach this summer and got one on the way down. We stopped at the first rest stop on the Jersey Turnpike and bought one in the gift shop. It worked great! There wasn't much traffic at the tolls on the way down but it really helped on the way home- especially in Delaware where the traffic at the tolls was lined up for miles! I loved driving through the tolls at 65 mph Some you have to slow down to 35 mph I think.

Have a great trip!

 

[boettj]

Sounds like you have a good plan. I've read all the posts but don't remember if you have a fastpass for tolls. We drove to VA Beach this summer and got one on the way down. We stopped at the first rest stop on the Jersey Turnpike and bought one in the gift shop. It worked great! There wasn't much traffic at the tolls on the way down but it really helped on the way home- especially in Delaware where the traffic at the tolls was lined up for miles! I loved driving through the tolls at 65 mph Some you have to slow down to 35 mph I think.

Have a great trip!

Yes we have a EasyPass. Picked it up in NH about 5 years ago. Love it.


Thank you

 

[mchelle77]

Drove down 5 times from Fall River. Can't see how you can make it in 19 hours,
unless you eat while driving. I averaged 22-23 hours. This is with two kids, the wife and the in laws in a mini van.

With kids, I doubt it's possible. I don't know what the math is, but my DH and I went in 2000 and drove from Somerville, MA (left at 530am) to Daytona Beach (got there are just past midnight). But that was two adults, no kids. We stopped ONLY to get gas - he'd pump while I ran in for snacks. We were dead tired when we got there, too.

 

[vanyel]

I didn't get through all the posts so if someone mentioned this sorry! I used to wrap the items so they didn't know what everything was plus they had fun opening things. of course, they weren't allowed to open everything at one time!

 

[boettj]

I didn't get through all the posts so if someone mentioned this sorry! I used to wrap the items so they didn't know what everything was plus they had fun opening things. of course, they weren't allowed to open everything at one time!

Great suggestion. They will only have a couple of items each, but still a great way to keep them behaving. I also love the reward of $1 for every hour that they behave. Will add that to a trivia game where they can earn up to $5. It's spending money we had already planned.


Thank you for the comment.

 

[Promomx2]

Just a little heads up. The rest area on I-95 southbound near Dale City (right outside DC) is closed. There are are a few more closed in Virginia. I don't know if there is a list anywhere online. Also another tip I heard, give each kid a present every hour on the hour, helps the time go by.

 

[BecksatDisney]

This is great advice for car travel.

I am not done reading this thread but it's been very helpful. We've driven to Disney from Minnesota twice but we've never done the marathon drive. We always start each day around 7:00 AM and stop around 6:00 PM. Takes us 2 1/2 days. We're considering an alternate plan this year since we have an 18 month old in the car this time. Not sure how long-distance driving with a toddler is going to go so we are being very flexible with our time table. We are staying with family for a night or two in Orlando before we start our official Disney vacation at POR so we have some wiggle room for driving delays and toddler meltdowns.

Still I am enjoying the thread and taking notes.

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!!!

 

[macfinn]

we drove to hhi in may, leaving newport ri around 6am made it thru NYC wihtout a problem stopped in NJ tpke for lunch GREAT..hit DC and we sat in 4 hours of traffic thru to just outside of richmond. Drove thru to Roanoke Rapids NC, stayed the night there and got up early and drove the rest of the way to HHI, oh yeah this was my first trip south in the car and i made my dw and 2 ds's 2 and 5 stop at South of the Boarder. Be prepared for long stretches of nothing but farmland and nothing...watch your speed thru the Carolina's the police are out in force, the kids had prize bags that we used for a last resort, have a backup for the dvd player we had seat back ones and a lap top just in case...kept plenty of extra juice boxes and snacks...good luck and be SAFE!!!!