Driving to Disney vs Flying

[PAFamily]

Hi all,
Hoping to get some good advice, this is our second Disney trip this year and in an effort to save money and gain some adventure, we are thinking of driving down from Philadelphia. Any advice to offer? Where are some good places to stop along I95? We are driving with a 5yr old and a 3yr old.

Thanks!

 

[kldmom2000]

We are flying-first time w/ kids to Disney from the Boston area... but as a kid, we always drove down. Some of the places we'd hit were Washington DC so Dad could nap for a few hours while we hit the museums (we usually started out at 8pm the night before and Dad would drive all night to avoid NYC traffic)... then of course South of the Border was always a blast-on the N/S Carolina borders... the billboards leading up to it made the anticipation so exciting! Then we always hit the Florida welcome center-Dad was game for anything free-so he loved that he got a free cup of OJ every time we stopped there!LOL! Have fun! GL!

 

[Brian Noble]

Have some sort of video system in the car. It can be as inexpensive as a small portable combo TV/VCR (you can get one for well under $100). Our kids are not really "car kids", but this makes longer trips at least tolerable.

However, consider what it really costs you to drive rather than fly. Figure mileage at about $1 every 3 miles (gas, depreciation, maintenance, etc.). You'll probably stop for one night at least on the way home, and possibly on the way there, too. You'll lose an extra day (or two) of work (or vacation). Granted, these are all hidden costs, and not costs you write checks for, but they are real.

 

[jel0511]

We live in NJ, about 45 minutes North of Center City. We have driven the past two years and will continue to do so. We usually leave our house around 3:30AM to beat all the DC traffic and stop for breakfast in VA past the metro DC area. We then fill-up and drive until lunch and then stop for food and fuel. We ALWAYS find a McDonalds with a PlayPlace for the kids. This way, they get the food the like, and then we give them 15 to 30 minutes to play in the Play area. It helps them burn off some steam from being cooped up in the car for so long, and it gives us a break to relax a little. We then stop in Savannah, GA for the night. We've arrived at Savannah at 4:30 and 6:00, depending on traffic we hit on I95. We stay there for the night, and ALWAYS have reservations. We saw TONS of families turned away from the hotels due to being sold out. From Savannah, it's approx a 4 to 4 1/2 hour drive to WDW the next day, so we usually leave right after an early breakfast and arrive around lunch time. It works for us, and I also agree, get the TV for the car. Ours has the built-in DVD player, and it keeps the kids occupied for hours upon hours. We also bring various toys, crayons, etc to keep them busy, but it's the TV that keeps them the most occupied. If you don't have one, it will be worth it's weight in gold!!! By the way, our kids have been 5 and 2 , 6 and 3 during our drives and we've never encountered any problems with them.

 

[sperk99]

Part of the adventure is getting there!

I vote for driving...

 

[PAFamily]

Thank you all for the great advice!!!!! I agree that it is part of the adventure, and I am secretly looking forward to it

 

[Sumac]

We have driven several times with our kids. They have been 6&4, 5&2 and 4&2. It has be A-OK every time. We definitely enjoy having our own vehicle when we are there for the week.

Here is a good website with lots of info about I-95 including hotel information, construction info, etc....
http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm

 

[jeancbpugh]

We've always flown, but this year we are driving. DH has a new SUV.

Flying always seems so worth it to me. A lot of time is lost driving.

However this trip we are taking 2.5 weeks, with only 6 nights at WDW, so it is more of a "voyage".

 

[Doodlebug939]

We LOVE to drive!!!!! We live outside of New Orleans and make drive everywhere. We drive to Maine, Pennsylvania, Chicago and of course Disney.

Here is what I do. I have a portable DVD player that we bought a few years ago. Now they are much cheaper. I go out throughout the year and buy new movies and set them back for the trip. For example, Aladdin is coming out Scooby Doo 2 just came out and I just put them away for the trip. That way the kids get to watch something new and it really holds their attention plus we bring a few of the old favorits. Cant leave home without Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But I set up rules for the kids. We leave for pretty much every trip at 3 or 4 in the morning. We drive and the kids sleep. We always stop for breakfast about 8 or 9. (Whereever there is a Cracker Barrel). Then we allow the kids to watch a movie when we get back on the road. After that movie then we drive for a little while and make pit stops along the way. Things that I do is stop at rest areas like the ones in Florida with the Blue Angel Planes in the "Air" We are a military family and daddy is on a plane all the time but for some reason it is magical for the kids. It breaks up the trip and the kids get to run around.

Wherever we stop the place has to have a pool. Prefer an indoor pool because I let the kids play with us in them until they are so tired they want to go to bed. My son thinks that hotels are vacations in itself.

We also really find excitement in simple things. We dont have Dunkin Doughnuts down here like we did up in Maine. (Man I miss their coffee). So it is a big deal if we stop at a DD so the kids can get a glazed doughnut.

I dont care about time off from work as much because it is really extending our vacation. We have so much fun and some of the pictures of the "Road Trip" are just as great as the Disney days. You will love it.

 

[northern michigan]

Aren't you all exhausted when you get there from so much driving? I can't even imagine how I'd feel upon returning from a 24 hr. drive home, even if it's broken into 2 or 3 days. If you do that you have to tack on the extra cost of lodging.

 

[PAFamily]

Thanks Sumac for the great site! It had all the information I was looking for.

Doodlebug- your ideas are great, do you know which rest stop has the planes? My 3 year old son loves airplanes and that would be a great diversion.

Thanks all for the great advice!

 

[jel0511]

Thanks Sumac for the great site! It had all the information I was looking for.

I agree, that is an awesome site! I recommend buying the book. It is the best $12 I've ever spent. We've used it numerous times when trying to decide on our next stop. Much easier than having to pay attention to the billboards or small signs before the exit.

 

[Bugsmom73]

We are driving. I just can't see spending anywhere from 800-1300 on airfair for 4. To drive for use with a hotel each way, it is about 400-500 dollars. We are borrowing our in-laws portable Tv/VCR and hitting the road.

 

[Amirah95]

Maybe this website http://www.freetrip.com/ can help you out in some way. We always drive the FL, but the only stop we make is "South of the Border."

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We flew the first three times we went to WDW. We drove on our most recent trip and will probably always drive again. We so dreaded how the kids would do on the 10 hour drive, but they were great going and coming. As others have said, you can't beat the TV/VCR combo. Also, check out those Playplaces!

 

[ahutton]

I had a great time driving down in June, and look forward to doing it again in March. My #1 suggestion is stop for meals at places with play areas, and if possible with gas stations too. Stop, get gas, potty break and then set the kids free on the playground while one gets the food. Mom and Dad eat while the kids play and run their bugs off. Back into the car (it is ready to go) and then feed the kids - let them eat while we drive. Then another movie, then a potty/rest stop break. We alternate between those 2 types of stops and our kids did great!

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

We also drive from Central Texas. We are a family of 5 so airfare, even at a good price, is $$$$$.

Also, with little ones I can't imagine lugging all of the stuff we need on an airplane. We take our pack n play, 2 strollers, we need 3 car seats, snacks, baby food, diapers, etc etc.

It works for us and the kids are great in the car---we just keep the movies going, bring lots of fun "new" toys, and snacks, snacks, snacks.

 

[margiemc]

We have driven down from NE Philly for the last 3 of our 4 trips to the world (me, DH, & DD7. DH is NOT a good flier ). We leave around 2am (you'll be thru DC long before rush hour) and stop at all of the rest stops in each state for bathroom breaks and walks. We usually stay in Kingsland, GA, which is 3 miles outside of the FL border. Last trip, we were there by 4:45pm. There are about 8 hotels at that exit. This way, the next day, it's only about a 3 hour drive. On the way home last trip, we stayed in Florence, SC. On previous trips, we drove straight through.

This time, my best friend and her daughter are coming with us. We are driving straight through on the way down. I bought a portable DVD player for the car. We usually bring Game Boys, paper, colored pencils, stickers, & Discmans. We also play games in the car too. The trip down is long, but we always enjoy it!

 

[PAFamily]

Thanks for all the info- great to see a fellow Philly family makes the trek. We are looking forward to it, sounds like an adventure. I like your suggestion about staying by the FL border, we were thinking of staying in Savannah, but the least amount of time we can spend the next day driving is ideal.

 

[LovePug]

We drive from NEPA and I truly enjoy the drive. From where we are, I am able to avoid the Baltimore and DC areas and get onto 95 a bit above Richmond (I hate the heavy traffic around those areas ) Try to time your departure to avoid rush hour in those areas. The last 2 times we stopped over in St. George, SC for the night. The next day we only had about a 5 hour drive to Disney.

We also have a portable DVD player for DD to watch movies.