Driving to WDW - Pros and Cons

[CrazyDuck]

I tried to drive there.... Damn Pacific Ocean got in my way!

 

[bobbiwoz]

This was our first time driving, down I75 from Ohio! I really enjoy having my own car here, never thought my '99 Saturn could have made it to Florida!

We'll do it again next NYE time, but it's just too long a drive for more frequent car trips. I do wish there wa a better way around Atlanta!

We drove to Macon GA the first day and the rest the next day. It wasn't too hard.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Just from driving 9 hours, I don't like that feeling of your legs being stuck in a sitting position, and your butt feeling asleep.

 

[goofydad99]

We every year. Our drive is 19+ hours. I even managed to do it by myself with our two youngest kids last year. I think it's a good idea to drive if you can make it enjoyable. Our kids are old enough now that we don't have to drive through the night to make it easier for us. We can now leave earlier in the morning and make the most of the day time driving. I get very sleepy when I drive at night. With 5 people, and no large airport nearby, that is how we roll.

 

[ajf1007]

Thanks again everyone for your comments. We've decided for right now, we're going to drive. I'm still going to keep checking flights and prices but unless something changes drastically with prices and/or flight times on SW, I'll be singing "On the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again" in September. I also like the idea of the freedom to take more and also I wanted to take stuff for my Owners Locker, which I would have shipped, so I'm saving those costs as well. I'll try anything once so what the heck - let's do it!

 

[Saratoga Springs Tom]

We drive down every year in the winter. Tried flying a couple of times but got tired of the cancelled flights and delays that happen all to often. So we decided to do the drive. We leave upstate NY and hit the Wilson NC area for a stay over and head out the next morning. This has worked well for us over time and despite the weather we are not at the mercy of someone else deciding when we will be moving or sitting. If the weather is poor you adjust accordingly and proceed with caution but your still moving north or south.

 

[kamikazecat]

We might be totally crazy but we have decided to make the drive from Nevada to Orlando this summer. It has always been on my bucket list to drive across the country and I am excited that I will finally get to do it. It is approx. 3000 but we are really excited about it and even our six year old son is getting involved with the planning. We are both teachers so we have the luxury to take the time on the way there and on the way back and see various parts of the country. We are going the Southern route along 10 on the way there but want to go further North on the trip home. I would love any suggestions on where to go and what to see.

 

[jimmytammy]

We drive all the time now. We are roughly 10 hrs from WDW. We used to fly but got tired of the hassle of it all. Last time we flew from Orlando, sat in airport 5 hrs after our initial flight time. We could have been half way home by car!!

When you arrive in WDW, rest. Dont try to hit parks running. This will make all the difference in the remainder of your trip. If time allows, stop overnight in NC or SC.

Fuel in SC will be less than fuel in NC. Also, fuel up at exit 3 in GA, just before crossing FL line. This will save you $$ plus places to eat. Really good Chick Fil A at this exit. You can make it the rest of way to WDW at this point unless you need a bathroom break.

Having your own car at WDW is a plus. On site guests and AP holders get free parking at parks so if you choose to skip busses, plus factor there.

 

[dzorn]

We might be totally crazy but we have decided to make the drive from Nevada to Orlando this summer. It has always been on my bucket list to drive across the country and I am excited that I will finally get to do it. It is approx. 3000 but we are really excited about it and even our six year old son is getting involved with the planning. We are both teachers so we have the luxury to take the time on the way there and on the way back and see various parts of the country. We are going the Southern route along 10 on the way there but want to go further North on the trip home. I would love any suggestions on where to go and what to see.

Given the choice we fly but last year we drove from MI.

Not sure how far it would be for your intended route but we stopped in Kentucky to take the kids to Mammoth Cave National Park. It was nice to have a day off from driving and the kids enjoyed the park.

Denise in MI

 

[kamikazecat]

Thanks for the suggestion. We are open to anything. We don't have a set time. We are both teachers and have the summer off so are taking advantage of that time to see the country.

 

[debbieandroo]

I was convinced that I only wanted to fly from Memphis to Orlando until Delta jacked up flights to over $400! So I fell in love with driving.

I do have a good amount of vacation time each year so have the luxury of taking a rest day when I get home. If that weren't the case, I would try to fly more often.

And I love having a car at WDW. I take a big cooler full of groceries, a case of water, snacks, sodas - all sorts of things. Because I have that stuff with me, I don't feel as if I have to stop at an unfamiliar grocery store, which would not be a magical experience for me. This means I can have more meals in the room which also saves money.

Right now I am experimenting with driving strategies. It's about a 13 hour [including losing an hour for EST] drive from Memphis. The last few times, I've left super early [4-5 am] and gotten to WDW by 6 pm at the latest which means I spent my first nights either sleepwalking through the parks with friends who had already flown in or camped out in my room, wishing I had enough energy to go to the parks.

This time I will be stopping about 80 miles away - found a great deal on a cheap place to stay. Hopefully, this will give me a full night's sleep and I'll be ready to tackle WDW the next day - woo-hoo!

About being cooped up with your mom - I can completely understand. Audiobooks have become my favorite traveling companions. Your local library probably has a good selection that would appeal to all three of you. It's a great way to pass the time and you don't have to fight over the radio.

Go for it!

Edited to add: Ha, just saw on another thread that you got a great deal on Air Tran tickets - yay, you!!!

 

[MSUmom]

My family drove down from Michigan last Christmas. 20 hours. DD 21 and DD17 were supposed to drive at night because they are used to staying up later. I am a 8 hour, in bed by 9:00 sleeper. Guess who ended driving through the last 2 hours of Georgia into Florida at 3:00 a.m. ME. Headphones with my ipod blaring and dancing in my seat staying awake. First rest area in Florida I was pulling over and sleeping. My DH woke up as I pulled into the rest area and drove the rest of the way. It was mutually decided that next time we were stopping halfway through. Going home it was much better.

We are flying in May and driving down at Christmas.

 

[ajf1007]

I was convinced that I only wanted to fly from Memphis to Orlando until Delta jacked up flights to over $400! So I fell in love with driving.

I do have a good amount of vacation time each year so have the luxury of taking a rest day when I get home. If that weren't the case, I would try to fly more often.

And I love having a car at WDW. I take a big cooler full of groceries, a case of water, snacks, sodas - all sorts of things. Because I have that stuff with me, I don't feel as if I have to stop at an unfamiliar grocery store, which would not be a magical experience for me. This means I can have more meals in the room which also saves money.

Right now I am experimenting with driving strategies. It's about a 13 hour [including losing an hour for EST] drive from Memphis. The last few times, I've left super early [4-5 am] and gotten to WDW by 6 pm at the latest which means I spent my first nights either sleepwalking through the parks with friends who had already flown in or camped out in my room, wishing I had enough energy to go to the parks.

This time I will be stopping about 80 miles away - found a great deal on a cheap place to stay. Hopefully, this will give me a full night's sleep and I'll be ready to tackle WDW the next day - woo-hoo!

About being cooped up with your mom - I can completely understand. Audiobooks have become my favorite traveling companions. Your local library probably has a good selection that would appeal to all three of you. It's a great way to pass the time and you don't have to fight over the radio.

Go for it!

Edited to add: Ha, just saw on another thread that you got a great deal on Air Tran tickets - yay, you!!!

Thanks! I couldn't pass up the great deal on Air Tran, but I'm still open to driving for future stays. It's a tough call because we really only have one week to play (Saturday to Sunday) so we'd have to leave late Friday (7pm) and pretty much drive straight through and the same with the way home. I was actually starting to KINDA starting to look forward to the drive, with the ability to bring more stuff so I can put it in my Owners Locker and now I can't do that. I was actually also liking the idea of having a car, but we have talked about renting one anyway. So...even though I'm happy not to drive, strictly because of the "commando" way we'd have to do it, I'm still open to try it! The audio books are a great idea too! I guess I'll bring some ear buds for my Ipad, for the plane ride though!

 

[hakepb]

We might be totally crazy but we have decided to make the drive from Nevada to Orlando this summer. It has always been on my bucket list to drive across the country and I am excited that I will finally get to do it. It is approx. 3000 but we are really excited about it and even our six year old son is getting involved with the planning. We are both teachers so we have the luxury to take the time on the way there and on the way back and see various parts of the country. We are going the Southern route along 10 on the way there but want to go further North on the trip home. I would love any suggestions on where to go and what to see.

I'm all about a long driving vacation, but that's ...a lot!
I'd contemplate going up to Asheville, NC and St Louis (getting Denver, too) a lot of summer heat to drive through before the Rockies

Of course you have to make the Atlantic ocean for such a trek (although I prefer beaches on the Gulf)