Talk to me all about Driving to the world!!!

[JamesMom]

I know some people just really can't do a car trip that long... but it is a HUGE savings for our family...

If we flew cheap rates wouldn't be less then $200 a person... that's 5 of us so $1000 then we need to rent a car down there b/c we stay off site (for free so that's a HUGE savings) so car rental... MAYBE $300 or less depending we need a van or suv or full sized car to fit 3 car seats across, and we need to ship some stuff down ahead b/c we would not be able to bring food items b/c of already having to check 2 car seat as our lugage... maybe $20 there... humm we would need to leave our car at the airport over a week, so about $100 for that. how much can i gure for stress of having 3 kids under 7 on a plane and halling 1-2 car seat a full stroller, and carry on through an air port! LOL Grand total being just under $1500

now when we drive the fuel calculator at AAA says our car round trip is about $160 in gas... we might use a full take while there maybe two since we plan a beach day so $70 for that. Hotel there and back $140. Food down there and back, you have to eat no matter if we are on the road or at disney $100. Getting to show my kids parts of this great country on the way down, "are we there yet?", "he/she's pocking me", and great picutres PRICELESS! LOL Grand total of driving for us is just under $500... for a $1000 saving we can get a 10 day park hoppers non expire for future trips down the road, since we are only going to the world 2 days this year!

You just detailed much of my thinking in my thread on driving!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I know some people just really can't do a car trip that long... but it is a HUGE savings for our family...

If we flew cheap rates wouldn't be less then $200 a person... that's 5 of us so $1000 then we need to rent a car down there b/c we stay off site (for free so that's a HUGE savings) so car rental... MAYBE $300 or less depending we need a van or suv or full sized car to fit 3 car seats across, and we need to ship some stuff down ahead b/c we would not be able to bring food items b/c of already having to check 2 car seat as our lugage... maybe $20 there... humm we would need to leave our car at the airport over a week, so about $100 for that. how much can i gure for stress of having 3 kids under 7 on a plane and halling 1-2 car seat a full stroller, and carry on through an air port! LOL Grand total being just under $1500

now when we drive the fuel calculator at AAA says our car round trip is about $160 in gas... we might use a full take while there maybe two since we plan a beach day so $70 for that. Hotel there and back $140. Food down there and back, you have to eat no matter if we are on the road or at disney $100. Getting to show my kids parts of this great country on the way down, "are we there yet?", "he/she's pocking me", and great picutres PRICELESS! LOL Grand total of driving for us is just under $500... for a $1000 saving we can get a 10 day park hoppers non expire for future trips down the road, since we are only going to the world 2 days this year!

I suppose it makes sense if you are going to save that much, but for us it still wouldn't be worth it. Airfare usually costs us about $800-$1000. For us it is just figured into the price of our trip. As far as the kids getting to see some great things on the way down, I think it is great and do plan to take them on short car trips in the future. We stay onsite so we do not rent a car, so we don't need carseats (yes, we fly without them). Also we have 3 small ones as well (4.5, 3, 15months) and they do really well flying. We are lucky there. Like I said before, if you can do it and it works then I think that's great. For us, it's not an option. My dh wouldn't even consider it. (Thank God!) I hope you have a great trip! It sounds like you are going to have alot of fun!

 

[LoriMomx5]

We have 5 children under 10 years old and have always drove because of expense for our large family to fly. When we go to WDW we have AP's and go 2-3 times that year from Arkansas which is about 17-18 hour drive. We usually leave early 3-4 A.M. and can often drive straight getting to Orlando around 11:00 P.M. and stay off property that night. We also just take potty breaks and bring easy foods/drinks and snacks in the van. We have a DVD player and music and the kids read alot and color. My job is entertaining them and my husband does the majority of the driving. It is getting easier as our last child is finally completely out of diapers (for the first time in over 9 and 1/2 years we don't have anyone in diapers!). It really is doable and gets better as they get older. We also enjoy the convenience of having our own transportation and have combined our disney trips with the beach ,etc.

 

[VMK_Princess_Chloe]

We are also from Indiana.. and we are driving it in July.. so 16 hours. We are driving straight.. people here have given me ideas.. we can't do the night time driving.. cause as soon as it gets dark my husband falls asleep if he's driving.. very bad night driver.. and I have bad night vision.. so it's best that we drive during the day.. so we will leave at like 4 am and drive straight.. stopping for gas and food. However, we can't relate too much because we don't have children and I definitely can see how that would make it harder... just knowing how hard it is for us. We drive everywhere though, because it's cheaper and we enjoy seeing new things along the way. I love road trips. This will also be our first trip... sooo we will see how it goes. On the way back, I think we are gonna stay all night somewhere... We are on a tight budget even with the two of us too.. so we don't have much choice but to drive.. we are having enough trouble deciding if we want to stay onsite or offsite due to affording it. This is for our anniversary though, so we want it to be as stress free as possible!

 

[kribit]

We left around 3 and drove until around 10. The next morning, we were out by 10 and arrived by 6. We have a DVD player in the car, so we brought along some different Disney movies to keep the kids intertained. I stocked up on cheap Disney goodies throughout the year, and after each hour, the kids got some sort of little toy/book/treat (all Disney related) to have in the car. I found tons of Disney coloring books/pads/markers at the dollar store and at Walmart. That really kept their interest, and it was something they looked forward to

We did this as well and worked wonderfully. We had so much fun driving that we'll probably never fly to Orlando again.

 

[rainy~daze]

we have flown the last 2 times. this time we are driving, me DH, DS5 and DD4. Supposed to be about 18 hrs, but we staying over in SC the 1st night. I am in the same boat as another poster, I can't sllep when my DH drives and I can't sleep when I drive, but he gets very sleepy night driving. So we have to do it daytime only. We plan to leave 4 am Sat. Then stay over then leave 8am Sun. I am thinking I will get stuff to make hoagies and bring the cooler with drinks, snacks so the only stops we make will be potty breaks and stretch out breaks. We will see how this goes and for the next trip if this is successful we will do it again, saves quite a bit of money. Good luck to all the other drivers, and please wish us the same. ( we do have a dvd in the car plus they just got handheld vsmiles for Christmas..so they have entertainment.) I even bought car chargers for their video games so we don't run out of batteries!! LOL!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We drove last summer, dd5 and ds4 (at the time). We left our home at 3a, drove until 8a for b-fast. The night before we left, we let the kids sleep in sweat outfits. DH and I loaded the car, woke the kids, put them in the car and they slept until b-fast. It was fantastic. Each kid has a DVD player. That wasn't the orignal plan, when we went to Walmart to buy one, they were fighting and screaming in the store over who was going to hold the darn box. I called DH on the cell and told him that I am buying 2. LOL.

We stopped at rest stops, the ones in Illinois have playgrounds (we took I57), so we would stay there for a 1/2 hour, poop the kids out and drive off again. I packed a cooler of juice boxes and water, just for the kids - I let them control their destiny and its seemed to work. We arrived at our Hampton Inn in Marrietta GA about 3p, let the kids swim - I took the car to KFC (the one with that big red chicken) got dinner, we ate at the pool. We all went to be at 9ish.

We did the bulk of our driving on the first day. The second day we got our free b-fast and headed off to Residence Inn Sea World - I thought we would need a night or two of decompression. We stayed there for a 2 nights and we didn't tell the kids how close we were to Disney. So when we left for WDW, DH and I acted like we were dreading the trip. 10 minutes later I pulled into the POP and the kids went WILD. They were in mini trances with their DVD's they didn't even notice when we drove under the Arch!

On the way home we stopped in Chattagnooga, we stayed at the Choo Choo Holiday Inn, the web-site and trip advisor said it was a nice place. Home of the Chattanooga Choo Choo, 2 pools, old train station....how can you go wrong. Well the place was a DUMP!!!!! Even with that we still laugh about it. I loved road trips with my parents when I was young - I just want my kids to have the same memories. Every summer we went on road trips and I almost don't remember the destination, but I sure do remember the road trip.

This summer we are flying and just last night I told DH that I think I want to drive again (yes I am planting the seed).

 

[kandb]

We are driving down with our twins who will be almost 4 years in April. We went in October and took the autotrain and had to drive 4 hours to get to Virginia. I thought my daughter would be complaining about the car but she was so good and never complained once, so this time we are driving down. The first day we will drive around 7 hours, the second day 7 hours and then 3 hours to Orlando. We live right outside NYC. We will stay in a hotel the first and 2nd night that has an indoor pool and the kids will have a blast just going swimming and going out to dinner and being in a hotel. I will bring different little toys and we have a dvd player which I have already started buying dvd's for. Coming home we will only stop one night. Just hoping there will not be a lot of traffic on I-95. We'll make the best of it and stop if we need to. Linda

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

We have about an 18-20 hr ride from Central PA.

Every time we go I learn to take LESS. The essentials for the ride: gameboy/ds, portable dvd player, books and snacks.

We leave early, like 6am. We do pack some sandwiches, chips and drinks for lunch and dinner the first day, breakfast at McDonalds . We drive until about 10pm or so (when we leave at 6), and then get a hotel. We would be waaaayyyy to exhausted if we drove straight through.

The next day, breakfast at the hotel and sandwiches for lunch. We usually only have a couple hours to drive that second day which is nice.

We have always been able to get into our room when we get there, even if we are early, maybe we have been lucky!

 

[OhioGrumpyGirl]

We have 16 hours of driving "fun". We actually leave on Friday for our next trip and here's what we have packed:

Gameboy (every parent should have one... mine can play for hours without a peep)

Car Bingo (you can find this on the internet. We have a magnetic version)

Portable dvd WITH headphones... at least 2 more hours of quiet

Coloring books and markers

Their own pillow and blanket...easier for them to sleep

Snacks/drink boxes... (less stops the better)

We leave at about 7pm so the kids sleep for a good portion of the way.
Good luck!

WOW --- were you reading my mind??? This is the same plan we use every year!!! But this year we are adding headphones to the GBA and their Disney MixStix. Another tip someone told me was to get out of the car (just the driver, not everyone) about every 2-3 hours and just walk around the car a few times. It keeps you from getting stiff and kind of wakes you up when you get out in the middle of the night and that cool air hits ya!!! I did this on our last trip and was able to drive the entire 16 hours without even thinking about stopping for the night. We always talk about stopping, but keep saying "oh maybe in another hour." We never do stop!!! When we get there (always before check-in) I explain to the desk clerk that we've been driving for 16 hours and would love to check in if they have any rooms clean. We've always been able to check in early, nap, shower, then head to DTD or outlet shopping and a nice dinner to celebrate our arrival!!!

 

[VMK_Princess_Chloe]

have any of you done the drive without kids? What keeps you from wanting to kill your spouse? lol We are driving it in July, but don't know what on earth to do, just lots of cd's and we are like big kids.. I may have to get a portable dvd player to pass some of the time... we are driving it straight the entire 16 hours. Just curious if anyone else is in my similar situation.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

have any of you done the drive without kids? What keeps you from wanting to kill your spouse? lol We are driving it in July, but don't know what on earth to do, just lots of cd's and we are like big kids.. I may have to get a portable dvd player to pass some of the time... we are driving it straight the entire 16 hours. Just curious if anyone else is in my similar situation.

DH and I did it before we had our son. It really wasn't bad at all. We actually had fun. We changed drivers every 4-5 hours, even if we weren't tired. We thought we would get really bored, but we didn't. We brought a DVD player, but didn't use it until the last hour!!

HAVE FUN!!

 

[tedhowe]

We live outside of Philadelphia, and driving time is about 16-18 hours (not including stops/rest breaks).

I did the similar drive from New Jersey (about 1-2 hours longer) straight through to help a friend move to Orlando once.

When my wife and I were newly married, we did the drive to Disney over 2 days with a motel room overnight on one night.

Since our girls were born, we've flown up until this upcoming trip.

For our February trip, we are going to take the Autotrain. A drive of about 2-3 hours, followed by the rest of the day/overnight on the train in our own sleeping compartment and then a 50 minute drive in the morning after we get our car off the train.

Our girls are now 5 and 2, and in a few more years I might bring up the idea of driving again... I like to drive and once the girls are a bit older and can entertain themselves a little bit more, I think it is fun and definitely saves money as well.

 

[rbork]

So, why do only taxi cab's have the privacy windows between the driver and back seats? I would buy a vehicle in a heartbeat with a sound/shatterproof window!
Sure, we are on a family vacation but really, can the family time start after the first 15 hours of driving?

p.s. We leave MD at 2am. We take the same stuff the Ohio'ans on this thread do! Kid's slept the 1st time and were WIDE awake with excitement the last trip. Doesn't deter us though as we are driving again in 2007.
Good Luck - and have a great time!

 

[margiemc]

We drove down twice before we had our DD, once with another couple and once with just ourselves. Both times, we drove straight through (that was crazy). I don't remember DH driving me crazy (although he is not here to offer his opinion, but I'm sure I didn't ). It is about an 18 hour drive from Philly to WDW. We are driving down again this time and really don't mind the drive. We have lots of interrupted time together as a family, which is nice. DD9 asked if we were driving down and when we told her we were, her response was "YES!!". It's all an adventure to her! Enjoy!

 

[8 Ears]

Yes, DH and myself are driving 24 +/- hours in April without the boys 15 and 12. 15 is going with friends to NYC/Washington D.C. and 12 year old does not want to go
We are looking forward to it yet it is odd them not going with us. But we took them on our 15th anniversary cruise, so this evens it out, right



What are WE planning on taking? DVD player, hand held games, music and Disney trivia cards, oh and maybe a book or two on Cd.

 

[mericletwins]

we gave him half a childrens benedryl and he would sleep for a couple of hours. I know some wouldn't agree with this, but it was a sanity saver. His pediatrian even suggested it so send all flames his way. We flew for our last trip and it's a toss up on which we felt was easier.

Our ped suggested the same thing with the addition of Tylenol when we flew with our 9 month olds. I swear by it!

 

[WantToGoNow]

We drove to WDW in November with 4 adults and 2 children - ages 5 and almost 3. We left home around 3:00 pm and drove straight through stopping only for potty breaks, gas, dinner and breakfast. I took only a few toys/books in the car, but I did take the portable DVD player - they pretty much watched TV until we stopped for dinner around 7:30 and then they went to sleep. Didn't hear another sound until we were on the FL turnpike. On the way home, my ds5 fell asleep on the turnpike and woke up in Kentucky -- guess he was tired. With 4 adults, we switched off drivers every 3-4 hours and the non-driving adults slept. We checked into the POP around 10:30 am, dropped our stuff in the room and headed for the Animal Kingdom. We had dinner reservations at 5:00 at the Rainforest Cafe, went for a quick swim and then lights out. Everyone woke the following morning ready to go.

 

[bear74]

I'm interested in how others do this as well. We, too, are thinking about driving from DFW to WDW - an 18 hour trip. Can't decide if I like the drive through the night (no hotel, quicker) vs. daytime (more rested). I have a 2 and 5 year old to consider as well. hmmm. Keep the ideas coming!

we would be driving from Austin. I think ours is 19-20 hours I'm with you cant decide if we should drive day or night. I think we will probably drive down t night, leaving hear around 4pm as DH gets off work at 3pm. to make the most out of his vacation time.

 

[rubberband1293]

My kids don't sleep well in the car, never have. They're now 8 (as of this Sat) and 11. We're driving in Feb, drove last year also. But our drive should be about 8-9 hours (we're in NC) if there's no accidents and huge construction on I-95. On previous long roadtrips we've tried the "early morning" thing which is mine and my husband's pref, but the kids wake-up when we move them to the car and WON'T go back to sleep! We've also tried driving late...they don't fall asleep well then either...BRATS!

Going to Disney we plan to leave after school (leave work a little early) and beat rush hour out of Charlotte...then we drive till about 9. Last year this got us to Savannah, this year we're hoping for closer to Jacksonville. That leaves us with short-trip the next day and plenty of time for a park that day. Last year we stopped at St. Augustine on the way down for about an hour...did the tour of the fort and picked up lunch for the car. We arrived about 2 and they were able to check us in early, we did an evening at Epcot, arrived there about 4:30.

This year we have to coordinate arrival with my parents. They're meeting us at Shades of Green and since my dad's the military contact, we need him there to check us in...but we have MYW tickets with no expiration left from last year with about 8 "extras" on them, so if we're a lot earlier than them we'll go to DTD and take the kids to Quest or something...

Home trip is all in one day...try to miss rush hours in major cities along the route...this year it's on a Sunday so no rush hours but yah never know about I-95...

We always drive from our home in the mountains of NC. I pack the van up the night before (dear wifey pack the suit cases which is arguably the easiest of the two) and we pull out of the garage at 4:00am. We usually stop and eat a relaxed breakfast (right!) somewhere in SC after the kids wake up. Each of the kids have portable DVD players which are sent from heaven on long road trips, their gameboys and headsets which are truly one of God's gifts to parents! Then we stop every 3-4 hours for gas or potty breaks or just to stretch our legs. We spend the night in St. Augustine (love that place!) - go out on the beach a while and order pizza. Up early the next morning and drive to the WORLD and check in early, lay around the pool, play in the arcade, or just do nothing. THEN we hit the parks - each day is planned out in advance by dear old dad (me) and I make sure we have the best vacation to date. Coming home, the kids are so tired they sleep all the way and I have NEVER had to stop and stay somewhere coming back - I drive all the way home. Even though the wife grumbles about the return trip, everyone is happy to be home the next day. Tired as hell, but glad to be home - then the vacation to get over the vacation starts.