Have you driven from DC area to WDW?

[quiltymom]

I think that I have convinced my DH to fly down for our trip in October, although he is still hoping to drive. 13+ hours in the car with 2 kids and an aching back (as well as other parts of the anatomy!) doesn't sound relaxing to me.

So, to appease him, I'm asking if you have driven from the Washington, DC area to WDW, could you please tell me about your experience(s)? DH would want to drive straight through, only stopping for potty breaks and to grab a quick bite to eat.

Thanks!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

I drive it by myself. I don't stop for food, just gas and restroom. It usually takes me 13 hours even.

Last July it took me about 16 hours, driving down on a holiday weekend. Too many traffic tieups.

My guess is that it will take you about 14 to 15 hours because you are pretty much guaranteed to make more stops than I did. More, if you are driving on a holiday weekend.

 

[mpbs]

Yes, I live in Baltimore County, Maryland and have taken that trip by car many times with two boys. It took my husband and I 15 hrs and two headaches and 1,000 "Are we there yet?, How much longer?" - Now we fly- 2 hrs and 10 min from BWI to MCO. In all honesty if I could not afford the airfare I would drive still, WDW is worth it!

 

[I'mNoPrince]

I have done it once as a child and 2 times as an adult with one of my old paintball teams to play at WWoS.

I will never do it again and with the prices of SWA from BWI and Dullas now in the mix we will never drive until prices go way up.


it not only the drive but the time wasted doing it for us.

 

[quiltymom]

It not only the drive but the time wasted doing it for us.

My sentiments, exactly! DH didn't understand the time wasted part! Somehow he figured that if we were to drive 1/2 hour to the airport, park, etc., and make sure we're there 2 hours in advance, then the 2 hr+ flight, then time spent getting to the resort would take about about 8 hours, so what would be another added 5+ of driving?

Right now if we Southwest still offers the same flight times, we would have to leave the house at 4:30 am for a 7:30 am flight. Somehow he thought if we drove we'd leave around 9:00 am. When I told him we'd be driving all night, he began to have a change of heart...



But I at least had to ask...

 

[jennib5426]

I have made that drive so many times down 95 south I can't keep track.
Remember another negative of the drive is the traffic !!!
95 south between Springfield and Fredricksburg can be a nightmare if you don't time it right. Then there are the speed traps in NC.
I don't mind the drive so much, but if I can find a flight under $200 I fly.
Didn't Southwest just have $29 dings out of Dulles?

Godd Luck

 

[quiltymom]

Yes, SW did have the $29.00 dings! I'm afraid that if I waited for new ones to come up for when we want to travel (October), that either I'd miss them or they'd be all sold out. It would be my luck.

I agree with you about the traffic from Springfield to Fredricksburg. We try to advoid that whenever we can. And he does hate driving in traffic something fierce. The 95 corridor is so busy that I could just imagine the traffic snarls along the way. Yeesh!

The only thing is that DH loves to drive, and could drive straight through without a problem. But the problem lies with the me & the kids having to sit that long. We drive almost non-stop to Vermont (about 8-9 hours at best) and he's fine, but we're not. I also told him that if we drove down, we'd leave after rush hour the night proir to wanting to be there so we wouldn't loose a day at the parks. He didn't like that idea at all. I wonder why?

 

[loriandave]

I have done it both the flying and the driving way a few times. With two or fewer kids I think I would fly but, I would like to add a few more thoughts on the difference.

The times I have driven with small children I have made trip in 14 hours on average. I usually leave nothern virginia about 4am and miss the traffic between here and fredricksburg. There are advantages I see to driving. If you are running 30 minutes late it only delays your trip by 30 minutes vs. possibly missing the flight. Two hours is the minimum to be early. This october my wife and I missed an 8 am flight out a Dulles (with about 20 others) even after getting there at 6am. Apparently, the airlines and TSA can't coordinate the number of screeners to the numbers of passengers expected. We quickly booked the last two seats for the day to Orlando on southwest and made it down there 2pm. A family we met there waited for "help" from the airline and couldn't get a flight until the next day, after waiting in the airport for another 4 hours, think the kids were a little disappointed? I have also had less than stellar experiences with car rental at Orlando. Maybe you better plan on 2-3 hours for that if you need a car at disney. We did use ME in October and found it very nice. When the whole family goes (all 9) we feel like a van is necessary. It becomes very stressful to manage everyone on the Disney bus system during the stay. Depending on the age of your kids, driving you own vehicle solves the car seat problem too. It also allows you to more easily bring snacks, bottles of water, etc. from home. Finally, driving yourself gives you a measure of flexibility for departure time.

If you do drive, read this and print out the exit descriptions for each state to take along.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Transportation/Driving_to_Florida.htm