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

[stazmatic]

Stazmatic, oh have fun!!!!!

I'd declare 2 20 min. sing-along times along the way. Start them when things get slow. Also, I suggest, with that large an age range, huge packs of colorful pipe cleaners. You'd be amazed what folks can sculpt out of them. Have an "art exhibition" at the end, where everyone oohs and ahhs over things.

Also, if any of your littles' feet don't reach the floor, use a small suitcase as a footrest for them. Someone on a thread like this long ago mentioned that, and it's been the best piece of advice ever.

Oh, and I'd make everyone change positions. When we travel as a group of 7 in 2 cars, we change out between cars for a couple segments just to keep things fresh during a day trip. It really helps to pass the time sitting next to someone else.

Thanks for the advice - those are some I have not heard of before! We drove last in March of 2011 but we had a few different passengers and my DH flew down to meet us. We had an easy drive both ways. I have never had to worry about snow, etc. on the drive until this time. I am also hoping traffic will be light on the 26th. Cross your fingers for us!

 

[ancestry]

I think I've completely lost my mind but we we just began planning a trip in April during what is our Spring break period in Maine. Since we are planning at such a late date (for us only 3 1/2 months out) and since it is Spring break we are going to have to drive to Disney from Maine due to high airline prices. I swore I would never ever drive but my teenaged son and his friend, who will be tagging along, have convinced me that it will be okay since we will have three drivers in the car (two of the driver's are teenagers).

Here is the deal and my concerns. We will have a car full of people. I have a 2011 Chevy Equinox that holds five -- 3 in the back seat and 2 in the front. We have five people going. Me, DS (16), DS's Friend (17 at the time), and my 9 year old twins. The car will be packed. Whichever adult is in the back seat will be squished somewhat so we will have to rotate out.

The boys want to drive straight through so that we will have more time at Disney. The only person I'm worried about with this is me. I have never ever been able to sleep in a car, plane, or any type of moving vehicle. I also can't sleep in public places around people who I don't know. The teenaged boys and my twins can sleep anywhere so I'm sure all of them will sleep in the car at some point. Sometimes I am prone to motion sickness as well especially when I close my eyes in a moving car.

It appears that our drive time will be 22-24 hours.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can survive this? I mostly worried about the drive down as I don't want to arrive at Disney completely exhausted. On the way back it isn't such a big deal if I stay up for 24 hours straight because I can catch up on sleep when I get home.

Do you think there is any chance that I might be able to sleep in the car? Is there anything I can do to try?

I *may* have to work in Boston the day that we are leaving. If I have to work we really will need to drive straight through as we won't be able to leave until Saturday evening. If I don't have to work we can leave Thursday night or Friday morning which would enable us to be able to stop on the way down.

 

[Disneyholic]

I think I've completely lost my mind but we we just began planning a trip in April during what is our Spring break period in Maine. Since we are planning at such a late date (for us only 3 1/2 months out) and since it is Spring break we are going to have to drive to Disney from Maine due to high airline prices. I swore I would never ever drive but my teenaged son and his friend, who will be tagging along, have convinced me that it will be okay since we will have three drivers in the car (two of the driver's are teenagers).

Here is the deal and my concerns. We will have a car full of people. I have a 2011 Chevy Equinox that holds five -- 3 in the back seat and 2 in the front. We have five people going. Me, DS (16), DS's Friend (17 at the time), and my 9 year old twins. The car will be packed. Whichever adult is in the back seat will be squished somewhat so we will have to rotate out.

The boys want to drive straight through so that we will have more time at Disney. The only person I'm worried about with this is me. I have never ever been able to sleep in a car, plane, or any type of moving vehicle. I also can't sleep in public places around people who I don't know. The teenaged boys and my twins can sleep anywhere so I'm sure all of them will sleep in the car at some point. Sometimes I am prone to motion sickness as well especially when I close my eyes in a moving car.

It appears that our drive time will be 22-24 hours.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can survive this? I mostly worried about the drive down as I don't want to arrive at Disney completely exhausted. On the way back it isn't such a big deal if I stay up for 24 hours straight because I can catch up on sleep when I get home.

Do you think there is any chance that I might be able to sleep in the car? Is there anything I can do to try?

I *may* have to work in Boston the day that we are leaving. If I have to work we really will need to drive straight through as we won't be able to leave until Saturday evening. If I don't have to work we can leave Thursday night or Friday morning which would enable us to be able to stop on the way down.

My question is, how long have the teenagers been driving & have they ever done highway driving before? This is a very long & tiring drive for the most experienced drivers.

 

[ancestry]

My question is, how long have the teenagers been driving & have they ever done highway driving before? This is a very long & tiring drive for the most experienced drivers.

Not for every long. My son's friend got his full license in October. My son got his permit in August and to date all of his driving has been done with me in the car. My son is eligible to get his full license the beginning of February and I am confident he should have his license by the time we leave in April even if he doesn't pass on the first try.

I don't mind them driving during the day but I'm not really comfortable with either of them driving during the overnight especially if I manage to doze off or if I get groggy.

We thought we could switch drivers every 2-3 hours so each driver would be on for two hours and off for four or on for three and off for six.

Ugh....I'm really not looking forward to this unfortuantely. Maybe once I have a definite plan in place I'll feel better about it.

 

[pwdebbie]

Total round trip drive mileage: 2,235 miles (including 95 miles of driving in WDW).

Tell me about driving on property. We are so tense when we pull into POFQ that getting back in the car to drive from resort to parks or other resorts just doesn't interest us. But, since you apparently do it, tell me the advantages please.

 

[BC1836]

Tell me about driving on property. We are so tense when we pull into POFQ that getting back in the car to drive from resort to parks or other resorts just doesn't interest us. But, since you apparently do it, tell me the advantages please.

Time. Driving on site saves time, a most precious commodity, especially during a finite stay at WDW.

We wanted to see the Christmas decorations in all the major hotels. Now then, we're in the GF and we wanted to go to the AKL and FWL one night after dinner (and after the parks were all closed). Imagine trying to accomplish that task by bus?

A GF-to-EPCOT (World Showcase not Future World) journey to see the Candlelight Processional? We took our vehicle to an EPCOT resort hotel parking lot and walked there via the International Gateway. The monorail would have taken too long and dropped us off at the EPCOT entrance near Future World.

We drive the most during our December visits because of the various Christmas events and activities; we drive the least in October when we stay at the BWI and spend most of our time at the F&W Festival, a short walk away.

Hope this info helps.

All the best.

 

[Disneyholic]

Not for every long. My son's friend got his full license in October. My son got his permit in August and to date all of his driving has been done with me in the car. My son is eligible to get his full license the beginning of February and I am confident he should have his license by the time we leave in April even if he doesn't pass on the first try.

I don't mind them driving during the day but I'm not really comfortable with either of them driving during the overnight especially if I manage to doze off or if I get groggy.

We thought we could switch drivers every 2-3 hours so each driver would be on for two hours and off for four or on for three and off for six.

Ugh....I'm really not looking forward to this unfortuantely. Maybe once I have a definite plan in place I'll feel better about it.

Have either done any major highway driving? This is totally different than driving around town or local highways. I-95 can be really crazy during the day & especially during rush hours. I have been driving for 42 years and still am wary when driving on I-95 or I-81 going south. Other drivers can be very aggressive and inexperience of a young driver can cause a lot of problems. That is an awful lot of responsibility for young drivers having 4 people plus themselves to be driving that distance. This is my opinion, others may not agree with me and may have other suggestions.

 

[BC1836]

Have either done any major highway driving? This is totally different than driving around town or local highways. I-95 can be really crazy during the day & especially during rush hours. I have been driving for 42 years and still am wary when driving on I-95 or I-81 going south. Other drivers can be very aggressive and inexperience of a young driver can cause a lot of problems. That is an awful lot of responsibility for young drivers having 4 people plus themselves to be driving that distance. This is my opinion, others may not agree with me and may have other suggestions.

We agree completely.

And I-95 at night, late at night or in the pre-dawn hours is even more challenging. The interstate is not a straight north-south roadway; I-95 will be problematic for novice drivers or first-time drivers, especially in MD and parts of northern VA. And then there's Jacksonville. The construction areas and the caravan of large trucks won't make the drive any easier for inexperienced drivers.

All the best.

 

[ancestry]

Have either done any major highway driving? This is totally different than driving around town or local highways. I-95 can be really crazy during the day & especially during rush hours. I have been driving for 42 years and still am wary when driving on I-95 or I-81 going south. Other drivers can be very aggressive and inexperience of a young driver can cause a lot of problems. That is an awful lot of responsibility for young drivers having 4 people plus themselves to be driving that distance. This is my opinion, others may not agree with me and may have other suggestions.

Thanks for pointing this out. You raise a great point and it isn't something I had thought about. The boys have highway experience but not crowded highway experience. Driving on the highways in Maine is MUCH different that driving in NYC or DC.

Hmmmm....I need to give this a lot more thought.

 

[stazmatic]

I agree. On our trip we will have a 16yo and an 18yo and while they are both very good drivers they will not be driving. Is it possible to rent a bigger car and ask other adults to join you? Even if the kids only drive during the day, they are probably not prepared for long hours of driving. On the other hand, my brother was 20 when he first drove to Florida and loved to drive. He drove the entire way 20+ hours while my mom slept next to him. It just depends on the kid and their experience.

 

[ancestry]

I agree. On our trip we will have a 16yo and an 18yo and while they are both very good drivers they will not be driving. Is it possible to rent a bigger car and ask other adults to join you? Even if the kids only drive during the day, they are probably not prepared for long hours of driving. On the other hand, my brother was 20 when he first drove to Florida and loved to drive. He drove the entire way 20+ hours while my mom slept next to him. It just depends on the kid and their experience.

Thanks. Renting a car or bringing other adults isn't a possibility. This is the only time that the two older boys can go. The other members of my family have been to Disney repeatedly recently but both boys play sports and are Juniors so they can't miss school. My son can't even go during the summer as they have football camp then. This spring beak is their only chance to go and both boys really want to do so.

Another possibility is to drive to Lorton, VA and take the auto train down so i can get some sleep although I'm not sure if I can sleep on the auto train or not. Then, we can always drive all the way back that that still creates time issues.

I suppose no decisions can be made until I know if I need to work on that Saturday or not which I won't know until mid-January. Thank you everyone!

 

[cruisingkat]

Tell me about driving on property. We are so tense when we pull into POFQ that getting back in the car to drive from resort to parks or other resorts just doesn't interest us. But, since you apparently do it, tell me the advantages please.

We mostley drive to the parks except Magic Kingdom and everywhere else. We don't drive to MK because you have to take the ferry or monorail to get there from the parking lot.
Hubby has to wear a boot because of heel spurs when walking long distances - walking around the park is about all he can manage. Unless our room is near the bus stop, we drive (when our room is a distance from the bust stop and we are going to MK we drive and park near the bus stop at the resort). We usually stay at POP, but in the evenings on Wed-Sat, we head over to POFQ to listen to Elliot Dyson at the Scat Cat Club. So by driving to a park, we can then just drive over POFQ after instead of having to take multiple buses - to us, having to take multiple buses is more stressful than driving - especially since we have the GPS to guide us.
When we do pull into the park's parking lot, he nicely asks the traffic guides if he can park in one of the first car spots by the tram so he doesn't have to walk down a long aisle on top of the park walking.
For the Candlelight Processional, we valet parked at an Epcot resort and took the boat over.
We like the freedom to come and go as we please where we please- and avoid that long walk and wait at the bus stop(s).

 

[BC1836]

The All-Time 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers records have been updated on this first day of winter.

See the first post on the first page.

The all-time number of drives record (51) held by dvczerfs tops the list.

Please advise concerning any corrections or additional updates.

All the best.

 

[pwdebbie]

My friends hit the road tonight from Shippensburg, PA, and plan to drive through to Daytona. They are not taking the 81 route because that's not how they did it five years ago, I hope they don't regret it. Driving all night with three girls ages 4, 3, and 1. This is actually their first trip to WDW and they won't be getting there until Monday. They are spending Christmas with the husband's snowbird grandparents about 90 minutes south of Orlando. Then it is on to WDW to meet up with his mom and her husband and his siblings and their kids for five days. Hoping they have safe travels, little rain, and that everyone stays healthy.

 

[BC1836]

Question: Who has the first 2,000+ mile round trip of 2012 planned?

All the best.

 

[nono]

Question: Who has the first 2,000+ mile round trip of 2012 planned?

All the best.

Maybe me? We leave around 10 pm on Jan. 1.

 

[BC1836]

Maybe me? We leave around 10 pm on Jan. 1.

Sounds like the time and day of the year to beat...to be first in 2012. Cool.

Now then...since we are neighbors of sorts, our earliest night time departure was on our most recent drive a few weeks ago: 12:18 a.m.

Weather notwithstanding, we are very interested to see your state border by state border progress next week. On our next drive in March we might depart before midnight. And your info may help us make a better decision.

All the best.

 

[edbo77]

Leaving Jan 19th to head down myself!

 

[byejou]

OK, so we are driving down for the first time in May, always flew prior. We live 20 north of Philly in NJ. I plan on a straight run going down on I95 to WDW on Friday. We will find a hotel close to WDW and check-in Saturday morning after a well needed rest. I want to get there around 9-10pm so I was hoping to leave NJ around 5am. Does this seem logical to those who have ventured before us.

Coming home I want to split it in 2 days. Driving 12 hrs on Sat then the remaining on Sunday.

Help please...............

 

[nono]

Now then...since we are neighbors of sorts, our earliest night time departure was on our most recent drive a few weeks ago: 12:18 a.m.

Oh shoot! I don't think I'll be able to help you much with the early states, as we're leaving on a morning ferry Jan. 1 and spending the day with my friend who has a house on the DelMarVa penninsula. We're leaving her place at 10 p.m. to continue the drive (but I didn't think it was fair to list a morning departure time, even though that's when we're leaving our house in NJ!). However, I will still keep notes from the Bay Bridge/Tunnel because one of these days, you know you'll want to try that route. If I could just convince you of the joys of taking the last ferry and the leisurely drive over to Emporia. (I know you don't have the deficit we have of having to go North to go South! That really changes the game for us.)

Now for the packing... At least Marathon day weather looks good enough that I know what I can wear that day!