For those who have driven to Disney (18+ hours)

[mshanson3121]

So, my husband wants to drive to Disney. And, we have priced it out - by the time we have flights, airport parking, luggage fees, a rental car, deal with the hassle of hauling two car seats and a stroller with us etc.. it's quite a bit cheaper for us to drive to Florida. We live in Canada, so we will have 26-27 hours (that's without traffic delays!) driving time. We have two children who will be 8 & 5.

How many hours can we realistically plan on driving each day? Are we better off to just push through and get as many hours as we can in each day and get there faster? Or, take our time, spend less time driving each day, day an extra day or two to get there?

My kids aren't too bad in the car on long trips - they'll watch DVDs, play DS, read, sleep etc... but the longest trip we've ever done in car before is 7 hours.

 

[PSUGuy]

I can do a drive from NorthEast Pa to Myrtle Beach, about 11 hrs, in one shot, that's about my limit. Last March we were planning a Southern vacation but the weather wasn't cooperating so we decided to drive to Disney. We already had Hampton Inn reservation in Fayetteviee, NC, so we made that our first leg, about 8 1/2 hrs. From there Orlando was another 8 1/2 so that divided the trip up nicely.

That said, the trip was not intended to be a WDW vacation, we'll never plan to drive there as we lost 2 days down and 2 days back meaning we only has 5 park days as opposed to the 8 we have when we fly. If you have more time than money, have at it, but I shiver at the notion of a two way drive totaling over 48 hrs.

Bill From PA

 

[Missytara]

I think only you can ultimately answer that question. You are going to need at least two days.

However, my advice is to map out a couple of hotels along the I-95 corridor - say, in case you can no longer go or you have to stop. Good stopping points more north are NJ/DE _ or south are NC/GA with many hotels right off the interstate. I went with a friend from DE and we did it in one day - 17 hours down and 15 back (middle of the night), but we had a plan if we had to stop in case one of us could no longer go anymore.

Also, map out typical places to eat good meals (not just fast food) like Cracker Barrel - you can find them just about anywhere and right off many interstates. They offer wonderful home cooked meals and snacks to take with you in case you need it.

Also, you want to make sure you check the weather just before you leave along the route you are taking. We had a quick snow storm blow through here yesterday afternoon, that just wreaked havoc on the evening commute -including again, the I-95 corridor. Map out a place you could get off the interstate and ride it out if you had to - you may be more used to snow events than us, but you may not be as prepared for those people who don't drive well in snow like you do way up north!

 

[mshanson3121]

I think only you can ultimately answer that question. You are going to need at least two days.

However, my advice is to map out a couple of hotels along the I-95 corridor - say, in case you can no longer go or you have to stop. Good stopping points more north are NJ/DE _ or south are NC/GA with many hotels right off the interstate. I went with a friend from DE and we did it in one day - 17 hours down and 15 back (middle of the night), but we had a plan if we had to stop in case one of us could no longer go anymore.

Also, map out typical places to eat good meals (not just fast food) like Cracker Barrel - you can find them just about anywhere and right off many interstates. They offer wonderful home cooked meals and snacks to take with you in case you need it.

Also, you want to make sure you check the weather just before you leave along the route you are taking. We had a quick snow storm blow through here yesterday afternoon, that just wreaked havoc on the evening commute -including again, the I-95 corridor. Map out a place you could get off the interstate and ride it out if you had to - you may be more used to snow events than us, but you may not be as prepared for those people who don't drive well in snow like you do way up north!

We're driving in June, so there better not be any snowstorms! But, I'll admit the idea of summer traffic, construction delays etc... makes me leery of doing the drive. Last year my MIL and I went to Boston and we were delayed almost 3 hours due to construction and an accident.

 

[OKW Lover]

In addition to the cost of flying vs driving there is one more thing to consider; how much of your vacation do you want to spend just getting to your vacation. If it takes you 2 days each way that's 4 days that you could have spent at your destination having fun rather than driving.

 

[Missytara]

We're driving in June, so there better not be any snowstorms! But, I'll admit the idea of summer traffic, construction delays etc... makes me leery of doing the drive. Last year my MIL and I went to Boston and we were delayed almost 3 hours due to construction and an accident.

Then yes, you will run into beach/shore traffic through NJ/DE/MD, and farther south into NC, etc.

You may consider flying is the way to go....

 

[ccudmore]

I've driven from Ontario many times, both as a kid with my parents driving as well as as an adult with my own kids.

Two schools of thought on doing the drive:
1) Option 1: Drive straight through. Leave at 9 or 10pm and take turns driving. The kids (and alternate driver) sleep through the night plus you hit most of the major US cities during the night, avoiding rush hour and congestion. Arrive the following evening and have a big sleep that night.

2) Option 2: Stop 1 night. Leave at 6am and drive until 8pm. Grab a hotel room wherever you happen to be and then hit the road the next morning and finish off the last 10 hours or so.

Depending on where you're leaving from there's also the Auto Train from the Washington DC area. Drive to Washington, put your car on the train and sleep in a berth on the train overnight. Arrive in Orlando the next day with your car and family together.

You may also want to check out the Canadian board here on DisBoards - lots of discussion there on driving to Florida.

 

[siskaren]

OK, I'm confused. You started another thread where you asked about Magical Express, and you certainly made it sound like you would be using it.

 

[mshanson3121]

Then yes, you will run into beach/shore traffic through NJ/DE/MD, and farther south into NC, etc.

You may consider flying is the way to go....

We won't be taking the 95. We'll be going down through 84/81, so we bypass all of that, skip the tolls and it only adds 1 hour of driving time.

 

[mshanson3121]

OK, I'm confused. You started another thread where you asked about Magical Express, and you certainly made it sound like you would be using it.

I was considering it, and asking in case we did. But DH wants to drive.

 

[sam_gordon]

When I drive long distances, I like to get as far as I can. This means stops (ideally) are for fuel, bathroom, and a snack (all in one stop). However, that's not easy to do with young kids.

Something else to consider... on the way TO vacation, everyone is excited, pumped up, willing to sacrifice (sleep, comfort, etc) because you WANT to get there. On the way home, not so much.

 

[NotUrsula]

As you are Canadian and probably have generous vacation time, I'd suggest trying to plan out a few interesting stops along the way if you can. It might take seven days' travel time (total, that is), but if you are going to be driving for a total of around 50 hours, you might as well get a good look at some things along the route.

As for Cracker Barrel, I personally make it a point to avoid them. IME they deliberately build in extra wait time so that you have no choice but to browse the gift shop, and that's deadly with kids. Their food tends to be pretty carb-intensive, too, which makes me sleepy when I'm driving. Our preference in good weather is to map out parks and playgrounds along the route, then stop and pick up quick eats so that we can get in 30 minutes or so of exercise before resuming the trip.
We also like to research a little before leaving and make a short list of local restaurants to try in the areas that we pass through, usually for dinnertime so that we are only going to be going to sleep after eating.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

I drive from Texas, and it is 16-17 hours (depending on traffic it can get up to 19 hours)...we do two stops on the there (4-5 hours on a friday evening...stop at family) 7-8 hours Saturday, 3-4 hour Sunday, arrive by noon.

Way home we leave around 2 and drive 8-9 hours each day stopping mid-way (for us, that is Mobile, AL).

This way we arrive with energy to still do thing when we get there...I'm only midway though my first couple days in the trip report below...but I lay out the travel in the first few posts.

 

[Kingdome8]

We drive. Was 15 hours or so from baltimore.
We drove straight thru both ways.
On way down weedy at 2 am my wife drove 4 hours and I finished.
Way home I drove whole way. I was tired but saved us 6 plane tickets

Trip before that we stopped over night which was nice too.
For 27 hours? Whew. I would have to stop

 

[mshanson3121]

Our preference in good weather is to map out parks and playgrounds along the route, then stop and pick up quick eats so that we can get in 30 minutes or so of exercise before resuming the trip.

That's actually a really good idea, thank you! I was thinking about stopping for gas, meals, but never thought about picking out places to actually get out, stretch our legs, give us a break etc...

 

[minnie mum]

What part of Canada are you driving from? Going from the Maritimes is different than from eastern or central Ont. We drive down via Syracuse on I 81/77/26/95. Since we have the luxury of time, we take 3 days, stopping in Harrisburg and Orangeburg enroute. That's about 8 hours driving time daily. If we did it in 2 days we'd drive as far as Columbia the first day, but we'd have to leave very early in the morning to do it.

We try to stop every three hours to stretch our legs. We try to tie this to necessary gas and meal stops when possible. Remember that at each state line there will be a welcome center with bathrooms, picnic tables, and room to run around. We usually pack a cooler and lunch supplies and snacks. At our first stop after the border we hit a grocery store for fruit and sandwich meat. A picnic lunch at a rest stop is a nice rest.

If you are a CAA member, do up a triptik and pick up some current maps. I always like a paper backup in case the GPS develops PMS, or my tablet dies. And remember the cardinal rule of road trips. If you stop somewhere, everybody must pee before getting back in the car!

 

[cranbiz]

Many years ago, I would do the drive from Cape Cod, MA to FL. My summer house was in Deltona, about an hour from WDW. I always drive straight thru, making the most of nighttime travel.

Now, I'm about 9 hours from WDW and 13 hours from Cape Cod. I have no troubles with the trip to FL but that 13 hour trip north can be a killer.

How long to drive is fully dependent on you and your passengers. Some can do long trips, some can't. Take extended gas stops to stretch out and potty. Alternate drivers if you can. Have water, juice and snacks available, jerky and trail mix works for me. Gas is much less expensive so driving can be worth it.

 

[friend2Figment]

We live in northern WI and have drove a couple times. I prefer to leave in the middle of the night drive until Valdosta GA stay overnight then finish the drive, getting to Disney about 5pm. The time we drove straight through we split the driving but I will not drive in the big cities. We were were ready for bed as soon as we hit Orlando. The drive home was worse as my DN cried the whole way through Atlanta.

 

[DizDaD7]

We've driven twice so far from Northern NJ, roughly 18 hours...We generally leave around 4 p.m. the day before we check in at WDW..Drive through the night & arrive somewhere before lunch the next day.

This year we are driving again, but our 1st destination is at Vero Beach...Similar times I think but I might do something different this year...

I might start at 3 a.m. on Friday, drive for around 12 hours, & check into a motel ( wherever we are ) refresh , swim eat, sleep, & then get at it for the last 6 hours & arrive just after lunch...Only Drawback is I have to take 2 weeks & 1 day off, instead of just 2 weeks..

Either way have fun on your trip..

 

[smadath]

When I was 8, we drove down from PA for vacation. This was back in the days before electronic anything to make car rides shorter. I remember looking out the window, seeing the Florida State sign, and thinking YAY! We're there!

Not so much.

Quite the letdown for the impatient, antsy little 8 year old!

Make sure to have lots of distractions for the little ones!