the long drive home...orlando to nj

[LKMang]

So we are tentatively planning a trip down to WDW at the end of September. We are going to drive (have done this once before) and have 3 drivers. For the way down we are planning on leaving around 7pm and driving through the night (switching off drivers as needed). Figured this was the easiest way to avoid traffic and hopefully my 3 year old DS will sleep for most of the trip.

My problem is with the drive home. Obviously we will need to check out of the hotel around 11am (will try for a late checkout but not expecting it). When should we leave? I really would want to leave at night again so DS sleeps, but what can we do for the whole day without a hotel room. I'm mostly worried about DH, who will probably do most of the driving. At least at home he can sleep all day before the trip, but I'm not sure what he can do without a hotel room.

Just wondering what others have done in the past?? We could stop somewhere on the ride back and drive during the daytime, but the thought of trying to keep DS occupied awake in the car for 16+ hours doesn't sound fun! He is generally very good in the car, but that is a long time for a 3 year old!

Thanks!

 

[GranddadTom]

What we've done in the past (and what we did last month) is we check out of our Disney hotel and instead of heading home, we do a full day at one of the parks (it was Blizzard Beach this time) and leave around 7:00 pm (the I-4 north traffic is slowing down by then) and drive for 3 hours to exit 38 in Brunswick, GA. We stay at a Comfort Suites there. This way on the next day we get ahead of the bolus of Disney traffic going north on I-95. It seems that everyone going home leaves WDW between 8:00 am and 11:00 am and they create their own rolling traffic jam up I-95. By starting the day from Georgia, you get ahead of them.

 

[sharadoc]

The only issue we've had is packing perishable snacks for the ride home. Otherwise, we've checked out, had lunch, went to DTD, went to a TS lunch and explored resorts - plenty to do without going into a park.

Or add another day to your tickets if you don't have it already and just do a park.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Like you, we leave at about 7 pm and drive straight through which makes getting to WDW pretty easy. (The anticipation of the trip also makes it easier).

We have a LONG drive back to Chicago from Orlando and we begin driving at about 8 am. We've tried putting the drive off until afternoon and/or early evening, and that hasn't worked out too well for us. Either way, the drive home is always harder because the vacation is over and it's back to work and school for us.

 

[crzy4dsny]

I always leave early morning for the trip home, 2 am. I try to get to bed early around 7:30 or 8:00 the night before. I could not see going to a park then starting a drive home. I know some would think its "wasting" a night at the hotel but it works best for me. You get a good 6 or 7 hours of kid sleep time.

 

[nono]

We jump in the car around 5 a.m., and stay overnight in VA. There's no traffic in Orlando around 5! We've done the straight home and arriving at 1 a.m., but I was of zero help for the last two hours of the ride home. We were too beat the next day.

Now, we still leave around 5 a.m., but we plan a fun night in the VA Beach area on the way home.