Okay, Talk Me Into Driving to WDW in April!

[merlinmagic4]

We had pretty much given up on our April trip although I had not gone so far as to bank our timeshare week. Airfares are so high for school vacation week and our budget is tight right now. However, now we are contemplating driving down for the week. We have a paid place to stay, would have the car we drove down in and have 2 days and 1 water park left on our non expiring tickets. So we would just need to pay for gas and food - that I can do with part of my tax refund.

So now we are throwing around the idea of driving from Massachusetts. The last time we did it I swore I would never do it again but I know lots of people don't mind. How do you do it? Do you stop over or go right through? I have three kids (11,8,2 by April) and I'm afraid it will be a nightmare.

Should we do it or should we just hang on for April 2009?

[tinklover]

My family drives down to port st lucie florida every year form salisbury md and we have 2 young DD's 4 and 3. the first year we drove straight thru ... big mistake. we were exhausted although the kids were fine and slept.
the next year we stopped over night and it was a much more pleasant trip for all involved and the girls really liked staying in the hotel.

[tink'72]

I travel each year from Mass. to Disney. I have 3 kids 5, 11 and 14. I pack them inexpensive goodie bags so they have some new things for the trip. I do have the Tv's in the car , which is a huge plus. This year we are also taking XBox.
We LOVE it!!! You just have to keep an open mind , take your time and have fun!!!
The kids do get antsy in the car so I stop often. That seems to ease up on the ride.
I also don't travel 95 down the whole way. I did that once and it was crazy . TONS of traffic.
If you would like any pointers for the drive let me know!
We look forward to it , we've made it part of the vacation instead of thinking of it as long and tedious!
I also stop over night that way I'm not exhausted when we arrive. That way I can enjoy myself as well! After all , it is vacation....

[NJ Camper]

we have been driving for years we stay in the Fort so we kinda have to the rv won't fit on a plane we leave early in the am so as to try to miss the traffic in baltimore and washington after that its not to bad we travel 95 all the way to i-4 the only bad thing for us is pullin a big camper kills my mpg we end up stopping every 3-4 hours for fuel and to let the 2 dogs stretch along with us but i also drive for a living as a truck driver so i don't mind its not to bad just don't over due it we shot for the Ga border we found a good campround for over nighting then we don't have far the next day good luck and have a magical trip :mickey:

[tinkerbell98]

We are also planning to drive for our first famiy trip to WDW in May. We have 3 kids, 6, 9, 10 and we are hopeful that they will be so excited and will have so much to do that it will be okay for the trip down at least, it is the way back that I am a little more concerned about because they will not have as much to look forward to. Any pointers for the trip back would be great. The way down I plan on packing goodie bags filled with coloring books, Nintendo DS's are a must as well as the portable DVD player and snacks.:number1:

[luvourtwo]

We did it! 14 hours driving time with twins that turned four on the trip.

We drove 4 hours the first evening, and the remainder the next day. DVD player is a must, and I wrapped alot of dollar tree gifts including coloring books and sticker books. We ate on the go, and only stopped a couple of times for bathroom breaks (luckily my children have strong bladders).

On the way home, we split the drive into two days (7 hours each). We stopped to eat at dine-in restaraunts and a couple of malls for last minute Christmas shopping. The kids had opened all of the Dollar Tree gifts, but still continued to ask for them. Be sure to save some for the trip home.

A trick a friend used for his school aged children: He folded $5 bills into rings and gave each child ten rings. If a child started an argument, or misbehaved, they had to give a ring to their sibling. The rings in their possession upon arrival could be spent for souvenirs.

We saved a ton on airfare, even with gas as expensive as it is. We loved having our own vehicle to drive directly to parks if we chose, and made a trip to the beach before coming home.

You can do it too!

[disneyjo-91]

We are driving down in April from CT !!!!
We drive down to disney every year. I have 2 daughters and have been driving down since they were 9 month old.(now they are 12 & 14)
It really isnt bad.. We do not go 95.. we go 84W to 81 to 77 to 26 to 95 to 4... This has NO tolls and hardly any traffic.
We pack surprise backpacks filled with things they have never seen before. for example
twist crayons(so they dont melt in the hot fl sun)
coloring books
new nintendo ds games
travel games
new movies for portable dvd players
snacks
if you have girls magnetic paper dolls (they loved these!)
etch a sketch (travel)
yes and no books (invisable ink)
also my brother made these really cute fun books online.. he made word search puzzles that using all disney references and our names etc (he made them online)
our best time we made was 18 hours! whoooo!
if you have any other questions please PM me!

[MicMouse]

We are driving from Illinois (Far South Chicagoland) in June. We plan on taking 2 days to drive down and 2 days to Drive back.

Airfare was going to run us about $1400 (!!!) on Southwest from Midway so we decided to drive.

I have no idea what to expect - I have a 6 year old son and 3 year old boy/girl twins. It will either be really great or really awful.

Can't wait though!!! :woohoo:

[Itchy]

We have driven from the St louis area all but one time. Most of the time we stop around half way and spend the night at a motel. When my kids were younger that was a must. They are now grown and have helped drive straight through ( 18 hrs ) and I dont care it wears you out. I would stop if you can afford to that way when you do get to DW:mickey: you will be somewhat refreshed and ready to attack the world.:thumbsup:

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

We have made the drive from extreme northern Illinois many times. I know some prefer to break the drive up into 2 days, but I always looked forward to the chance to cover a lot of miles while my daughter and niece were asleep. We didn't have to worry about entertaining them if they were zonked out on the bed in the back of the van.
Once we got a very late start coming home and decided to stop for the night outside of Atlanta.
MAJOR MISTAKE and one we never made again!!

[merlinmagic4]

We LOVE it!!! You just have to keep an open mind , take your time and have fun!!!
The kids do get antsy in the car so I stop often. That seems to ease up on the ride.
I also don't travel 95 down the whole way. I did that once and it was crazy . TONS of traffic.
If you would like any pointers for the drive let me know!
..

See, I love your attitude! I hope it will rub off on me - I am terrible in the car! I would like pointers on the drive.......any suggestions are great!

[merlinmagic4]

we are hopeful that they will be so excited and will have so much to do that it will be okay for the trip down at least, it is the way back that I am a little more concerned about because they will not have as much to look forward to.

This is my concern exactly! More for me than the kids :blush:




A trick a friend used for his school aged children: He folded $5 bills into rings and gave each child ten rings. If a child started an argument, or misbehaved, they had to give a ring to their sibling. The rings in their possession upon arrival could be spent for souvenirs.



Love this idea for my older two! I would give them a set amount for spending anyway so I like the idea of making them "earn" it!


We do not go 95.. we go 84W to 81 to 77 to 26 to 95 to 4... This has NO tolls and hardly any traffic.


I would be interested in this. My only concern would be that I would miss an exchange and get lost while my DH was sleeping! We could end up in Texas for all I would know! Is it an easy ride?

[merlinmagic4]

We have made the drive from extreme northern Illinois many times. I know some prefer to break the drive up into 2 days, but I always looked forward to the chance to cover a lot of miles while my daughter and niece were asleep. We didn't have to worry about entertaining them if they were zonked out on the bed in the back of the van.
Once we got a very late start coming home and decided to stop for the night outside of Atlanta.
MAJOR MISTAKE and one we never made again!!

Yes, that is my reasoning for driving straight through. If we do that, my 2 year old will actually likely sleep for half of the trip. If we stay over and drive the 22 hours over two days, that's 11 hours a day in a carseat awake (except for the naps). I think I'd rather suffer one day and just get there. We'll be exhausted but by the next morning (after our arrival) we'll be raring to go!

[katzctkpt]

Our trip is about a 12 hr drive. We have 3 children now at the ages of 14, 11, 8 we've been the last 4 yrs and they do great. Our 14 yr old 10 our first trip decided she'd keep themselves up all night and they'd sleep the whole way. We left at 5 am and to our astonishment they stayed up all night and slept pretty much the whole way. My DH and I alternated driving each napping in between pit stops for gas and restroom breaks. We too, have the dvd/tv player and road games for our children that really helps until they argue over what movie. All and all everyone is excited about going and generally pretty easy going. Then sad when it's time to return to reality :crying::crying:

[#1donaldfan]

We drive down each year, but we don't have near the distance you have to drive. We are about 12 hours from the Magic. We typically can do it in one day, with your distance I would definatley consider staying over just past your halfway point. We do the ipod/tv/games/ and mostly sleeping. The kids will stay up all night prior to us rolling out at 0 dark 30, and pretty much sleep the whole way. I'm not sure if I can talk you into driving, but I'd do about anything to get myself back to the world.......have fun.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

Yes, that is my reasoning for driving straight through. If we do that, my 2 year old will actually likely sleep for half of the trip. If we stay over and drive the 22 hours over two days, that's 11 hours a day in a carseat awake (except for the naps). I think I'd rather suffer one day and just get there. We'll be exhausted but by the next morning (after our arrival) we'll be raring to go!

With two drivers it isn't that bad. My wife and I take turns during the day and work it so she drives from about 7pm - 11pm. Then I take over for the night, usually stopping for an hour or two nap somwwhere in GA. By sunrise she's had a decent rest, the girls and grandma are ready for breakfast and I am ready to snooze for a few hours.
We check-in and after a badly needed shower are ready to hit the MK by late afternoon rather than still being on the road somewhere. :thumbsup:

[lovedisneyworld]

We drove from southern Ohio to WDW which is about a 14 to 15 hour drive. My youngest was 3 at the time and was not a good car rider. So I was very nervous about taking her on such a long time. We bought a portable DVD player which was a life saver. We bought some movies that she had never seen and it really distracted her. On the way down, we drove staight through over night and my kids slept most of that night. On the way home, we drove over 2 days and stopped at a hotel on the way home. Here is a good tip I read somewhere. Have rolls of quarters for each child and every time they misbehave or whatever, take away a quarter and then whatever they have when you get to WDW, they can use for the arcade at the hotel.

[#1donaldfan]

The quarter idea is AWESOME !!!!!! Never thought of it......but what would I do with 30 dollars worth of quarters when the kids loose 'em all back to me???? Actually, they are fine, and sleep most of the way anyway......

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

Bribes work wonders...when the girls were old enough to understand $$ my wife put $20 in an envelope for each of them. As we hit the road she showed them the envelopes and told them it was no-strings attached spending money and they would get it when we hit the FL state line. IF they didn't get into dumb arguments and "played nice". Worked like a charm and was by far the best spent $40 on the trip. :thumbsup:

[elmjimmlm]

We have a 12 hour drive which means with 3 kids and potty breaks, 15 hours...We usually drive to some place in Fl. then the morning of our reservation, we only have to drive a short distance and we are not too tired...Also, we have a dvd player in the car and we have a dvd recorder that we recorded 6-8 hrs. of Hannah Montana and The Suite Life commercials and all...Its like they are at home watching TV and they love it....

[Hull-onian]

I too, like the idea :idea: of driving :drive: to the World. We would use a GPS in the car and head south, and make sure we have plenty of DD's :mcoffee:. :sun: better than :winter:.

[Matt71]

We are driving from southern Michigan which should be a 19 hour drive - the longest drive I've ever attempted. Our kids will be turning 16 and 17 a few weeks after, so we really don't foresee any problems there. In fact, we intend to take advantage of our daughter's driving permit to give us a break.

We'd all be dead or dieing from exhaustion if we tried the drive in one shot, so we plan to drive the first 8 or 9 hours before stopping for 4 or 5 hours to sleep. I'm reluctant to leave all of our luggage in the van overnight (and don't want to deal with unpacking and repacking the van), so we will probably sleep in the van (assuming the weather is nice enough (march 29th).

We do plan to bring the laptop to play dvds, music and video games along the way.

I hope we don't regret driving, but flying would cost us $1000 plus we'd have to rent a car for at least a day once we got there. The $300 for gas seems more appealing right now.

,Matt

[PirateLover]

We drove down in December... 16 hrs from PA, straight through. There were 4 adults, no children, in a midsize SUV. I would drive again, but not so cramped. Pack as light as possible and use the largest vehicle available. We took 95 and once you pass MD there was maybe one toll? And there was no traffic except for about 15 mins in VA. I would take 95 if it's your first time road tripping just to be safe. Also you can print out a list of all the public rest areas for potty breaks. They were all surprisingly clean! I would do it. You only live once, right?