SC to Disney World drive--but with 6 kids, 7 yrs and under! Question...

[khanna]

Yes, they are all our kids We leave next Saturday 9/4 at 8am sharpe (I hope).... We plan to drive 3 hrs, stop at the bottom of SC--maybe around Hardeeville,SC and eat a quick lunch (and bathroom break)--to go---then drive about 2 more hours, hope to reach end of Georgia, maybe around Brunswick or even Yulee, Fl--but this is the stop I am not sure about: Should we stop around Brunswick even with all the construction? Do you know of a good exit--like the #?

From there we should have about 2.5-3 hrs left and I am hoping to drive straight to the World. So, 2 total stops (we will limit water intake so bathroom stops will be kept down--we are looking at 7.5 total hours on the road). I think I am dreaming with 6 small children in a Toyota, Sienna van (8 seater) of only stopping twice. Any thoughts on where to stop? We have Ohanna reservations at 640pm so we need to keep moving as much as we can. But we cannot leave earlier than 8am b/c the kennel doesnt open until 730 to get our dogs there. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

 

[jturling]

Exits 36 & 38 would be Brunswick.Made the drive back to NC last Sat. It`s right at 240 miles to WDW from there.Depending on how fast you drive,and traffic on I-4 when you get to Orlando,I would think 3.5 to 4 hours would be more realistic.We have three kids so rest stops are needed.

 

[khanna]

Thanks for your reply. Is there a good exit south of Brunswick near the Florida border? I was hoping to get to the end of Georgia--but maybe there is nothing down there? Looks like Brunswick is only 1.5 hours from Hardeeville. I think the kids could at least make it 2 hours. Or is there a good exit just over the Florida line BUT before Jacksonville? I think I am remembering not much around there. Is that correct? Not sure where to stop....

 

[jturling]

If you try to make Fl. before you stop I would just hit the Florida welcome center.I think there is one larger exit before but I can`t remember.It may be Richmond Hill.Remember GA goes pretty quick but it`s still a long way to Orlando from the state line.I may be thinking St. Marys

 

[dis-happy]

There are a lot of places to stop along the way, at least as far as eating at McDonald's and getting gas goes. If I were you, I'd board the dogs the night before and get an earlier start. The sooner you get through the construction zones the better, and entering the Orlando area on I-4 on a Sat. afternoon can be a travel nightmare at times. The sooner the better! JMHO

 

[khanna]

Hmmmm, the more I think about this and read your posts, I think we need more margin (buffer time) on our road trip. It is cutting it too close to get to Ohana's. I think we will look into boarding the dogs the night before and heading out about 6/630am. That will give us another 1-1.5 hours of margin...

And then we may stop at the Florida welcome center instead of the Brunswick area.

I am concerned about the Brunswick construction traffic and think we need more room for error and slowdowns. Plus, I just know we are going to hear, "I have to go to the bathroom" more times than I can count.....ugh!!!

Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[clkelley]

I hate to say this, but........

In reality, only 20-somethings with no kids get to drive for 3-4 hours without stopping.

Cause when you have kids, the kids (and usually mom), now have a 100 mile bladder max, then as you get older and the kids aren't needing to stop, or they move out, then both mom AND dad have a 100 mile bladder max.

Sorry, that's just the way it is

 

[dis-happy]

I hate to say this, but........

In reality, only 20-somethings with no kids get to drive for 3-4 hours without stopping.

Cause when you have kids, the kids (and usually mom), now have a 100 mile bladder max, then as you get older and the kids aren't needing to stop, or they move out, then both mom AND dad have a 100 mile bladder max.

Sorry, that's just the way it is

Nah, you just have to train them young!!! And if you eat a salty snack even the mom bladder won't have to go as much.

Tip of the day from a Commando Driving Mom (who would rather get to WDW asap and have fun): don't give your kids too much to drink. The 8 oz. water bottles are much better for a road trip than 12 or 16 oz ones!

 

[mousebymarriage]

I hate to say this, but........

In reality, only 20-somethings with no kids get to drive for 3-4 hours without stopping.

Cause when you have kids, the kids (and usually mom), now have a 100 mile bladder max, then as you get older and the kids aren't needing to stop, or they move out, then both mom AND dad have a 100 mile bladder max.

Sorry, that's just the way it is

That's not always the case, especially if you drive through the night and everyone is asleep.

When we went in Feb. we left the house shortly before 12:30a.m. and we didn't do a bathroom break until we stopped for breakfast at 8am. DH stopped for gas but, everyone was asleep so no bathroom break needed. The kids stayed awake until we left the house(their idea not mine) so, they were exhausted by the time they got in the car.

We usually leave after dinner but, DD13 had a basketball game so we had to wait. Our plan was then to leave at luchtime the next day, then DH backed it up to early morning. Finally, we wound up leaving just after midnight because of an approaching snowstorm.

When we leave at dinner time the kids sleep through the night so bathroom breaks are usually not necessary.