For those that have driven straight through...

[pbharris4]

what time did you leave and get there? What were the ages of your kids and how'd they do? I wouldn't mind doing this and I know DH, and DD#1(9) would sleep, but DD#2 (almost 2) has trouble sleeping in the car. We usually leave @ 7am and get to Fayetteville, NC around 11-12 for lunch, then we get to Savannah, Ga around 5-6 depending on any traffic, construction, etc. and eat dinner there and spend the night. Then, it's off to Orlando and we've gotten there sometimes between 2-4..depending on how long lunch is or the time of year. Last year the youngest did good until 50 miles outside or Orlando. I'd love to cut out that night, but I just don't know if she'd sleep through it. (She does sleep through the night though). Also, we live in No. VA..where do you usually stop on your way back..I need suggestions on that as well. Thanks!

 

[hdecker]

We drive 19 hrs to WDW. On the way, we stop for the night, but on the way back DH won't stop and DD13 and DD15 are miserable having had to leave the World, so the trip home is awful cause we are all depressed. Just have to hurry up and plan the next one quickly.

 

[hdecker]

Hey - I got my Mouseketeer

 

[mel63]

We have always left at night. Usually on the road by 9 at the latest, that way they DD's will sleep a big part of the drive. We have a 16 hr drive. If your youngest will sleep through the night, try to plan leaving an hour or 2 before her bedtime. Try to tire her out before you leave, to help her fall asleep in the car. Maybe get a neck pillow or something like that to help her sleep. She might sleep better if she is more comfortable. Check out this link http://www.onestepahead.com/product/27179/139761/117.html
We have never stopped on the way back, just the way down. My DH likes to get home as soon as he can. As for me, I would say to stop at least 4 hours from home. That way you are not so close, that you may as well drive it, and it is not too far, that you have so long to go to get home.

 

[MrsPete]

We OFTEN do long drives, and we rarely have any problems. We get a few new coloring books, etc. for the drive. We don't over-do though; I think if you get too much stuff it can have the opposite effect, and you end up with the kids tossing aside the just-given item and demanding more, more, more. Also, I can't stand the car to be cluttered.

Movies and kids' music are good for miles and miles. We like to get books on tape from the library.

Stop every couple hours and encourage the kids to run. We like to stop at a fast-food place and we (mom and dad) sit down to eat while the kids play on the playground. Then we order their food to go, and they eat in the car. It's an efficient use of time.

Don't allow ANY CAFFEINE in the car. In fact, we're very sparing with caffeine at all times. It'll prevent the kids from napping in the car, and they definitely fight more when they're all riled up.

Once we left at midnight and drove straight through with the kids sleeping (that was a 15 or so hour drive -- wasn't Disney). It was an okay trip, but when we arrived we (mom and dad) were exhausted, and the kids were raring to go. I won't say we'll never do that again -- given the right circumstances, we might -- but it wasn't our best drive ever.

 

[disneytyme]

We drive all the way without stopping. It usually takes us 13 to 14 hours to get to Orlando. We have tried leaving at like 4 in the morning and we have done the overnight thing and left at 8pm. Both ways worked fine, but I did notice that the traffic was much, much, much better at night. We went through Nashville, TN and Atlanta GA without stopping once in traffic and that would never happen during the day. The kids do sleep better during the night also. Either way we would rather drive the 14 hours and get there sooner rather then take another day and the extra money for the hotel out of our trip.

Hope this helps

 

[ChrisNif]

Hey there,

I cant say too much for your personal situation with your daughter, I would probably try to get some of her favorite cd's to play in the car, maybe even a personal cd player so you can listen to more adult music. I've driven down from NJ probably about 7-8 maybe even 10 times, I like to leave between lunch and dinner and get there early in the morning to get first dibs on a room and shower and hit the parks by lunch. This december however in a fit of pure "I WANT TO GET TO DISNEY NOW" on my part and the part of my 6 year old neice we left after breakfast and arrived (after driving below the speed limit, and stopping ALOT on purpose) at 7:30am only to have to wait 2 hours to get a room. I wont be doing that again.

I suggest with where you are located leaving between 10pm and midnight, maybe even after your DD is already sleeping (do a gentle transplant to the vehicle and she may not even stir). This should place you in disney between breakfast and lunch time, I would probably stop for breakfast whenever the children wake so that you can re-orient them with where they are, as they may be confused if they dont remember being put in the car. There are alot of breakfast places between jacksonville and orlando that open as early as 5am if not 24/7. After breakfast give them a treat like a toy or coloring book and let them know "we're in mickey's neighborhood, and as soon as we find his street and house, we can go play in his back yard" my neice's eyes lit up when i told her that (she slept from the carolinas all the way to I-4)

Good Luck

Chris

 

[paslea_pooh]

We live in Northeastern PA and it took us about 17 hours (with stops). On the way down we stopped in Florence, South Carolina. On the way back up we stopped in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

We left at 7:45 am, stopped for lunch at 11:30 am and drove until about 3pm stopped for ice cream or potty break. Drove until about 5:30-6pm got a room , ate dinner and pretty much rested.

Got up the next morning left at 7:45 am and basically followed the same schedule. We got to Orlando at 3:30 pm.

We have 4 girls.. 16,13,8 and 4.

They slept in the car during the afternoon. We have a DVD player in our car so that helped alot. They did amazingly well. Some fighting but over all really the trip was great. We're driving down in November.

We considered driving during the night but I just think that's too dangerous, you're tired and the kids are sleeping and like the poster above said you are your spouse are driving all night the kids are sleeping, come morning they are raring to go and you are dead tired.

Good Luck
Alida

 

[skippyNC]

We're 10 hours from Orlando. When DD was 9 and 11, we left in the morning, headed down I95, stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch, stopped at the FL welcome center for free OJ, and stopped for the night just before Orlando, at a Best Western that is reasonably priced, clean, quiet, and across the road from a pretty good steakhouse. Then we're up fresh, well-rested, and eager the next morning, drive the relatively short distance to our resort, and hit the parks. We always bring a book on tape, the Harry Potter books are good ones, because they are so long, one is good for about the entire drive.
Robin

 

[pbharris4]

Thanks for all the replies! Long drives aren't the problem (we have a DVD player and I always bring books/toys, etc. I thought about maybe doing an overnight drive either down or back. Problem is my DH could sleep and DD (9), but I can't sleep in a moving vehicle and I have a feeling a my DD (2 in June) has a problem with that as well. She sleeps all night and takes 1.5 hr nap every day, but if it's in the car she will only sleep 30 mins. So if we do an overnighter...I just want to make sure she sleeps or it will be real H**L! Someone posted about wearing her out and leave not too long before her bedtime..that seems like it could work and then maybe stay somewhere on the way back. Or maybe it would be better to do the overnighter on the way home because she'd be pooped out from the parks and cruise and then we can relax at home. I think it would probably take 12 hrs. Do you ever encounter drunk drivers or truckers who are overtired and swerving on the road?

 

[paslea_pooh]

Now when we went I think it was the beginning of Spring Break, but there were a few fatal accidents on the road that really scared me. On the way back home we had really bad weather so the visibility was poor. I would not do driving during the night but that is just my personal preferance. Good Luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Desnik]

We have done the drive to WDW from NY 9 times. My kids ar 7yo and 2yo. My oldest was 9mo on her first drive down. My youngest was 8mo on his first trip. We have tried the drive every different way we could think of!!LOL I would deffinately recommend not driving straight through the night. There are just too many accidents we've seen or heard of and there are just alot of crazy speeders and alot of truckers and sometimes you don't realize how tired you are and can easily fall asleep! Then when you arrive, you need a full day to sleep and recover from the drive, that's usually the case for the drivers. The kids are ready to go and that can cause a whole other problem! What has worked best for us is we leave at 4am and drive straight through. We bring beakfast with us as well as snacks and drinks. We stop for bathroom breaks, gas, lunch and dinner. Sometimes we stop for the kids to stretch and get a 20 min. break from the car to run around with a ball at a rest stop. We usually arrive at WDW at 10pm. We stay on property at either a value or mod resort. Whicher I can get a good price on. The next day we are refreshed and ready to check in to our villa(DVC) We usually make this a resort day. We could go to a park because we really don't feel tired from the drive. We just choose not to.

My oldest is use to the long ride and has a ton of things to do with her. We have 3 tv's which keeps everybody happy. Also game boy, Now a PSP for DH!!LOL and lots of small toys and coloring books and such to keep busy. DD puts it all in a backpack and loves getting her things ready for our drive. On our last trip DS was 20mo and didn't really fall asleep in the car either. DD use to sleep so much more! We were so shocked to see her sleeping and him wide awake! We made alot of stops to just get him out of the car seat. After running and letting off some steam he was recharged and able to sit quietly. The TV helped him alot.

Oh, one more thing I forgot to add about why we don't like to drive at night anymore. Some of those rest stops are just scary at night. I never feel safe going into the rest rooms with lil kiddies by myself. Some have security, some don't. Also I feel the kids can't get a good nights sleep. DD would wake up through the night in the car and have to go to the bathroom and it was just scary and a pain IMHO. I felt much safer in the day time.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

You've already received a lot of the same advice I would give about driving straight through, so I won't be too repeative. I will say we do drive through the night on long trips (makes it a much shorter trip for the kids) all the time without much hassle.

BUT, NONE of us have a problem sleeping in a car. I usually drive first shift while DH sleeps with the kiddos. When I'm tired, we switch off, so neither of us are sleep deprived. If ever both DH and myself do feel tired, we stop for the night. Driving sleepy is worse than driving drunk. So, if you can't sleep in the car and switch off, you might be better off stopping for the night.

Other than that: stop often, get out and run, eat all meals out of the car (preferrably somewhere the kids can dispell energy), bring plenty of activities, etc, etc. (you've heard all this before in other posts)

 

[txgirl]

We are originally from Texas and have been here in Virginia for about 6 years. We make the 24 HOUR TRIP home every summer and have done it several ways. I will say driving straight through seems to be best for the kids. DH and I switch off ANY time we are ready to konk out. I can remember switching every hour one time when we were both wiped out. We eat lots of hot tamales (candy) and go through the diet cokes and truck stop coffee like crazy ! We bring a really big comforter for the kids to share and their regular pillows . The baby is still in his seat, so we put him in recline and he's out! We leave midday and stop for dinner (usually SC) where we change the kids into their pj's. One last movie winds them down and then it is lights out. Whichever grown up is NOT driving takes a nap right away, since the driver is still pretty fresh and ready to go until at least midnight when we make a gas stop and switch. Sometimes they do wake up and we just go through the same ritual, tucking them in and playing peaceful music.

Addressing the danger issue: we have had many heated discussions (dh and I) about letting the other one know that we are too tired and have even made an emergency pit stop in Anniston Alabama one night when neither of us had it in us. Overall I would say our night-time drivin' marathons are the best bet for our family and a peaceful trip.

Good luck and by the way, we are undecided for our trip in August. Airfare is soooo cheap right now out of Norfolk ($85!!!!-round trip) that it is just as cost effective for us to fly. We can't get our tickets this far out, so time will tell!

 

[Princess Glenda]

We have a 12 hour drive to WDW from Central VA. DS8 (nine now) and DD3 (4 now) did GREAT. We left at midnight and drove straight through. We stopped near Gainesville for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel. We got to Disney around 1:30. Both kids slept most of the night and it made the drive very enjoyable. This year we are planning to leave at around 9 pm so that more of the trip will be at night. On the way home we always stop halfway.

 

[pbharris4]

Airfare out of Norfolk for $85!! I am right between Wash., DC and Richmond (Fredericksburg area) so we're pretty accesible to Reagan NAt., Dulles, BWI, Richmond or Norfolk. I guess we'll have to taLk about it (and decide soon!!) I forgot my DH took the Friday before off so maybe we can leave Friday and get there a day earlier. Soon I have to make PS arrangements..OK..wait so if we go early that will change everything! SOrry..I just need to make up my mind!!!

 

[txgirl]

I found that airfare by checking travelocity without putting in dates so that I could see the calendar myself and maybe tweak my schedule by a day or two. So far, it doesn't go out as far as well need so maybe you guys will benefit! It would definitely be worth it for us, since our vehicle gets a whopping 10-12 miles per gallon

Good Luck!!!!

 

[hokiefan33]

From where we live in NC, it's about a 9 - 10 hour drive, depending on traffic and the speed you drive. Last year, we left at about 4 AM, thinking the kids would sleep until around breakfast, at which point we would stop, let them stretch, etc... We have a DVD player in the van, so the rest of the way they could watch movies, color, play games, etc... Much to our surprise, both our kids (DS8 and DD5) were so jacked up that they couldn't sleep, they ended up watching movies until about 5:30 AM!!! So we stopped for a quick breakfast, and then they slept for a few hours, being so tired!

We got to Jacksonville around 11 or so, after a gas stop and a bathroom stop, ate lunch, then proceeded onto Orlando. We were in our hotel room by 1:30. Basically, once you hit the I-95 "jet stream", as I like to call it, speed limits go out the window, and you follow the flow of traffic. Go 70 mph on I-95 and you'll get run over from behind, even by the cops!!

 

[becka]

We are trying to decide which would be best for us. We have never driven to WDW before but with 4 of us now flying is just too expensive from here. It looks like it would be around an 18 hour drive without stops and we know with two little ones we will have to make several stops. I just can't decide if we should just do two very long days or one marathon drive. We have travelled to my parents in Arkansas (7-8 hour drive) overnight before and it worked out well for us but this is just so much longer.

 

[robyn323]

Were about 10 minutes from St.Louis so the drive usually takes us about 16 hours. Were leaving around 10 in the morning and going to stop probably around 10 are 11 that night. That should put us right on the border of florida are pretty close.Last trip we stopped right inside florida so we only had a few hours to go when we got up. That way we didn't get there way to early to check in. I like getting there atleast by 11 and disney has been pretty great about letting us check in early. Are we have just always got lucky.