I've got the driving there blues. . .

[Tess]

Since we began traveling to WDW in 1993, we've always gotten there by plane. My husband is a nervous flyer, but he's bitten the bullet all these years and we've taken to the skies and he suffered through.

This year we are planning a full two week visit to FL with 10-11 days at Disney and the balance visiting MIL in Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers area. Since we will need to rent a car if we fly, my husband wants to make the 22 hour trip by car instead. His rationale is that we will save some $$$ and have our own car to visit his mom. While the latter appeals to me (and believe me that car will be parked while at WDW), I am just dreading the 22 hours in a custom mini van with a 17 & 15 y/o.

To add insult to injury, my husband isn't the best traveler in a vehicle--he seems to feel nature's call every couple of hours or less. I'm more the get where I'm going kinda' gal. He's also directionally challenged so I won't be able to "nap" in the car to pass the time. Heaven forbid if I don't omnisciently know the exact direction the road will flow even though it's been 25 years since I last traveled the FL trail. Still, if we're forced to drive, I'd rather take it slowly, add a couple of days at the beginning and enjoy the scenery. Yes, he's agreed that this would be cool, too--but I'm just not convinced that once the "pull of Disney" takes hold, he'd be very willing to smell the roses along the way.

I haven't always been an airline princess. As a child/teen, our family drove each and every year to FL with jaunts to Gatlinburg, TN in the spring and other locales in the summer--sometimes 3 weeks at a time on the road. Once I was bitten by the airline bug (as an adult), however, I think it's the only way to go--breakfast at home, lunch at Disney. . . . Perhaps that's why I'm dreading the drive--I vividly remember those trips in the back end of a station wagon (pre-seatbelt days--guess that dates me) and the tedium of it all.

For those out there who do this with regularity, assure me it won't be a nasty start to our terrific vacation. Any tips for maintaining your sanity while driving endlessly? Does anyone prefer the I-95 trek vs the I-75 plan? Seems that AAA, Rand-McNally, and MapQuest all prefer I-75. Do you plan your stops along the way or simply drive until you feel the need to dig in for the night? Is it fairly easy to find a hotel/motel for the night along the way? I've never traveled to Fl where we actually stopped somewhere--we always did the straight through drive.

Thanks for your support. . .I hate to be a whiner, but I did make the compromise--that should count for something.

 

[tinaluis]

We just completed a two week driving trip to WDW (would have been three weeks but Hurricane Charley caused us to start our trip a week later). While the drive isn't a piece of cake, it isn't that bad either and our other option would be to stay at home, so driving for 22 hours beats staying home in a heartbeat. Really, we could afford to fly and rent a car for three weeks (or two weeks as it turned out) if we wanted to, but then we'd be a little more hesitant about shceduling three trips in a calendar year if each trip cost about $3,500 as opposed to $1,500. For us, it's worth the "hassle" of driving when it means that we can plan a trip or two more.
Also, it's about 1200 miles for us door to door, so we plan on a hotel at or near Atlanta, GA on the way down which is about 700 miles and save the shorter driving day for the second day when everyone is just dying to get there. We do the same with the drive home, planning a hotel at or near Nashville, TN.
We've never driven I-95 so I can't comment on that vs. I-75. We do know what you mean about the "call of nature" though because we have three DDs, 8,6 and 3, and always seems to be stopping at a restroom. However, it's no different when we get there -- I think I've seen EVERY restroom in all of the theme parks at least once!
Good luck to you on your drive. Have a safe trip!

 

[Mortlives]

We drove to FL in March on the I-95 route, and decided that that was our preferred method of going south. We loved the scenery, the hours in the car with DS, and the not having to do the "hurry up and wait" thing at the airport.

Maintaining your sanity:

• Look at the scenery, and watch the change in terrain as your latitude decreases.
• Bring lots and lots of music to torment your kids ;-) Rammstein works particularly well for our DS.
• Have car games. Our favourite was to read aloud a Darwin award every time we saw a driver courting one.
• Get a AAA triptik, and keep track of the changing maps. Cheering is optional when "new map" is called.
• Game boys are good.
• Books are good.

We prefer I-95, and I plan our stops in advance. That way we have a goal to look forward to at the end of the day, and I know how much it's going to cost me.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[disneymom3]

With a 15 and 17 year old this trip shoulc be a piece of cake! They will of course, never argue, right? And be generous to one another to a fault as all siblings are, yes?

Seriously though! I don't have teenagers yet, but I know my 8 yo is waaaay easier in the car than her little brothers. Give that girl a walkman, game boy and a few books and she is good to go for the 28 hours of car time it takes us to get there. (Oh yeah, and some snacks and gum in her backpack.)

They may be too old for Gameboy, but with their own walkman each, books etc to entertain themselves they at least should be pretty good. Or they may take the route of my older sister on every family vacation--SLEEP.

Dh and I love the drive and the time to talk, read and see the country. He does the stop every couple of hours thing too, but we had a two year old and three year old on the last trip, so that was pretty necessary anyway.

Never been on I-75 as we come from MN, but it seems like everyone from the east goes that way.

 

[jennymouse]

I feel for ya, Tess, as I'm in the same boat for our February trip. My uncle who's going with us is almost 80yo and has never flown and refuses to fly. I've been wondering about going 75 or 95 and am thinking of doing 75 down and 95 going home. I'm also thinking of finding some interesting places to stop along the way as we don't want to drive straight through. We're thinking of stopping in Savannah maybe. And just this week, Delta announced they are starting a direct flight to Orlando from Lexington. We usually have to switch planes in Atlanta so I can't wait to do the direct flight.