A little early but.....

[floogen6]

trying to budget for next August and with 7 of us flying it seems as if it may put our WDW trip out of reach....anyone driven down 95 from CT? I think a road trip would do the kids great but I am also worried that it will put them all in bad moods to start the trip being couped up for that long...

[thumperbug]

Depending on your schedule, plan 1 or 2 overnight stops on the way down to break up the ride. Maybe hit a tourist attraction on one of the days.

[WeLuvBuzz]

Have never driven from CT, but we drive down from OH all the time. It is about a 14 hour drive. We leave later afternoon the day before, spend the night somewhere in Georgia, and get to Orlando around lunch the next day and are not exhausted due to the break. Coming home we usually do it straight through. With travel games and portable DVD players it is not bad at all. Bring some boxes of treats (make sure you bring plastic grocery store bags for trash to keep the car clean) and you will have a great trip. Plus, many kids sleep in the car for part of the trip anyway. If it comes to driving or staying home I am all for the driving.

[Dulcee]

We drove every year my family has ever gone to WDW from NJ right down I-95. I'll tell you this much I have as many memories from the car ride as I do from Disney. Over the years the group varied from 2 to 3 kids and in more recent years my dog has also accompanied on the trip.

One word of warning: budget plenty of extra time. We usually leave around 3 in the morning and then stop that night in Georgia before heading to Disney the next day. When we get to Disney that day we don't have park tickets. We either check into a cheap orlando area hotel and head to Disney early early the morning after or we check into our hotel under a seperate reservation and then start our dining/tickets the next day.

I suggest going for it. I can be a lot of fun as long as no one is overly rushed to get there.

[smiles_rock]

We have driven to the World several times from Massachusetts. It's a long ride (usually a solid 24 hours) but we drive it straight through with 2 or 3 drivers. We have 4 boys ranging in age from 6 to 12 and they've always been fine. My advice would be to bring lots of things for them to do in the car! We have DVD players, cards, books, games, music...everything we can think of. We have found that leaving later in the day is best both for the traffic and the kids. We try to leave around 4pm, stop for late dinner after we get through NY city, the kids fall asleep after that and by the time they wake up we only have about 8 hours left. It seems like a lot but it works well for us.
If you need any info on traffic, tolls, places to stop, etc. send me a PM.

[floogen6]

Thanks guys. I remember driving from Illinois as a kid and yes I too am for driving rather than staying home...Just the logistics can be a nightmare sometimes...I do appreciate all the advice though and I think the missus and I will check into the toll driving will take on us..

[diz_girl]

I'd recommend taking two days to drive down, with an overnight stop somewhere in SC. A good rule of thumb is to drive 60% of the distance on the first day and 40% on the second day. We're driving from the northern part of the NJ coast and our 60% stop is Florence, SC, which is a good place to stop with plenty of hotels and places to eat. It usually takes us 12-13 hours, including breaks, leaving at 8 a.m. We then are well-rested and leave again at 8 a.m. and are at WDW by about 3 or 4 p.m., and can check into our room right away.

I know that some people do an all-nighter, but I know that I couldn't handle it, so I don't even try. I'd rather not start my WDW vacation tired and cranky.

When I was younger and going down with my parents, we used to drive from Philly to St. Augustine, FL in one shot, leaving at 6 a.m. and arriving at midnight. It is a really long haul, but do-able as long as there are at least two drivers and the kids are older (at least school-age). We have a toddler and need to take frequent breaks (every 2 hours), so we can't make it down that far on the first day.

[Dulcee]

.... I agree with above. Driving straight through was the one year the trip down was a nightmare. By the time we finally got there not only was everyone beat and needed a full day to recover, we weren't exactly the happiest people in the world.

If you can make it work with your budget defintely split the driving there and home over two days..

[kathiep]

We drive from central NJ every year and never drive straight through. (we've driven straight through on the way back and it's a nightmare!).

We also try to leave very early in the morning and get as much driving as possible in on the first day. We like to get at least into Georgia. That way, there's no rush to get up too early the next day yet we can still be in Orlando by mid-afternoon. Then we usually have a room only reservation at one of the values for that night. It gives us a chance to relax, swim and enjoy the Disney atmosphere but also regroup before starting the parks the next day.

[MicMouse]

We drove from Illinois this year because the cost to fly 5 out of Chicago was insane. We took two days to drive down (stayed one night in GA and then next in Orlando near Universal), and one day to drive back (stayed near Nashville on the way home), and ate out every meal on the way. After figuring the cost for gas, hotel rooms and meals, we were still several hundred dollars ahead of where we would have been if we flew.

Straight thru would have been about 19 hours, but breaking up the days the way we did made the trip seem easy and we were fully rested for our first day at Disney.

Have a great trip!!

[longing4magic]

We travel on 95 from Maryland. we have driven straight thru with 3 kids without a problem. we are planning to stop in Georgia this trip and probably drive straight thru on the way home. My advice would be a lot of snacks, DVDs and little surprises along the way. (Plus many bathroom, stretch the legs stops) My husband loves driving on 95.

[gbear5555]

We drove to the world few years ago from MA and we left around 5 pm and drove to Philly, then to Savannah GA the next day and the ended up at the world by noon time . This worked really well. Had my 1 1/2 year old DD and 7 yr niece and had movies and crafts and other busy things for them and the loved it. Good luck

[spoiledraf]

N.E. Ohio, 17 hrs, 12 minutes, 1017 miles. Love every minute of it. Leave Friday when I get home from work around 7:30, drive all night, nobody on the road, easy drive, breakfast in Ga., Lunch on the Boardwald at the ESPN club.

[FenwayGirl]

We have driven down a number of times...We ususally go as far as Virginia, North Carolina...stop for the night and travel on to WDW. Gives us time to recharge

[angelat]

I've been the passenger as a child driving to Florida from NJ. I can't say that I loved it, but it was an experience that I now have and memories I won't forget.

May I recommend that you also check into Amtrak? Depending on your dates, you may find that it is cheaper than flying. Kids travel free with a paid adult. though if you get a sleeper unit, you will pay extra. sleeping in your seats in a regular car would be the other option, but I dont' know how conmfortable that would be. But if you are checking into options, i would say at least look at that.

[Tink#64]

We decided on a last minute trip this year, actually booked the trip a week prior to arrival! We had planned a fall trip, but wasn't going to work out with DH's work, so with Spring Break approaching we knew it was then or not at all this year! Airline tix at that late date were out of our price range & not having planned the trip at that time, we cut corners everywhere we could to keep the cost of the unexpected trip down as low as possible! It was the 1st time for us to drive to WDW, we were very spoiled to hopping on the plane & being there in 2 hours! But it was either drive or don't go, so of course we drove! Both DS's get car sick, so we loaded up on Bonine (similar to Dramamine - but less drowsieness), had the kids pick lots of movies for the DVD players, packed hand held video games, lots of snack & drinks & away we went! Now I hate car trips, that's all we did when I was a kid & I too got car sick, but DS's handled it like champs! I think I got more antsy than they did! We did divide it up into 2 days, thankfully, because we drove through rain almost the entire trip & it was mind numbing! On arrival day, we hung out at the pool for a few hours so everyone could relax & then headed to DTD for our Disney fix! Then we started with the parks the next day. I would much rather fly, but if driving were my only choice - I'd do it again in a minute, much better than not going to WDW at all!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I just wanted to suggest that you look into the Autotrain (or even the "regular" train, if you don't care about taking your car).

We took the Autotrain for the first time last trip, and are hooked! It was cheaper than flying, but so much easier than driving, and we all arrived at WDW refreshed and ready to go.

[Disneyfan1971]

Well i've been to Disney six times and only once I've flown.

I live in NC and every time I've gone (with my folks) we break up the trip into two days--even from NC it's good twelve hours if not more because I-95 (in some parts) are just horrendous and only two lanes.

However there is South of the Border--you'll see the signs for it..TRUST me you can't miss them But if you want to drive, break up the trip if you have time.