First Time Driving to Disney

[hulk51382]

My family and I are driving to Disney in Sept. from Cincinnati. We have two kids ages 3.5 and 1. We are debating whether to leave in the evening and drive straight through or leave a day early and stop at a hotel on the way. Really leaning on driving straight through. Seems like taking 75 all the way down is about a 15 hour drive. If anyone has ever driven 75 during the night, how is it? Would love any suggestions from people who drive the same way. Thanks for any help!

 

[whitcomb02]

We live in Buffalo NY and drive down almost every September. We always take 77 and 95 but on my SIL request we took 75 once. As I recall it was easier as far as being all highway but was much longer for us. When the kids were younger we would leave right after dinner and drive straight down but as the kids got older we had more and more issues coming from the back seats. We then started to break up the drive. I do miss driving at night! I think it's so much more relaxing. The one thing my wife dreads is the ride home and I agree, it does seem like an eternity! For me the best tip I used every trip was to stock up on multi-colored pipe cleaners! The kids loved making things with them. They used them more than the Ipods, nintendos, or PSPs. My kids are now 15 and 13 and want to get them for this trip.

 

[Marshel]

Done the overnight drive down 75 many times. You need to time your drive through Atllanta so that you hit it outside of rush hour; use the hov lane and stay on 75 through Atlanta, they don't allow trucks through downtown so in off hours it's faster and less congested than the bypasses. If they are doing roadwork in Atlanta, they will do it at night; but I've never been delayed by it, they always leave some lanes open and traffic is not that bad unless there is a Braves game letting out. Do take the bypass around Macon, it is faster. There are plenty of food and fuel options open 24 hours along the route. You are not supposed to sleep overnight in the rest stops, but anytime I've gone there have been lots of cars with people sleeping in them in the rest stops in southern GA and northern FL if you get tired and need to take a quick nap.

 

[smitch425]

I wanted to let you know that if you decide to take 2 days to travel, a good stop over city is Tifton, GA. We have driven from just south of Dayton to WDW the last 4 years and this is the town we always stop in. It leaves you with about a 4 hour or so drive on the second day. Always gets us to POP in time for lunch. This year we are flying out of CVG and I am so glad we don't have to make that drive again! Have a great trip, and good luck making your decision!

 

[hulk51382]

I wanted to let you know that if you decide to take 2 days to travel, a good stop over city is Tifton, GA. We have driven from just south of Dayton to WDW the last 4 years and this is the town we always stop in. It leaves you with about a 4 hour or so drive on the second day. Always gets us to POP in time for lunch. This year we are flying out of CVG and I am so glad we don't have to make that drive again! Have a great trip, and good luck making your decision!

Thanks for the info. I was wondering where a good place to stop was. Are there a lot of cheaper hotels in this area? I don't want to have to spend a whole lot on a room for one night, but I also don't want a run down roach motel either. Any suggestions on decent places?

 

[hearts8701]

we have stayed at the days inn in tifton cheap, interstate hotel near I-75, Exit 62
Outdoor swimming pool
Many restaurants nearby - good value - room was clean it had a table-good TV-nice beds wireless Internet connection worked well - no fridge pet friendly
here's a good site to search
http://hotel-store.com/hotels-motels/georgia-ga/tifton.php

 

[JB2K]

Once you get past Atlanta, taking the remainder I-75 to Florida is a breeze (and beats that other big highway near the Atlantic Ocean).

My strategy for Atlanta is to avoid M-F rush hours, as well as Atlanta Braves' home games.

Also, remember that for the last hour or so of travel, you will connect to Florida's Turnpike, a toll road...it, too, is trouble-free.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

We just drove from Michigan. On the way down, we drove straight through and on the way home, we stayed overnight. Driving straight through was MUCH easier for my girls as they slept through about half of it. On the way home, we stopped overnight and it was much harder on my girls because they were awake the whole time.

We will definitely drive straight through the next time we decide to drive.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

A few years ago my family and I use to leave our house in Toronto around 4:00 PM, drive all night along I-75 starting in Detroit and stop sometime the next morning in Dalton, Georgia. With the exception of one year when there was a lot of fog along the roads the drive was very easy without any major traffic problems and etc.

 

[3PrinceMom]

We did our first drive in April....myself and my two youngest boys, 8 and 6. I left my home at 1am....and had every intention of stopping somewhere in GA. I think we were just too excited to get there....and I wasn't tired at all....so on I drove. Made it to WDW at around 9pm. Not bad considering how many potty breaks we had....which also allowed me to stretch. We did arrive a night early....so I just was hoping the resort had a room for us. It all worked well.....except that I will plan to drive straight through on the way there when we return in August.

On the way home....we left WDW around 11am. I made it to KY and had to stop for the night. I think it was a matter of being tired from the trip....(Yay 3am EMH!!!) I also had my oldest with me on the way home.....(15, long story but I ended up flying him down there) He drove me more crazy than the little ones....who were angels the entire drive to and from! So....in August...I am planning to stop on the way home.

I really like the way it worked out leaving at 1am.....ended up passing through Atlanta before it was a parking lot. I will rethink my departure time on the trip home though. We seemed to hit more traffic. I'm even considering staying on the beach at day or 2 at the end of the trip to have some relax time before heading home. We never want to leave Disney....and play until the last minute we can! hehe....3am at the MK!

 

[Laurabearz]

We just drove from Michigan. On the way down, we drove straight through and on the way home, we stayed overnight. Driving straight through was MUCH easier for my girls as they slept through about half of it. On the way home, we stopped overnight and it was much harder on my girls because they were awake the whole time.

We will definitely drive straight through the next time we decide to drive.

We just did the same... straight though on the way down, and two days on the way back.

Straight through worked out best for the kids... so they only really had a few hours before they fell asleep and then one day to be in the car... the way back was two long days in the car lol (and by car I mean van)

Tifton is a cheaper alternative to Valdosta, which is a bit bigger and farther along. I agreed a good place to stop

 

[LadyBeBop]

I'm also from the Cincinnati area. How did I miss this thread?

We've never driven straight through to Orlando. Closest was leaving at midnight and getting to Gainsville about 3 PM (we were stuck in an hour-long traffic jam at Lexington...horrible wreck). My daughters (at the time about 10 and 9) slept until about 7 am...just north of Atlanta. We took our time getting down there...our reservations weren't until the next day anyway.

Few things...

1) What day of the week are you travelling? We travelled down on July 4th, so we didn't have to worry about rush hour traffic. But on a weekday, if you left at midnight, you'd make Atlanta right about morning rush hour. And you'd want to avoid Atlanta at rush hour.

2) Wreck near Lexington is an aberation (we think they were Parrottheads coming home from a Jimmy Buffett concert who had just a few too many margaritas). The drive is nice and smooth. You'll have no problems going through the mountains. And if you decide to leave a little later than midnight (maybe 2 or 3 am), you'll probably catch sunrise over the mountains. That is beautiful. And might be a better option...it will get you through Atlanta after rush hour and you'll reach Orlando in early evening.

3) After your kids wake up, you gotta let them outta their car seats to run around. That's what rest areas/welcome stations are for. And if you don't mind McDonalds for breakfast/lunch, let them run around in their playland for awhile. Chik-fil-a also have playlands as well (not applicable on Sundays as they are all closed).

4) At the very least, stop at the Florida welcome station. That is a tradition, every time we drive to Florida. Free orange juice, travel brochures/coupons, and the opportunity for your kids to run around. Plus, the satisfaction of knowning...you're almost there. (Yes, I know you still have four hours to go. But it's still a cool feeling. I actually feel that way, when I stop at the welcome station, and we still have an eight hour trip to Miami....with an overnight stay in Lake City).

5) Speaking of Lake City, that's another good place to spend the night. It's about an hour south of Valdosta, and not as pricey. It's 2 1/2 hours from Lake City to Orlando; 3 1/2 hours from Valdosta to Orlando and about 4 hours and 15 minutes from Tifton to Orlando.

My thought...you can probably go down in a day, but I'd take two days going home. The trip back is a bummer, without having to make it in a day. Make sure you get past Atlanta before stopping.

Have fun. And when you're driving by Erlanger....take me with you?