We survived driving NYC to Orlando

[crabmeal]

I had asked for advice and wanted to say our trip went okay. We left on Halloween at 3pm with my Dad driving. I was the copillot while Dh slept. DS had his DVd player and Game Boy. DD was so good and sllept or watched the Wiggles when DS played Gameboy. My mom watched DD and handed out snacks. We stopped for dinner around 7 at Cracker Barrell. Then my DH drove while Dad slept . I started getting car sick in DC. Between the traffic, the headlights and being hungry I was miserable. Thankfully after dinner I felt better. My dad and Dh did the switch off driving all night. We did stop at a rest area once where they both slept. The day we arrived in Fl we felt sick. my stomach was queasy and I felt like we were moving when we weren't. It's a good thing we jsut planned on settling in that day. The trip home went the same way. I have to say we all decided on making the drive a sleep over the next time. We are going to Hillton Head this summer and am booking a hotel room on the road. The driving really wears you down. The day we got home we all felt sick again.

My advice to anyone driving is definitely stop to sleep- in a bed!

 

[Poohs Pal]

crabmeal;
I completly agree with you about stopping for the night. We also stop at least once and get out of the car for a meal. This give's us a chance to relax and get rid of the wobbly leg feeling. Susan

 

[nuthut]

It's 1084 miles each way from NYC to Orlando times two for the return makes 2168 miles times .30 a mile (We all know you can not drive for that) equals $650.40 car costs plus a either four of days of lost wages or lost vacation time and tolls, meals, etc. Those $200 airline tickets seem like a great bargain to me. I can leave my house and be sitting at the BWV pool with a drink in exactly five hours!!

 

[tinaluis]

Welcome back and thanks for the "mini" trip report. We "survived" the drive last month from Chicago but we stopped overnight on the way down and the way back. Flying isn't an option for us, no matter if the tickets are $200 or $20, so we drive. We've found that stopping overnight really helps to split the trip up a bit and we try to make the drive part of the fun. Fortunately, our vacation time is very flexible so we don't feel like we've "wasted" four days of it. Once again, welcome back. Have fun planning your next trip.

 

[funhouse8]

We never drove before but are going to drive the end of december. Yes airfare is just 200. there is six of us and we are pulling our camper to stay on site for 35.00 a night after the holiday rate goes down. We couldn't pass that rate up. I'll let you know how it goes. And please don't wish for a white christmas..

 

[TinkHappy]

Welcome back!! Glad to hear you survived the trip. We LOVE to drive to WDW. It is part of the trip for us. We stop over night. We always leave around 4:00am (must get through NYC traffic before rush hour), we get to DC around noon, have lunch, walk around and tour, then back in the car for a few more hours. The stop in DC really breaks up the car ride and it is great for the kids to see DC. After we stop over night, the next day is easy because we know the next stop is WDW!!!
Because we stop over night, we are not as tired when we get there.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> .30 a mile (We all know you can not drive for that) equals $xxx.xx car costs ...

Your car payments and car insurance cost the same whether or not you make the trip to WDW.

I think the added cost of driving to WDW is much less per mile, unless your car has unusually low gas mileage.

The IRS guideline for the variable cost, or incremental expense, of driving another trip (that is, excluding the fixed costs of car ownership) is the charitable contribution deduction rate of 14 cents per mile for the year 2002.

I drove to WDW twice, from New Hampshire, ca 1975 and 1985. Don't really want to do that again. It was about 1300 miles one way. Done other trips not as far south. Always seem to get hung up in traffic in the southern Connecticut, New York, and northern New Jersey area.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Driving through New York on into New England, do you really save time using the Tappan Zee bridge as opposed to the George Washington Bridge? The route via the TZ bridge is quite circuitous by comparison and there are traffic backups too.