Yet again....more *driving from Toronto* questions....

[SandraC]

Hi, I have pretty much made up my mind that a driving to Florida trip is in our future. 2004 or 2005, waiting to see how April's trip goes first. I was chatting with a co-worker who is driving down tomorrow for a couple weeks. She said she drives down annually for a couple weeks around March break.

So...I was thinking of this drive:
Toronto to Wytheville, Virginia (one night in hotel) (thru Niagara Falls)
Wytheville to Daytona (one night in hotel)
Dayton to WDW the next afternoon.

Can't decide how many nights at WDW (HELP! ~ I am thinking at least 5 nights)

On the way home:
Orlando to Atlanta
Atlanta to Cincinnati (so we can do a couple hours at Paramount Kings Island ~ free passes)
Cincinnati to Home (thru Windsor).

I think a couple nights to get home would be best for us.

SO! HOW many nights is WDW?
Want time of year? I am thinking late summer for the August codes, but March break sounds good too?
Would it be too much to drive down twice in one year (or even three times) I would get an AP for that ~ are there AP rates all times of year? If three times in one year, I was thinking March Break/July or August ~ when ever codes are available or AP rates/November.
Could a trip be done in one week? Like this:
Sat. Toronto to Virginia
Sun. Virginia to WDW
Mon. WDW
Tue. WDW
Wed. WDW
Thr. WDW
Fri. WDW to Virginia
Sat. Virginia to home
Sun. REST REST REST

After April trip, I will be saving for a vehicle ~ I would like a van so advise on that would help too! THANKS ALL! Sandra

 

[disneyvacationmom]

Hi Sandra C. When we drive to Disney we try to allow 5 nights in the hotel. We leave on Sat from Windsor and drive to Chatanooga(about 12 hours) and then to Disney the next day. That takes us to Sun eve. We leave on Sat. to arrive home Sun. On the way home we always try to get to Knoxville Tennessee Sat. night and then home on Sun. It makes for 2 long days of driving but it's doable for us. The last few years we have flown which is a little more relaxing(once they convince me to get on a plane) but sometimes I miss the driving trips. Kathy

 

[hockey mom]

Hi sandra: we drove down twice in 2000 and the second time around we found that we were dreading the trip home. I don't think 5 days is enough time after a drive like that, and march is a little iffy as far as weather. August would be a nice time. I like to drive while the kids are asleep so we never stop, so I can't help you there. I saw the neatest car bingo cards the other day. You had to find stop signs, school buses, that sort of thing. We also use the T.V., gameboys, books and lots of snacks. We are driving again next May with my sister and her family, but right now I am really looking forward to the plane ride in April.

 

[juniorbugman]

If you plan on driving get a current copy of Dave Hunter's book "Along I 75" It is full of great tips along with good Trip Tic like directions for the drive down and back up. We almost always drive down, 3 days 2 nights on the road, this leaves us with ample shopping and site seeing options. My vacation starts when I leave Toronto not when I arrive at Disney so any side tripsalong the way are a bonus. But yes you can drive down in a hurry 2 days 1 night if you are used to driving a lot, believe me if you can not drive for a long period or sleep in the car you can burn yourself out.
good luck on your trips

 

[Susan-Ontario]

Good Thursday Morning Sandra,

I haven't posted here in a long time, so excuse the reply if it doesn't work out right. We have gone many times over the past 10 years. We have purchased AP's the last few years and have taken two or even three trips in one year. We live in London and we always drive. We leave Friday night after work. Drive to Sydney, OH. (about a five hour drive, but we stop for supper after three hours, so it doesn't seem very long) Stay at the Hampton Inn. On Saturday we drive as far as possible. Sometimes even into Florida. That gets us to Disney by lunch on Sunday. We always get early check in. We like to stay for two weeks if possible. Coming home we leave Friday morning, stop just north of Knoxville, TN and are home by supper time on Saturday. We find that we don't like to leave Disney but once we're on the road we want to get home straight away. I would fly except that I don't like it all and we can get to Florida on about $100 worth of gas for our van. And like so many others we have to have a vehicle when we get there because we hardly ever use Disney transportation.
We don't find the drive to be too much, but both my husband and myself drive. However, there have been trips where he has done all the driving. We have had AP rates in September, November, January, February, April and May. Sometimes though we have used other codes, such as the Canadian codes and received better rates.
The first few years we went we drove straight through. Leaving Friday after work and arriving at Disney Saturday afternoon. I prefer to do this but my husband won't hear of it anymore. I'm a night driver and so he slept while I drove. Then when the sun came up he drove while I slept. One last word.. I love my AP's. wouldn't do it any other way. I love the fact that I can pop over to any of the parks just for the fireworks and not have to worry about wasting a day's pass. Also, not having any guilt about leaving the parks after only a couple of hours when we just want to have a nap, play mini golf or check out the Boardwalk. When you buy them here you save big on the exchange rate. I bought some last month and the rate worked out to 1.39. Take it and run.
Hope this helps.
Have a super day!



Susan

 

[DSNY FN]

We drove down our last 2 trips this past Dec and in Dec 99 in 99 my dad and I drove we stopped for the night in georgia both ways and this year we stopped only on the way down. We stopped in Valdosta this year we left London at 6:22 PM and stopped for coffee in Ohio at Tim Hortons just off the I75 at about 12:30 we crossed into Kentuky just after 2 I think we always drive 500K and get gas just in Kentuky we top up on the 401 on our way out in West Lorne at the Petro with the McDonalds. We prefer the night drive as the kids sleep the whole night ad then we stop at the Georgia Welcome centre in the AM usually around 7:30 or 8 and then we get to Valdosta for about 3 in the afternoon we stay at the Fairfield inn it was nice and only 43 dollars for the night and there are lots of places to eat right around you along with a Super K mart just up the street. We leave Valdosta the next morning around 8 or 9 depends on how pokey we are eating breakfast then we stop at the Florida welcome centre we have to it just wouldn't be right if we didn't stop there grab our free fresh squeezed OJ and some disney books and head back out we usually arrive at WDW around 12 to 12:30 that day. Now driving home on the other hand we leave around 8 PM and drive straight only stopping for gas and some breakfast and lunch we usually make it home in 18 to 20 hours depending on how long we stop to eat. Hope this helps I know it is long but I just wanted to let you know how we do it. We also drove my moms Montana minivan this year and our total for gas was aroung 250 canadian for the entire trip but we used the van alot while we were down there more than we should have next trip we leave it parked.
Darren & Lisa
Ps. we also find the drive to be beautiful going through Kentuky and Tenn with all the mountains and knock on wood we have not hit any winter weather in the mountains or anywhere for that fact we didn't see snow this year untill we hit London.

 

[DisneyLisa]

SandraC...that's the route we took last year & will be taking again in July and it's relaxing & beautiful. I would try to stay more than 5 days in WDW if I could (we're staying 2 nights in Daytona & 9 or 10 in WDW).

If I recall Beckley, WV would be about the half-way mark from Toronto. Last year we left on a Friday (without reservations) and everything in Beckley was full. We'd had no problem finding a hotel the year before in August without reservations, but being July & a Friday night...no luck. We started calling on our cell (using CAA books) & couldn't get a vacant room until Statesville, NC...which was 22 hours of driving for me (I am from Ottawa & got up at 5 am to pick up my friend in Kitchener for the trip). Needless to say, we'll be making reservations this year...someting you may want to consider...depending on when you go.

This will be the fourth drive down for us (once years ago with hubby & 3 kids under 7 - driving 24 hrs straight, and 3rd time with friend and DD14 - taking 2 days) and we really enjoy the drive. As someone posted earlier, we consider the beginning of the vacation to be when we pull out of the driveway. It cost us about $500 Canadian last year for the entire trip down (2 nights in hotel (1 night each way), gas & food) which is great...more to spend on a resort in WDW. With our exchange rate...it all counts. We also like having our own vehicle while we're there.

I'd drive down more than once a year, but DD is on semester system in high school & can't miss any classes (and there's no way I'd go to WDW at Spring Break or Christmas) so that only leaves summer. Late summer (August as you mentioned) is nice...crowds are a little lighter but weather is still hot.

As for your sample itinerary...it depends on the ages in your party...I think I'd find it a bit hectic but it certainly could be done. My advice would be to spend as many days as possible in WDW.

Happy planning.

 

[SandraC]

Should I get a CAA membership? I think if we go, it'll be summer 2004 and spring 2005 with an AP, both driving trips. If we can swing a third trip, it might be a flying trip, who knows!

If we go in the summer 2004, we would do it over two weeks with one day of rest at home. So over 15 days. Does anyone know if codes or AP rates come out for the last two weeks of July? I can get 16 days with one day of rest that way ~ use the Civic Holiday first Monday in August.

The second trip might be just over a week during March break or April (we love April) but I am trying to work it around dd's school ~ we take her away from school a lot for vacations. Now is okay, she's only in grade 3, but as she gets older, I would like vacations not to interfere too much with school. So if we got March break we might take one week and a couple days ~ but I'll bet you we'll do two weeks the week before March break and the week of the break.

I think three days of 8 hours drives who suit our family best. So that's two nights per way in hotels ~ I would get a hotel with a pool, so we can unwind and move our muscles a bit. So that would be two vacations of two weeks driving. Both would look like this:

Day 1 Drive to Cincinnati
Day 2 Drive to Atlanta
Day 3 Drive to Daytona
Day 4 Drive to WDW early afternoon and go to MK!
Day 5 WDW
Day 6 WDW
Day 7 WDW
Day 8 WDW
Day 9 WDW
Day 10 WDW
Day 11 WDW
Day 12 WDW
Day 13 Drive to Atlanta
Day 14 Drive to Cincinnati
Day 15 Drive home

So that's a total of 18 WDW days over two trips. I might even get Sea World or Universal in place of a couple WDW days. What do you think? Sandra

 

[DisneyLisa]

SandraC...you may want to consider the I79 route you mentioned earlier vs the I75. If you're stopping in Daytona on the way, I think it would be shorter and more direct...at least that's how it appears on my map. I've also been told there is less traffic.

We didn't get a CAA membership (just the books & maps from my friend's sister). I have a new GM so have Roadside Assistance & don't figure it's worth it right now. But the Triptick, maps & books are great.