Driving To WDW from nyc in August....

[5champs]

We have been going to Disney for the past 15 yrs and flew there every time. This year we will be driving from NY. There will be 5 of us in a minivan. Kids are ages 1, 3, 9. Any advice on how we should handle it? Any tips that you may be able to give us? We have a TV in the car but what about any other activities? Should we stop over or go straight through? Or are we out of our minds ...and should just fly!!??!!

How many times do you think we'd stop for gas from NYC? Any advice would be great


__________________

 

[higgyman]

We have driven the past two times from the Albany area. We leave around 4:00 PM and drive straight through. My wife and I take turns driving and switch every three hours. We both can sleep in the car and by the time the night is over we both have gotten around 6 hours of sleep. We agree that we won't be heroes and if the need arises we will stop and sleep. By leaving at that time we avoid most of the traffic in the Baltimore/DC area.

Our kids (2 girls, 9 & 11) have been great in the van with movies and video games. We stop for breakfast and lunch (usually Cracker Barrel) as well as rest stops. We arrive in Orlando from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM the next day, perfect for check in. Also, we like that we are finishing the trip up in the daylight.

Driving straight through works for us, and driving enables us ($) to go more often.

 

[abline]

My recommendation would be to fly. We've discussed driving and with gas prices and wear and tear on the vehicle is it worth it. Not counting the two vacation days lost in driving. In the time it will take you to drive through New Jersey you could be in Florida. Work the numbers and find a cheap flight. Then use the Magical Express. Thats our plan of action. (First time going without renting a car). One last thought, the ride down is a blast. The ride home is the never ending ride from hell. Also with MYW the extra days in the parks (re: Park Hoppers will only cost you a few more dollars) don't really kill you budget. Just hold off on the snacks and souviners.

 

[airhead]

Fly!!!!!!

 

[AspiringCindy]

We have done it both ways, and realize that sometimes flying is not always a viable option. 2 years ago, we drove to WDW with our then 1 year old and 8 & 9 year olds. We live 15 minutes from the GWB and left in the morning! We knew in advance that we didn't want to drive through...so we chose a spot on the map that seemed like a good place to stop! We left at 9:00 AM, lunched in Alexandria, VA around 12:30-1:00PM, then continued on and stopped for a sit-down dinner somewhere in the southern part of North Carolina! Our overnight stop was at Santee, SC.(1 hour from the GA border). The next morning, the drive wasn't so bad and we weren't tired when we reached WDW because we had stopped. My advice is to stop and stretch whenever possible(especially for the toddler)!

 

[crabmeal]

We drove last year with a 2 yo and a 6 yo.We are in NYC too and we did stop over. We stopped overnight at the first exit in Georgia. It was nice because we were able to sleep and the next day's drive was not so long. We had a DVD player for the kids and Ds had his Gameboy. We also packed a cooler with drinks, breakfast and snacks. Considering I won't fly, it's our only option but it wasn't that bad. DH logged in our breaks and gas stops but I can;t find that notebook now.

 

[peter1706]

We've driven 4 times. We find it best to leave around 10 -11pm. if you can switch drivers you can be there by 4pm. We filled up each time we hit half a tank and we stopped 4 times (meaning 2 full tanks of gas) Considering flying would have cost us over a thousand it worked out well. We also had a great time just being able to talk to each other...since there isn;t much else to do.

On some trips we do stop over for the night. These have ranged from virginia to Ga.