driving to save $$...but risking sanity?

[mom2smjn]

We are driving from upstate NY in December with our 4 kids....who btw have NEVER been on a car trip longer than 3 hrs........And I was wondering if we were insane! My plan is to pick the kids up when school lets out on friday and drive the 6 or so hours to fredericksburg,va. Then heading out in the morning and going to within a few hours of wdw(suggestions on a good place to stop would be appreciated) and spending the night again..arriving Sunday afternoon. Then we want to check in and nap...because we have tickets to the MVMCP Sunday night.
Does this seem feasible? Any car trip tips? Thanks~!

 

[Kermit]

Whether it will work out well or not really depends on your family. We drove almost everywhere when I was growing up (since we usually vacationed in our RV, so obviously we couldn't fly), and we had a blast. There were some moments that we couldn't stand each other, but you have to make up pretty quickly when you're crammed in a car.

You didn't say how old your kids are. Older kids shouldn't need much help packing things to keep them occupied. Littler ones will need more help. My mom let my sister and I go to the store and pick out fun activity books and stuff like that, then we'd put them in our own little boxes with snap-on lids. We were never allowed to use that stuff unless we were traveling. For a trip that long, you may also want to pack some little surprises and pull them out when patience is wearing thin. You should also look for activities made for using in the car. There are travel versions of all kinds of games. Sing-along CDs or tapes are another good choice.

Food is a wonderful standby. No one is happy when they're hungry. Just be sure not to pack things that will lead to car sickness. A big box of cereal that tastes good without milk (like Fruit Loops or something similar) is good for munching on because it's sweet but doesn't cause too much slugishness.

 

[jennymouse]

My parents used to dose me out with Dramamine, but that would be frowned upon now days.LOL Seriously, I did get car sick alot, but I think they did like to keep me sedated. I liked it though, it made time pass quickly....I'd just wake up every now and then and say "Are we there yet?" They'd say no and I'd go back to sleep.

I'm not suggesting you do this of course, but I would keep the Dramamine handy in case yours does actually get car sick.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

While I have never had the nerve to drive quite that far with my kids, they have always done surprisingly well on car trips. As the mother of kids who can't ride as far as the end of the driveway without fighting, it can be very stressful to even THINK about a drive longer than 20 minutes !!! But for some reason whenever we go on those long rides (for us, that's anywhere from 3-8 hours depending on destination) they seem to rise to the occasion!

We always take frequent enough breaks for everyone to let off steam, be prepared with games/toys/snacks....our kids LOVE books on tape (all the Harry Potter series over and over and over and over ) so that helps pass the time - and they are QUIET so they can hear the story

Have a great trip!!!!

 

[beansmom]

I only have one child under 18 so you will have to take this with a little grain of salt. She was 11 at the time we went.

We bought her a cute little activity set-markers, stickers, crayons, etc at the Disney store before the trip, got her the newest Harry Potter and she took her personal cd player. Between that and sleeping, she was quiet as a mouse.

 

[ratow]

I may be insane, but I don't mind driving with my kids! We have five kids and go on fishing vactions all the time (usually 10-15 hr. drives). We will be making the 22 hr. driving from Wisconsin in Oct.! We never try to drive as far as we would if it was just the hubby and me.
What are the ages of the kids?
Your time splits sound good. If you can afford the hotel stop, leaving after school/work and getting 4-5 hours in is a great idea! Don't stop too late, afterall, it takes the kids some time to explore the hotel room (open every drawer, play w/the heater, find the ice machine). Then it takes a while for everyone to settle down because they're not used to sleeping in one room (take a couple sleeping bags along and put two on the floor, on top of one of the bedspreads - I won't even put my sleeping bags directly on hotel carpet!)
Go the farthest the first day - everyone is excited and they still like each other. Same on the way home, longest day first. That will make your last leg on the trip home the shortest. Nothing worse than getting home at 9pm and having to unpack a whole van full of STUFF!
If you are organized enough, plan surprise bags for the trip. Go to the dollar store, Wal-Mart, the party favor aisle of any store, and buy little surprises. These should be cheap: coloring books, matchbox cars, animal crackers, a sm. box of raisins, a feather, stickers, a bag of plastic dinosaurs (2 dinos/gift). Wrap these individually (the ugliest leftover paper you have) and number them. Let them open one gift every 1, 2, 3 hr. (play with the time based on kids, # of gifts, # of days traveling). It's not what they get, it's the thrill of opening something new. My kids don't ask "Are we there yet?"; they ask "Is it time to open another one?" (It's just as annoying!)
Yes, I know with four kids you have to buy/wrap X 4! If you don't think it's possible, consider doing it for the trip home only - that's the worst drive, I think.
I also buy each kid a fresh new spiral notebook and give it to them the beginning of the trip to keep a journal/draw/scribble in (even the 2 yr old. Okay, but not the 9 month old!)
Whoa, this got WAY too long. I'm a font of ideas. PM me if you like.
Enjoy the trip!
Jamie

 

[travelitis]

My 3 kids are pros at long distance trips. We've become very blase' about 10-24 hour drives. My kids are 4, 8, and 10, and are good travelers, but it's not because it comes naturally to them. We bought a TV/VCR which made all the difference. We also take personal tape players with books on tape (Lady and the Tramp, Harry Potter), and we have 2 GBA's and a Pixter. We don't let the kids have the GBA's unless we're in the car 30 min or more, and they rarely get to play with them at home, so they are a real treat. The GBA's belong to my dh and me, and the games are property of the boys. I keep all of it stashed in my room to insure it doesn't get lost or broken.

When we moved from Minneapolis to the border of TX & LA, my girlfriend filled a big shopping bag with wrapped gifts. It had candy, toys, activity books, snacks, and a CD. The kids really looked forward to opening a package. What we've found really works for us is to make sure we have a video they haven't seen. On day 2 of driving we stop at a WalMart and let each pick out an inexpensive toy as long as they're not fighting and doing as they are told. Also on day 2 we try to find a fast food place with an indoor playland. They get to run and play all they want then get food and eat it on the road. While they play we eat and relax as much as you can in a playland. We had to drive between MN and TX 3 times in 3 months, so we have no fear of driving to Orlando.

No matter what the weather is, each kid has a pillow and a small blanket. You want to start a fight? Just make 2 kids share a blanket...it won't matter if it's king size, it just won't be big enough. On that note, when we forgot the stack of blankets, we bought beach towels at a WalMart. They do double duty nicely.

This next trip we'll leave about 4 PM and drive until probably midnight. That way the kids are tired enough to settle down right away. Our first choice is to nap in the early evening while they are allowed to stay up and play then get up about 2 or 3 a.m. The best, quietest, most sedate hours of the trip are until they start coming to life around 8 a.m.

 

[PNO4TE]

I love your first night destination. ;-)

We drove for the first time in many years last Christmas and found it to be a wonderful alternative to flying. Fredericksburg is a good strong hour to two hours away from a major airport and after you factor in waiting time while at the airports and the actual flying time we discovered that we could choose our own time to leave and still arrive at WDW approximately the same time if we had flown! We leave after school/work on the firts day and drive about 7-8 hours that night. Then we all catch some sleep and get moving early the next morning. We arrive at WDW rested and with our own car. We still fly for various other trips to WDW during the year, but plan on driving again this Christmas. We enjoyed the family time it offered too!

Elin

 

[Michigan]

I always drive but both of my kids have always been great riders. My oldest DD is 12 and likes to see how many cars from different states she can find. The youngest one is 4 and she likes to count McDonald's signs. We also have a sing along in the van of kid songs and when it works the van has a TV\VCP.

If you want to stop and stay somewhere close before WDW try stopping at Ocala they have an official Disney Center with a gift shop. If you don't have your tickets you can also buy them there.

 

[Barb D]

My big kids are good car travelers. We've taken many long car trips. We're flying this time because DH doesn't want us to put mileage on the car, and we were able to get $118 RT airfare.

Books on tape are wonderful. We get them free from the public library. My kids also enjoy Dover coloring books, which are highly detailed (not for little kids.) You need to use colored pencils with them.

 

[JetMom]

We drove from NY to WDW last fall with our 3 DS's who were 9, 7, and 3 1/2 years old at the time.

We left at about 3 p.m. and drove to Richmond VA on the first night. We got an early start and reached Orlando at about 4:30 p.m. the second day.

The boys were Great! (Although they usually drive me nuts on the 20 minute drive to my Mom's).

Some of the things that kept them occupied and happy were Gameboys, colored pencils and a blank pad of paper, books to read, books on tape (especially for the little one who can't read yet), crossword puzzles, Uno cards, and lots of snacks.

I also found some outdated road atlases at the Dollar Tree. The boys were not allowed to ask "Are we there yet?" (If the car is still moving we are obviously not there!!) They were allowed to ask "Where are we now?" I would then circle the nearest town along I-95 and they would use a highlighter to connect the dots.
It was a great way for them to monitor our progress and learn some new skills.

I would definitely drive again! Good Luck!!

 

[blewits]

i found a great website (thru these boards i believe) for traveling long distances with kids. try the link below. it's full of ideas for passing time in a car. i will be using several of her tips w/my 3 1/2 year old when we drive to orlando from atlanta in october.
wendy


www.momsminivan.com

 

[bobcat]

You are not insane. As you can tell from all of these posts many people take the plunge and drive many hours to reach WDW, and live to tell about it!

Our trip is about 18 hours and I drive it solo with two kids. We leave in the am and drive until we reach Kingsland GA, usually around 10:30 pm. We pack a picknic lunch and let the kids move around to let off steam. Dinner is usually at a restaraunt so that I can have a break. There are many hotels at the Kingsland exit and the gas is the cheapest you will find. We stay at the Super 8 which is a little worn around the edges but very clean. Pick up a hotel discount book at a gas station for the best deals.

The next morning we are on the road by 8:30-9 am and stop at the Florida welcome center for free OJ and new brosures. It is about a 4 hour drive from Kingsland, GA to Orlando depending on traffic. This year we stopped at the outlet mall in St. Augustine and hit the Nike and Character warehouse outlets. We are usually in WDW by noon.

For the trip I bring plenty of snacks, HP on tape, and a couple of suprises. The kids get to pack a backback for the trip, a pillow and blanket, and they each have gameboys and personal cd players. We either buy or trade for a new gameboy game before the trip and this gives me many hours of peace. The kids are great travelers but like most kids can't be in the car with each other at home without fighting. The excitement of the trip helps.

 

[Disneydenise]

I think if I was going to drive now I would invest in a Portable TV?DVD player with a gme system.

 

[Cindy B]

We have driven straight through for 3 drives now with the oldest child being 7 and the youngest 4, this time in a Saturn sedan... no big minivan/SUV...

We don't stop over, you can probably go further than Fredricksburg, frankly back in August that is where the most traffic was.


We drive through the night, we leave at 4 pm, and this time we got to Florida in the 10 -11 am range. (There was one hour delay in Philly, two hour delay in Fredricksburg/Richmond area, and one hour or so in N. Carolina (accident) and S. Carolina, down to one lane construction.

They have been awesome. We used to drive from PA to OH all the time, and that was a 6-8 hour drive, so we are used to long distances.

 

[PNO4TE]

you can probably go further than Fredricksburg, frankly back in August that is where the most traffic was

So very true anymore

I would stay away from Fredericksburg (exits 156, near Potomac Mills all the way through 126) on a Friday afternoon at all costs. Our traffic, especially on that day for some reason, has gotten to be horrendous and we try not be anywhere near I-95 or Route 3 on Fridays. Other days don't seem to garner so much volume of traffic.

But this is a perfect stopping point for those long drives as we are about 14 hours from WDW. And our area is rich in history if you are interested in making it a drive with educational value

 

[KimOhio]

Disney Denise do you have a car tv? I am looking at some and would love your opinion of which one thanks or anyones opinion for that matter on which tv,combos DVD for the car thanks Kim

 

[Lorix2]

We made this trip in April of this year.

We took our Expedition, took the 3rd seat out for storage. We bought a portable VCR that hung between the 2 front seats. We packed snacks, pillows, blankets, actvitiy pads, CD's, books, etc. My kids were 9 and 4.5 then.

We left our driveway here in NH at 4 AM and we pulled in to a Sleep Inn in Roanoke Rapids, NC (exit 173 off of 95S) at approximately 5 PM that night. The rate was $59.00 and it had a small indoor pool which was perfect for the kids after riding all day to unwind and including CO breakfast. It was very conveniently located, right of the exit ramp next to gas stations, alot of restaurants, a Walmart, etc...clean and safe.

We then left there the next morning at 7 or so and made it to International Drive around 7 PM (we stopped in Daytona Beach at around 4 PM and swam with the kids first).

We stayed at the the same hotel on the way back. We made sure we stopped every 3 - 4 hours or so for bathroom breaks and made them quick.

The kids had a few "moments" with each other, but nothing we couldn't quickly pull them out of with a snack, or pointing out something in the scenery, etc..

The trip will be what you make of it and if you gear everyone up for a long ride, but an adventure you'll have a great time. We definitely did.

Happy planning!

 

[jgates]

this sounds pretty stupid, but make sure you have a nationwide plan on your cell phone.

In the middle of Tennessee on the way home my 9 year old got the whines. (Partially sick from going thru the high pass after Chattanooga too I think). After fighting with her for 15 minutes and ready to pull out my hair, I called my mother and said 'here!' and let dd talk to grandma on the phone for about 20 minutes.

WORKED LIKE A CHARM!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Originally posted by jgates
this sounds pretty stupid, but make sure you have a nationwide plan on your cell phone.

I don't think that sounds stupid at all!!! Actually, I think it was a GREAT idea! I know my dd could talk on the phone for a VERY long time....it's certainly worth the peace and quiet it gives the driver!