For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only! (II)

[KellyWasHere]

Thanks for all the replies. This is very inspiring to try 3 trips in a 12 month period!

 

[pwdebbie]

Hi. I quoted myself because this was the last post on the page before, and I think it got skipped by the new posts on this page. I could really use some advice folks!

If you are heading in the direction of Harrisburg / York, then you might as well take Rt. 15 down to Frederick, MD, where you pick up 270 to 495. 15 is pretty good road in PA (not at all like 81). 270 gets busy but that's just typical DC.

 

[Just*the*ten*of*us]

That's a Chevy Express Van, yes?
And was 1999 the year of the vehicle or the year of the trip?

99 is the year of the vehicle, the trip was in 2010

 

[dvczerfs]

I would like to leave around 5 pm...after the kids are done school....but i know soon as the van is packed she probably will just want to leave...the best story is last trip...she was like lets leave at 4 pm..so I stay up the night before till about three in the morning packing the van going through the check list and all.... so we wake up around seven mind you know that is like three hours of sleep ....she like I want to leave know....so there went on that long A.. ride....haha but loved every minute of it besides the carolina's I hate the carolina's....and we used a atlas at ever rest stop we went to...seeing how many miles the state is .....On the way home I was like how much would it cost to fly....Kids where up the whole time from seven until one in the morning what a lovely ride......In our house the kids know you as leighvalley guy.....they loved the pics of your house

well, plans changed from monday! we are leaving tuesday the 27th and driving straight through. our resi at okw is from the 27th till the 8th. the way home is pretty quiet for us, dd sleeps most of it but we only have one in the back! if you ever get up to the allentown area, iron pigs play about 20 min. from me, let me know, youll have to stop over. theres alot more stuff i didnt take pics of. we have a collection of the big, 4-5 foot tall stuff animals from disney in our basement. im painting the basement now and when i get it done ill post them for you. we have to meet up while were down at the same time. by next month after i make our adrs and the oct. park hours come out, ill have an idea what we are doing. if we hit a day at the same park, we can just text each other, we will come to you. looking forward to it!

 

[dvczerfs]

99 is the year of the vehicle, the trip was in 2010

a.k.a. old helga!! old helga looks in good shape.

 

[dvczerfs]

I think maybe i can go with the most passengers in one vehicle with 8 kids and 2 adults....and the kids ranged from three months to eleven

i think you got this one!! i bet it could make the loudest at times also? wow, 8 little ones......... and a wife. just kidding claire!

 

[cariann77]

Hi - I'm new here. Just booked our first trip to WDW. We are trying to decide if we should drive or fly and are having trouble coming to a decision. I'm terrified of flying so, driving is my choice. My husband and kids would much rather fly. We are traveling with our two girls ages 4 and 5.

We live just north of Detroit so, it would be about 1200 miles one way. On the way down we'd be leaving on a Friday evening and driving until midnight or so, driving all day Saturday and hopefully will have just a few hours to go on Sunday, our check-in date.

Is this a bad idea... should I just give in and fly? I am thinking that it would be nice to have a car down there so, we don't need to waste any time with Disney transportation. But, I don't want to push this drive and have it ruin our trip. Any thoughts?

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi - I'm new here. Just booked our first trip to WDW. We are trying to decide if we should drive or fly and are having trouble coming to a decision. I'm terrified of flying so, driving is my choice. My husband and kids would much rather fly. We are traveling with our two girls ages 4 and 5.

We live just north of Detroit so, it would be about 1200 miles one way. On the way down we'd be leaving on a Friday evening and driving until midnight or so, driving all day Saturday and hopefully will have just a few hours to go on Sunday, our check-in date.

Is this a bad idea... should I just give in and fly? I am thinking that it would be nice to have a car down there so, we don't need to waste any time with Disney transportation. But, I don't want to push this drive and have it ruin our trip. Any thoughts?

well, most of us here are drivers. but, i drive 1080 miles one way and it takes me 161/2 hours. pending on the time of year your going, sat. on the interstate cant get rather full but manageable. my dw wont get into an air plane for any reason and it just so happens i love to drive. bring lots of what ever keeps your girls busy. they probley will doze off at night. most of us here drive for the love of being on the road and dont have to mess with "new air lines". what i tell people is to give driving a shot, most say its not as bad as i thought, but other say id never do it again. hope i helped you a little. if your looking for good places to stay,stop or what people do to pass the time, your on the correct thread.

 

[HS3kids]

Ive been debating driving on our next trip, (no trip booked, but thinking early December) the airfare prices are crazy, and it would be nice to see the coast with the family. Many moons ago, my parents drove us down a few times and we camped at FW. I have such great memories of those trips. I like getting to FL in 3 hours (from MA) but thinking driving could be an adventure + cheaper. (just to clarify we would not be camping, just driving a regular SUV and staying at ASMU suites.) So, on a roughly 24 hr drive, thinking of stopping to sleep two nights. Perhaps 10 hrs, 10 hrs and 4 hrs (so 2.5 days) Any recommendations on where a family of 5 could stay that wont break the bank? Thanks!

 

[dvczerfs]

Ive been debating driving on our next trip, (no trip booked, but thinking early December) the airfare prices are crazy, and it would be nice to see the coast with the family. Many moons ago, my parents drove us down a few times and we camped at FW. I have such great memories of those trips. I like getting to FL in 3 hours (from MA) but thinking driving could be an adventure + cheaper. (just to clarify we would not be camping, just driving a regular SUV and staying at ASMU suites.) So, on a roughly 24 hr drive, thinking of stopping to sleep two nights. Perhaps 10 hrs, 10 hrs and 4 hrs (so 2.5 days) Any recommendations on where a family of 5 could stay that wont break the bank? Thanks!

when we stay over, we stay in hampton inns. the are about $100 per night in most places but i use honors points that i build up from work so it dont cost me anything. people mention the microtels are nice and not that expensive.

 

[pilferk]

Hi - I'm new here. Just booked our first trip to WDW. We are trying to decide if we should drive or fly and are having trouble coming to a decision. I'm terrified of flying so, driving is my choice. My husband and kids would much rather fly. We are traveling with our two girls ages 4 and 5.

We live just north of Detroit so, it would be about 1200 miles one way. On the way down we'd be leaving on a Friday evening and driving until midnight or so, driving all day Saturday and hopefully will have just a few hours to go on Sunday, our check-in date.

Is this a bad idea... should I just give in and fly? I am thinking that it would be nice to have a car down there so, we don't need to waste any time with Disney transportation. But, I don't want to push this drive and have it ruin our trip. Any thoughts?

We've done both, and both have their pluses and minuses.

We come from NW Connecticut....about 1100 miles one way. To be 100% honest, I prefer to drive.

Driving is cheaper (for our family of 5, including gas, hotel stay (if we choose to stop), food, and wear and tear), I'm in control of the "in flight" entertainment, as well as the potential bathroom breaks, I don't have to deal with TSA/security, and I don't have to arrive at least an hour before I fly (which means leaving my house close to 2.5 hours prior). I don't have to pay for ANY baggage, I can bring a carry on as large as I want, I can bring along any food or drink I want (open or not, in my own cup/container). I also have a car to get around while we're down there which means we could eat off property OR make a grocery store run with ease...never mind the fact we never have a problem finding a seat on the ride back to our resort.

Flying is a LOT faster and generally more convenient.

We typically do the 1100 miles in AROUND 18 - 20 hours of "on the road time" (usually closer to 18)....depending on the kids needs to stretch their legs or use the bathroom. We've left at 1 PM on one day, stopped at a hotel around 10 PM, and finished the drive the next day, arriving around 4 PM.

We've also done it in one straight shot (that's the one that took 20 hours "on the road" and included about an hour stop in Southern Georgia waiting for the sun to come up so I could see better).

Coming up in October, our plan is to leave at 4 AM on a Wednesday morning and arrive (hopefully) in Orlando around 10-11 PM (we'll potentially have 3 drivers, though I suspect I'll do most, if not all, of the driving).

One thing: I assume you have a DVD player in the car? If not...get a portable one you can bring along. It's a god send (and will save your sanity..I promise!)

 

[cariann77]

Thank you! I'm so glad I found this thread! I've got tons of questions.

If you plan on stopping instead of driving straight through, do you book a hotel in advance at a point you hope to make it to or do you just wing it? I was planning on just driving and finding a place on the road, but I've never done this so I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. I would hate to book someplace and not be able to make it there or the opposite book someplace and feel like we could of made it further.

Now which route to take. According to Google maps, I have two routes to choose from. We can straight shot down I-75 (1201 miles) or go I-77 & I-95 South (1191 miles). Any advice on these routes?

 

[Becky2005]

If you plan on stopping instead of driving straight through, do you book a hotel in advance at a point you hope to make it to or do you just wing it? I was planning on just driving and finding a place on the road, but I've never done this so I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. I would hate to book someplace and not be able to make it there or the opposite book someplace and feel like we could of made it further.

This all depends but with cell phones now it's so much easier to do this. You can pick a place you think you will make that has a 6 pm cancellation policy (just make sure you know their time zone)....if you find you need to stop way before, you can call and cancel the one you have booked (AFTER you secure your new reservations).

I know for me, I grew up with my parents never making reservations and just stopping whenever. It was so much easier to do that back then with 5 people, you would just do a rollaway. If you have 4 people or less, it would still be easy since you can fit in just about any hotel room.

I don't know if it still applies but in the past the trick was you had to start looking around 4 pm because by dinner time they were all booked.

Of course with cell phones, that may not be an issue either as you could not book anything, stop at a rest stop and get one of those discount travel books -- know you want to go X miles more, so call ahead of time and get it booked that way. Basically the best of both worlds. We found a rest stop once that was set up that way with a phone that had buttons to automatically connect you to about 10 different hotels off that interstate (again before cell phones) -- I loved it.

Now traveling with 4 kids, I never want to take the chance of NOT having a hotel -- been there/done that early in our marriage when DH didn't listen to me regarding the "you must start looking early for hotel" because he wasn't tired so didn't want to start looking...sure enough...when he WAS getting tired...all the hotels had been booked for the night so we ended up coming straight home (for us this was a couple hours past Atlanta, as he was falling asleep driving his words as he pulled into the driveway were "Never let me do that again")....so I *always* book ahead of time.

It's also harder for me to find a room for 6 people though because not all hotels are set-up that way so then we would have to find 2 rooms, etc... Now with credit card guarantee reservations, I don't have to worry if we don't get there until midnight, I know I will have a room! I guesstimate where we will stay that is approx. 10 hours because I know for us, that is about all we can drive in one day...and when it says 10 hours via Mapquest, etc.... I know it's usually a couple hours more than that with stops and all that stuff.

 

[dvczerfs]

wow, gas hit 3.01 today! that puts it about 3.60-3.65 at the pump! it did come down to 2.98 but, wooopie. hopefully it will end soon. at least nat gas fell by 12 cents but heating oil is over 3.00 a gallon. you people who use heating oil, that gets you up around 3.85 or so. good thing its getting warmer.

 

[BirdsLightyear]

i think you got this one!! i bet it could make the loudest at times also? wow, 8 little ones......... and a wife. just kidding claire!

she was probably screaming louder"""SLOW DOWN"""

 

[Riviera510]

Thank you! I'm so glad I found this thread! I've got tons of questions.

If you plan on stopping instead of driving straight through, do you book a hotel in advance at a point you hope to make it to or do you just wing it? I was planning on just driving and finding a place on the road, but I've never done this so I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. I would hate to book someplace and not be able to make it there or the opposite book someplace and feel like we could of made it further.

Now which route to take. According to Google maps, I have two routes to choose from. We can straight shot down I-75 (1201 miles) or go I-77 & I-95 South (1191 miles). Any advice on these routes?

I live just north of Detroit and we drove down to Disney over Thanksgiving last year with our 5yr old twins and 7 yr old.

We left our house at 415am, stopped about every 2 hours because someone had to pee and made it to Macon, GA and were checked into our hotel room (Hampton Inn off Eisenhower Drive) by 630pm.

We did reserve a room in advance more so because we were driving the day before Thanksgiving and didn't know how the hotel situation would be.

Now that we know we will still make a rez probably at the same hotel because it worked out well.

We left the hotel about 830am and checked into our hotel at Disney by about 2pm.

The kids did great. We had Nintendo DS' for them. DVD, a lap tray so they could color, draw, etc.


We drove straight through on the way home and it took us about 19 hours. We left Disney at 930am and got home at 5am the following morning.

 

[Riviera510]

Thank you! I'm so glad I found this thread! I've got tons of questions.

If you plan on stopping instead of driving straight through, do you book a hotel in advance at a point you hope to make it to or do you just wing it? I was planning on just driving and finding a place on the road, but I've never done this so I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. I would hate to book someplace and not be able to make it there or the opposite book someplace and feel like we could of made it further.

Now which route to take. According to Google maps, I have two routes to choose from. We can straight shot down I-75 (1201 miles) or go I-77 & I-95 South (1191 miles). Any advice on these routes?

I live just north of Detroit and we drove down to Disney over Thanksgiving last year with our 5yr old twins and 7 yr old.

We left our house at 415am, stopped about every 2 hours because someone had to pee and made it to Macon, GA and were checked into our hotel room (Hampton Inn off Eisenhower Drive) by 630pm.

We did reserve a room in advance more so because we were driving the day before Thanksgiving and didn't know how the hotel situation would be.

Now that we know we will still make a rez probably at the same hotel because it worked out well.

We left the hotel about 830am and checked into our hotel at Disney by about 2pm.

The kids did great. We had Nintendo DS' for them. DVD, a lap tray so they could color, draw, etc.


We drove straight through on the way home and it took us about 19 hours. We left Disney at 930am and got home at 5am the following morning.

 

[Riviera510]

Thank you! I'm so glad I found this thread! I've got tons of questions.

If you plan on stopping instead of driving straight through, do you book a hotel in advance at a point you hope to make it to or do you just wing it? I was planning on just driving and finding a place on the road, but I've never done this so I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. I would hate to book someplace and not be able to make it there or the opposite book someplace and feel like we could of made it further.

Now which route to take. According to Google maps, I have two routes to choose from. We can straight shot down I-75 (1201 miles) or go I-77 & I-95 South (1191 miles). Any advice on these routes?

I live just north of Detroit and we drove down to Disney over Thanksgiving last year with our 5yr old twins and 7 yr old.

We left our house at 415am, stopped about every 2 hours because someone had to pee and made it to Macon, GA and were checked into our hotel room (Hampton Inn off Eisenhower Drive) by 630pm.

We did reserve a room in advance more so because we were driving the day before Thanksgiving and didn't know how the hotel situation would be.

Now that we know we will still make a rez probably at the same hotel because it worked out well.

We left the hotel about 830am and checked into our hotel at Disney by about 2pm.

The kids did great. We had Nintendo DS' for them. DVD, a lap tray so they could color, draw, etc.


We drove straight through on the way home and it took us about 19 hours. We left Disney at 930am and got home at 5am the following morning.

 

[dvczerfs]

she was probably screaming louder"""SLOW DOWN"""

tammy sits in the passanger seat while im driving, slow down, move over, watch that truck, do you know how fast your going,hes moving over,while we are driving around here. when we go to florida, she dont say a word.as you know chris, she lost the vision in her left eye so she dont drive to much anymore. she drives to work and back and will drive on the highway in the day light and not in alot of traffic.but when she did have sight in both eyes, the one year i feel asleep in the back of the van. we just got into s.carolina. i woke up in an about an hour. i looked at the mile marker and we traveled 80 miles. she said, boy this thing flys!! back than the speed limit was 65. ever since than, she dont say to much.

 

[cariann77]

We left our house at 415am, stopped about every 2 hours because someone had to pee and made it to Macon, GA and were checked into our hotel room (Hampton Inn off Eisenhower Drive) by 630pm.

Which way to you go? Do you come down I-75 or the other route that takes you further east?