what do you think of this? what would you change?

[Mrs.viv07]

We are driving down to florida leaving this coming saturday, i say we leave around 3-4pm drive till dinner time get tdinner somewhere settle back in the car change driver and go on till 3 am then sleep, MH says no we drive straight thru after dinner then stop again for breakfast, switch again till we get to orlando, what do you guys think?
MH doesn't wan tot pay for an extra night of lodging....

we have to go to universal ticket booth to pick up tickets, and also to Vineland Rd in Kissimmee to get tickets we ordered for my parents from THE OFFICIAL TICKET CENTER, i figured we could stay in a hotel around 192 then check in to ASMo on monday
wwyd?

 

[jkCT]

Be safe! If you can handle the straight-through driving, go for it... but for me even with another person in the car it would be hard for the driver to stay awake once we hit 2am!

 

[daisyduck123]

We always drive straight thru..it's a 13-14 hour trip.
DH & I take turns - each doing 3 hour shifts.

I say "Go for it" if you can handle it. It's no problem for us.
We leave around 3am & get to WDW around 4:30pm...just at check-in time.

 

[tiggerfan1]

I agree with the previous posters. If you feel like you can do it, go for it! Have a wonderful time on your trip!!!

 

[Creekermom]

I see you would be coming from NY and we live in Louisville, KY
it took us easily without stops 13.5 hrs that is if we didnt' run into traffic, and accident etc...
We drove 8 hrs and took an overnight rest at a respectable hotel without paying an arm and a leg about $60 after all we just wanted a clean room to sleep and get up and hit the road again and that is what we did. ( We drove to the south side of Atlanta and spent the night and on the way home we stayed on the North side, this way we avoided the traffic in the morning)

We enjoyed the trip much better than if we would have drove the whole way through. I know my friend did it and they were exhausted and spent 2 days at the beach before heading over to WDW. We weren't nearly as tired and had dinner reserv at Epcot at 8.. we arrived about 5 and changed and got cleaned up and off we went.

Do what is best for your family although you want to be refreshed and not exhausted.

We packed a cooler too with things this way we didn't have to stop a lot except to fuel up and have a rest stop.

I know you will have a wonderful time no matter what you decide!

 

[kaylajr]

We drove down from NY a few years ago.

We left around 6 AM drove till around 9PM and than stopped for the night.
We arrived the next day mid afternoon and didnt' feel exhausted which if we had gone straight thru I think we would have.

We didn't want the first day in WDW to be effected by being tired from the drive. That is what worked for us but Everyone is different.

 

[BigMama]

Have Driven Down From Nj Several Times. Have Left All Different Times Thinking It Would Be Better,we Have Stopped Over And Slept, Showered And Ate. And We Have Drove Straight Thru.the Only Thing I Have To Say Is Get A Room And Sleep,because You Will Be So Tired The Next Day You Dont Feel Like Doing Anything.i Just Felt It Was To Long To Go Straight Thru.but Everybody Is Different If You Can Do It Go For It, If Not There Are Rooms Along The Way.you Can Always Change Your Mind. Have Fun And Drive Safe.(oh And Btw We Fly Now )

 

[Rylee]

My SIL, her hubby and 4 kids, drive straight through every year. (We live near Syracuse, NY.)

They leave at 4pm, and stop for dinner around 6pm. (They stop at the same place every year.) After dinner, they drive until about 11pm, take a potty break, get fuel, and bunk the kids down for the night, (recline seats) and then they drive until around 6am, when they stop for breakfast. They switch divers once during the night.

They original started this because of the kids... less fidgeting, bickering, etc., if the kids were asleep. They make excellent time because they deal with less traffic.

I can't stand to drive straight through to Myrtle Beach and will only fly when we go to Disney.

 

[Mischa]

I agree with jkCT - if you can drive straight through then go for it. We wouldn't be able to do it. Last time we left home around 3pm, drove until about 6pm and had dinner, then continued until about 10:30pm or so and found a hotel. We were about 1/2 way at that point. Next morning we got up early, had breakfast and drove the rest of the way refreshed. We also took our time (had to because of rainstorms) so we arrived around 4pm at SSR/Disney.

Whatever you decide - be safe and have fun!

 

[LISAMWDW]

I hate driving but had to drive my grandfather home from Alabama to Michigan this past fall. We drove straight thru and it was miserable. It took me 2-3 days to catch up on my sleep. I just got dragged down for the exhaustation. I would not recommend driving straight thru. I understand you would get there faster but then you will be exhausted for your magical vacation. I do not think it's worth it! You want to be fully rested for WDW! It's alot of walking and standing in lines. You'll get exhaused just being on vacation!

What ever you all decide, enjoy the magic!

 

[Jenniww]

I personally would get a room. Get some rest let my kids maybe splash in a pool and chill till it is check in time at your resort.

 

[dawz1026]

Get the room..take it from a frequent NY driving family...you will be shot and unable to feel really rested the entire trip and then you drive home...Why not leave Sun.(less traffic)6am-be in GA by7-8 sleep and only have 3 1/2-4 hrs the next day (it goes quick the next day..check in is afternoon anyway then you can go and run around the parks!

 

[Silver Queen]

I agree with dawz1026. I think it's best to save your energy for your time in the parks. We have driven nonstop from the Albany, NY area to Myrtle Beach area with two drivers and that was our limit. I don't think we'd even do that again. The night can get long and monotonous and you are definitely wiped out the next day. A few dolloars for a modest room seems to be well worth it for your safety, health, and stress level.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

I agree also with the PP. We drove a couple of times straight through and we were no good for at least a day. Don't like that feeling and I get car sick. Get room and get a good rest and then start again. There are some decent hotels along the way that won't cost you an arm and a leg. Safe Travels.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

sorry double post.

 

[Goofyz3girls]

Only you can anwser the question to drive straight through.If you think you can do it by all means go for it.The ones telling you will be tired the next day are correct but just for that day you arrive.....not days! (come on people unless your 80).I have done it many times to the Port St. Lucie area and found that if you live in the lower Hudson area of NY you should leave around 8 pm and drive straight through.It will get you almost through Ga by around 7 ish (depending how fast you fly low) have breakfast at the Wafflehouse before crossing into Fl and then right to Disney.You should arrive around 11ish and miss almost all traffic problem because of your start time proven many times over (if during the week it'll be in Jacksonville).Lets face it people whether you drive or fly the first day is somewhat of a waste.You unpack....get settled and usually prepare for the fun your going to set out to do.Whichever you chose to do have a great time. We just came back from our 1st Christmas Disney stay (Dec.21-28) and can't wait to go back.

 

[Goofyz3girls]

Only you can anwser the question to drive straight through.If you think you can do it by all means go for it.The ones telling you will be tired the next day are correct but just for that day you arrive.....not days! (come on people unless your 80).I have done it many times to the Port St. Lucie area and found that if you live in the lower Hudson area of NY you should leave around 8 pm and drive straight through.It will get you almost through Ga by around 7 ish (depending how fast you fly low) have breakfast at the Wafflehouse before crossing into Fl and then right to Disney.You should arrive around 11ish and miss almost all traffic problem because of your start time proven many times over (if during the week it'll be in Jacksonville).Lets face it people whether you drive or fly the first day is somewhat of a waste.You unpack....get settled and usually prepare for the fun your going to set out to do.Whichever you chose to do have a great time. We just came back from our 1st Christmas Disney stay (Dec.21-28) and can't wait to go back.

 

[mprice823]

We prefer to drive all night. I know that is not for some people, but that is the way we have always done it. We can bounce back pretty quickly after a short nap. Before we had kids, we always rented a book on tape that was about as long as our trip (Usually a suspense/thriller type book). We would listen to the story and even found ourselves driving around the block a few times after a 12 hour drive because the book was almost over and we wanted to find out who did it!