first time driving down from jersey

[bella2117]

okay jersey peeps it looks like my family of 4 will be taking on the drive this year down to WDW (first time) we have a friend who lives in NC so we are going to stay overnight and break it up that way. Sooooo how is the drive honestly? The amount of money we are saving by not flying is seriously insane and makes me more excited for the drive lol. I mean i think my kids will be fine and when we need to stop we will of course. its going to be in august so I'm hoping for nice weather?? (please god) anyone can chime in doesn't have to just jersey folks.

 

[dsnymomof4]

We've done the drive many times, and have flown many times. And all things equal - I'd much prefer flying. However, with a family of 7, it is almost always MUCH cheaper to drive! Last year, I drove down myself with 4 kids - we left at 6am and stopped in South Georgia around 10pm, stopping for bathroom breaks and dinner. It's always more fun going down than it is on the way back - especially after sitting in hours of traffic in Virginia. And I remember thinking at the time that I never wanted to drive again! But as I'm sitting here typing, I look forward to our next drive down - it really isn't that bad. The highway is kind of long and boring - especially through the Carolinas, but road trips can be a lot of fun as long as you're prepared with enough snacks and things to keep the kids busy in the car. Good luck!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We drive to DW every year from NYC. We love it. We would rather drive. Besides the cost we enjoy being in the car together. We usually leave around 6am and go to Georgia. This way we only have less than 4 hours to drive the next day.

We love not having to worry about packing suitcases with weight and liquids. We also love having our car and be able to stop at Walmart to pick up water and snacks.

Enjoy!

 

[Kingdome8]

We drove last year with a 9,5,1 year old from Baltimore. Was great drive. Will always drive for now on. Like u said saved a lot of money. We left while kids were sleeping to give us a good start til they woke. We stopped at southn of the border for pictures and bought some souvenirs. And we stopped in savanah ga for the night. Really liked it there. Kids kept busy with iPads and movies. Brought coloring books and snacks. next time on way down I think I will drive right thru though. But on way home will have to stop, its tiring after a week at Disney.
My kids like to sing in car and it does pass time. We always bring Hgh school musical, abba and hair spray soundtrack. I'm sure this year we will add frozen.
Have fun. Bring coffee

 

[bella2117]

Thanks guys!! I'm really looking forward to the drive now!! I love road trips and new adventures. And LOVE saving money!!! Haha

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

We relocated to Virginia (from NJ) 8 months ago. We would take the auto train. Kids loved it.

 

[SweetMissy]

We've done the drive from NY twice and this will be the 3rd year, unless we find a super good deal for our May trip (not likely). We stop in GA and finish the trip the next morning. To be honest, it sucks...I would rather fly and be there in a few hours. BUT it's a little fun too because you're seeing all the places you miss when flying, , we play games to make the time pass and make it fun, you can stop when you want, you're not disturbing other passengers because of a child (or adult) tantrum, you can pack as much as you want and not get charged for it. You can leave and come back whatever time you want, the list goes on. With all that said, my preference is to fly but we save roughly $1000 to drive.

 

[dvczerfs]

I've driven it a few times.

 

[bella2117]

We've done the drive from NY twice and this will be the 3rd year, unless we find a super good deal for our May trip (not likely). We stop in GA and finish the trip the next morning. To be honest, it sucks...I would rather fly and be there in a few hours. BUT it's a little fun too because you're seeing all the places you miss when flying, , we play games to make the time pass and make it fun, you can stop when you want, you're not disturbing other passengers because of a child (or adult) tantrum, you can pack as much as you want and not get charged for it. You can leave and come back whatever time you want, the list goes on. With all that said, my preference is to fly but we save roughly $1000 to drive.

I'm with you for flying but it's just so gosh darn expensive that I can't justify spending that much lol I'm excited to see the whole east coast but im sure we will get you a point where we say "why didn't we just fly!!!!" But then realize we saved like 1200 bucks!! Lol

 

[gdrj]

okay jersey peeps it looks like my family of 4 will be taking on the drive this year down to WDW (first time) we have a friend who lives in NC so we are going to stay overnight and break it up that way. Sooooo how is the drive honestly? The amount of money we are saving by not flying is seriously insane and makes me more excited for the drive lol. I mean i think my kids will be fine and when we need to stop we will of course. its going to be in august so I'm hoping for nice weather?? (please god) anyone can chime in doesn't have to just jersey folks.

Not sure what time you are leaving but you want to be south of DC well before 3PM to avoid rush hour

 

[bella2117]

Not sure what time you are leaving but you want to be south of DC well before 3PM to avoid rush hour

We are steering clear of DC and staying in charlotte NC with a friend of mine. It's going to take a little bit longer but I'm okay with that. So it would 9 and 8 broken up. Not to terrible.

 

[SmallWorld71]

We're in MA, and it's about 6 more hours for us.
The last time I drove was a few years ago and I was the only driver/ adult with the kids.
One thing that we found that had a huge impact on our spirits was weather. On the way from FL to MA we had gorgeous weather from FL to VA. We stopped at the welcome center in NC and had a picnic lunch, stretched our legs, saw some ducks etc... This type of break really helped keep spirits up.
Once we got to VA, a storm hit and it poured rain from VA to my driveway. It ended up taking me an extra day of driving because of the bad weather.
Our lunch the third day was at a noisy, crowded, expensive rest area in NJ where we paid way too much for bad food. Then, I had to put air in the tire in the pouring rain. It was cold and miserable. The road trip turned from an adventure to a never ending chore and all we wanted to do was get home!
I pray you have good weather!