I've lost my mind! Driving from NJ to Orlando ALONE!

[autismgoesdisney]

I'm thinking of booking a room only for the beginning of our stay. The problem is that my husband can't take more time off of work. So I am thinking of driving down with the three kids. We would leave early in the morning to Jacksonville for the night (get there around midnight) and then head to Orlando in the morning. My hubby would meet us Saturday morning via airplane and we'd check into our room. Am I crazy???

 

[Thumper4me]

You are a braver woman than I am!!
Best of luck if you decide to do this!!

 

[DonnaL]

With an 8,6 and 4 year old? What happens if you suddenly got sick (stomach bug or something) somewhere in the Carolinas? I know I wouldn't attempt it. Have you ever made the drive before? There are some pretty long desolate stretches of road in the lower Carolinas and Georgia......we made the drive January 2011 and did quite a bit of driving from late afternoon until about midnight (stopped outside Savannah) and I can't imagine driving it alone....with three small children......at night.

 

[NJRRK]

My opinion, having driven it a few times, you're putting yourself too far south. Aiming for Jacksonville is admirable but remember you're going to have to stop to eat, get gas, go potty, etc. I would recommend not trying to get any further south than Yemassee, or Ridgeland South Carolina. That will put you about 5 hours north of DW and it's an easy drive after that first long haul.

 

[Mduff]

Have you thought about taking the auto train from VA to Sanford? It's 17 hours but it's overnight and you could all sleep on the train. At least you wouldn't have to worry about driving by yourself.

 

[Sunnywho]

from your name autismgoesdisney, is one of the children autistic? I was thinking the plan sounded challenging but doable, but if autism is involved, it would increase the challenge.

 

[Svhadden]

I have two young kids, both neurotypical, and I've made several longish trips with them, when my DH couldn't take time off work, etc. As long as you plan well, and prepare as much as possible, why shouldn't you? I don't get it when ppl act like you can't take care of yourself and your kids alone. Single moms do it every flippin' day. You know yourself and your kids, you know what you can and can't handle, and if you're used to taking care of your kids on a daily basis, I don't see why you can't do this. When I was sixteen, I drove from Tuscaloosa AL to Killeen TX with my 2 yr old nephew, by myself, to meet his mom (my sister). About a 14 hr drive, IIRC.

Depends on you...are you comfortable with driving long distances by yourself? Do you freak out if you miss your turn/exit? Are you good with maps and directions? Are your kids OK in the car for long periods? As I said, you can answer those questions best.

The train option sounds good, but if that's not an option, I'd say prepare prepare prepare, and if you think you and your kids can handle it, go for it.

 

[ncc1701]

Coming from the S.J. suburbs of Phila. I was ready to call it quits around the border of SC. & GA. on the trips I've driven. (have flown on 5 of our last 6 trips). That was doing it with another driver and no kids. If you have done long drives as the only driver with your children then go for it otherwise maybe stop earlier.

 

[dryomama]

I don't know how long your drive is, but I've driven with my 2 boys from Missouri (about 16 hours total) several times. Our first drive the kids were 6 and 12. We leave by 5 am and drive straight down.

Plan well, make sure the car is in ship-shape and drive safe! Have fun and enjoy your Mom-Kid time!


DrYomama

 

[Danibelle]

I would probably stay in SC or the southern part of NC in that order. There are really long isolated stretches in NC, SC, and GA. I would hate for you to have something go wrong and not be near a town. I would try to find the middle part of the trip and make a motel reservation. This is the part of the country I currently live in and am very familiar with these long stretches of I95.

 

[happily single]

If you are comfortable taking your kids alone on a day trip then I say do it!! I've driven twice from RI to FL alone with my three kids-but they were 5, 11 and 12 at the time and then 6,13 and 14, but my middle child has developmental delays. Luckily I'm not easily upset and have tons of patience.

 

[bumbershoot]

The driving part isn't "crazy", but having done long drives while *actually* alone, I would split it up earlier. Don't try to get to Florida. Stop in SC, find a simple hotel with a pool, make the road trip FUN, not a huge long slog that will make everyone hate road trips in the future.

As a kid, I loved the most simple, rectangular pool at a hotel, and I bet your kids would, too. Don't drive until midnight. Stop before sundown and get some rest. Yes you'll get there later the next day, but you'll feel better for it.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I wouldn't do it for just a few more days b/c you may spend those first few days just recuperating from the long drive. I like traveling with my husband too, and it's more fun if we start off the trip with the whole family b/c the beginning is always the most exciting for us.

My girls are 11 and 15 and in a few years you will see how much easier it is with older kids. I would wait and do it then.

 

[sharadoc]

I posted on your thread on the Resorts Board. In addition to the cost of the extra room, what are you going to do for those days? You have free dining, right? So you can't start that early, you can possibly get your tickets early but if you're already going for 10 days, you can't get more than that so you'll be stuck with no park days.

We drive all the time and it is very difficult to drive further than SC in one day. We tried straight through a couple of times and it was rough. We hit some sort of road issue each time so our 17 hour trip turned into 20 or 21. Jacksonville would be rough with two drivers, I could never do it with one.

You'll have to corral all the kids into rest areas, roadside restaurants, etc. too. More tiring than you can imagine!

This doesn't seem like a necessity so I can't agree with your idea. Please relax, use the extra money for some extras on your trip and keep your original plan. Make a deposit on the next trip, go to a special show or tour, or just do something you didn't think you could afford. And get your DH that new laptop!

 

[MrMarv]

According to mapquest.com, Florence, SC is approximately 465 miles from WDW; find a nice hotel near there at either http://www.choicehotels.com or http://www.wyndhamrewards.com, and spend the night there, and you'll get a nice discount if you're a member of the Auto Club.

http://www.i95exitguide is another superb website you can use.

 

[momof3ds]

I posted in the other thread as well.

I have done a long (12 hours) drive with a 9, 7, and 5 year old. It can be done.

I would plan a stop somewhere around the 10-12 hour mark though.

Make sure you have snacks, games, ipods, gameboys, books, whatever works.

Last summer, I got the kids up at 3am. Got them dressed in comfy clothes (they can not sleep in their clothes or I would have done that) and loaded in the car after a quick snack. We were on the road by 4am.

The kids slept from about 4:30 to 8am and we stopped for breakfast. After that we stopped every 2-3 hours for leg stretches and bathroom breaks.

 

[Capt_BJ]

another vote for Jax being TOO far for the break

Florence area has worked well for us in the past - back a few years it was one of the only decently built up places to stop in that stretch of 95 - now nearly every exit has something - but Florence has more . . .

heck if you drive as far as JAX you'd only be 2 more hours to Disney at the MOST.

DO look into auto-train ..... could be just what the dr ordered . . .

 

[ncc1701]

We stopped at Walterboro which is about 1 hour from the Georgia border.
Last time we drove was about 10 years ago but it had several hotels/motels and restaurants.It had much more then the 1st time I stayed there in 1983.

 

[mydisneykids]

According to mapquest.com, Florence, SC is approximately 465 miles from WDW; find a nice hotel near there at either http://www.choicehotels.com or http://www.wyndhamrewards.com, and spend the night there, and you'll get a nice discount if you're a member of the Auto Club.

http://www.i95exitguide is another superb website you can use.

Haven't driven since I was a kid and back then we went every year down near Miami to visit family. I would not hesitate to do it with my kids but time is always the thing that changes our mind.
But I agree with the other posters. Jax is a bit too far. We are from NJ and all of our trips as a kid Florence, SC was our stopping place the first night.

Good luck with whatever you decide.