Driving to WDW: Am I Crazy to Consider this?

[sillyguys]

We're contemplating a July trip to WDW. We usually go every year and always fly from Philadelphia. This year, to save money, we are considering driving We have 3 kids, ages 7, 4 and 1. Am I crazy to even consider this? I always swore I would never drive but a part of me thinks that a road trip would be fun. For any of you who have taken the trip from Philadelphia, what time do you leave? Do you go straight through or spend the night? Where is a good place to spend the night? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Faldred]

Not quite as far north as Philly, but we've driven from Maryland twice; the second time with DS3 (almost 4) and the twins DD2 and DS2. From where we are, it's almost exactly a 14 hour drive, so it'd likely by 17-18 hours from Philly.

That's an awful lot for driving straight through. We broke it up into 2 days (more like 1 1/2 days) each way, driving just under 10 hours on day 1 (we stopped in Savannah, GA) and more relaxedly finishing the drive on day 2, getting to WDW around 2 PM. On the way home, we left after lunch and drove roughly halfway (to Florence, SC).

Really, only that final leg was any trouble. Going down, the excitement of going to WDW made up for any "cooped up in the car" feeling, and we made sure to have portable DVD players for the kids (and DS3 got a Leapster to help keep him occupied as well). That first leg back was fine as well, as the kids were so tired they appreciated the downtime. (DS3, who didn't nap all week, was out like a light the second we hit the highway.) That last leg, however, was when we got the "are we there yet?" whines.

 

[mcqueen n' sally]

we drove from northern new jersey 2 times... once when the kids were 2.5 and 1 and again the next year...

it was certainly not a fun road trip... i mean, it wasn't terrible but it was more of just a mission to get to disney!

the first time we drove straight through and it took about 23 hours or so... we left at like 10 am and got there areound 9 am the next day...
the kids were fine - they slept a lot... but there was a lot of pulling over to change diapers once they were awake... we didn't know what to do when we got there so i called disney dining and made a reservation for the breakfast buffet at cape may for like 9:30 and we went straight there! that was fun... but we were exhausted!

the next time we stopped in south carolina around 11pm or so... the kids were wired though from sleeping a lot of the day in the car so we did not get to bed until way after midnight... we got on the road around 8 and got into orlando around 2 or 3... it was a slower pace, but still exhausting!

then last year, we flew

i am glad we did it, and it was certainly an experience, but it wasn't what i would call fun... and, even though it is a long drive, i preferred going straight through... we didn't get much sleep anyway...
oh, i also drove down from nj with a friend in college... we stopped (our parents made us promise we would!) and it really wasn't bad... but i was also 20 and didn't have 2 little kids with me!

if you decide to do it, there is this really great site that has all the info about exits and hotels on I95... someone on here posted it when i was asking about driving 3 years ago but now i forget what it is...
and the transportation board has some threads about driving down that are helpful too...

have fun whatever you do!

 

[Mommytink]

We do this every year from Philadelphia also with 3 kids (8,4,2). We have fun and make it part of the vacation. We leave at 3 a.m. and drive past Washington and stop for breakfast. We then drive to around 4 p.m. in SC and stay at this great hotel with an indoor pool...great for burning energy! We get a good night's sleep and get up and leave around 6 a.m. (hotel has great free breakfast). We are at Disney by lunchtime! I make sure to gather a lot of new movies and toys throughout the year. For every hour they are good, they get a small toy (think $ store). I have car seat trays which also help. They bring their pillows and blankets and sleep a lot too. This way they are well-rested for Disney! PM if you want.

 

[puffkin]

Have you looked into all the airports in the surrounding area. I usually fly out of philly, but sometimes BWI or Newark have better rates. I have never paid more than $204 RT (and that was on our honeymoon and we had to take the AM flight to make our cruise or we could have gone cheaper) for airfare in 15+ trips over the last 9 years.

I look at the cost savings in terms of time too. Yeah you can break it into two days of travel...but bookend a trip and that is almost 4 days of travelling. Not to mention all the food stops and 2 nights of hotel costs to factor in. I don't get a lot of vacation time, so when I do go I want to get there as quickly as possible and not waste it on the road.

I personally wouldn't do it as I put a bit of a premium on my time and sanity! But every family is different and yours might enjoy the trip. Good luck.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

We've done this twice, once when the kids were 2 and 5, and once when the kids were 6 and 9. I don't particularly like it, but we don't usually end up having a problem. The kids use their DS's, iPods, and portable DVD player to keep themselves occupied.

Both times we had gone over three days, with a stopover in Virginia and another in Georgia.

We took the AutoTrain this past trip, and it was almost as expensive as flying. I don't think we will do that again.

We will probably drive again in 2011, but this time do it with one overnight instead of two.

 

[Butterflies31]

My family have driven far distances before. I have 3 children and one has special needs. It is rough keeping them entertained but you get all that family time in for sure. This year we choose to go to WDW by train. we leave in 10 days and well I have herd some discouraging things but i know that as long as we are relaxed and calm all will go smoothly. Good luck with your decision, But me, if it was not for my affraid to fly husband, I would fly.
Have a great trip..

 

[MickeysFans]

Two words: portable DVD. Airfares have not come down for our travel dates either. After gas and hotel (off-set by car rental there), we will save over $900 and some memories (hopefully good ones!)
We are also driving for the first time this year: June DD 7, DS 5. We live in MN, so about 25 hours. DS will not sleep in the car usually, otherwise we would push it more, but we will leave right after rush hour in Minneapolis, drive to St. Louis - 8 hours, second day to Atlanta - 11 hours and leave a short trip 5-6 for the last day to get there and be able to hit a park for a little while.
When my kids were smaller, we tried to drive at night for them to sleep, but it depends on your kids. Gma keeps stressing that we stop and make it fun, but mostly we want to get there and get out of the car! GOOD LUCK!

 

[Faldred]

A couple of more things for me to add...

1) You, the parents, need to be well-prepared and disciplined. Nothing will make that road trip drag out like spending too long being NOT on the road. Even with 2 diapers to change and a preschooler to mind, we got in and out of meal stops within 45 minutes, and snack stops within 30 minutes.

2) If you can find a fast-food place with a play area for the kids -- GO THERE! Letting them burn off some energy while getting the food ordered and ready, or while younger kids are being tended to (diapers/potty), will be a good, good thing. Alternatively, pack picnic lunches and stop at rest stops with a picnic area to let them stretch their legs in the open air. (Or a mix of the two, along the way.)

 

[mom2cookies]

We've driven from Philly quite a few time. My DH being a truck driver, he knew when the rush hour and construction traffic was heaviest. We would leave at mid-night drive all the way to the NC - SC border ( stayed at South of the Border bc they didn't care how many ppl you put in a room). We would get there after lunch. Slept and let the kids burn off some energy. Ate dinner then left again. We went as far St. Augustine, FL and stayed at a Holiday Inn and left early the next morning. We did not make long stops just a few potty breaks and dinner. DH being a truckdriver, really pushed us as far as waitting a long time between breaks. Thankfully our kids are good riders. The first time we went they were 7,9,10,& 11 ( i think lol). Now we take Amtrak. If your kids are young ( i'm not sure the cutoff age) you can get 2 kids fare 1/2 price for each full paying adult.

 

[C&G'sMama]

Not Philly but WNY and it's 1,250 mi one way. We love it. We don't drive straight through. It's about a 20 hour drive for us so we usually leave late afternoon on the 1st day and drive about 4 hours and find a hotel with a pool. Next day we drive as long as we can stand, I will add DP does all the driving, she is a self-admitted control freak when driving and I love to sleep. Again we find a hotel, preferably with a pool. We like Hampton Inns so we either carry a Hampton Inn guide or the AAA book or just look at the signs on 95.

We use DVD's, Didj and Leapster. New toys, books, game cartridges (like a PP said, on the cheap)

We pack special treats that they don't normally get at home. we used to do a lot of drive through but have switched to loaves of bread and cold cuts to save both time and money and to cut down on french fries.

We make it part of the trip. We look at it as some great family time. And then when we get down there we have our own vehicle.

Go for it. If it doesn't work for you, then you can fly next time. But even with our staying at hotels we still save money without having to buy 4 plane tickets and renting a car. We've also used the trips down to visit friends in Alexandria and another time family in Charlotte (we just go a different way when we do that.)

 

[ami_maedel]

We drove from Philly last year. Everybody thought we were nuts. But, we liked having the flexibility of our car (which we never used once down there - ha!) and we liked the adventure.

Same as pp, broke the drive in half and stayed overnight, had a list of rest stops, preplanned possible hotels to stay at, ate at fast food with a playground to burn off energy, had lots of toys to play with.

 

[Mommy2Abby]

We've driven to WDW from Cincinnati (so not quite as far as Philly) with an 18 month old, and will be doing it again this fall with a 3 1/2 year old and 15 month old. We've also done the trip to Dallas and back several times with both kiddos in tow.

Honestly, we didn't find the drive to be that bad. We had plenty of space to take whatever we wanted...snacks, drinks, toys, books, etc. and DD was plenty entertained because she had a captive audience in Mommy or Daddy. Whoever isn't driving sits in the back seat between the two carseats and plays, reads, hands out snacks, etc.

I will agree with the previous poster who said that you need to be disciplined with kids on a road trip. Stops need to be as minimal as possible and the goal is to GET THERE! We break the drive up into two days, as neither DD sleeps well in the car and neither DH or I like to drive through the night. We usually stop somewhere just across the FL/GA border so that the second day we can be to Disney by lunch time.

Personally, I don't think driving was any worse than flying. We flew to WDW when DD was 8 months old and it was awful. We had so much luggage to drag with us and I spent the whole time stressing about DD on the plane and whether she would fuss and bother the other passengers. After that trip, I swore we wouldn't fly again until my kids were old enough to carry all their own stuff onto the plane.

This past fall my parents ended up going to Disney with us, and since they were driving (and agreed to take all of our "stuff"), DH talked me in to flying with DD's (2 1/2 & 3 mos.). I thought it would be better, but we still ended up having to drag a stroller, two carseats, a diaper bag, and a bag of toys to entertain DD. It was such a hassle trying to get everyone/everything through security and on to the plane. Then DD (3 mos.) had a massive diaper blowout on the plane that got all over me and her, and she cried for the ENTIRE flight.

We'll be driving until my kids are much older and we can leave the stroller, carseats, and diapers at home

 

[C&G'sMama]

Personally, I don't think driving was any worse than flying. We flew to WDW when DD was 8 months old and it was awful. We had so much luggage to drag with us and I spent the whole time stressing about DD on the plane and whether she would fuss and bother the other passengers. After that trip, I swore we wouldn't fly again until my kids were old enough to carry all their own stuff onto the plane.

This past fall my parents ended up going to Disney with us, and since they were driving (and agreed to take all of our "stuff"), DH talked me in to flying with DD's (2 1/2 & 3 mos.). I thought it would be better, but we still ended up having to drag a stroller, two carseats, a diaper bag, and a bag of toys to entertain DD. It was such a hassle trying to get everyone/everything through security and on to the plane. Then DD (3 mos.) had a massive diaper blowout on the plane that got all over me and her, and she cried for the ENTIRE flight.

We'll be driving until my kids are much older and we can leave the stroller, carseats, and diapers at home

We flew once when DD was 18 mos old. It was 2 months after 9/11 and procedures for security weren't well set up. The flight down was fine with a layover in Philadelphia. The flight home was another story. First we get to Orlando airport and get to the boarding area. They did not board families with small children first. At that point they only checked people at random. there were 5 of us as my in-laws were with us. They pulled us over and checked everything. "We like to pull over large groups so we can keep the line moving". So we were the last ones to board the plane.

We bought a seat for DD and had her in between the two of us in her carseat. When we proceeded to get her into her carseat and store our stuff the flight attendants asked why we didn't pre-board. DD proceeds to kick the seat ahead of her. I wanted to kick the lady's seat too, but that's another story.

So we asked the flight attendant if they could store the seat as she was bothering the lady ahead of her. So they stored the seat. Now keep in mind we had brought all kinds of stuff to keep DD occuppied and she was sitting between us. She falls asleep. Within 1/2 hour we were told they couldn't store it any longer and we would have to put her back in her seat. So we woke up a sleeping 18month old while flying. I'm sure you all know what happened next. She cried for the next hour. People swore at us and gave us dirty looks, including one dad who's kid wasn't crying, yet. Then she cried for last 1/2 hour of the trip.

So. It's 8 years later, we haven't flown since and don't plan on it until they're 21.

 

[Amyhoff]

Have you considered taking the car train? I did this when I was in HS, so I'm not sure if it's still around, but we drove from NJ to Virginia, I think. Then the cars were loaded onto the train and it went all the way to Orlando. I had such a fun time on the train, it's one of the things I really remember about that trip to WDW. The train gives children (and adults) tons of room to walk around and play. I remember sitting in the car with the dome top and just watching the scenery go by. It was fun!

Just a thought!!

 

[The 4 "Quay"balleros]

When I was in grade school, I made 2 trips to WDW by car. All I remember is that it seemed like an eternity to get there and even worse back! The last 3 times I've been there, I've flown. The last time I had kids(DS3&DS1). With the kids it was very hectic, but only a couple of hours. I'm lucky my wife and I make enough that we can fly down. We're going again at the end of March- we're flying Air Tran- 4 seats with all expenses is a little under a G. If the $ was an issue, we may not go down because we hate being stuck in the car.....But we have friends who love to drive everywhere! So to each, his own.?!!!?

 

[koadoodle]

We currently live in Philly and are planning a trip to Disney in May. We are going with my mom and stepfather who drive quite frequently. They always stop in Charlotte. They told me that Charlotte is exactly half-way. We have relatives in Charlotte and that is another reason we stop there. We will see how my daughter does. She will be 3 in July. She has actually been all over the East Coast from Massachusetts to Florida but that was all before she was 1. I know that Boscovs also runs some really great deals on vacation packages to Disney. They actually use Southwest to charter their own plane that flies out of Reading. My brother actually was able to get a package that just included the plane ride and a rental car. No accommodations. If you have any questions just let me know.

Michele

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

We're planning our first driving trip this summer. We just can't afford to ticket five people twice in one summer (we have a family wedding in Portland, OR, in August, and that one is much farther away!!). We bought a two-screed DVD player for Christmas. I'm going to keep watching the stores and stockpile games. I hit Michael's and Target's dollar areas around Christmas time and found plenty of little things to put into "goody bags" to keep them occupied. I'm actually looking forward to it a little - DH, not so much.

Right now the plan is to leave around 4 a.m., hit fast food for breakfast, pack a lunch (and a ball to chase around) for a rest-stop lunch, and stop an hour or so south of Atlanta - trying for around 4 p.m. - at a hotel with a pool. Lots of swimming, dinner in the room (not trying to make the 8, 6, and 2 year old sit through a meal in a restaurant after being in the car all day) and a good night's sleep. Up the next morning and on the road by 7, and with luck should hit Disney by 1. That's the plan, anyway.... According to AAA, it will take us about 16 hours drive time.

 

[honeydiane1953]

With the ages of your children I wouldn't. You are going to do whatever anyway but since u asked I would try and fly.

 

[VirataMama4]

We have driven to WDW from MD, about 13 hours, 3 times so far this year and will be doing so in July! We leave at night so the kids sleep most of the way. Or our youngest will watch DVDs... Must have a DVD player! It also cuts down on our stop times and costs less in food. I like having our own van and the freedom. Also, Its easier to pack more, like surprise souvies for the kids, breakfast foods, and snacks, which can end up saving you even more money!