Question about Driving with kids???

[sdaughs]

What is the best thing to do?? We leave in just a few days and still are undecided!

Option 1: leave about 5am on friday, drive to santa nella, stay overnight, then leave there at 7am to go to DL

or

Option 2: leave about 5pm on Thursday, let kids sleep in the car and drive straght through???

HUGS

 

[dismom73]

If it were me, I would go with option 1. I just think with option 2 whoever is doing the driving would be REALLY tired, and the kids wouldn't get a really good night sleep in the car which in turn would make them tired too and my experience is an overly tired family is not a very fun way to start off a vacation. I've also learned to never "count on" the kids sleeping in the car when we are on the way to Disneyland. They are just too excited, and I can't say that I blame them.

 

[reynmagsmom]

I would go with Option 1 also as that is our normal drive down almost every trip last year we drove straight thru and it took me 2 full days to recover...but by stopping in Santa Nella we were refreshed and ready to go once we made it to Anaheim and the trip from SN is pretty short we usually leave around 6 or 7am and get into Anheim around 12 or 1ish depending on traffic...... The Holiday Inn Express is a wonderful hotel and had a great breakfast...... Have a great trip!!!

 

[sdaughs]

if we did do option 2, it would put us there a day early and we would just spend the day relaxing at the hotel!

 

[dismom73]

...but if you're just going to spend the day relaxing at the hotel, and not go into the parks, then why get there a day early? why not keep your normal sleep patterns and arrive around noon refreshed? I think people sometimes underestimate the effects of messing up their sleep pattern. But I'm sure whichever way you decide to go you will have a blast, I wish I were going that soon!

 

[sdaughs]

...but if you're just going to spend the day relaxing at the hotel, and not go into the parks, then why get there a day early? why not keep your normal sleep patterns and arrive around noon refreshed? I think people sometimes underestimate the effects of messing up their sleep pattern. But I'm sure whichever way you decide to go you will have a blast, I wish I were going that soon!

your right!
only reason I am debating this option is DH has little patience with traffic and I figured this would avoid a bunch of it! but at the same time I am worried about driving that much for him!

think I will stick with leaving early friday!

Thanks

 

[BELLEDOZER]

Go with option 1: There's a Best Western Anderson's there that is an older, but well kept hotel, and has a nice outdoor pool for the kids (although we never used it). It's a 4 1/2 hr drive to DL from there (traffic permitting), when we drove down to the mouse Feb last year, we left Santa Nella at around 8:30am and was in DL at 1:15pm. The Best Western Andersons has a decent Free Breakfast, and there's a Denny's no far from there. Hope that this helps with your decision. Past Santa Nella there are very few hotels between there and LA, so if you are thinking about driving past there, you're aware of this.

 

[dmked]

We drove through the night, coming from UT and leaving about 9 pm. It was great for me and the kids as we slept pretty much the whole way there (11 hrs.) but not so good for hubby who drove the whole way and had only a 3 hour nap at the hotel before we hit the beach.

How old are the kids? If they are older I would leave in the morning and drive during the day. My kids were 3 and 1 last year and they hate the car so hubby thought driving in the middle of the night was worth it.