driving from Louisiana

[luvkatiebug]

Normally we fly to WDW, but to try and save some money this time (last minute trip), we have decided to drive. We are coming from Denham Springs, LA, right outside of Baton Rouge, and we will never make the drive in one trip. Where do you stop when you drive, and how long does it take you to get there the next day? Thanks for the suggestions! :mickey:

[DisneyBunch]

We used to drive from the New Orleans area, and have made that trip many times times. We would normally drive straight through, but a couple of times we stopped in between Gainseville and Ocala. When we woke up the next morning, we only had a couple hour drive to WDW (not bad). Try to drive as far as you can the first day. It will make the second day that much better.:mickey:

[cajundisneyfreak]

Hi there! Just made that long trip in February from Houma,Louisiana.We stopped in Tallahassee and spent the night.The next morning we got up,ate breakfast,and was on our way again.It was 4 hours from that point.We got there at lunch time.Checked in,room was ready,put luggage in room and went to the food court.Hope this helps out and I hope ya'll have a magical time at WDW.:mickey:

[AnnaMom]

We drive from Baton Rouge every year! We leave around 5:00 am and we usually stop in Florida around 9:00 am to eat breakfast and we arrive in WDW around 5:00 that afternoon. Only two stops for gas as well. Hope that helps.

[crltkcagle]

We drive in from the New Orleans area. We leave at 3am and drive through. Depending on how many stops we make we can get there anywhere from 2pm on. We always leave a day early and stay at LaQuinta in Orlando so the next morning we are refreshed and ready to go!

[jenn03]

I drive from Gulfport and like to stop at Marianna. Bonus, there's a walmart right off the interstate at that stop.

[Disney OB RN]

We drive from Ruston: have left after the kids got out of school, & usually end up at Crestview, Tallahassee at most. But this trip (in TEN DAYS....(silent squeal!!!) we vow to do the 3 AM deal & make it all the way. When we return, we usually stop off at Pensacola Hampton Inn for a relaxing beach stop along the way. :mickey:

[mickeys_princess_mom]

Just did this from La. two weeks ago--Girls' Road Trip with DD. We usually fly, but waited too long to book flight, and decided to give it a try instead of paying a fortune for plane tickets.We left at 3 A.M. and drove straight through--wasn't bad at all. Got there and took a nap, then hit the parks for a long evening. Coming home, however, we waited till about 1:00 P.M. to leave, already tired, and it was a struggle to make it home that night. We would definitely break the trip, maybe in Pensacola or Panama City next time. We mostly fly, but it was nice having the car there to make dinner reservations at night or go to Downtown Disney.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We drive from Lafayette. We've tried it all different ways. We've left around 4am and arrived around 5pm. Once we left in the early evening and stopped around the Destin, Florida area to cut the drive in half. But our favorite way to go is to check our kids out of school around noon and drive straight through. We arrive around midnight, but we don't normally go to bed till around 10 or 11pm anyway so driving till midnight was no biggie. We book a room at a value resort for that night and then are able to check into our permanent resort early the next day. My SIL and her family have traveled with us several times and they just can't make the whole drive. I believe they usually stop in Tallahassee, which gives them a quick 2 or 3 hour drive the next morning. What we like about leaving at noon and arriving at midnight, it makes it feel like you've only spent half a day driving. When we leave early in the am it feels like it takes so much longer because your driving during almost all your daylight hours.

[luvkatiebug]

It seems like a lot of you drive the whole way through, but my husband is the kind that gets tired from Baton Rouge to New Orleans! (no... really) I think I like the Tallahassee idea with only a few hours the next day. We are going to leave after school that Thursday, so we can get a good bit of time in that evening. Thanks again, we are so spoiled to flying, and this driving thing should be an adventure for my spoiled kids! :mickey: