Even with gas at $4/gallon and considering the cost of the overnight stay along each way, driving would be about 1/4 the cost of flying, and might make the difference between being able to afford to make a trip or not. Anything that I'm not taking into consideration here that I should be thinking about?
If you are able to drive some portion of the trip overnight, it really helps with the kid-transport. We've drive to WDW twice from Northern Virginia (about 14 hours of drive time), and do the bulk of the trip down at night. The kids do great with a steady diet of DVDs and snacks, followed by sleep. Then we're there by 7am or so in the morning, kids are waking up and ready to eat, and they have gotten some sleep. Driving longer, I can see how this could become problematic in terms of scheduling a reasonable departure time, making use of a hotel, etc. However, being able to eat up 8 hours of road while the kids are unconscious is a very nice thing, even if they are good travelers.
I've been trying to convince DW to do a road trip one of these years, but she is very much against it. From Mass it would be about 23 hours. Her main concern is the kids in the car for that long a period of time, but my kids are a bit younger than yours...
I think the major issue would be your time, as others have said. But, if you have the time to take off, then why not? I think it would be a blast to drive and stop at some sights along the way...
Coming from MA, there are plenty of good places to stop. You could probably make it down to just north of Richmond for Kings' Dominion, or to Williamsburg for Busch Gardens for a fun stopover. Kings' Dominion is right off of I95, though, so is much less of a time commitment in terms of getting back on track to WDW.
On an unrelated note, I just got an email from the director. No need for call backs, I got the part of Amos!!!!
Still waiting to see if DW got a part. I hope she does, it's one of her favorite musicals...I'd feel bad if I got a part and she didn't.
Congratulations!
So after commenting last week about how we never get tornadoes up here in Mass., a couple touch down in western Mass. yesterday and wreak some unbelievable havoc. I'll stop challenging the weather gods I guess.
Do not taunt happy, fun weather gods...
We are talking about taking a road trip to Washington DC.
Looking for advice from those who have been there... Where to stay? what to do? etc...
How many days should we go? I know there is the Smithsonian museums... are they to boring for kids?
Looking for any advice....
And if there are any DISdads there, would love to meet ya at the White House.
I think's Fed's advice about the hotels is good (I'd lean toward Alexandria, myself -- if you go down King Street toward the river, there is a nice Old Town area. Also, Hard Times Cafe for chili. Yum.). Close to Metro is good. It really is the best way to get around downtown. Driving is not terribly scary (I would rank Boston and NYC as a little scarier to drive in than DC), but DC does have a quadrant system for streets, so you end up with this situation:
"I'm trying to get to 1400 C Street."
"C Street Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, or Southeast"
"
"
It makes it easier to get screwed up driving, or thinking that things are closer together than they are. Also, there are indeed Alphabetical streets, but no J Street.
The great thing about the Smithsonian is that they all have free admission, so the only cost is time if it turns out your family doesn't care for it. My family likes:
1. Natural History -- Dinosaurs! Bugs! The Hope Diamond!
2. Air and Space -- Lots of fun stuff for any airplane or space buff
3. National Zoo -- Yup, part of the Smithsonian, and also free. It's in the Woodley Park/Cleveland Park area of the city, in the Northwest Quadrant, so it's off the beaten path, but easily accessible by the Red Line Metro (Hint: On the way there, get off at the Cleveland Park station; the walk from the Woodley Park station is uphill to the Zoo. The walk from the Cleveland Park station is flatter and the incline for the hill is less. Or I might just be lazy.)
4. American History -- It's especially fun if your kids have gotten some American History in school. The exhibit on the First Ladies' Dresses was fun for people in my family who were not male...
You can also scope these out at
http://www.si.edu ahead of time to plan visits to the museums.
The Spy Museum is a lot of fun (well, for me, at least), but there is an admission charge. It also has been known to generate Disney-like lines.
Also, if you have the mobility, Reston Zoo, out in my direction, is a cute little zoo with some barnyard animals, and some that you would see at Animal Kingdom. Here's the link
http://www.restonzoo.com/. You know those Watusi cattle that you can see on the AKL Savannah and on the Kilimanjaro Safari from about 100 yards away? Yeah, you can pet those there. Nowhere near the fit and finish of the National Zoo, but a lot of fun nonetheless because of the interactivity with the animals.
And, although I am a ways out of the city, I am happy to come in to meet DisDads. Or we could arrange something if you do end up at the Reston Zoo, or the Udvar-Hazy Center out closer to my place.
My wife's best friend just got engaged this week and they've asked if my kids can be the flower girl and ring bearer.
Oh, and the wedding is going to be in Disney World.
Your wife has excellent taste in best friends, clearly. Wouldn't want to disappoint her, right?
I hope you're a speed reader. We blow though these threads in about 3 weeks a piece.
(its the eagle fans you have to descibe what that chrome football looks like.)
We will return next year after much of the Fantasyland expansion is done.
Let me see if I can plant that idea in their heads, Inception-style.
