How do you make the trip?

[Teamubr]

We purchased our dream RV this last summer . We are planning our first trip to FW Jan 2016. The boards are my lifeline!!

Congrats! on your RV. And, yes, the boards are life lines for many of us until our next Fort trip.

j

 

[PPink]

We are from MD. We always make it down in one day. We leave at 4am and get to Fort at about 6pm. We pack up all the snacks, lunch and drinks. We only make quick stops for gas and bathroom breaks only. We have 10 and 7 years old but we did it this way for years. We have the trip down to science. We feel that makinkg an overnight stop would waist vacation day. Note: Since we have boys we avoided freaquent bathroom stops when they were little by letting them pee in the bottle...ops...best memories!

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

We leave Mobile around 1am and make it to the Fort around 10 or 11am. It around 8hrs. Every one sleeps the whole way, so it's a quiet trip for me.

 

[Teamubr]

Every one sleeps the whole way.

So who drives?

j

 

[Maligator]

We drive down from MA which if driven straight through is about 22hrs. What I do is leave at night around 11pm to get past NYC and down into VA before rush hour. Then we stop for breakfast and keep truckin' until about 3pm which with breakfast and lunch stops that puts us in SC where I get a camp ground. I do a minimal setup to dump the tanks and fill up on water then hit the sack by 7pm. The wife and kids (8&9 y.o.) go to the pool at the campground or ride bikes.

I then wake up around 4AM and drive through to the Fort, getting there in the afternoon. Our usual routine is to have a reservation for Ohana after getting set up at the Fort. Has worked well so far. Will be doing it again this April.

Our stops are greatly reduced by the convenience of having use of the restroom right in the class C. My wife and kids are up and down all the time where I can hold it for hours. I usually get away with only having to fill up fuel 2 or 3 times tops which helps as well.

 

[KristinU]

We drive down from CT so similar drive to Maligator, but we have family in Raleigh that we almost always visit on the way down. So we leave in the early morning, 4 or 5 am (we swing out into PA to avoid NYC and DC) and stop somewhere around or just north of Raleigh for the night - about a 12 hour day but we have two drivers. Then we have breakfast ot lunch with my SIL and BIL and don't rush our time. We then go as far as Jacksonville, about 6 hours. We could push on that extra 3 hours to WDW but getting in late to the Fort seems like a waste of a pricey Disney night and getting in to Jacksonville area at a reasonable time to make dinner and chill out then only have 3 hours in the morning keeps us pretty relaxed and well rested.

SO...all that said, OP, if we were you with only one driver (please encourage your wife to get comfortable driving the rig, I'm big on this for safety...OK, off my soapbox) I would drive to somewhere within a couple of hours of WDW and have a nice evening. With a PUP I think I'd go for a motel rather than try to set up for one night. 6 hours on the first day and 2 on the second seems like a relaxing and ideal split-up to me.

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

So who drives?

Haha, I meant my wife and son sleeps the whole way down, she says it's something to do with the diesel engine humming that makes her sleepy, I told yea you'd make a great trucker!! Haha

 

[StormyCA]

We're driving from California! We figure it's a 6 day drive plus we're allowing 2 extra days for possible emergencies. We've done lots of road trips since we retired and we always figure it's best to get within spittin' distance of our destination the day before and then finish up with a 2-4 hour drive.

This trip we're going to end up with about a 30 minute drive as we expect to arrive in Davenport FL 1 to 2 days ahead of Ft check-in. DH flies hang gliders and there's a great place near Davenport. He's hoping to get one or two tows plus we're hoping to get in some local sight-seeing.

How I'll be able to deal with being soooo close to WDW and not go there for 1-2 days to look around before we actually check in I just don't know.

 

[jbrostek]

Been making the trip for 6 years in a row now from VA. While I could to what I refer to as a bonzia run to FW, I don't. Day one we hit the road from Northern VA around 0800 and usually stop about ever 3.5-4 hours. We stop around 7-8pm that day. Depending on how well the trip is going that means we stop somewhere between exit 53 in SC (new green Acres), exit 33 (Point South KOA) or the one year we had little traffic and delays we made it to KOA Savanna south (forget the exit number in GA.) From there is 4-6 hours the next day to get to FW and depending on departure time can get there by noon/2 the next day.

Now we have a longer distance to go, if google was telling me 7 hours to the fort I would probably get an early start 0400-0500 and drive through knowing it will take 10-11 hours drive time.

 

[Maligator]

I like VA. Lived in the Hampton Roads area for a few years when I was in the Navy. It is on my short list of places to live once I retire.

How do you like that Point South KOA? We used that place last August as our stopover the day before FW because it is very convenient off 95 south. The British lady and her husband that run it were charming but I was less than thrilled with the state of the grounds. My rig was a sandy mess afterward and very noisy overnight. I left wishing I had just parked in a Walmart as I feel I paid for the same experience except for having hookups that I could have done without anyway.

 

[jbrostek]

What I can say is all of the campgrounds around there are a sandy mess. And if your are near I95 which means you can hear the traffic, New Green Acres is no better. I have never noticed the traffic noise once I close the door to the RV so that is not a concern for me. When compared to other camprgrounds in the area I would say it is better maintained and cleaner then other options. My biggest issue I deal with is it can get very tight with the trees and a 40' 5th wheel. But so far I have been able to navigate and when I get off the road at 8pm the pizza they serve is ok for the price and one less thing to worry about.

New green acres is not bad for an overnight, it is cheaper, but less maintained in my opinion. I dont use any of the bath houses, so I cannot talk to that. At new green acres the sites where long, easy ingresss/egress, but only 30A power. KOA Savannah was more of less similar to Point South KOA but not as tight. Not far from I95, but still close to main road so there was still road traffic that could be heard. Again, never noticed at any of these stops once the door was close.

 

[disneydizzy2]

We are "cray cray" for doing this is January from Oregon, but By ding dang it I am spending my bday in FW or crawling through ice and snow trying!

We are padding the trip with lots of days just in case of weather delays. Like an above post , may mean we are outside the resort for a bit to start. I did it once when my daughter and I flew down for her College Program stay. Discovered how fun it could be not even going in a park. Very surreal seeing the Castle etc, like a gorgeous backdrop.

We are very experienced travelers and RV'ers however. Husband was living in ine when we met. Now after 23 years of marriage and 2 kids, we are loving our chance to do it full time again. No better people in this world to me than the RV community.

 

[Teamubr]

Wow! I didn't realize you were coming from Oregon. Sounds like a fantastic trip. I talk to full timers all the time at many of the places we camp. I would love to do that, but my DW wants a "home base" and I don't know I could afford to do both.

Just curious since you are leaving in winter, which route are you taking? It looks farther, but the southern route down to LA and across 10/20 looks the warmest.

Google routed down to SLC and across 80. Then down through KC/StL and the rest of the trip I make from outside St Louis. I've made the trip from StL to SLC a number of times... in September. One of those trips, they had a storm come through 2 weeks after I was and I-80 was closed through most of Wyoming. I can't imagine what that part of he interstate looks like this time of year.

j

 

[StormyCA]

We are "cray cray" for doing this is January from Oregon, but By ding dang it I am spending my bday in FW or crawling through ice and snow trying!

We are padding the trip with lots of days just in case of weather delays. Like an above post , may mean we are outside the resort for a bit to start. I did it once when my daughter and I flew down for her College Program stay. Discovered how fun it could be not even going in a park. Very surreal seeing the Castle etc, like a gorgeous backdrop.

We are very experienced travelers and RV'ers however. Husband was living in ine when we met. Now after 23 years of marriage and 2 kids, we are loving our chance to do it full time again. No better people in this world to me than the RV community.

Howdy, neighbor <waves in a northerly direction>!

You going 80? We're going in April. Heading down to So Cal and picking up I40 out of Bakersfield, coming back on I70. We decided that we always take 80 when we head east and want to do something different this time!

 

[SamRoc]

Our drive is 18 hours. We would usually leave our house at 6pm and arrive at noon. Dh and i drive between 3-4 hours each.

 

[disneydizzy2]

Wow! I didn't realize you were coming from Oregon. Sounds like a fantastic trip. I talk to full timers all the time at many of the places we camp. I would love to do that, but my DW wants a "home base" and I don't know I could afford to do both.

Just curious since you are leaving in winter, which route are you taking? It looks farther, but the southern route down to LA and across 10/20 looks the warmest.

Google routed down to SLC and across 80. Then down through KC/StL and the rest of the trip I make from outside St Louis. I've made the trip from StL to SLC a number of times... in September. One of those trips, they had a storm come through 2 weeks after I was and I-80 was closed through most of Wyoming. I can't imagine what that part of he interstate looks like this time of year.

j

Howdy, neighbor <waves in a northerly direction>!

You going 80? We're going in April. Heading down to So Cal and picking up I40 out of Bakersfield, coming back on I70. We decided that we always take 80 when we head east and want to do something different this time!

We have done those general directions a couple times. Once when our kids were small we moved lock stock and barrel to NC for a job my husband had. My DD was 5, DS, 3, two black labs, our cat, and myself, all in our Subaru went thru Idaho, SLC, Denver, and met my husband in St Louis where he made the rest of the trip with us. Our return we went the more Southern route and ran into a blinding snow storm in Arizona!

Have also made the more Northern route taking our DD to college in Ohio. Wyoming is so pretty. The first day. That state goes on and on!

Haven't decided in a route just yet for this trek. I want to hit some interesting places, safest route, but get to my "real" home Disney. We are testing our snowbird wings out. Hoping for a coup,e weeks at FW, then move to a less expensive park for 2-4 weeks. I want to explore the area, and do some job searching. My dream sounds nuts to many of my native Oregonians, but probably will be understood here. Live in my 5th wheel, work at Disney, soak up the sun. This is my maiden voyage to test the waters so to speak.

And Hey back Stormy! Been to Cal so many times for fun and hubby's job. San Clemente, Bakersfield, Fresno, South San Fransisco, Coalinga, Gilroy.

 

[Corndog88]

We are headed down in June from NC but wil stop around Daytona to overnight. Then plan on getting up early for the short drive on over. Goal is to arrive around noon to see about check-in and the rest of the family can start having fun!

 

[StormyCA]

Doesn't sound nuts to me at all. We'd love to full time but right now family commitments keep us here. We try to do at least one looonngg trip a year. We're heading to the Smokies after WDW for our relaxation and decompressing. Well, the 'decompress' is mostly DH. He's not a real Disney fan, bless his heart.

Wyoming does seem to go on and on. But it's Nebraska that does me in. Too much 'flatness'.

 

[Teamubr]

Well, the 'decompress' is mostly DH. He's not a real Disney fan, bless his heart.

Sorry to hear that. My DW isn't as big a Disney fan as I am, but she still enjoys going. The Smokies are pretty neat, but it isn't Disney.

Wyoming does seem to go on and on. But it's Nebraska that does me in. Too much 'flatness'.

Absolutely, I despise Nebraska on I-80 so much we stopped going up to Lincoln and across 80 and started taking I-70 to Denver and up to Cheyenne. Wyoming is incredible, at least for someone from the midwest. Amazing geography/geology at every turn.

j