Driving to Disney from the Baltimore area

[lucifie]

We will be driving in January with 4 kids, ages 9, 7, 4 and 2. We plan on arriving on 1/21 (MLK day), but we're trying to decide how to get there...

According to Google Maps it's about 15 hours. I'm assuming it will take longer since we'll be traveling with little kids. We have discussed whether to drive straight through or to stop for the night and we're leaning toward stopping since even if we leave in the middle of the night we'll end up getting them in bed late. I figure if we leave at 4:00 a.m. it will be 7:00 p.m. by the time we get to WDW and even later by the time we get checked in, find our room and get them settled. And that's assuming we don't stop at all, which is totally impossible, since at the very least we'll have to stop for gas at least twice, not to mention tiny bladders and the fact that it would be torture for all of us to have them trapped in their seats for that long.

We could leave even earlier and hopefully arrive at a reasonable hour. That time of the year driving is risky because of the potential of snow or ice, so anything could happen.

The second option would be to leave a day earlier and drive straight through to the Kennedy Space Center. We want to do KSC and think it would be a low-key day (compared to Disney), so if we got in late we wouldn't have to get up quite as early to rush to the parks. The we can arrive in Disney in the late afternoon/early evening and get a decent night's sleep before we hit the Disney parks

The third option would be to drive as SC or GA and stay overnight and have a shorter drive the next day. If we stop, where would be a good area? If it were just DH and me we would go as far as we can and then find somewhere to stop, but since we have a lot of kids we'll need to make sure we can find somewhere that can accommodate our whole family without it costing a fortune, so we'll need to plan ahead.

I haven't ruled out the auto train, either, but if we do it round trip it's almost as expensive as flying and renting a car. We're planning on driving because flying is so expensive for all of us.

Any suggestions or tips?

 

[vicki_c]

We drive from Annapolis and just because of schedules, we have been forced to drive either Friday afternoons after work or early Saturday morning, on our last two trips. For the Friday night, we always get caught in traffic even though we take 301 south vs. 95. We usually arrive at our stopover in SC before midnight, then get up and leae the hotel around 7 am and make it to Disney mid-afternoon.

For Saturday morning drives, we drive straight through but don't arrive at Disney until pretty late Saturday night (we always try to leave before 5 or 6 am but aren't usually that successful!).

I thought our GPS says about 14 hours for us, but it always takes 16-17 with stopping and traffic.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think driving straight thru would be very hard on the little ones. Being strapped into a car seat where you can barely change position for that long can't be fun. I think you should stop at a hotel with either a playground area or a pool, and let the kids have fun for a bit.

 

[vicki_c]

I think driving straight thru would be very hard on the little ones. Being strapped into a car seat where you can barely change position for that long can't be fun. I think you should stop at a hotel with either a playground area or a pool, and let the kids have fun for a bit.

Yes this is true. When on my kids were littler, we drove 22 hours and when we drove straight through, we left at night and they slept a large portion of the way. Now that we are older (10 years later) I can't even imagine driving straight through for 22 hours. We barely make it at 15!

 

[lucifie]

We drive from Annapolis and just because of schedules, we have been forced to drive either Friday afternoons after work or early Saturday morning, on our last two trips. For the Friday night, we always get caught in traffic even though we take 301 south vs. 95. We usually arrive at our stopover in SC before midnight, then get up and leae the hotel around 7 am and make it to Disney mid-afternoon.

For Saturday morning drives, we drive straight through but don't arrive at Disney until pretty late Saturday night (we always try to leave before 5 or 6 am but aren't usually that successful!).

I thought our GPS says about 14 hours for us, but it always takes 16-17 with stopping and traffic.

We're near BWI, so going toward Annapolis and taking 301 wouldn't be that far out of the way and might be worth it to avoid the beltway. The beltway is so unpredictable. It seems like even when there shouldn't be traffic you run into some.

If we leave in the middle of the night, the 3 younger kids will probably sleep, but the 9 year old rarely sleeps in the car anymore, so I'm afraid if we wake her up in the middle of the night she won't go back to sleep.

 

[lucifie]

And I don't sleep well in the car. Almost a year ago we had a family emergency and I had to make 2 trips to Peoria, IL (12+ hours away) and back and both times we drove all night (without kids). I was OK, but exhausted. I can't imagine doing that and taking my kids to a theme park the next day.

 

[lucifie]

I think driving straight thru would be very hard on the little ones. Being strapped into a car seat where you can barely change position for that long can't be fun. I think you should stop at a hotel with either a playground area or a pool, and let the kids have fun for a bit.

If we drive straight through we would definitely make lots of stops for them to get out and run around. When I was talking about the absolute minimum we would have to stop, I didn't mean to imply that we would try to only make those stops. I'm thinking what I'm seeing as an estimated 15 hour trip would be at least 17 or 18 hours with stops. My kids are pretty good in the car, but they've never been tested for close to that long.

 

[Sadie22]

That long a drive puts you at risk of DVTs and nasty outcomes. Plan a leisurely drive, allowing time for traffic and a little sight-seeing, with an overnight stop. The last time we went to Florida we took AutoTrain, then drove to Kennedy Space Center. Lots of outdoor exhibits as well as some indoor, so the kids can get some exercise there. Being adults, we read all the placards and toured the rocket garden with the tour guide, asking lots of questions. I'm picky and I was okay with the food. (I've read bad reviews here about the food.) We spent the night at a Best Western and returned the next day. One day was not enough for us.

You may be able to request free tickets to KSC through your congressman. Request them for your dates now to have a chance of getting them before they're all gone. Barring that, you can purchase and print tickets online before you leave home.

AutoTrain tickets may increase in price as the time for departure gets closer, so buy tickets now if you decide to do that. You can sit up in coach or purchase a family bedroom if available.

 

[lucifie]

Thanks for the tip about the KSC tickets. I just sent an email to our congressman. I hope it works!

 

[kwdw]

I contemplated the drive from Baltimore last year and 15 hours is a really tough call. Almost a straight through option - but a bit crazy for anyone but a young couple. I'd suggest stopping - I think you are right with getting kids in and out of car seats - your total time is probably 17-20 hours. I'd suggest stopping around what Google tells you is 10-12 hour mark. That makes the second day short and you can get to Disney and get settled before it's dark outside.

(PS - I didn't drive it - it was just two of us and by the time we calculated gas and two extra hotel nights - it proved to be cheaper to fly Southwest and rent a car.)

 

[lucifie]

It looks like Savannah, GA is about 10 hours. I think that could be good because if we leave early in the morning, we could get there by dinnertime and then we have a much shorter day the next day.

 

[GranddadTom]

We drive down from Rockville every year at about the same time as you will be. I think that this year we will leave on the 27th. It sounds like you will be leaving on Sunday so Northern Virginia shouldn’t be a problem. When you get to the Washington Beltway go to the East and you’ll have no problem. Traffic on Rt. 95 in the winter is much lighter than it is in the summer. As you mentioned, weather can be an issue but we’ve been doing this for over 10 years and never had a problem. Rt 95 is a major road and is well taken care of in Maryland and Virginia. The concern is North Carolina where it’s ice, not snow, that you want to watch out for. When the missus and I drive down we usually stop every 2 to 2 ½ hours for a short break (10 minutes – a little longer if it’s for gas also.) Because we go around 75 mph most of the time (not speeding, just keeping up with traffic) and with these stops, if takes us between 12 ½ and 13 hours to do it all in one shot. For trips when we stop overnight, we like the Gateway Comfort Suites at exit 36 in Brunswick. In the winter the AAA rate is around $70. From there, it’s just over 3 hours to DisneyWorld.

 

[lucifie]

We drive down from Rockville every year at about the same time as you will be. I think that this year we will leave on the 27th. It sounds like you will be leaving on Sunday so Northern Virginia shouldn’t be a problem. When you get to the Washington Beltway go to the East and you’ll have no problem. Traffic on Rt. 95 in the winter is much lighter than it is in the summer. As you mentioned, weather can be an issue but we’ve been doing this for over 10 years and never had a problem. Rt 95 is a major road and is well taken care of in Maryland and Virginia. The concern is North Carolina where it’s ice, not snow, that you want to watch out for. When the missus and I drive down we usually stop every 2 to 2 ½ hours for a short break (10 minutes – a little longer if it’s for gas also.) Because we go around 75 mph most of the time (not speeding, just keeping up with traffic) and with these stops, if takes us between 12 ½ and 13 hours to do it all in one shot. For trips when we stop overnight, we like the Gateway Comfort Suites at exit 36 in Brunswick. In the winter the AAA rate is around $70. From there, it’s just over 3 hours to DisneyWorld.

Thanks for the tip. I am definitely worried about the possibility of ice at any part of the trip. My brother tells a story of going to FL for spring break one year when he was in college. When they were driving back they got stuck in an ice storm in NC (I think - it could have been SC). They stopped somewhere and encountered a cop trying to figure out how to put chains on his tires and ended up helping him. We never used chains but he and his friend at least had a concept of how they worked. LOL.

What time of day do you usually leave? For us it doesn't really make a difference whether we go east or west around the beltway. I think the distance is about the same. The part that seems to be ugly no matter when you go is the Tyson's Corner area, but I haven't been down that way since they finished the construction, so maybe it's better.

 

[GranddadTom]

If we do the trip in one day and it's a workday, we leave as soon as the Beltway clears (check Google maps) - usually around 9:00 am - and get to WDW before 10:00 pm. If we just go to Brunswick, we leave by noon. The construction is still going on in the Tyson Corner area so, as I said before, go east on the beltway. We have to go through Tyson Corner because we go down I-270 and it can get tense there.

 

[lucifie]

I checked Google Maps and it actually says to take 295 through DC to 395 and hook up with 495/95 at Tyson's Corner. That might not be a bad way to go, but I would want to do a dry run some weekend before we're doing it for real.

 

[vicki_c]

I checked Google Maps and it actually says to take 295 through DC to 395 and hook up with 495/95 at Tyson's Corner. That might not be a bad way to go, but I would want to do a dry run some weekend before we're doing it for real.

I know I'm already on the east side, but if I was coming from further north, I would never make the choice to go west. I was over near Tyson's this summer for work and it was a total construction nightmare.

 

[GranddadTom]

I agree with vicki. Lucifie - you are making this way too difficult. Just take the Beltway East to Rt. 95 south in Northern Virginia. Forget about Tysons Corner. I mentioned Google Maps only in reference to the "Traffic" option which allows you to see when traffic is backed up or when backups have cleared.

 

[kwdw]

Definitely go east side of 495 to get to 95 south! The Tyson's stuff is a bit better than it was - but the beltway is ALWAYS slow from New Hampshire all the way around to 95 south. I personally am not as comfortable driving east side because I don't go that way as often, but I would still do it to save time if I was headed to 95 south. My trips start out west of 29 - but I still go over to 95 south between the two beltways and around on the east side if I am headed on 95 south of DC.