Please help get me excited about driving!

[kirsangel]

First, I must state that I am thrilled to be going to Disney World. BUT I have been pricing flights from Chicago and it is really expensive(we are going in March for Spring Break). We sat down last night and figured we could save over $1200 by driving. It is about 16 1/2 hours of driving from home(Champaign, IL) down to Port Orleans-Riverside. So we figured we could leave Friday after school and drive half, stay at a hotel, then drive the rest on Sat. I am just dreading the long car ride, with my occasional back trouble and two kids (4yo and 7yo) who are not fans of long car rides and sometimes get car sick. So I guess I need some encouragement and some positives for having a car on property for the first time. Please help me get excited about having a car.

 

[MYD714]

My first 5 trips to Disney as a kid were driving from CT to FL, and they were my most memorable trips. It's not as bad as it sounds, and it always brought my family closer together.

My dad would pack the car with music the family enjoyed--and Paul Simon's Graceland CD. My mother hates it, so we would play it for hours and sing along. It drove her crazy. We'd also bring Disney music to get us in the Disney mood.

I like to believe that my brother and I are closer now because of these trips. We'd spend the entire drive talking about the things we couldn't wait to see & do.

Getting car sick is no fun. My brother gets car sick and he puked before we even left the house on the first trip--now we just laugh at it.

When I was 21, we flew to Disney for the first time. While I loved the quick trip, I missed the time I used to spend with my family.

You'll have a great time. Pack lots of things to do, puke bags, and pain pills. It'll be worth it in the end.

 

[Mary T in PA]

We did our first drive to the World in Late Nov/Early Dec. It was the best decision we ever made. Our trip is almost as long - about 17-18hrs one way. We did leave early in the morning and make it to Disney after midnight, little traffic on the main roads and good weather. Our youngest DD7 has terrible motion sickness, so I sat in the back with her when she did get sick it was easy to take care of. We also had their personal DVD players, nintendos and other things to keep them occupied.

In previous trips we always rented a car because we would fly, and it was nice to not have to deal with the airport and all the hassles that come with flying.

You may want to check the Transportation forum - they have a thread that is for 2000+mile drivers.. the posters there gave me great tips and we had no troubles on our drive. The seasoned drivers are experts at knowing the best stops, places to eat, and hotels along the way.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1655918

Good Luck!

 

[MinnieMommy07]

From your post, I take it there are four of you traveling from northern IL. From this info, roundtrip airfare should only cost about $800 if you go from a well known airport! Have you considered how much gas costs for your trip. In a best case scenario, having a super fuel efficient car will still run over $200 for the trip! That's STILL a big savings, but I'm REALLY interested in how you came to over $1200! If I'm missing something, PLEASE let me in on your secret!

 

[PrincessBetsy]

I always love the drive to Disney! When we lived in NY it took us 23 hours to get to Disney and while it is very long, we always had a ton of fun. We bring our Disney music to get us in the mood and play disney games, like have each person name a Disney character for every letter of the alphabet. I would also suggest going to the Transportation forum to get some ideas of things your kids could do in the car. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time and it will build the excitement of your trip!! Have a magical vacation!!!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We flew for years. Last summer was the first time we decided to drive. Two things pushed us - airfares were a lot higher with the added luggage fees etc. and we also wanted to go to Hilton Head after Disney. I was a nervous wreck. We had the three youngest with us (they were 8, 10 and 11).

I loved it! So much so that we're doing it again this summer.

What we did might not work for anyone but we liked it. We left around 9:00 at night. We drove straight through except for bathroom stops and to stretch our legs. I packed foods and drinks. We got to Disney around 3:00 the next afternoon. We stayed at the Buena Vista Palace and Spa (DTD) that night, swam and relaxed then walked over to the RFC at DTD for dinner and then called it a night and got a good night's sleep. We were up bright and early and checked into BC in time for breakfast in the CL lounge! We plan on doing exactly the same thing this year.

 

[kirsangel]

$800 for round trip airfare from Chicagofor a family of four??? Try over $2000! The cheapest non stop flights I have found from Chicago Midway, O'Hare or Indianapolis are over $500. If we stop and change planes and are willing to travel at midnight or 5am, we can get flights for $360 each. So driving round trip will cost us about $800 figuring gas, 2 nights in a hotel, food, tolls, etc. Therefore saving us over $1200. If you can get me roundtrip air for only $800, I will gladly fly!

 

[katykate]

Good luck--let us know how it goes!! We're heading out on Wednesday morning from Grand Rapids Mi. Myself, DH, DD(10), DS (12) and our 17 month old lil man. Mapquest says 19 hours--but we're planning on taking closer to 22-24 with all of the stops we'll have to make. I know it's going to be exhausting, but at least on the way there we'll all have something to look forward to. It's the trip home I'm worried about!! LOL

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

I have nightmares from when I was a kid and my family would drive from Philly, down I-95 to Florida. Hated it so much I said I'd only fly. Well considering all the hassle at the airport and what you can and cannot bring, I may wind up driving instead. Between having Sirius satellite radio on my iPhone, a netbook w/ wireless broadband and DD10 having her iPod touch, it should be quite a fun trip!

Lots of people drive to Disney World. I still like spotting all of the out of state plates in the parking lot.

 

[fireman1]

We drive every year, its about 12/13 hours for us. We love it. Lots of things to see on the road if you know what to look for. Not to mention you learn alot by just talking to each other along the way.

 

[disneyfan55]

Not only have we driven to all but 2 of our WDW trips, we drove 2 times to DL as part of cross country trips (6 in all and 3 when the children were small born 1977 and 1980) Driving is part of the trip for us!! The worst probably was just last week we drove to WDW just before all the Northeast snow. We drove back Fri and Sat when Savannah had snow when we got there!! As you can see from my dates, my children went from when I was pregnant! They always were fine in the car even for the cross country trips! (We live in NJ)

 

[tinkerbell615]

Our family always makes the drive to Disney. It is usually about a 15-16 hour trip. DH has a bad back too, so we have to make a few more stops for him to get out and take a walk, but it is always one of the highlights of my trip. We also take a lot of fun music. I always make sure to have word search puzzles and games for the kids. Although my kids are not little any more. DS is actually driving himself and his girlfriend and her little boy for the first time this visit. DD and her friend will be riding with us. We are really excited. We typically leave at night and drive straight through.

Have a safe and fun journey!

 

[heatherlynn444]

we have started driving the 10 hour trip due to flight costs as well.

do you have protable DVD players for the kids? video games? book, etc. pack a huge box of things for them to do in the car. we always pack snacks, a cooler for drinks, etc.
to me its part of the excitement "we're getting closer!" driving through those gates, so fun!

As far as having a car on property, I was always told once I did it one time I would be spoiled and would never want to use the disney busses again..theyw ere right! hopping in the car and driving to the parks saved so many hours of our day havng to wait on a bus, potentially have to stand on teh bus, we crowded by sweaty people when it's hot, have to drop off at 5 different places etc. we literally save HOURS a day!

another plus is not having to have DME pick you up to go to the airport so early. we have always had to be picked up at 8,9 AM due to not many flight options, but driving, we stay half the day and then start our drive, so we get extra time that alst day and can take our time and leave when we are ready, not when a bus says we have to, and then sit at the airport for 2 hours bored to tears. no fun!

 

[disneyfan55]

Our family always makes the drive to Disney. It is usually about a 15-16 hour trip. DH has a bad back too, so we have to make a few more stops for him to get out and take a walk, but it is always one of the highlights of my trip. We also take a lot of fun music. I always make sure to have word search puzzles and games for the kids. Although my kids are not little any more. DS is actually driving himself and his girlfriend and her little boy for the first time this visit. DD and her friend will be riding with us. We are really excited. We typically leave at night and drive straight through.

Have a safe and fun journey!

You sound like our family! Our children are not small either but we all went last week! My son, 29, and my daughter 32, and her son almost 2 drove in one car and my husband and I in another. I cannot drive straight through since I had a back injury but until then we always did as well! My son's girlfriend flew down for 4 days. I guess that's one thing the 'kids' still like to do with us!!

 

[tinkerbell615]

You sound like our family! Our children are not small either but we all went last week! My son, 29, and my daughter 32, and her son almost 2 drove in one car and my husband and I in another. I cannot drive straight through since I had a back injury but until then we always did as well! My son's girlfriend flew down for 4 days. I guess that's one thing the 'kids' still like to do with us!!

My DS will be 24 and DD will be 18 when we go in June. It will be the first time in a long time that we get to take a 2 year old. Can't wait! And yes... I hope this will be one thing the kids will always want to do with us!

OP...We also always took the portable DVD and movies. If you don't have one, they are fairly inexpensive to purchase.

 

[Bronte]

We are doing our first ever drive as well ...

The cost of spring break airfair is way too high ...

We will be driving from Indy ... Perhaps we will see you on the road

 

[CanadianGuy]

This thread is really more suited to the DIS Transportation board than here on the Resorts Board.. as such I'll be moving it there..

Thanks,

K

 

[disneyfan55]

My DS will be 24 and DD will be 18 when we go in June. It will be the first time in a long time that we get to take a 2 year old. Can't wait! And yes... I hope this will be one thing the kids will always want to do with us!

OP...We also always took the portable DVD and movies. If you don't have one, they are fairly inexpensive to purchase.

Hope you have a wonderful trip! It sounds like they will want to continue to go with you!!

 

[crazycatlady]

We have driven to DW 3 times and only flown once. We live just outside of Milwaukee, so not too far from OP. We much prefer to drive!! We left the house at 4:30 a.m. for our last trip so that we could get through all the construction in southern WI/northern IL and to get through Chicago before rush hour. After Chicago it is a really nice ride. Southern Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and northern Georgia are really pretty because of the mountains, especially in the fall when we usually go. We took a side detour this year to stop at the Grand Old Opry (NOT country music fans) and it was fun to see the historic site and get out of the car for a while to walk around the pretty grounds. I LOVE the cotton fields in Georgia (my family thinks I am absolutely nuts because I point out every cotton field we see) and the cool viney trees that are so different from the trees anywhere else I have been. Two days is the perfect amount to budget for.

We have driven when our kids were 2 and 4, 6 and 8, and 12 and 14. Take along individual dvd players and plenty of movies (we usually shop for cheapy movies right before we go so they have something new to watch), Disney audio music, snacks and drinks, hand held games, paper and crayons, and an assortment of other little things to play with. We always take a small box that fits in between the kids in the car and tell them that they can fill it together with things to do. We always tried to get up early the second day of driving so that the kids would fall back to sleep for a few hours in the car (we bring at least one pillow in the backseat for naps). Try to stop at fast food restaurants with play places for lunch so that they can let off a little steam and then they usually have some sort of happy meal toy that will maybe distract for a little while back in the car. Some of the rest stops along the way are nice and have small playgrounds or grass to run around on, so that is a better idea for potty breaks than gas stations if you don't need to buy gas just then. Don't forget to bring plastic bags (for garbage or anything else ), hand wipes, and motion sickness medacine jic.

Don't worry! It is always fun to see new places. We have driven on many of our vacations all over and this is a really nice and enjoyable drive. Have a great trip and let us know how the drive went!

 

[sharadoc]

We LOVE driving and that thread for 2000+ drivers is the greatest thread on the DIS!

Our cost for 3 trips driving = 1 trip flying. Combine that with room discounts and annual passes plus GAD vouchers this year and that means multiple trips a year!!

With the age of your little ones, I would recommend stopping overnight at a hotel/motel with a free breakfast in the lobby. It will be part of the "adventure" and give them another new experience, plus give the adults a chance to relax and rejuvenate. We drive a long day the first day, at least 12 hours, then only have a quick 4-5 hour trip the next day to Disney. And we haven't lost any sleep to do it.

The drive is so easy for us, that we're willing to do it for a one week trip. Driving on the weekend is so much better than weekdays, too, unless it's the middle of summer in Virginia. Then you should avoid 95 like the plague