If you've driven straight through, what are your tips?

[SarahKate]

This will be our first time driving to WDW from Central IL. We are planning to make it a straight shot going there and take our time coming home. Currently we're leaving on a Friday after DD7 gets out of school and end up driving through the nite and getting there Saturday early afternoon.

We've never done the driving all nite thing. What are your tips and tricks?

I was hoping to maybe stay up a good part of Thursday nite and then sleep a good chunk of Friday during the day (realizing that we'll have to make sure we're all ready to go beforehand).

Let me know your strategies!!

 

[taximomfor4]

I have tried this several different ways, from NE Ohio. I have started the drive at 2:30am, and have started the drive in early afternoon, driving through the night. My family prefers leaving in early afternoon, because they sleep for most of the drive. I prefer leaving at 2:30am, because by the time my eyes get dark-fatigued, it's dawn...then daylight for the rest of the time so DH can take shifts driving (he can't drive at night, he falls asleep).

I will say, when I left in the early afternoon, by about midnight or 1am, my eyes kept drying out painfully. I ended up stopping at EVERY SINGLE rest area, to close my eyes for 20 minutes or so. I never dozed or slept, just let my eyes re-lubricate and rest.

All that said, my stepbrother just told me about an eye spray that you mist onto your eyes to moisten them back up. I will DEFINITELY use something like that next trip, as well as having dh do more of the daylight driving so I get more rest before the night driving.

Beth

 

[dzneelvr]

We drove once from the NW corner of Illinois and here's what I can remember:
1)rotate drivers and when one is "off" they should be sleeping--staying awake is a bad idea because the fatigue will hit you eventually--HARD 2) Videos and DVDs, handheld games, etc. are a must for the kids 3) make sure you build in ample "car lag" nap time at the resort after you check in--which is usually around 3pm so plan your departure time to that magic number. Even though we fly, we still do the travel night at the resort so there's no pressure to make an ADR or show. It's a fun and relaxing way to explore the resort, enjoy the pool and on-site food (which is wonderful, by the way) and be full of energy to hit the parks the next day. Have a magical time

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

last time the 3 of us drove straight to WDW from Boston we left at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon, when DD got out of school.
We had big and small coolers packed with soft drinks, juice, water and sandwiches.
We stopped every 3-4 hours/200 miles for gas, bathroom breaks and to switch drivers.
After the first stop, the next 4 stops became a series of short trips through the AAA trip tik, we didn't have a GPS.
At noon on Saturday we were walking around downtown Disney .
NO BIG DEAL.
It cost us about $400 for gas and tolls in our Chevy Trailblazer.
If we can't get airfare and a car rental for less than $1,000 then we drive.
So far we've driven down twice and flown down 5 times.
Good luck all,
Joe

 

[Tina]

Get out and stretch your legs a bit every few hours. I recently did the drive home from WDW to Northern Virginia (13 hours) solo (drive down was with a friend). Since I was a lone female, I minimized my stops and made only 3. Each was the same: gas, bathroom, 1 McD's cheeseburger & a coke to go. The trip went well, but when I finally arrived home, I found my feet and ankles horrible sore and swollen. I obviously sat for much too long without taking a stretch. Also, taking a brisk walk around will wake you up a bit and refresh you.

 

[SarahKate]

Thanks for all the great advice so far, guys! It's very much appreciated.

I wear contacts and my eyes really get dry by the end of the day - I was thinking that I'd probably take them out and switch to glasses through some of the late night driving.

I was also thinking that maybe I should set alarms on my phone to go off after every 2 hours or so during the nite so that we pull over, stretch and switch driving. IT's going to be hard for me to sleep while he's driving because I'm one of those paranoid people who's scared about him falling asleep - we're going to have to have an agreement that if either of our eyes gets even starts to get heavy, that we need to pull over and/or switch!!!

Even though I'm nervous about all this, I'm really excited at the idea of driving! I just feel like it's going to be liberating (albeit exhausting!) to just leave and not have to worry about the timelines that are involved when we fly. 25 more days!!

 

[ScottOKW2K]

We live in central Mississippi and have flown 3 times and driven to WDW literally dozens of times. For us it's about a 12 hour drive and we have found that leaving in the early to mid afternoon time and driving through the night works out best for us. We always found that those times we left early in the morning we would hit traffic delays somewhere in Florida whereas when we drive through the night it is clear sailing all the way.

We prepare be doing as much packing and preparation as possible before the day of our departure, and then sleep in late that day. We then eat a small meal when we leave, or eat from the childrens menu at Cracker Barrel for supper on our drive. We have found that is just enough food to satisfy you without making you drowsy later on. Then we just drive through the night making stops for food, gas , and rest stops as needed. And we do need a few - we bring our golden retriever along and I swear he tries to make it his personal mission to pee in as many places in Florida as possible !

We usually arrive on property about 7 ~ 9 am the next morning. We get the dog checked in and then check into our resort. Sometimes we het lucky and get a room early but most often it is at the normal room ready time. We just hit the parks till we get our room and then come back for a nap. Get up about 7, a decent supper and then the Illuminations finishes our first day at Disney. A good nights sleep that night and we are back to normal the next morning.

 

[maxiesmom]

Thanks for all the great advice so far, guys! It's very much appreciated.

I wear contacts and my eyes really get dry by the end of the day - I was thinking that I'd probably take them out and switch to glasses through some of the late night driving.

I was also thinking that maybe I should set alarms on my phone to go off after every 2 hours or so during the nite so that we pull over, stretch and switch driving. IT's going to be hard for me to sleep while he's driving because I'm one of those paranoid people who's scared about him falling asleep - we're going to have to have an agreement that if either of our eyes gets even starts to get heavy, that we need to pull over and/or switch!!!

Even though I'm nervous about all this, I'm really excited at the idea of driving! I just feel like it's going to be liberating (albeit exhausting!) to just leave and not have to worry about the timelines that are involved when we fly. 25 more days!!

If there is only 2 of you, I honestly think you should plan an overnight stop. If you don't, then please be very careful! It is so easy for a driver to not feel tired, yet to veer off of the road or fall asleep while driving. My sister has done a few road trips with her hubby, and she always stays awake while he drive, because he has fallen asleep at the wheel before.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

When we have left when the kids get out of school, also from Illinois, we leave around 3:00 PM with me driving and drive straight until dinner, normally around Mt Vernon.. Back in the car for 2-3 hours for another stop(Nashville area???), let the kids go potty etc as they will soon fall asleep as by then its 10PM.. I usually convince my wife to get a little sleep so she isn't as tired when we arrive at WDW. Once they are all alseep, I don't stop until dawn except one quick stop for gas, those hours are when you will make the best time.. by breakfast time we would often end up near Lake City... By mid morning we are at WDW, checked into our resort and to the parks shortly after..

It really is quite easyy, the key is to not stop, we can usually keep our stopped time to about an hour..

 

[tinkerbell615]

We have driven quite a few times from Southwest Ohio. Most times we have left around 10:30 or 11:00 pm, but this time we are going to leave around 6:00 or so. I think it will be better for us to leave earlier.

We always take Coke and Mt. Dew so that we have caffiene and lots of little snacks like tootsie rolls and twizzlers. I also always pack a cooler and take a washcloth. If I start to get too sleepy (I like to stay awake also because I keep DH company), I will put the washcloth in the ice water to wipe our faces and that refreshes and wakes us up.

I am a fan too of stopping at rest areas and getting our to stretch and walk. Good luck and have a safe trip. We will be making our trip again this summer.

 

[SarahKate]

For those of you who have done the route from IL (I-24, I-75) what are your thoughts about the rest stops? If you need to pull over and just rest for a very short time, stretch, etc. does it feel safe even if it's late a nite? Or do you feel like stopping off a major looking exit w/ lots of restaurants and gas stations would be safer? I guess rest stops make me a little nervous but maybe the ones on those routes are a little "friendlier"!

 

[huskies90]

OK. Here is my input. I drove straight through last February from CT.

-- I did quite a bit of planning. I bought an I-95 book and looked at many options for places to stop, eat, gas, stretch etc. I also researched quite a bit online and here on Disboards.

-- Second, I too wear contacts. I recommend going with glasses if your eyes get dry with contacts. Also, wear as comfortable clothing as you can. I wore sweat pants and a sweat shirt.

-- I agree you make the best time at night during the “graveyard shift”. I did the majority of the driving and had limited stops.

-- For my kids, I set up the car so each kid would have their own row in my 3 row Honda Pilot. This meant some creative packing and limited what we could bring but made it much more comfortable for them to sleep through the night.

-- I bought a heavy duty die hard inverter (switches DC to AC) that allowed us to run multiple electronic devices. This was key for laptops. Both kids were able to use them and re charge them. We have two 3G phones and we added the data plan (major carriers allow you to add the feature and remove it for a prorated fee) for the week which enabled them to tether the phones to the PCs to go online during the whole trip. It also allowed us to have internet while in our resort for a fraction of what Disney charges.

-- We left at 4PM on Friday. I drove the first 4 hours to MD and we stopped for dinner, gas, etc and switched drivers. My wife drove through DC and we switched in Northern VA at 1AM. Going at this time meant we hit no Philly, Baltimore, DC or Richmond traffic – we just flew through those cities. Then I drove straight through to northern GA while everyone slept. I flew on I-95 with almost no traffic. I only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. We had breakfast at about 8AM then my wife drove through GA and most Northern FL while I slept. I drove the last 2 hours or so and we were at POFQ by 2PM (a tad under 22 hours)

-- Doing the graveyard shifts and having a reference guide of all the exits was very key. I did not want to get off an exit and drive for miles searching for a gas station or bathroom.

-- I am semi professional musician and I am often up late into the night (morning) playing at clubs so I was used to staying up late. That helped. Also, having the excitement of going to Disney kept me going through the night. I drank 2 red bulls and had a continuous supply of Dr. Pepper and M&Ms. I have XM radio so that made my music seamless.

-- I have been to FL dozens of times. I always fly. This trip was a once in a lifetime trip. I always wanted to try driving. It was a fun adventure and I probably will do it again someday but I much much much prefer flying. Going straight through was easy and through the wee hours of the night is the best way to go.

-- And finally, while if I did it again, I would go straight through going down, I think coming back I would stop somewhere. We had a hotel reservation at the half way point in SC for the trip back, but because the trip down was so easy, we decided to go straight through coming back. This was much more difficult…maybe because we were at EPCOT all day or because we were tired from a full week at Disney or because we lacked the excitement of going to Disney. We ended up stopping much more on the way back and my wife and I switched off just about every hour when we got into that graveyard shift time because we were so tired. Soda, red bull or M&Ms didn’t seem to help. When we got to sunrise we were fine, but those last few hours before dawn were scary…

 

[Tara]

You know, for all the discussion that there is about driving to WDW and the hints and tricks and the recommendations for places to stop for the night, strategies for avoiding rush hour in metro areas...I'm surprised someone hasn't created a wiki for it all. I'm just sayin.

 

[tinkerbell615]

For those of you who have done the route from IL (I-24, I-75) what are your thoughts about the rest stops? If you need to pull over and just rest for a very short time, stretch, etc. does it feel safe even if it's late a nite? Or do you feel like stopping off a major looking exit w/ lots of restaurants and gas stations would be safer? I guess rest stops make me a little nervous but maybe the ones on those routes are a little "friendlier"!

We have never had a problem stopping at the rest areas through the night. The ones we usually stop at are very well lit and typically have quite a few people there. I think you will be surprised at how many people seem to be traveling through the night. With that being said... I don't think I would stop if I were travelling alone. As long as there is someone else with you, you should be fine.

 

[LidoDeck]

Grapes.

We always bring grapes for travel snack food. You can munch on them all day without getting stuffed. They don't make you thirsty and they don't make you go pee (or not much like soda does). You can wash them and take them off the stem and just put a baggie full on your lap. Oh, and they are yummy.

 

[hearts8701]

my husband and i drive several times a year straight thru from chicago my husband is the only driver it takes him 17 - 18 hours stops are limited we stop for gas always going to th bathroom even if you think you don't need to go (you will need to go as soon as you drive away from gas station!!) we eat small snacks usually at a drive thru nothing heavy we do not stop for sit down meals this makes him tired we used to pack all kinds of things now we just get snacks and drinks along the way which makes less bathroom breaks we always have peppermint either hard candy or gum peppermint aroma as a countermeasure to sleepiness behind the wheel
there are not many rest stops in illinois you wouldn't need them driving down but you might coming home
after atlanta there are few rest stops some are over 50 miles apart so if you need to stop do so right after atlanta
most rest stops have plently of lights but be aware of your surroundings at night
when we get to disney we do not have the enegry to go to a park we check in and sleep get up have a dinner at the food court go bed early and start the parks the next day when drive home we do not go to a water park the day before we leave do we go to a park for a few hours do our shopping at downtown or a nice dinner we leave disney about 6 am and arrive home by midnight chicago most Important If your tired Stop & Rest disney will be waiting when you get there

 

[uva185]

Anyone trying to drive straight through should be very careful. Driving while you are drowsy can be more dangerous than drunk driving.

I myself get very tired while driving and its one reason I stick to the air. I have had waaay too many close calls veering off the road only to get awoken by those rumble strips (which are a brilliant invention).

Even just taking quick 30-45 min naps at rest stations can be a life saver.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Subbing to this thread. We are thinking about driving from MA for the first time this September. We would drive straight thru, with dh and I taking turns. I like the idea of grapes!! I think eating something will probably keep you awake enough, right?

 

[Lewisc]

Anyone trying to drive straight through should be very careful. Driving while you are drowsy can be more dangerous than drunk driving.

+1 Many people shouldn't plan do drive during the time they'd normally be sleeping. Plans won't work if the second driver can't sleep in the car, or needs to stay awake so the driver doesn't doze.

!! I think eating something will probably keep you awake enough, right?

I don't agree. There isn't a substitute for sleep. Planning a strategy to be "awake enough" is looking for trouble.

People with a trip that's more then 8-12 hours should just get a hotel room. Safer.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

People with a trip that's more then 8-12 hours should just get a hotel room. Safer.

OOOORRRRR.... people with trips of more than 8-12 hours should plan their trips they feel is best for them and their family.. For me, leaving the house at 2AM and driving the 16-18 hours to WDW is a piece of cake, don't need anyone telling me what I should and shouldn't do considering they don't know me.. Just because you don't feel comfortable making the trip, doesn't mean I don't..

I have been driving overnight trips for many, many years and very rarely do I see accidents during the midnight-5AM time, most of the accidents are during the day when traffic is heavier..