Driving??!!??

[Disneykidder]

OK, so when I was much younger and single I drove to Disney. It was annoying but luckily we had our game boys(hahaha) with us. Anyway, my family and I always fly. I am not much into the long drive anymore and my 3 kids get antsy.

So, we are contemplating driving eek. We are getting a brand new car this week and are thinking of saving some cash and driving. We were planning on renting a car while there anyway so having our own there will save even more cash.

My question is: Do you have any tips for us? We are in NY so it is about a 21 hour trip. Yes, my DH and I can take turns driving. My youngest isn't a fan of long drives but we were thinking we could start at 7 at night?? What are your tips and thoughts.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Thanks @gooftroop5 this is the answer i was looking for. My only concern is that if it's my turn to sleep and my husband lasts 3 hours is that 3 hours that I slept enough for me to stay awake for my turn to drive.

After debating I would really like to drive through the night. I guess if I get tired we could always stop at a rest area for and hour or so.

 

[tagrd]

We've driven to Disney from NY twice a year for the past 8 years. I love to drive so I actually do all the driving myself, and we've driven straight through every time. It's takes us anywhere from 17 to 20 hours depending on traffic and the number of stops we make. I've done the drive leaving NY at all different times (AM, noon and PM) but the vast majority of the time we leave our house at 5:30am and arrive at our hotel in Disney at approximately 12:30am. I'm not a huge fan of driving through the night because on 1 occasion we drove straight through and arrived at 11am. Since the room wasn't ready I walked around like a zombie until 4 when I could shower and rest. From going so frequently we have it down to a science. I always gas up and load the minivan the previous night. Leave at 5:30 and hit the Dunkin' Donuts for coffee right at the entrance to the expressway. We put on our favorite Disney CD for the first hour and then my daughter will watch a movie until we stop at Cracker Barrel in MD for breakfast. I think stopping at that location and at that time it saves us from hitting the morning rush traffic in the DC area. Most of the time we do lunch in the car (sandwiches, snacks, etc...) and stop for dinner in the Savannah area at about 7:30. My daughter is excellent in the car so that always helps make the ride enjoyable. We always play games like Disney Trivia and we love to pick a topic like Magic Kingdom attractions and go all around the car until we can't think of any more. Definitely helps pass the time and also makes us look forward to all the things we'll be doing the next day. Hope this info helps and remember to enjoy the drive...it's your first day of vacation !!!

 

[Mrs Potts]

How do you keep from getting too tired driving overnight? This seems like a good option in theory, but I worry about one or both of us getting too tired to drive. Especially if leaving after a full day with my son or at work.

This is what I'm wondering as well. Also, are you too tired the next day to enjoy it?

We're driving for the first time, around 18 hours I think. The kids have early release from school and we're picking them up and hitting the road (about noon). We booked a room half-way thinking it would be best to get a few hours of sleep, then get up early and hit the road. I'm just not sure about driving straight through without one or both of us getting really tired. DH is a night-owl but even he thinks he might get sleepy. What do you do to combat this?

We've taken long road trips before and the kids are pretty good (all teenagers now). My daughter can get queasy if she tries to read, but she got those pressure-point wristband thingies and said they work wonders for her. We have DVDs and various other electronics to keep them occupied.

One thing that we did was to create our own scavenger hunt. We created a list of things to find and the first person to find them gets the points. We put wacky stuff on there - Animal on the roof of a building, that sort of thing. They help create the list so it's fun for them.

 

[gooftroop5]

The first time we did the overnight drive I was very concerned. I kept telling my hubby that if we got tired we were stopping. I was worried we would be exhausted the next day. All the same concerns your guys are having.

Needless to say after that first overnight drive I won't go back to driving during the day unless necessary. Here is what we do.... About a week before our trip we make sure we don't stay up late. That means no staying up to watch tv or pack or anything. Forces us to get it all done early. We usually leave around 5pm and my hubby starts out driving. I let him drive as long as he wants to. That usually lasts until around 10 or 11pm. While he's driving I nap off and on. When he's had his fill of driving we stop to top off the gas tank, get the kids settled in their PJs (if they aren't already), use the potty, and stretch. Then I take over. The only rule I have is that if I am driving the overnight hours he is required to SLEEP! I put the volume of the speakers to the front driver's side and either have movies playing so I can hear them or music. If I need to stop, I stop. Everyone else is usually asleep and I actually LOVE this time "alone". As a mom of 3 that alone time is hard to come by. It's kind of like running, but without the physical part. HA HA HA!

Usually during this time we hit the beautiful mountains around Chattanooga, TN and the craziness of Atlanta, GA. The only different is that there is literally NO traffic. I love it!

Like I said, I stop if I need to. Usually the adrenaline kicks in and I realize, "Hey! I'm on my way to WDW!" There are lots of gas stations open 24 hours so if I need a cup of coffee or just need to stretch I stop. I don't push myself and we take our time if needed. I've never had any trouble being too tired.

I usually drive until the sun comes up. The kids wake up, we stop for gas, potty breaks, and breakfast. Then we switch again so I can sleep. My hubby usually drives the rest of the way or we may switch again after I've had some sleep. I'm kind of a control freak about "arriving" at Disney and love driving into the place myself.

We usually check in around 1 or 2pm, grab some lunch and our room is usually ready. Then we let the day take us where it wants to. If we are tired we nap and go to the parks at dinner. We may swim and then head to the parks later. Usually we don't head to the parks in the afternoon only because they are the busiest then. The first night is never a super late night so we can all get a good night's sleep.

Our kids do great in the car sleeping. It makes the whole trip go so much faster for them.

 

[DaddyDisneyMan]

We are driving and to be honest I'm not sure how I feel about it. Last year we drove but we had 2 drivers and it wasn't all that bad. This year it only me driving. We are stopping in Macon, GA, leaving from Detroit. I'm the type that gets antsy after about 3-4 hours. I'm sure if we stop every so often all will be ok. We are leaving in the morning so it will be day light for the majority of the drive. When I get back I will let you know if we are ever driving again or if my family will be flying from that point on.

 

[duffthor]

We drive down every year from Nebraska! Takes something like 22 hours. We stop at the Steak and Shake in Mount Vernon, IL and have breakfast at the Waffle House in Ashburn, GA. Always get gas before St Louis so we never have to fuel up in Illinois...more expensive there! Once, we happened to stumble across the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL....kinda cool seeing that many people in one town dressed as superheroes.

My son (15) took to counting the billboards for adult bookstores along the interstate...whatever kills the time I guess!

My dad lives in Atlanta, so we'll generally stop there for a day or so on the way home, making the return trip bearable, as it's always harder driving home.

 

[Violet]

Love these tips.

 

[luv]

If looking for hotels on the way down Florence is a good stop and Brunswick/ Savannah in GA.

I will second this!

If you're coming down 95, Brunswick and Kingsland are both great places to stop. Tons of motels and places to eat.

I prefer Kingsland because it is so close to the Florida border and it's so fun to cross the border into Florida first thing! But there were times I was tired and didn't want to drive another minute, let alone 45 (or however many between them) and would stop in Brunswick.

Nice, busy areas with decent motels!

 

[DaddyDisneyMan]

Think about National Lampoon's Vacation and you'll get a very good idea of how our trip would go, minus killing Aunt Edna and Dinky.

DON'T EAT THE BOLOGNA SANDWICHES!!! And don't let the wife catch you flirting with Christie Brinkley.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We must live near one another, @Disneykidder -- I'm from Upstate NY and it would take us 21 hours, too.

Growing up, we always drove. My Mom was a perky morning person, and Dad is a night owl, so we'd leave early on Saturday with Mom driving. Dad would catch a nap as we drove during the afternoon/evening, and after we stopped for dinner, he would take over and drive for most of the night while Mom slept. (We had a cushy conversion van with seats that tilted back, so sleeping while we drove wasn't too uncomfortable to do. In the years before the seatbelt laws, my sister and I would actually spread out a sleeping bag in the back of the van and sleep while Dad drove through the night). We'd stop periodically to get a meal, stretch our legs, or let Mom or Dad catch a nap at a rest area.

We generally arrived at Disney World around lunchtime on Sunday, having made the 21-hour drive in about 28 hours. We'd visit the Magic Kingdom but not stay late, so our tired parents could catch up on sleep and we could start our touring in earnest first thing Monday morning.

Of course, that was then and this is now. DH and I are not night owls. If we were making the trip these days, we'd probably leave on Friday after work and drive the first 6 hours, stop at a hotel for the night, and begin again Saturday morning, planning to arrive late Saturday night.

You're right about the savings -- for my family of four, it's something like $440 to drive, and over $1,000 to fly.

 

[G00fyDad]

DON'T EAT THE BOLOGNA SANDWICHES!!! And don't let the wife catch you flirting with Christie Brinkley.

Nope. She's on my "list" LOL

 

[Disneykidder]

Great input, people!!

IF we end up driving, we will definitely use out Sirius radio that is in the car. We have lots of gadgets for the kiddies, too. I like the idea of leaving at 5:30 am to arrive at 12:30am and then head to sleep. However, my kids may end up killing each other if they are awake all day in the car so leaving at 5pm will be better for the kids. We will take turns driving at night. I love driving my new car.

 

[brifraz]

After debating I would really like to drive through the night. I guess if I get tired we could always stop at a rest area for and hour or so.

This used to scare my wife more than just about anything. We usually alternate through the night, but by that 3am slot after we each have only had 2-3 hours of sleep it gets tough. A few trips ago I convinced her that we would be OK with a rest area stop and nap in the middle of the night. The first time, we stopped for about 30 minutes and then anxiety had everyone awake again and we just kept going. The next trip we managed an hour nap at the rest area. Last time, it was two different rest areas with an hour at each one. Most rest areas along I95 have at least 5-10 cars with families asleep in them all night long. This summer I think we are actually stopping along the way for a night (friends who moved to South Carolina might get a visit), but the car sleeping in a rest area is now fully acceptable for us.

 

[Zipadeelady]

This used to scare my wife more than just about anything. We usually alternate through the night, but by that 3am slot after we each have only had 2-3 hours of sleep it gets tough. A few trips ago I convinced her that we would be OK with a rest area stop and nap in the middle of the night. The first time, we stopped for about 30 minutes and then anxiety had everyone awake again and we just kept going. The next trip we managed an hour nap at the rest area. Last time, it was two different rest areas with an hour at each one. Most rest areas along I95 have at least 5-10 cars with families asleep in them all night long. This summer I think we are actually stopping along the way for a night (friends who moved to South Carolina might get a visit), but the car sleeping in a rest area is now fully acceptable for us.

Good to know! This actually calms my nerves a little. I can be wide awake but then put me in a car when it's dark and with all those bright headlights from on coming cars, It's like rocking a baby to sleep. Thanks for the input. Very helpful.

 

[Sarah Rae]

We drive from Toronto, so it's just a bit farther than your drive. It's much easier now that we're all grownups (I'm 22, brother 24, plus our parents), but it was never that bad - for me anyways. My mother's favourite road trip story to tell is the first time we drove to WDW, we made it to St. Catherine's before we started asking "are we there yet?". St. Catherine's is approximately an hour from our house. Next trip, we left real early in the morning. She kept us occupied with games, books, and I had a lap desk for colouring and stuff (along with whatever we packed to keep ourselves occupied, she would bring other fun things and pull them out periodically). We also stop at nearly every rest stop, which gave us a chance to run around and get tired. We used to drive straight down, without stopping overnight, and then my dad got old (haha!) and we've stayed over in a motel the last few trips. This year, with so many drivers, we might try going straight through again, though it doesn't really appeal to my mother and I - we'd rather be rested when we arrive, and we've got the timing down so that we arrive between 3 and 4 pm - perfect check in time!

My brother and I get along strangely well, as in, we are buds and actually hang out. When asked by confused friends, we credit it at least in part to our many road trips. Our mother raised us on a healthy combination of "no fun will be had if you do not behave" and "work your problems out among yourselves". Nothing like being forced to get along to strengthen a sibling bond.

 

[Disneykidder]

I'm not so sure how I feel about sleeping in a rest stop in my car. I would rather pay for a night, if we were to choose that route. We are still very much undecided but I appreciate everyones input. We will probably be making our decision soon, since airfare prices keep going up and up.

Last year we rented a car in Florida and it was great. While I missed the buses just a tad (a small tad) and DME (feels welcoming), we liked being able to not have to leave somewhere so early to make a reservation, or wait for a bus to a park and didn't have to leave the parks so early to make the DME to our flight. So if we do fly, we will be renting a car again.

 

[Violet]

We drive from NJ. We do one long day, leave as early as we can, get as far as we can go, until about 8 or 9 pm. Then find a hotel for a normal night's sleep. Then we get up the next morning and we have a much shorter trip ahead of us and get to WDW in the afternoon, rested and ready to go!

I don't think there are any tricks really, it's all what you are capable of and what works best for your family. My neighbor drives at night because her kids do better sleeping in the car. My kids are quite good in the car with movies going, so we prefer the day.

 

[DaddyDisneyMan]

We drive from NJ. We do one long day, leave as early as we can, get as far as we can go, until about 8 or 9 pm. Then find a hotel for a normal night's sleep. Then we get up the next morning and we have a much shorter trip ahead of us and get to WDW in the afternoon, rested and ready to go!

I don't think there are any tricks really, it's all what you are capable of and what works best for your family. My neighbor drives at night because her kids do better sleeping in the car. My kids are quite good in the car with movies going, so we prefer the day.

This sounds exactly like our trips to WDW. Couldn't have said it more perfectly.

 

[Hot Lava]

RE: the rest stop. All I can think about is the DC snipers. They were sleeping at a rest stop and that is how they were caught. Some repairman who worked in VA and MD but lived in PA and used that rest stop often spotted the car. I think about that every time I pass a rest stop.

 

[luv]

I get nervous using rest stops at night. I'll wait for a gas station or something.