Would you rather: 9h drive in 1 day or split across 2 days?

[ddluvsdisney]

One day!! This is a no brainer for me since we live in MA and takes us more than 9 hours to get to Disney. More like 20ish hours.
We used to do the drive in 2 days. 12ish hours day one and the the rest day 2.
Now we drive straight thru over night.

 

[permavac]

We used to drive down to Disney from Michigan - a lot. We would do two days each of 9-hour driving plus 3 hours stopping. It was always easier on the way down when we had something to look forward to but it was still really rough. After a while I realized that 12 hours on the road was just too much for me. We moved to a max of 7 hours driving with 2.5 hours stopping for a total of 9.5 hours on the road and ended up taking 2.5 days in each direction and it was totally worth it.

Since you only have one day of it, it might work just to try to get through it on the way down and plan to break it up on the way back. The other recommendation of one longer day and one shorter day is good too.

 

[The Mayor]

One day for sure. Pick up a portable travel potty seat for the car. Whenever your child has to go just pull off the highway and at the next exit and they can go. My son did this on a trip this past summer and it worked out great. They sell them on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=portable+travel+potty+for+toddler&ref=nb_sb_noss

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

This is my theory too - one bag, done. Easy peasy, right? Then my husband points out all the stuff we drag around for our 3yo and he's like "you're not going to let him have singing bear and mattress bumpers and his favorite milk cup???" We've actually drastically cut down on the amount of stuff we haul around for him but it is definitely a work in progress! Plus when you share a hotel room, if he doesn't sleep well, no one else sleeps well haha

If you bring the kitchen sink then you really should just do it in one day and only have to unpack at your resort.

And other than your child potentially needing to go to the bathroom or being bored/cranky I personally don't see why it should be broken up.
If you feel like your DH will be too tired then I'd say you should drive the first hour or two where its familiar then let him take over if he prefers to do the majority of the driving.
My parents are late 70s/early 80's and drive for 12+ hours over a couple of days to go from their house to Central Florida and its only my mom driving and they aren't too tired.
And when my sister and I drive its about 15 hours and 6 hours over 2 days and she is the only one that drives and she is fine.
I don't think you guys will be too tired to just do it in one day.

 

[Jimsig]

One day is easy even with the stops and the stops is what makes it easy. It breaks the trip up nicely with a gas stop, a lunch/gas stop, and a final gas stop. You may possibly need another gas stop depending on your car.

Only way I would split a trip that short into 2 days would be if I was not able to leave until the evening. Then I'd drive 5-6 hours including gas and food stops the first night and get a room and then do the final 5-6 with stops the next morning.

 

[Lewisc]

The "math" suggests doing the trip in one day. Some people can't safely drive that many hours. Will the toddler be sleeping, crying or be screaming out of control? Have you taken road trips before? How did it go?

One idea. Don't book a hotel your first night. Grab a chain hotel off the road if driving isn't going well. Grab a hotel in DS or on Palm Parkway if you make it one day.

Leaving the previous night, drive for around 4 hours then stopping for the night is a good idea.

Edited add Only one driver concerns me.

 

[bdrex28]

A 9hr drive I'd definitely do in one day. It'll save hotel costs as well.

For me it's probably about 14hrs where I'd start considering splitting into two days

 

[LadybugsMum]

One day and I say that as the only driver. My drive is about the same and when my kids were little, I would leave around 5 am so that they would sleep for awhile and then we'd stop for breakfast. I could not do the overnight driving like some suggest because my kids have never slept longer than 2 hours in the car. I also recommend having a table with movies or short tv episodes to help distract your toddler.

 

[SL6827]

I like arriving at my Disney resort earlier in the day to check in, as I believe that has helped numerous times getting my room request.

 

[sam_gordon]

Sorry, not buying the "add 33% for food, bathroom, and gas breaks". That basically equates to driving an hour, then stopping for 20 minutes (I think my math is right).

Use google maps to check the miles from home to the resort. Divide the miles by 60. That should give you a pretty good idea of how long the trip will take. Yes, many speed limits are 65 or 70, so you go 7-9mph over. That extra speed makes up for the stops.

Stops are where you REALLY lose time. Ideally, each stop you get gas, go to the bathroom, get some food (to go), and get back on the road.

Yes, I have travelled with toddlers and infants (at the same time).

I would drive it in one day (the day before check in), get a hotel about 30-60 min from Disney, get some rest, check in the next day, and take advantage of the water park.

I agree with @Lewisc, DON'T make hotel reservations and see how things go. If they're going poorly, the navigator (presumably the OP) gets on their phone and looks for hotels 30-60 minutes away. If they're going good, then you get all the way there.

 

[Lewisc]

Google maps let you specify the date and time you project leaving. It will give directions and estimated time based on the speed limit and guesstimated traffic.
Posters are trying to help but we don't know you.
Some people stop every 4-5 hours. Fuel, takeout and bathroom. Road warriors.

Some are taking medication and need hourly bathroom breaks.

Some swap drivers during the gas stop.
Only one driver. A 45 minute break to eat, stretch legs and rest may be needed.

If you think you may be too tired to drive you are too tired. Switch drivers. Grab a
Hotel. Pull over someplace and nap.

 

[VandVsmama]

Drive it in 1 day.

If possible, bring a training potty in the car/minivan/SUV with you and whip that out when the 3 yr old will say (when you're out in the middle of nowhere), "I have to go potty" and by that, the kid means, "I have to go RIGHT NOW!"

We live in AZ and regularly have made the drive out to San Diego over the years since we have extended family in the San Diego area. It didn't matter how many bathroom stops we stopped at. Didn't matter if I told my kids, "I don't care. Sit on the potty and squirt out of a few drops." Never worked. It was ALWAYS when we were a couple of miles past the road sign warning "No services for the next 50-60 miles" and 1 of the kids would announce, "Mama....I have to go potty."

I've lost count the # of times I've tossed their deposits out into the desert on the side of I-8 with traffic whizzing past at 80 mph.

So just count on your 3 yr old announcing the need to go potty at a very inconvenient time and plan accordingly. Doesn't matter if you'd do the drive in 1 day or 2 days...your kid will pick when you're far away from an actual toilet to announce they need to go.

 

[Travel60]

As an adult, I do 9 hours in one day frequently. With a child I would not unless it was an emergency.

Days are very short in February - if you try to do in one day you/husband will drive in the dark on at least one end of the trip.

How is your child in the car? It's a long time to expect a little one to sit all buckled in and trapped. Mine would have lost it. We stopped every 2-3 hours and let them run for 15 minutes or so.

I think I'd try to get 2-3 hours under my belt the afternoon before. Stop at a hotel with an indoor pool and let child swim/play. Then easy drive on next day. Pack one bag with PJ's and change of clothes/swimsuit. Bring in a stuffy and a book for child.

 

[VGCgroupie]

9 hours isnt too bad but if your 3 year old isnt used to that much time in the car it may be more difficult. I do like the idea of using the free water park day.

 

[Lewisc]

Posters talk about using the free water park. Remember water park is closed if the temperature is too cold.

 

[sam_gordon]

Days are very short in February - if you try to do in one day you/husband will drive in the dark on at least one end of the trip.

There's still ~11 hours of daylight (assuming a single time zone) in February, and about another 45 minutes of "twilight".

 

[Jonnnyap]

You've received some good advice from previous posters above, so I'll only add that for my personal travel, I've done both long days and also broken trips into two shorter segments. I've driven I-75 up/down FL for decades, and I've noticed the traffic has gotten much more dense over the years, so while I can do a one-day trip, I've started doing two 4-hour segments, driving later evening/night and early morning, using a hotel midway. While I could do the drive in one day, the traffic is much less dense after 8pm and before 9am, and you have few large trucks on the road during those later/earlier hours. Driving 4 hours 6pm-10pm one evening and then 5am-9am the next morning works well and avoids traffic and possible accidents/wrecks/traffic. One bad wreck can add 1+ hour to your drive, and avoiding that possibility, especially at the dense points of Atlanta, Macon, I-10, Gainesville, etc. is worth a quick stop in a hotel. My family learned this the hard way one Thanksgiving trip GA to FL and back; the 8 hour trip turned into 12+ hours with traffic and wrecks and construction along the way. We adjusted the hours we drive thereafter!

Obviously, this depends upon your tolerance for stopping and also ability to coordinate child nap/sleep schedule(s), but I just wanted to add the reduced traffic density as a major benefit of driving during "off hours."

Hope you have a safe and great trip!

 

[OKW Lover]

Most of the advice seems to focus on breaking this up. I'd tend to agree with that. I'd also suggest that you drive about 7 hours and stay at a less expensive hotel (as compared to Disney price) and the next morning you have a short drive while still getting a full day in the parks.

 

[liamthompson]

Since you only have one day of it, it might work just to try to get through it on the way down and plan to break it up on the way back.

I had not considered this, thank you! I think we'll be more excited going/more able to push through one day and more tired coming home so this is a good option too.

 

[liamthompson]

I've lost count the # of times I've tossed their deposits out into the desert on the side of I-8 with traffic whizzing past at 80 mph.

This image hahaha thanks for sharing! It sounds like portable potty is a must-have.