Driving to Disney from Sarnia area

[Sugar Jones]

Please tell me we are not insane. My husband is determined we are driving. With an 8, 6 & 3 year old......I am scared


His plan is to leave around 4:00am Saturday morning and drive until about 8:00pm at night. Stay wherever we are around that time and then head out the next morning.

My idea is to leave Friday night right after work and try to get through Ohio. Stay the night, head out the next morning and drive as far as we can before stopping to stay somewhere again.

What have you done? What do you find works best?

And don't suggest flying unless you can find me a deal for under $600.00 for the five of us Spirit out of Detroit get's close, but now you have to pay for checked bags it goes over dh's budget for travelling downt here @@

 

[sk8jdgca]

Did you check southwest air- I got 69 each way with no baggage (detroit to Orlando)

Did the drive ONCE (and when i was still married) We left around 11 pm, the kids slept and we took turns driving. The kids were fine- they woke up at 8am and watch movies. we did small stops tried to find mcdonalds with play areas. The state welcome centre are great to stretch your legs and let the kids run-most have nice playgrounds.
We continued to drive until around 6pm and ended up at validosa Georgia-we stayed there and next morning continued to Orlando-

The drive home was so tiring though. Disney wears me out and to have to drive all the way home after is tough

 

[rjan67]

We do it every year and have since my kids were 3 and 1 and now have 3 kids 7, 10 and 12. I prefer to drive like your dh. Get up early and drive. You should make it past Atlanta. I believe I made it (dh flew this year due to work) to McDonough for the night but stopped a little earlier than I normally would due to tornado warnings! My kids have video games, dvd players, books, treat bags...whatever makes the trip work. What actually works best is when dh and I leave after work Friday (3pm) and drive straight through while the kids sleep. We arrive usually early afternoon.

 

[Sugar Jones]

We do it every year and have since my kids were 3 and 1 and now have 3 kids 7, 10 and 12. I prefer to drive like your dh. Get up early and drive. You should make it past Atlanta. I believe I made it (dh flew this year due to work) to McDonough for the night but stopped a little earlier than I normally would due to tornado warnings! My kids have video games, dvd players, books, treat bags...whatever makes the trip work. What actually works best is when dh and I leave after work Friday (3pm) and drive straight through while the kids sleep. We arrive usually early afternoon.

Really? We have never done it so I may be asking you lots of questions if you don't mind

How long does it usually take you (hours) to get there? If you stop once?

I'm actually not too worried about the drive down, it's the drive home I"m not looking forward to. . We will be bringing their Ds's, Ipods, the van has a DVD player, buying books etc.... DD can sometime's get carsick so she will be on gravol which makes her sleepy.

Gosh please don't let their be tornado warnings on our drive down in September

 

[dvc deernut]

IM CURIOUS HOW LONG IT TAKES THAT WAY DOWN 75. WHEN WE DRIVE IT TAKES US 20 HOURS FROM HERE NOTL TO ORLANDO DRIVING DOWN 79 to 77 ACROSS TO 95. VERY NICE DRIVE THRU THE MTS OF WV. WE FLY MOSTLY THOU OUT OF BUFFALO ON EITHER JET BLUE OR SOUTHWEST. WE ARE FLYING BEGGINNING OF SEPT GOT FLIGHTS ON JET BLUE FOR $69 , ABOUT $300 BOTH WAYS FOR BOTH OF US. WE ARE THERE IN A COUPLE HOURS. USUALLY ON THE DRIVE BACK WE MAKE A SCENIC TRIP OUT OF IT. GOING DOWN IVE DRIVEN STRAIGHT THRU, BUT IM GETTING TO OLD NOW FOR IT. IT IS VERY TIRING. RATHER FLY LET DISNEY PICK US UP AT AIRPORT AND DRIVE US BACK TO AIRPORT. GOOD LUCK ON DRIVE!!!

 

[Sugar Jones]

IM CURIOUS HOW LONG IT TAKES THAT WAY DOWN 75. WHEN WE DRIVE IT TAKES US 20 HOURS FROM HERE NOTL TO ORLANDO DRIVING DOWN 79 to 77 ACROSS TO 95. VERY NICE DRIVE THRU THE MTS OF WV. WE FLY MOSTLY THOU OUT OF BUFFALO ON EITHER JET BLUE OR SOUTHWEST. WE ARE FLYING BEGGINNING OF SEPT GOT FLIGHTS ON JET BLUE FOR $69 , ABOUT $300 BOTH WAYS FOR BOTH OF US. WE ARE THERE IN A COUPLE HOURS. USUALLY ON THE DRIVE BACK WE MAKE A SCENIC TRIP OUT OF IT. GOING DOWN IVE DRIVEN STRAIGHT THRU, BUT IM GETTING TO OLD NOW FOR IT. IT IS VERY TIRING. RATHER FLY LET DISNEY PICK US UP AT AIRPORT AND DRIVE US BACK TO AIRPORT. GOOD LUCK ON DRIVE!!!

According to my Google it's about 20hrs, but the map I printed from CAA says about 18hrs, so I'm not really sure what to expect.

 

[rjan67]

We have made it anywhere from 20-22 hours with 2-3 meal breaks and gas/bathroom breaks. I left at 5 am, stopped for the night at about 8:30pm, up and on the road by 7am and got to Port Canaveral (our destination this year) by about 2:30 (with a lunch break) - so was driving through Orlando around 1-1:30pm. 75 from Sarnia is the quicker route. 77/79 is really a nice drive but not if time is a concern.

 

[Sugar Jones]

We have made it anywhere from 20-22 hours with 2-3 meal breaks and gas/bathroom breaks. I left at 5 am, stopped for the night at about 8:30pm, up and on the road by 7am and got to Port Canaveral (our destination this year) by about 2:30 (with a lunch break) - so was driving through Orlando around 1-1:30pm. 75 from Sarnia is the quicker route. 77/79 is really a nice drive but not if time is a concern.

We are live about 25 minutes from Sarnia so we'll definitely be crossing at BWB and taking I-75. I just got Along I-75 from the library so we'll be making notes from that book. I think it's about a 2006 version though so hopefully things haven't changed too much.

I was also thinking of getting Best Western gift cards with my airmiles for our hotel on the way down. I'm hoping there will be a Best Western close the hwy to stay at.

 

[rjan67]

Do you have a gps? This is helpful for finding restaurants, hotels etc. When you are driving through the mountains you can't always tell that just 2 miles down the road there are all kinds of places to stop! I have a garmin and when you are going through the larger cities you will get updates on traffic etc. I also have the I75 book. Still has a lot of helpful little hints in it.

I like to stay at Holiday Inn express. The always have a pool and a great continental breakfast in the am. A pool is a must for the kids to burn off energy!

Another tip I will often do is search out a Target/Walmart for a stop. It gives the kids a chance to run a around a bit, plus I can look for things for the trip, pick up snacks. Most of them have a taco bell or pizza hut or something if you need something to eat or something is close by. When the kids were younger we would always have to stop a McDonald's with play areas just so they could run around.

Travelling on a weekend isn't a bad idea as you miss the rush hours. If you leave after work on Friday, you may hit Detroit or Toledo depending on when you leave. Also there may be traffic at the bridge on Friday night (plus watch the construction close to the bridge as that often has everyone down to one lane - trucks included). Early Saturday isn't a bad idea.

 

[Sugar Jones]

We don't have a GPS right now, but we will either get one for the trip or borrow one from my sister.

 

[M_T]

sk8jdgca - Did you check southwest air- I got 69 each way with no baggage (detroit to Orlando)

Where did you see that?

 

[Tower]

WE ARE FLYING BEGGINNING OF SEPT GOT FLIGHTS ON JET BLUE FOR $69 , ABOUT $300 BOTH WAYS FOR BOTH OF US.

I've never seen $69 flights on Jetblue. We're flying out in December, but never saw cheaper than $109.

 

[ohcanada]

We drove down the I-95 to Tampa from Toronto when the kids were 17 months and 3 years. We stopped for 2 nights, at the time as the kids were both in diapers and car seats so we needed the extra breaks. On the return trip we drove overnight straight from Tampa to Ohio before we stopped. We bought a plug in car cooler from Canadian Tire that we kept drinks and sandwiches in. Instead of finding a restaurant we pulled into the travellers rest-stops ate a picnic meal and let the kids run around outside. Some of the rest stops along the I-95 were more like parks with green space and picnic tables...not like the Tim Horton's highway stops that you find along the 401! We saw the drive as part of the adventure. I actually, didn't mind the drive in the US...what killed me was driving along the 401 from Toronto to Windsor! We did buy the Along the I-95 book and found it very helpful.
Enjoy your trip, we have also booked our first Disney trip in September and are staying at the Wilderness Lodge Villas.

 

[digskat]

we are a little over an hour due north of you, and cross at Sarnia. We have done the trip at least once a year since the kids were 4 and 6. We have left at 9pm and driven as far as Macon, Georgia, stopping one night. We have left at noon, and driven to Dry Ridge, Kentucky, and then to Valdosta, Georgia for night 2. We have left at 2am and 4am, stopping in either Calhoun or Dalton Georgia. What we gained in low traffic at night, I lost in exhaustion when we got there. I prefer to leave at 4am, stop around supper time, and arrive at WDW around 2pm on day 2.

 

[essom71]

We are from Sarnia and are booked in at Disney from August 20th-28th. We have been to disney many times but have only driven once when my children were 2 and 3. We had intended to drive this year but when we looked at everything including food gas wear and tear and extra time off work for my husband we don't think we will save that much if we do fly ( maybe $100). We will be going with 5, as my kids are bringing a friend. I have found airtran is about $817 for us all.

My main worry is the trip back. It is not a relaxing trip so it could be exhausting driving back. Keep an eye on the flights. Another thing is we tend to travel with just hand luggage. We find we take 3 outfits each and do laundry down there, etc. So unless you travel spirit most people should be able to do it without checking bags. Really what do you need for a week?

 

[sk8jdgca]

sk8jdgca - Did you check southwest air- I got 69 each way with no baggage (detroit to Orlando)

Where did you see that?

I got it a couple weeks ago for late Aug- just keep checking the southwest site

 

[dvc deernut]

i've never seen $69 flights on jetblue. We're flying out in december, but never saw cheaper than $109.

we booked our sept flights end of mar as soon as they came out. Both jet blue and southwest had $69 dollar flights. But within 2 days the cost of flight went up to $109 and $144 for same flights. They only had a few seats at that price. If you book your seats at the $109 price on jet blue and lower prices go down you can ask for the difference and jet blue will give you credit for the difference for a future flight.

 

[2 Little Mermaids]

I've never driven with my kids but my friends have left at night after supper. They also take frequent stops. Good luck and have fun. We will be there Sept 23-28. Also a big hello to all diser's from Sarnia area. It seem we have a bunch.

 

[CdnDisneyLover]

Friday evening really have been bad with back ups on the Bluewater Bridge. I prefer to go over early Saturday morning when there is a 2-5 min wait like there was this morning.

Have a great trip everyone with upcoming trips. I'm so jealous!!!

 

[OntFamily]

I've never seen $69 flights on Jetblue. We're flying out in December, but never saw cheaper than $109.

I've flown on $69 (+ taxes, fees) on JetBlue (BUF to MCO).