The Big Drive To Disney 1st Time Ever

[macfinn]

OK, wife and i where thinking on Myrtl beach for our vaction in may, till it is bike week the time we would go, oh well there went that idea....So than we thought lets drive to Dis....cheaper then flying from RI there are 4 of us now...So how many of my fellow dis people stop 1/2 way and spend the night , and where and how many go straight thru and is the best route going t95 by-passing DC?? Is there a decent place to stay .....happy plannig,i hope!!!

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

we are planning on driving down in Nov this year. Money is super tight, but with dvc we at least have our place to stay already. We are stopping in Rocky Mt NC at an awesome place called Aunt Lins and Uncle Eds, so I am not much help for you on where to stay. Have fun on your trip. We are planning I95 and bypass DC I think with 2-95. HTH.
Lori

 

[MelliRobi2]

we have done it before...we leave at night...before kids bedtime...and stop after lunch the following day to relax in a hotel til the next morning..it's a nice break from the traveling...then we finish it up. We got to South Carolina before stopping....hoping for Georgia this time (last time I was busy stopping to throw up...pregnant at the time) ...at least this time it will be a more enjoyable ride from my point of view. Our six kids love traveling...cuz we get special toys and coloring books for the trip...oh..and of course portable dvd players...that helps! Good luck!

*Leaving in 10 days*

 

[wifey1220]

We drove straight thru from pgh to disney. We left 5am Saturday morning and got to disney at 11pm. The boys 4 and 7 had nintendos and dvd players they were good the whole trip even with strep throat. We are planning on driving agian this fall.

 

[C&G'sMama]

OK, wife and i where thinking on Myrtl beach for our vaction in may, till it is bike week the time we would go, oh well there went that idea....So than we thought lets drive to Dis....cheaper then flying from RI there are 4 of us now...So how many of my fellow dis people stop 1/2 way and spend the night , and where and how many go straight thru and is the best route going t95 by-passing DC?? Is there a decent place to stay .....happy plannig,i hope!!!

We're coming from WNY so we pick up 95 in MD or VA, I can't remember where but we definitely steer clear of DC. Our drive is 1250 miles. We usually stop 2 nights but that's just us. We pick our kids up from school usually around 2 or 3 and drive for about 4 or 5 hours. We make the next day our long day, find a hotel and then usually have a less than 6 hour trip on the last day. But it also builds in time for problems like the year it took us 10 hours to drive 400 miles because there was a truck rolled over on route 81 in PA and we were stopped for a Lonnnng time. People were playing football on the side of the highway. We try to find hotels with indoor pools when we can. We have our favorite chain hotel so we usually find one of those when we're ready to stop. I would guess from RI (I have family in Coventry) 95 is probably your best bet (as is by passing DC). Good luck and enjoy

 

[It's A Happy Day]

We drove straight through from MA to WDW in 05 and planning again on doing it in the Fall of this year. I had AAA send me trip tickets for both the 95 route and the alternate route through the mts. and chose to avoid 95 till after South of the Border. It was an easy, pleasant ride although alot of tractor trailer trucks (just a warning, it didn't bother me and I actually liked to get behind them and "follow" one vs. being the "leader") We left at 5pm ~ picked up dinner to go to start off with so the kids were busy with dinner for a while then we pulled out (a surprise to them at the time) a portable DVD player. They watched Disney movies till they fell asleep then I drove straight through the night stopping for stretch, bathroom, coffee breaks. We stopped in the morning to eat breakfast and let the kids run around for a little bit and then pulled into WDW around 4:30 (23 hours later). We had time on either end of our vacation to stop if we needed to but I wanted to just get from A to B and then rest. I didn't like the idea of stopping and then knowing I still had 8-10-12 hours ahead of me unless I needed to stop. If falling asleep were an issue then we would have pulled off.

 

[isla bonita]

I also plan on driving from RI to near Disney this Feb. I am picking peoples minds of what they do to keep sane.

I will be driving with my 3 children and maybe a best friend. DH is staying home with the dog. He is the sane one. He can not get time off.

We travel down 2 times a year to check on our home and he was down with us in Aug.

I am not sure if this is a good idea but with the cost of flights and rental cars this year and things are a little tight with the economy it is the right thing to do. Not looking forward to it that is for sure.

Thanks for all the info every one has offered. I am guessing that you do survive and some even do it again. I am hoping airfare is cheaper this summer for our retun trip.

 

[Faldred]

Wow.... those are some long hauls.

We're going from Maryland and still plan staying overnight each way, but then, the kids are 3, 2, and 2, and really just aren't going to cope with being in the car too long at a shot (10+ hours on day 1 going down will be pushing it!).

In theory, we could try driving through the night on the way home, but I have no idea how exhausted DW and I are going to be by the end of the trip, and I'd rather just schedule the stop halfway home.

 

[collcass]

OK, wife and i where thinking on Myrtl beach for our vaction in may, till it is bike week the time we would go, oh well there went that idea....So than we thought lets drive to Dis....cheaper then flying from RI there are 4 of us now...So how many of my fellow dis people stop 1/2 way and spend the night , and where and how many go straight thru and is the best route going t95 by-passing DC?? Is there a decent place to stay .....happy plannig,i hope!!!

I['d probably end up divorced if we drove that far with our kids

We used to drive to Myrtle every year and always took 95. I also went to college down south and often took 81 from CT to Nc but that is way out of the way from Newport. The time you would save from traffic would be completely negated by the extra miles getting there (you'd either have to go out 84 and down to 81 in PA or 95 through Ny to i78 in NJ then to 81)

If you time it right and leave in the late evening you could make it through all the major cities before morning and then stop for a day/night combo in SC/Georgia. Your other option, which we did last year on the way to a wedding is leave, early AM. If you chose that option you would probably need to stop somewhere between Fredricksburg, VA and Rocky Mount, NC.

I did consider the thought of driving for about 2 seconds. my husband would love it, but we'd end up on a gazillion tangents such as visiting family in NC, going to see Ft Bragg, etc....good luck and have a great time

 

[Corjack]

We are driving from Northern Indiana for the first time(with kids) in April. It is about 1100 miles one way from here. We are leaving at 12- 12:30am. My Dh is coming home from work and going to sleep about 4 hours then we will get up and leave so the kiddos are sleeping for the first part of our drive. We are not sure if we will drive straight through or not. If we do drive straight through then we will have to stay the night in orlando because our room is not reserved until the next night at the resort.

We did fly last year(our first family trip) but with gas being so much cheaper it is less expensive to drive. Plus we do not have to use the busses and we can take whatever stroller I want. Plus

We told our 5yo DD that it will be an adventure! She is excited. poor girl has not idea how LONG of an adventure it will be.

Jackie

 

[Heidict]

So, from RI, or NY or CT or anywhere in this area, how long are we talking? Not just miles but in actual time. Factoring in all the delays from construction, rush hour traffic and all that fun stuff.

Is it possible to do without killing someone in the car?

 

[It's A Happy Day]

We are driving from Northern Indiana for the first time(with kids) in April. It is about 1100 miles one way from here. We are leaving at 12- 12:30am. My Dh is coming home from work and going to sleep about 4 hours then we will get up and leave so the kiddos are sleeping for the first part of our drive. We are not sure if we will drive straight through or not. If we do drive straight through then we will have to stay the night in orlando because our room is not reserved until the next night at the resort.

We did fly last year(our first family trip) but with gas being so much cheaper it is less expensive to drive. Plus we do not have to use the busses and we can take whatever stroller I want. Plus

We told our 5yo DD that it will be an adventure! She is excited. poor girl has not idea how LONG of an adventure it will be.

Jackie

Just an FYI ~ when we drove down we left on Friday with a check in date of Sunday. When it was apparent we were going to get there on Saturday, I called the resort we were staying at (on site) and was able to get a room there for the night. We were arriving in about 4-6 hours. They did explain they could not guarantee we would not have to change rooms the next day. We had to check out and check back in the next morning but we were able to stay in the same room

From the CT/MA border (Worcester, MA area) it took us 23 hours with stops...mapquest had us at 21 hours w/o stops of course (we didn't use their directions), so there gauge is pretty good on time. Just put in your leaving address & disney world, FL as your destination.

 

[Heidict]

From the CT/MA border (Worcester, MA area) it took us 23 hours with stops...mapquest had us at 21 hours w/o stops of course (we didn't use their directions), so there gauge is pretty good on time. Just put in your leaving address & disney world, FL as your destination.

Thanks!! And i'm assuming that everyone in the car survived the trip then?

 

[Tabatha]

We will be driving to WDW in September from Kansas. i have driven the trip on 3 separate occasions and find it fun. My kids are 13, 9,8,& 4.

We always drive straight through (approx. 21 hrs), but plan for a whole 24 with stops, breaks, food, gas fill-ups.

Of course a dvd player, mp3, Nintendo's Ds/psp's are important, but don't forget to use the time the old fashioned way. My kids loving car BINGO, the alphabet game and telling jokes. National Lampoons vacation is always in mind when driving cross country!

Its also a special way to see other parts of the country that you woudl normally just fly over. My kids love to stop at all the state line signs for pictures, special monuments like the St Louis arch.

Another bonus about driving - you are tied to any flight times. Come and go as you please!

( if you are still deciding - don't forget to factor in the possibility of gas increasing later on this year, but that would also probably mean higher flight rates unless you book now)

 

[fuji]

we have driven from MA to FL four times (3 to Disney & 1 to Miami), and flew once to Disney. We prefer to drive.

The drive takes us about 20.5 hours if we don't hit any traffic delays. We stay on I95 all the way down the coast, using the beltway around DC. We leave at about 4-5pm and drive straight thru. We travel with three kids from the ages of (now) 3,8,14. They bring thier pillows and electronics. I drive throughout the night and my wife takes over in the morning. I prefer to drive at night because the kids sleep and I only stop for gas and coffee makes a quicker, quieter ride.

 

[MyKidsMom1820]

I am so excited to drive with my family later this year! My kids are really good travellers and I love road trips, watching the scenery, and talking with my husband! it seems like long road trips are a really good time for us to connect....also with flying I feel so limited on what I can take, I really like taking my own stroller and not having to rent a car, and knowing I am not dependant on disney busses. Side question, I am thinking of buying a garmin nuvi for the trip, does anyone own this? love it/ hate it?

 

[Corjack]

Just an FYI ~ when we drove down we left on Friday with a check in date of Sunday. When it was apparent we were going to get there on Saturday, I called the resort we were staying at (on site) and was able to get a room there for the night. We were arriving in about 4-6 hours. They did explain they could not guarantee we would not have to change rooms the next day. We had to check out and check back in the next morning but we were able to stay in the same room

From the CT/MA border (Worcester, MA area) it took us 23 hours with stops...mapquest had us at 21 hours w/o stops of course (we didn't use their directions), so there gauge is pretty good on time. Just put in your leaving address & disney world, FL as your destination.

I will remember to have the resort phone # handy!

jackie

 

[DVCisME]

Have a garmin nuvi LOVE it!

 

[karibritt01]

We have a 9 hour drive from NC, so not nearly as bad as some of you... but these are some coping strategies we use.

* Get a portable DVD player and a few NEW DVDs. I stress new because the kids will be excited to see them, and sit and watch better than the same old movies they see all the time at home.

* Stop at McDonalds with a playground for your meals. You and DH sit and eat while the kids play and burn off some energy. Then when you are ready to leave, get their meals to go, and let them eat on the road.

* New "car toys" that you give out 1 at a time when necessary. I do little playsets, Crayola color wonder books, etc.

* Individual snacks are great... kids tend to argue if they have to share.

* If your kids are old enough... a roll of quarters. Everytime they argue, whine, etc, they have to give you a quarter. Whatever they have left when you get to Disney is extra spending money!