For those folks driving!

[billlaurie]

Having a fabulous time in the world. We drove straight through from Maryland. Left 3:30 pm on Friday afternoon and got here about 6 am on Saturday. We made minimal stops. The kids slept most of the time and hubby and I took turns driving/napping. We went straight to HS after checking in at CBR. Our room was ready so we were able to take showers etc. We stayed at the park til the end, despite minimal sleep the night before After you get through the Maryland/DC/ Northern VA mess, the drive is fairly easy.

 

[scooffer]

This will be the second time driving to Disney in years. The first was with one child, now with 4! They are 13, 10, 6, and 4.

We'll come down I95 from Maryland and not sure if we are gonna make it straight thru in one shot.

Any recommendations for kids these ages? I see good ideas on here and wanna make this a great drive for them... its Disney but the drive will be an adventure as well. Oh and we are holding out on telling them until the day before we leave... the oldest 2 will probably figure where we're going but the younger will be in the dark. Hopefully we can keep a lid on it until we get close...

As far as they know, we are going to a beach in FL and to visit my brother in Talahassee!

Ideas? They all get along pretty well and we'll have a mini van so it wont be TOO cramped.

Looking for good ideas for activities as we drive, places to stop for running around or anything... just not too far off I-95.

Just saw this link in another thread "Find coloring pages, Puzzles..." http://www.momsminivan.com/printables.html

The section on Travel Tickets is SO great. One mom said she handed them to each kid at every half hour and then the kids could turn them in for prizes... read on, awesome idea! I am definately adding this to our car trip!

 

[DisneyPhT]

Ok, gathering ideas now!! thanks everyone!!

I am trying to find stops on the way down to break up the endless miles and let them have activities along the way.

We are hoping that we can make it to the VA/NC border before they start to wake up from their early morning departure... so, can anyone think of notable stops on the way thru NC and even SC that are worthy of seeing. We are hoping to find free or minimal costs at these stops as we are on a super fixed budget! We drove to Ocean City / Chintateague Island last year and made stops at a free zoo and some other places the kids loved.

Ideas? This board is great for picking people's brains!

And, our plans have changed slightly in that they will know we are going on a road trip but they are going to be lead to believe its a beach or something in GA. The older two will know the full truth as we enter Florida so they can help keep things under wraps; otherwise I think they will figure it out and the game will be up. I can only image 4 excited kids on the road for the last 4-5 hours driving us crazy with the unending "are we there yet?"

 

[DisneyPhT]

And the travel tickets idea is a good one... we were thinking about games for quarters, and then they can cash in for shopping money when we get there. Tickets are better I think!

 

[floreksa]

Hi Everyone!!

We drove from MA last May and this board was a wealth of info for me! Planning our next trip - potentially sometime in April 2013, but this time I've talked my sister & her family into driving with us and potentially my parents too.

Can't wait - it'll be our own little convoy!

Last year we left around 8pm on a Thurs, drove 95 straight through, hitting Santee, SC around noon Friday. We stopped there for the day/night and then hit Disney around 1(?) I think on Friday. Overnight was rough, since DH and I both worked a full day before we left.

Next year, I think we're going to leave at like 4am and take the route around NY/NJ/MD/DC.

 

[fbarker]

Going to try this again.....Leaving from Chicago in 3wks. We are driving. Any body that can give us help. Anyone know of any construction or delays that we should be aware of? I65 through Indiana and KY to I24 in TN to I75 through GA.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[briles5]

Hello Everyone, I have been lurking on this board for about 3 months now. I love all the great advice .
Due to the high cost of flying we are going to attempt our first time driving from Massachusetts for April vaca. We are going to leave Thursday April 12 probally at 2 am. I originally wanted to leave at 6 pm but I am nervous about staying awake all night. I have read just about the whole driving post so does anyone have any advice whether to drive 95, we would probally hit all the work day traffic, or can anyone recommend a different route? Also I would like to make it to South Carolina does any recommend a place to stay that accomodate 3 adults and 4 kids? Thank you Leslee

 

[hearts8701]

Going to try this again.....Leaving from Chicago in 3wks. We are driving. Any body that can give us help. Anyone know of any construction or delays that we should be aware of? I65 through Indiana and KY to I24 in TN to I75 through GA.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

we drove from chgo on sunday march 4th using the same route we had no major construction delays but it was a sunday we drive down on the weekends to avoid nashville & atlanta rush hour delays the indiana exit at henryville and rest stops closed to everyone due to the tornadoes national guards posted at exits to allow only residents to exit you can see the damage from 65 but the roads were clean kentucky had some constuction in the center lanes causing lane closures leaving only 2 lanes open traffic was heavy but moving have a great trip travel safe

 

[edbo77]

Leslee, I would suggest leaving at night vs. the AM. If the adults in your party are going to share the driving it might make more sense because you will miss all the major cities on the East Coast which is a huge benefit. It won't be a lot of fun to leave MA at 2AM, plus you'll hit rush hour traffic in NYC, if not in the DE/MD stretch depending where in MA you are leaving from. Just my thoughts.

 

[briles5]

Leslee, I would suggest leaving at night vs. the AM. If the adults in your party are going to share the driving it might make more sense because you will miss all the major cities on the East Coast which is a huge benefit. It won't be a lot of fun to leave MA at 2AM, plus you'll hit rush hour traffic in NYC, if not in the DE/MD stretch depending where in MA you are leaving from. Just my thoughts.

I agree with you, I think we have changed our plan to leave at 6pm Thursday night to miss allot of that mess. I am a little worried about staying awake but worse case we have to check in some where. I was thinking about buying an ezy pass. Thanks!!

 

[Fleuristic]

Latest trip we left at appx 2pm and arrived in Disney at roughly 6am driving from Allentown, PA. I'm used to driving for long periods of time but what I didn't expect was the energy rush I would get once I arrived. Didn't go to sleep untill midnight that night after a full day in the parks. Needless to say after the drive home I went straight to bed lol.

 

[domiii]

When we drive from NJ - straight down 95 - I have a scavenger hunt that keeps every one busy. Some items are ridculous, but it keeps everyone entertained. Plus we mark down the license plates we see. Send me a PM if you'd like a copy.

Questions, any one know the current gas prices from NJ to FL?? Just went to CT yesterday and it was $4.05 .

 

[Taylor'sMom]

When we drive from NJ - straight down 95 - I have a scavenger hunt that keeps every one busy. Some items are ridculous, but it keeps everyone entertained. Plus we mark down the license plates we see.

Amazon sells a great license Plate sticker book for like $5. called "ultimate Sticker puzzles" by tony tallarico. We bought it last trip and i just re-ordereda fresh one. It has a map of the USA with a spot for all the license plate stickers (peel off the sticker sheet when you see them and add to the map)... plus some puzzles, mazes, that kind of thing. Good investement to help kids keep track of the plates they see.

 

[DisneyMomma1]

We will be driving from upstate NY down to WDW. We usually take two days to drive stopping in NC for an overnight stay. This year we will be taking our latest addition, 10 month old DS (we also have DS7). Anybody out there have any experience/advice driving a long distance with little ones? We started driving when DS7 was 3 and he did fantastic but I am a little concered with the new little one.

Thanks!

 

[Taylor'sMom]

We will be driving from upstate NY down to WDW. We usually take two days to drive stopping in NC for an overnight stay. This year we will be taking our latest addition, 10 month old DS (we also have DS7). Anybody out there have any experience/advice driving a long distance with little ones? We started driving when DS7 was 3 and he did fantastic but I am a little concered with the new little one.

Thanks!

Check out the 2,000 mile + thread. Lots of good info there for those of us drivinga long way. (We're driving from Upstate NY too- though DD is older!)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2815923&goto=newpost

 

[katieam1]

We will be driving from upstate NY down to WDW. We usually take two days to drive stopping in NC for an overnight stay. This year we will be taking our latest addition, 10 month old DS (we also have DS7). Anybody out there have any experience/advice driving a long distance with little ones? We started driving when DS7 was 3 and he did fantastic but I am a little concered with the new little one.

Thanks!

We have driven 5 times with our kids starting when our youngest was 11 months and oldest was 2. What we do is (we also live in upstate NY, we live near Syracuse) we leave at midnight. The kids are asleep the whole night while we drive then in the morning we are a good distance and they never even knew. We are usually in Disney by 9pm the day we leave. So we start at Midnight Saturday then we are there by Saturday at 9pm. So for the kids they only think it was one day drive. It does get tricky on the way home because we take two days to drive back. We leave WDW drive until North Carolina then get a room start again in the am and we are home by 7pm. The two day trip is always harder than the one day power trip. We also bring movies, cds color books, activity games for them LOTS of activities to keep them busy. We stop and fill our tank at a half tank. So we all get out and stretch go to the bathroom and if hungry grab a bite. We really do use our car while down there too so driving for us is best, we stay at BLT and we use the monorail for the two parks then drive to HS and AK. We love NOT using the disney buses. It is a long drive but the trip going down we are all so excited to be heading to WDW and the ride home we are all just so ready to be home. The only time this did not work for us and we had melt downs was when we did a September trip and a November/December trip. It was too close to tackle that drive that close. WAY too close way too many miles. Just I would suggest lots of activities and movies (we always choose Disney ones lol gets us in the Spirit!!)

 

[Suzyq9241]

Dh and I usually drive every year.... once or twice we flew.. but when we drive we have fun... one year it took us 4 days to go from NJ to Fl thats the time a deer ran out onto 95 (never saw that)... we didnt care about the 4 days...we had fun...but when we drive it takes us about 17-18 hours straight through... sometimes, we would stop at the top of NC, late at night...and get up around 5 am and drive again to finish the trip.. but I like to begin our trip at about 400 am but hubby pushes it and we leave later than that...which usually gets us in trouble...

I am not sure if we are driving or flying... but which ever i do it will be fine...

 

[jcd148]

Just got back from WDW and wanted to share my experience since this board was so helpful in easing my mind about the drive. We had all intentions of leaving SE PA by 5am last Saturday, but didn't make it out until 7am. Took I95 the whole way. We made it to Brunswick GA by 7:30pm, and I had thoughts of driving all the way there, but it was raining hard and I was afraid to risk it any further. Ended up trying the Hampton Inn first (our preferred place to stay), but they were booked solid. Went to the Holiday Inn down the road and they had a room. Left there around 8am and made it to exit 67 off I4 by 12pm. Had a great 4 days at the Wilderness Lodge. We really enjoyed having the car there, as we used it the days we went to Chef Mickey, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. We used the boats from WL to Magic Kingdom the other two days. We left the WL to come back home on Friday at 7am. Took 95 the whole way again and made it all the way back home by 1:30am. Traffic was ok on 95 except for around DC when I mistakenly took the inner loop of 495 and got stuck in traffic for a half hour (at 11pm at night!). Would not hesitate to do it again, my DW and two DS's were great in the car and we really enjoyed the time together! All in all, it seemed to take around 16 hrs to get there and 16 to get back. Next big road trip will be Emerald Isle, NC over the summer!

 

[ParrotBill]

Hello Upstate NYers... We made the trip twice in the last few years. We take I-77 south (or I-79 to I-77) to i-26 to I-95. (From Syracuse I would take I-81 to I-77).

We try to make the first day longer and push for Columbia SC to stay over.
That allows us to sleep in a bit and have breakfast then hit the road for a mid afternoon arrival.

When our daughter was younger, movies and books were the key to keeping her busy, as well as snacks and drinks easily reached.

 

[pigletto]

Well looks like we belong in this thread now! We had flights booked on Direct Air.. they aren't happening and we're driving!

So. We are just on the other side of the Buffalo border. Mapquest is predicting a time of 22 hours driving time.
I don't even know where to begin. Dh will be doing all the driving so we are absolutely going to take 2 days to get there. Thinking of leaving after supper on a Thursday night, driving until about 10 or 11pm and staying in a hotel. Then do a full 12 hours or so the next day leaving us only 4 hours or so on the Saturday morning.
It looks like the I-77 to I-26 to I-95 is the preferred route?