Thinking about driving to Disney - Please Help!

[java]

We do the 16 hour trip with 4 kids every summer!! We don't have to deal with boredom(hello- the 4 kids lol) And we love a good roadtrip. Load up the ipod with some of your favorite tunes. Put it in your car and off you go. I sure was gratefull for those 1500 songs- or however many it is.....on that 16 hour trip. We break it up into 2 trips- doing the majority of the driving day 1 then a shorter trip day 2(the kids are antsy to get there by day 2 so a shorter car day works better for us.)
I can usually go about 4 hours before I need to stop and get out. Then we get back in and keep going until someone needs to get out.(usually me lol)

 

[kaysmommie]

I would definatley drive if it is only you and DW. We are drivning this time in October for the first time too. We have 2 children who can be very annoying in the car. We will leave around 4 am and drive straight through around 11 hours from Knoxville to Orlando. I hate driving but I don't want to pay $1500 for airfare. So we will stay at Poly and treat ourselves while we are there. It is much easier driving without kids, but me and DH get on each others nerves everyday so what's the difference. Have a safe trip.

 

[MOmousefan]

We ONLY drive to WDW. It takes us 18 hours and except for Atlanta the drive is great. We love the scenery in Tennessee and N. Georgia. We have no time constraints being teachers, flying has never been an option for us.

 

[Griffin223]

We live just outside of Toronto Canada and we have driven 4 times and flown once. The drive for us is about 22 hours. It is such an easy drive for us. You really can't get lost.

Normally we drive one long day (14-16 hrs) and one short day (8 hrs). Coming back home from our trip in October we drove all the way through without stopping. I'm not sure I would do that again, we had intend to stop but the kids were both sleeping so we decided to push it. They woke up when we were only two hours from home.

The first time we drove to WDW was for our honeymoon and our friends and family thought we were insane. My wife and I both agree that driving was the best thing we could have done. It gave us two days to decompress from the wedding and really enjoy our vacation. We didn't argue once.

The trick is to agree early on where you might want to stop or how long you will drive before you stop and you should be fine.

 

[mickeymousemom]

We're from Warsaw, IN and we've driven numerous times with our kids. We also took several road trips before we had kids. We also tend to get on each other's nerves, but I think this has provided an opportunity for us to work thru some of those issues in our marriage.
I think your time estimate is a little optimistic---our best time has been 17-18 hours.

I also believe your estimate is a little optimistic. We live about 45 minutes north of Indy and our best time has also been about 17 hours. We don't drive straight thru anymore, but try to get south of Valdosta to Lake Park(5 miles from the FL state line). If you have no kids, then it should be no big deal to drive down. We love the trip. DH and I have a pretty good relationship, so we have a good time talking on the way down(Yes, we also get on each others nerves, but in this kind of situation we fare very well). I also buy a book and/or some magazines to read, as he likes to do most of the driving. I just recommend that you leave early, take your time, and if you leave on a weekday, DO NOT HIT ATLANTA rush hour. You'll spend the rest of your vacation time sitting on the interstate. I also recommend you get thru Atlanta before you stay the night. At least to Macon, as one other poster mentioned. Go for it and make it an adventure. It really can be alot of fun!!

 

[Soccerpooh]

We live just north of Ft Wayne, and we drove for the first time last year. We stopped in Jacksonville to see family, and it took 17 hours to get there. We started out around 10 pm, and dorve straight thru, but took several pit stops!) It was just so much cheaper for us- 5 plane tickets + car rental was crazy. I love having our car there- I HATE to depend on other people to get me where I need to go, and I like to be able to leave the parks right waway in case of melt downs!) But, your situation is different. Don't let the drive scare you- it was suprisingly enjoyable! And since you are 2 adults, you could make side trips if you wanted. The route to Fla is pretty easy to follow, and if you belong to AAA they will print you a nifty little book with maps, etc. The worst is traffic, as other posters have said, especially Atlanta rush hour!
As far as airline tickets go, are you wanting to fly out of Fort Wayne? Have you looked at flying out of Indy or Detroit? The difference can be insane at times!! Example- DH and I flew to Jacksonville to watch the Colts in December. Tickets were $468 RT out of FWA, $198 out of Indy, with better times! I have not priced tickets lately, but have heard they are going up.
Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Vijoge]

We drive from Chicago and have done it several times but would never consider driving straight through. We used to overnight in Chattanooga but the last trip we stopped twice, in Paducah and then again in Tifton. The older we get the less we want to spend hours at a time on the highway and we're not in too much of a hurry.

 

[Vijoge]

DO NOT HIT ATLANTA rush hour. You'll spend the rest of your vacation time sitting on the interstate. QUOTE]

Or in the psych ward!

 

[Disney Debbie]

Since you have 6 months - I'd be checking airfares for the next 5 months before I decided if I was you! I check Clark Howard's site all the time for deals out of Atlanta - maybe there's someone like that up in Ohio? Also - the following link is real good for playing around with dates and stuff and finding good fares.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/prego

I know with DH and I we don't have enough time to spend 4 days of our vacation traveling - so if it's further then a day's drive - we fly.

 

[flechette]

Here's hubby and my Rules of the Road:

Audio Books - if you can agree on an author

portable DVD players w/ headphones (or laptop) and sit in the back seat! (this is a great time for him to watch a War movie or me my chick flick)

decide whether driver or passanger has control or the radio/cd player and stick with said agreement.

Whomever has control of the radio does NOT get first pick of lunch stops.

Get physical maps in addition to online directions and GPS coordinates - phone numbers help too ( and hide them)

check about once an hour w/ each other verbally - and announce if you want to take a nap ( it works better if only the passanger naps.... )

 

[Kick Save]

We've driven from Columbus to Disney twice and just south of Tampa once in the last two years and really enjoy it. I even made the mistake of leaving Columbus at 7 last time and catching Cincy at 8:30 and Atlanta at 4:30, took me 13 hours to get to Valdosta and spend the evening. (Just me and one of the boys at the time.) When all four of us go the Mrs and I trade off every few hours and the boys watch movies in the back seat.

I usually count on 17 to 18 hours to get to Disney, we're going to try the straight through thing in August. Leave Columbus at 9:30PM or so, figure on getting to Disney somewhere between 2:30 and 4 the next afternoon.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

We've driven from Columbus to Disney twice and just south of Tampa once in the last two years and really enjoy it. I even made the mistake of leaving Columbus at 7 last time and catching Cincy at 8:30 and Atlanta at 4:30, took me 13 hours to get to Valdosta and spend the evening. (Just me and one of the boys at the time.) When all four of us go the Mrs and I trade off every few hours and the boys watch movies in the back seat.

I usually count on 17 to 18 hours to get to Disney, we're going to try the straight through thing in August. Leave Columbus at 9:30PM or so, figure on getting to Disney somewhere between 2:30 and 4 the next afternoon.

We are from Columbus also (Galloway) and may be driving for the first time this June. Just wondering if you could show us your basic itinerary. We were thinking we would stay in Valdosta. Do you have a certain hotel/motel you prefer staying in? TIA!

 

[Amirah95]

DO NOT HIT ATLANTA rush hour. You'll spend the rest of your vacation time sitting on the interstate. QUOTE]

Or in the psych ward!

Don't hit Richmond, VA's rush hour. OMG...we were there for 3 hours one time. Not a restroom stop in sight!