For 2,000+ mile round-trip drivers only!

[LovePug]

pending on were in the nepa you are, it should only take you 16-18 hours (18 at the most) again, i dont know your son but have you givin the idea of leaving around 3-3:30am sat., drive till about 4-5pm. than sun you will only have about 5 hours to go? you keep taking him in out out of the car, he may not want to get back in.(im just kidding)

We're in the Wilkes-barre/Scranton area. I'd love to be able to make the trip in 16 hours, but in all my trips I've never even come close to that. I think our best time was 18 hours...mainly due to my Lima bean sized bladder.

I tried the leaving at 3-4am once and couldn't handle it. I kept falling asleep at the wheel. That trip actually added almost 3 hours to the trip because I kept having to stop and walk around to wake up. I really wish I could do it, but the risk isn't worth it. Must be my age, because when I was younger I was able to drive through the night without much problem.

 

[mrstomrice]

Here's our update! We left on Friday from Bucks Co. around 5:30 and made it to Wilson NC around 1am...bad accident traffic in VA. We hit the road at 9 am and were at the hotel at 8:30 at night, after making more stops than I hoped for, but I didn't want to push it. We hit the FLA welcome center just before it closed at 5 pm!
The ride on Sat was better than we could have ever asked for....no traffic or police to speak of...average speed 75-80! Perfect! I hope we are as lucky on the ride home!

 

[dvczerfs]

We're in the Wilkes-barre/Scranton area. I'd love to be able to make the trip in 16 hours, but in all my trips I've never even come close to that. I think our best time was 18 hours...mainly due to my Lima bean sized bladder.

I tried the leaving at 3-4am once and couldn't handle it. I kept falling asleep at the wheel. That trip actually added almost 3 hours to the trip because I kept having to stop and walk around to wake up. I really wish I could do it, but the risk isn't worth it. Must be my age, because when I was younger I was able to drive through the night without much problem.

when dd was a baby we would leave at 5pm and drive straight thru! we would get there at 9:30am. dd would fall off to sleep around 7 and get up around 6 the next morning. we were 25 years old than. wouldnt try that again. we use to have a camper in wapwallopen pa. i miss that neck of the woods! have a safe trip!

 

[squirrlygirl]

Well, I've chickened out with only stopping 1 night on the way down.

It was going to be the first time that we were going to try just 1 overnight since my son came along. Before him we stopped once, but since then we've stopped twice. Last night I decided to leave on a Friday after work, instead of waiting until Saturday morning, and stopping twice. Drive 6-7 hours on Friday and he'll probably sleep for most of that. Stop in VA and start off Saturday morning again. My 2nd overnight is going to be just before the FL border, so the last day will be a short drive. A little more leisurely trip on the way down than originally planned.

I've left the one stop on the way home alone for now...

He'll be nearly 3. Am I being silly changing the plans?

DD will be three in November. We drove a little over 8 1/2 hours on Friday, and 12 hours on Saturday due to a traffic jam 20 minutes from our hotel She did absolutely fine with the drive (we stopped every 2 hours or so and ran around, had a drink, etc.) except the first night when it got close to bedtime, and when we were stuck in traffic at the end of the drive.
She watched movies, ate chips (doesn't get those at home lol), and played with a little magnetic colorform-type toy we found at walmart.

 

[rotlex]

DD will be three in November. We drove a little over 8 1/2 hours on Friday, and 12 hours on Saturday due to a traffic jam 20 minutes from our hotel She did absolutely fine with the drive (we stopped every 2 hours or so and ran around, had a drink, etc.) except the first night when it got close to bedtime, and when we were stuck in traffic at the end of the drive.
She watched movies, ate chips (doesn't get those at home lol), and played with a little magnetic colorform-type toy we found at walmart.

I had to laugh at the chips comment. Our daughter, 7, is exactly the same way. We don't buy potato chips at home, but anything goes food wise, for all of us, at Disney. One of the first things she enjoys doing after check in is hitting the gift shop, and picking up a few bags for the room, LOL. God, I wish it was that easy to please her all the time.

 

[marius97]

I had to laugh at the chips comment. Our daughter, 7, is exactly the same way. We don't buy potato chips at home, but anything goes food wise, for all of us, at Disney. One of the first things she enjoys doing after check in is hitting the gift shop, and picking up a few bags for the room, LOL. God, I wish it was that easy to please her all the time.

Isn't sad...We spend all this money giving our kids the vacation of a lifetime and all they want is a stinkin bag of chips.

 

[Kazzy1548]

We are not quite decided on driving or flying my husband and my DD(15) think it would be an adventure to drive down. My other DD(10) gets car sick and really enjoys flying. As for me I like the ideal of saving money and bringing what we want with no restrictions..... Any thoughts

 

[rotlex]

We are not quite decided on driving or flying my husband and my DD(15) think it would be an adventure to drive down. My other DD(10) gets car sick and really enjoys flying. As for me I like the ideal of saving money and bringing what we want with no restrictions..... Any thoughts

We always flew; until this past June. We will probably not fly again unless it's free, LOL.

Seriously. We saved close to 1K by not flying, and learned that the drive can be as much a part of the vacation as actually being there. The old saying holds true from my motorcycle club days - "It's the Journey, not the destination". (Of course, going to Disney, it's both).

We logged just over 2200 miles down and back. That was with me, my wife, DD 7, and DS, 8 months at the time. We loved being able to overpack, buy souvenirs with reckless abandon, and not have to worry about it fitting on the plane for the trip back. Seriously, give it a try. If you hate it, well, you can always fly next time. You'll never know until you try it!

Oh, in regards to sickness. My wife AND daughter get car sick. They both took Dramamine before the drive, and were fine the entire trip!

 

[Grace and Mickey]

Good morning
We planning our 1st"driving" trip to WDW
We will be traveling the I-77/I-25/I-95 route (we live near Akron /Canton ohio area)

Any tips or suggustions are greatly appreciated
Thank you

 

[BC1836]

We are not quite decided on driving or flying my husband and my DD(15) think it would be an adventure to drive down. My other DD(10) gets car sick and really enjoys flying. As for me I like the ideal of saving money and bringing what we want with no restrictions..... Any thoughts

Consider this latest news report before making your travel decision:

The story is fast becoming a familiar tale -- passengers stuck on a plane for hours on the tarmac with no way of getting out. And each time a new incident emerges, it only invites public anger and renewed calls for passenger rights.

The lastest outrage involved 47 passengers who were trapped on an ExpressJet plane in Rochester, Minn. , for 9 hours on Friday.

Fortunately, this doesn't happpen every day. But there are other non-reported airline tales of planes waiting and waiting on the tarmac. You've got a long drive ahead of you, but it's better than what those poor ExpressJJet folks suffered through.

All the best.

 

[Donald is #1]

Isn't sad...We spend all this money giving our kids the vacation of a lifetime and all they want is a stinkin bag of chips.

So true!

And of course the birthday/Christmas/event present corollary: When they are babies, you spend all kinds of money on really cute toys. What do they like? The wrapping of course! You could have wrapped up an empty box and they would have been just as happy.

 

[Donald is #1]

Well my sister and I got together this weekend to plan out our September trip more.

For the trip down to Cape Canaveral (we are doing a DCL cruise) we decided:

1) Day 1 -> Try to drive all the way from north eastern CT to Florence SC. We also decided to wing it on hotel and start to call them from the AAA book as we get closer. This will be a Thursday night so hopefully we won't have too much trouble (Does anyone think that we will have a problem finding a decent room?)

2) Day 2 -> Drive from Florence SC to St. Augustine. We have booked a B&B in the historic district for this night and the next.

3) Day 3 -> Visit St. Augustine

Days 4 -8 DCL cruise

Trip back:
1) Day 8 -> Drive from Cape Canaveral post cruise to Savannah GA. (Need to determine a Hotel for this night)

2) Day 9 -> Spend day in Savannah, potentially drive a bit this night

3) Day 10 -> Drive to Richmond, VA. With luck get there earlier enough to go to one of the plantations in Charles City. Need to book a hotel in Richmond area.


4) Day 11 -> Richmond to home

 

[sharadoc]

Here's our update! We left on Friday from Bucks Co. around 5:30 and made it to Wilson NC around 1am...bad accident traffic in VA. We hit the road at 9 am and were at the hotel at 8:30 at night, after making more stops than I hoped for, but I didn't want to push it. We hit the FLA welcome center just before it closed at 5 pm!
The ride on Sat was better than we could have ever asked for....no traffic or police to speak of...average speed 75-80! Perfect! I hope we are as lucky on the ride home!

Thanks for the update. We leave on Saturday 5AM and plan to go to Walterboro SC. Hope we get the good Saturday driving that you had!

Have a great vacation!

 

[Cupmom]

Thanks for the update. We leave on Saturday 5AM and plan to go to Walterboro SC. Hope we get the good Saturday driving that you had!

Have a great vacation!

We leave from LI on Saturday too!. Hoping to leave a 4am but we'll see. Also looking to stop in Walterboro, SC. if we can make good time otherwise stopping in Florence,SC or Santee, SC.

 

[dvczerfs]

Thanks for the update. We leave on Saturday 5AM and plan to go to Walterboro SC. Hope we get the good Saturday driving that you had!

Have a great vacation!

have a nice trip sharadoc!!! stopping at the cracker barrel at the walterboro exit?

 

[DizMom11]

Anyone stop in northern NC for the night? Any suggestions for towns/hotels? I would like to stop a place that would make it feel like part of the vacation raher than just a place to sleep. Thanks.

 

[UConnJack]

Just booked a last minute trip for the last week of August before the kids go back to school, and are dringin down from central CT, about 2,500 miles RT. We have done it a couple times before, and we prefer to leave around noon, drive straight through (I take the night shift, wife takes the early morning), and we get there around 8AM. That way we check in early, giving us better room assignment choices (we're DVC). The ride down is easy, but the ride back is a little tougher, and we sometimes break it up with an overnight.

 

[chellewashere]

Thanks for the update. We leave on Saturday 5AM and plan to go to Walterboro SC. Hope we get the good Saturday driving that you had!

Have a great vacation!

We will be right ahead of you. We are leaving around midnight Friday (Sat) and stopping in Kingsland Ga for the night then a nice short drive Sunday AM and we are in Disney...WAHOO!!!
Hope you all have a great and safe trip down and back

 

[pilferk]

Anyone stop in northern NC for the night? Any suggestions for towns/hotels? I would like to stop a place that would make it feel like part of the vacation raher than just a place to sleep. Thanks.

The exit guide is a GODSEND!!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/transportation/NC-I95.htm

We like to stop at exit 173, in Roanoake Rapids. LOTS around, including a Super-Walmart with gas, a Cracker Barrel (perfect for breakfast) and a lot of good chain hotel choices. I think we stayed in the Comfort inn, but I'm not sure. I'll double check to be sure and let you know. It was literally RIGHT next to the Cracker Barrel and across from the Walmart. Easy on and off 95.

 

[DizMom11]

Thank you VERY much Pilferk! We are leaving tomorrow. I will check into that exit