How bad will it REALLY be to drive from Chicago......

[MudEJeep]

For those who have driven from the Chicago (western burbs) area to WDW, how long will it really take to drive? Would you do it again?

I'm planning a trip for May 2010 and cant decide on whether to drive or fly. We have 8 yo twins so we would be planning an overnite stay in a hotel on the way down. I like the idea of no plane tickets if I need to cancel last minute, but the drive would be taking away from Disney time.....but might save some money driving.... what to do, what to do......

Thanks, MudEJeep
(would not be driving a jeep, but a mini-van )

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

We will be driving from Maryland the next time.

It WILL be a long drive but I have a tip to make the time fly by for the driver.

Go to your local library and checkout some books on CD. You really get into the book and before you know it...you are hundreds of miles down the road!

We got a rolling cooler at Walmart last fall. It is very well insulated....we carry drinks, snacks and sandwiches. It's got a pop-up handle so it's easy to roll into the hotel room for the night and to re-load with ice. (Take extra zip-lock bags for ice refills in the cooler).

 

[Minnie824]

We drove twice from western suburbs of Chicago. Once we went thru IL (long, boring) the 2nd time thru Indiana. It took about 19 hours. We left at 3am, stopped for meals, then stopped in Gainsville, Fl around 8pm. Stayed overnight there and then had about a 2 hr drive to Orlando. It wasn't that bad. As of now, my 7 yo wouldn't do as well since she likes to fly, but I would definitely drive it again.

 

[lessit]

Easy answer.
Driving: 40hrs, 4 days, $150 hotels, 2600 miles, 12 meals and $360 gas.
Flying: 6hrs and $800 (4 people).

No contest - fly!

 

[MudEJeep]

Thanks for the quick reply. We flew down there 2 years ago with the girls and that worked out OK. They are also used to driving distances (Michigan, Door Cnty, WI) but this would be the longest. Just wondering if my family would even be talking to me when they finally get out of the van....

 

[serene56]

We took a train (when it was cheap) with two kids ages 4/6

oh mi gawd-- to this day that was the longest days of my life.

Nope- will fly now.
4 days out of my life I will never get back- flying will only take off 4 hours total.

 

[Nissan_Rogue_Squad]

one thing to consider is go to this site, http://www.costtodrive.com/ and see how much you should expect to pay for traveling. Considering you're traveling from Chicago area you may be able to find some decent airfare, which may not be much more than driving.

Personally I'd fly when I can afford it since the benefit of DME and less worry about luggage etc... I view it that once I get to the Airport here I'm on vacation.

Have a good trip.

 

[Momto3Girls&Max]

We've driven from Chicago several times with our four kids and will do it again in August. We take I57 to I24 to I75 and stop overnight in Atlanta, GA on the way down and Nashville, TN on the way back. It is a long drive, but it's certainly manageable and our kids do just fine. We like to stay at least two weeks when we drive otherwise we feel like all we've done is drive. If you're short on time, flying is the way to go. We watch airfare up until the time of our trip and if nothing reasonable (to us) comes up, then we drive.

 

[Emmabean2000]

So much of it depends on your kids and how they tolerate each other. We drove from southernish Wisconsin in January, and our kids enjoyed the time we spent together. They loved staying at a hotel, and various pit stops along the way. We saved not only on airfare, but obviously did not have to rent a car once we arrived in Orlando. I talked to my son about another trip next year, and he was disappointed we were considering flying down this year!