Driving from CT (about 1100 miles) to the world, thoughts?

[cynic710]

it is up for consideration to make our next trip a road trip from connecticut. When we go it will be me, my wife, my 4 year old son and my 2 year old daughter. can i get some pros and cons on why we should just fly, or is driving not that bad?

we are willing to stop halfway and spend the night to spread out the trip. straight through to orlando is about 19 hours, so with kids i would almost expect to double that.

what say you fine disney freaks like myself?

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I grew up in Buffalo, NY and, except for one or two trips, we always drove for our trips to the world. Today, with my own family, we do as well (about 8-9 hours from NC). I think it's much less stressful than flying and even with today's gas prices, it's often much cheaper. With kids I would definitely say your thought of stopping halfway is a good one... 19 hours is a long trip for little ones. Ironically your half-way point would be NC. Sorry but I don't have room to put you up. LOL!

EDIT: Oh and there is absolutely nothing like having your own vehicle with you for the trip. The freedom to come and go and not necessarily rely heavily on Disney Transportation is lovely. If you're staying on property it's free parking at each park as well.

 

[Nemo14]

We used to drive it every summer (fromRI) when our kids were little. My DH loves the drive - I hate it. We'd do a lot of night driving while the kids slept, and usually stop halfway down. The advantages are that you can bring more with you, it's considerably cheaper, you have use of your own car. The disadvantage, besides the long drive is that it's much safer, statistically, to fly. We were lucky in that our kids are great travelers, but if your kids need constant entertainment, it can be really difficult.

 

[SAV]

I drove down from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago once when my DD was 2 and that will be the only time I ever do that. It's silly for me to spend 4 days of my vacation driving back and forth instead of just a couple of hours to fly down and back home. My DD was great in the car, so it wasn't even a matter of her acting up. It's really the time spent vs the $ spent. It was a bit more to fly down, but I gained 3 days of vacation since I was the one doing all of the driving. It's not only gas, but a nights lodging, wear and tear on your vehicle, quick meals on the road, your own sanity and safety.

And now it seems I can't even go on a short 2.5 hour drive to Wisconsin Dells without having the kids drive me nuts, so a cross country trip to Disney is out of the question. The stress level of it wouldn't be worth the cost savings.

 

[cynic710]

i really appreciate the different answers here, and i guess the main cause for consideration is the stress of flying with 2 little ones, we went last year when my DS was 1.5, and he acted up considerably on the plane. Im not the kind of guy that can deal with a bunch of people looking at me in a less than happy mood, so though the trip was only 2.5 hours it felt like an eternity. nonetheless, i dont want my mode of transportation to keep me from the world, and i certainly dont want to wait 4 years to go.

 

[meyeet]

We're driving down next friday evening (yea 9 days!). From Ohio we're looking at almost 17 hours with 4 young kids (6,4,2.5,1). Our plan is to eat dinner early and head out around 5 then drive straight through with sleeping kids hopefully most the trip. First night we're booked offsite at a hotel by DTD so we can sleep and then roam before checking in Sunday morning. This is the "plan", if anything goes haywire, we'll readjust along the way. Like any trip with young kids you just have to be flexible.

 

[LizC]

We are driving down next month from NY with two 1 year olds. We plan to do the same as @meyeet, leave in the early evening and hope to get alot of driving under our belts while the kids sleep through the night. We are also investing in a portable DVD player, and bringing lots of Disney DVDs!

Unfortunately, I have no suggestions as I have not done it yet. I would say go for it, it is cheaper than flying and just plan on being flexible. Whatever you decide to do I hope you have a wonderful trip!

UPDATE: Having now done this my husband and I will NEVER drive with the kids again. The drive down was horrible, leaving in the middle of the night was a huge mistake for my family. My daughter threw up twice from being so upset. That being said on the way back we took or time and only did about 8 hours a day, which worked much better.

 

[olinecoach61]

We brought our 3 year old on the plane this summer and were terrified at how she might react. She was great! No real problems other than swinging her legs into the seat in front of us a couple of times. We cant drive that far, we r from CT too, we will drive ourselves nuts and be miserable. We found out on a drive to Niagara falls. Lol

 

[DizneyPryncess]

We drive to Florida from PA every year and we love the drive! We stop halfway to break the trip up too. This year will be our first trip with a little one on board, so we're expecting it to be different. I'm a little worried too, but I think breaking up the trip is the best way to do it. Leave at a time when your kids might sleep for a while - early in the morning or late or night, or during a nap time. Take lots of breaks. We plan on bringing a blanket & some toys, and stopping at big rest stops - like state welcome centers - to give our daughter time to play & roam around with us.

We also are bringing lots of Disney CD's & kids CD's that she seems to like listening to in the car. If your kids like certain music, that can help calm them! If I had already done this, I'd probably have more tips for you. I just know that to me, flying with a child seemed so stressful. I'm phobic of flying, so that's probably why I feel that way. But I'm excited about driving too! Good luck!!

 

[ShookieJones]

Nice to see all the peeps from up in the 'Cut representing
We've done both the drive and the areoooplane to Florida with our kids at different ages.
Never had bad experiences with them either way..but to be honest that's just been dumb luck.
All of us with rugrats know any mode of transportation can turn into a nightmare if the kiddies start wilding out!

Personally I enjoy driving in general and I can do the trip to FL standing on my head.
To me it's just a matter of the dough. When we've been short on cash it's load 'em and wheels on the pavement.

If we have the money...book the flight and 2.5 hours later we're enjoying the Florida sunshine.

If you've got the money fly if you don't drive.
Don't sweat the people on the plane. NOBODY likes a crying kid even when they're your own, but hey it's part of life.
I know If I was on a plane heading toward Disney I know I wouldn't be worrying about some kid crying!
Now if it was the way home.......

 

[Cosmic Commando]

We did the drive from Buffalo last year; it's about 20 hours. We left on a Friday at about 6 after work, drove straight through and we got to Pop at about 2:30 in the afternoon on Saturday. It was great! I don't think we'll ever do the drive any other way. The kids fell asleep like an hour in and by the time they woke up, we were already more than halfway there, so it probably didn't feel as long to them. Getting in at 2:30 on Saturday was just like getting a midday flight. My wife and I alternated sleeping so we were both pretty awake and we hit the MK right then! 95% of the problems we had were during the 30% of the trip that the kids were awake, so we like to take advantage of them sleeping.

 

[cynic710]

leaving late is a great suggestion. glad to see some fellow disney nuts from ct here too!

 

[Phonedave]

It is a matter of personal prefrence, and your situation.

If you can't afford to fly, well then you need to drive (keep in mind, there is more than just the cost of gas, there is wear and tear on the vehicle, tolls, a possible hotel stay, etc.)

If your kids don't fly well, then driving may be your choice.

If your kids don't ride in cars well, then flying would be better.

For me, I would mutch rather fly from NJ. As a kid my family drove to Canada every year, an 8 hour drive. I still have family in Vermont, a 6 hours drive away. I have had enough of driving. My kids are great on planes, they have been flying since they were, it think, 2. At the ages of 8 and 11 they were flying by themselves as unaccompinied minors on a regular basis. It really all depends on what you particular situation is.

As far as the benefits of having a car in WDW. I have spent vacations in WDW with a rental car (before the days of DME) and I barely touched the entire week. I also see no need to pack more than I can fit in a single suitcase. But again, thats me.

-dave

 

[Weather_Lady]

When I was growing up, we always drove from Upstate NY (~20 hours), split into two pieces with an overnight (or just a pull-over-at-the-rest-stop-and-sleep-in-the-van) break built in. This was in the days before portable DVD players or the Nintendo DS. Walkmans existed, but we weren't allowed to bring them. It was just Mom, Dad, me, my sister, an old 8-track player, a CB radio, and whatever books and games my sister and I brought to amuse ourselves with.

Honestly, I have as many great memories from the road trips as I do from the days at the parks. We sang, laughed, shared memories, and generally had some great family bonding. I'm sure it helped that our vehicles were always relatively cushy conversion vans with comfortable reclining captains' chairs for each person, and even a little table in the back that my sister and I could set between the chairs to play games. Also, my Dad loves to drive. My Mom was a Type I diabetic, so we had to stop at a lot of restrooms, but it added to the adventure. In fact, at one point when I was about 8, I actually began keeping a journal of every restroom we visited on the way down (size, cleanliness, availability of TP, etc.), with the idea that it would be an indispensible guide the next time we went, LOL! At least it helped keep me occupied during all those hours in the car.

As far as the "schedule," we used to leave on Saturday morning, drive all day (stopping for dinner), stop for a few hours to sleep, and then Dad would wake up super early to resume driving while the rest of us slept (around 5am or so) and we'd be coasting into the Fort Wilderness Campground before lunchtime on Sunday.

If you're up for the challenge, it's totally doable -- and will likely save you hundreds of dollars, if you're into that sort of thing!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Our girls were 2 and 4 (turned 5 while there) on our last trip and we drove from Houston. The drive is not quite as long, but it was such a success that we're driving again. In fact, we decided to get a new larger vehicle and embrace the great American road trip since I can't see us paying $500+ pp to fly.

Last time we stopped midway through...this time we're starting at night and having the kids sleep while we drive so we make better time. We really didn't need to stop all that much for them last time around. We packed about 24 dvds, brought the Leapster (bringing a DS as well this time), things for them to color on, and enough snacks and drink to keep them happy but not too much to require a ton of potty time. Which is funny- we really didn't need a ton of potty breaks.

 

[GoofGoof]

Did the drive from PA several times with kids around your kids ages. If you do it I highly recommend a DVD player. We have one in our van, but if you don't have one you can pick up a portable DVD player for less than $100 these days. Was a life saver when they got cranky. We flew for the first time this year and it all worked out well.

Pros of driving:
1) You are on your own schedule, if your kids have a tantrum or have to go to the bathroom you don't have to worry about it.
2) Saves money. Not only on cost of airfare vs gas money, but you can stop at a grocery store or Walmart when you get there and stock up on food and drinks. We always stay at a condo so thats a huge plus for me. It is also nice to just drive to DTD or even off property.
3) You can bring everything you could possibly want. I remember our first road trip when my oldest was 9 months old. We packed the van with all kinds of stuff. This can be a con too if you overpack because you have space.

Cons of driving:
1) Time. I would not recommend trying for the whole trip in 1 day. We stopped at a Holiday Inn Express in Florence SC a few times. The last 2 trips we actually drove to Myrtle Beach and stayed 2 nights on the way down then did the second half of the trip. If you have extra time it was nice to fit in a few beach days and break up the trip.
2) North Carolina and Virginia. You have to get through these 2 states to get there. No way around it. I am pretty sure their entire state budgets are allocated to unmarked police cars. You can't drive 2 miles without seeing them pulling someone over. The tricky part is that they ramp the speed limit up and down by 10 to 15 MPH the whole length of 95 just to try and trap drivers who miss the signs. This is especially true of N Carolina. If you have CT plates on your car you will be a target. We all get lumped in with NY. Guilt by association. If you get a ticket in N Carolina which happened to me on my first drive down you cannot just mail in the fine. I got a ticket for going 71 in a 55 MPH zone. The speed limit was 65 and then ramped down to 55. I had CC set at a little over 65. When I asked the cop how he clocked me he said he timed it using shadow. I guess with all the unmarked cars they ran out of money for radar guns (used in most states). He told me i had to either show up in person at court or hire a lawyer to represent me. 2 days later I got about 25 letters from lawyers offering to represent me. Total scam. There goes your cost savings. A simple speeding ticket cost me $350 in lawyer and court costs and my ticket was reduced to faulty equipment which has no points. In NC a speeding ticket 15+ over speed limit is a mandatory 1 year suspension of your license so they bump everyone down to faulty equipment. Backwards state for sure.
3) flying was fun for the kids. They got a kick out of being at the airport and the plane ride.
4) for us we left during the week all 3 trips driving. We left our house around 3am so that we would be south of DC by rush hour. This worked out pretty good since the kids slept and around 7am we stopped at Dennys off 95 in VA for Breakfast. For you you have to get through NY and Philly/NJ too. If you leave on a Sat no problem. During the week you may have issues. You could think about driving through the night.

 

[themagicaddicts]

We've driven twice, and we really loved it.
Pros:
1. MONEY. Flying prices are absolutely outrageous these days, and no one likes to be stressed over money while trying to enjoy Disney.
2. Freedom. You can bring whatever you want on the trip, whether it be your favourite shampoo or an obnoxiously large stroller. It's less of a pain to bring that stuff driving than while flying, to be honest.
3. Food. You can pack your own food and avoid buying fast food at outrageous prices. I've found that when my family brings our own food for the trip, we end up saving a lot more money than we thought. Plus you have little ones, and having to purchase food for a two year old is probably not the easiest.
4. Time. You don't have to rush, and if you feel like you need a break and want to stop for a while, you can.
Cons:
1. Kids. You have little ones, who I promise you will not like being in a confined space for a long period of time. Be prepared for quite a few tantrums. I recommend after a few hours to pull over at a park and let your kids run around for about ten minutes. It's what my parents always did and it really helps release energy.
2. Sleep. While driving you will get exhausted. Make sure you and your husband plan times to switch off and that if you get too tired, stop for a little bit.
3. Gas. Though driving does save money, gas is still a pain.

Overall I prefer driving to Disney, and with your kids I would recommend leaving early (2:30am) and just driving the entire way. They will sleep for a lot of the trip and just getting it over with feels so much better in the long run.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

We've driven twice, and we really loved it.
3. Gas. Though driving does save money, gas is still a pain.

Though a bonus if you're driving from NY, and especially Western NY, is that the gas prices literally everywhere you stop on your trip will be lower than what you pay at home! It's almost fun to pay say $3.25/gallon when you've gotten used to paying $3.75/gallon. There was literally a $.50 price difference between the cheapest stations we passed (I think it was either S. Carolina or Georgia) and home.

 

[thrupaytonseyes]

We just did the drive from CT this past summer. We left in the afternoon and took 84 to 81 to avoid NY & DC traffic. We took 95 home b/c we stopped in Baltimore so the kids (2, 5, 8, 9, 10) could visit the Inner Harbor & Oriole Park. My husband hated the drive home. He said we would do 84 & 81 if we ever decide to drive again. We had games and DVDs as well as lots of snacks and drinks. The kids did great! We thought they would sleep most of the trip by leaving when we did but they were up until about midnight! My 2 year old got plenty of sleep even with the noisy other kids!!! It was really nice to have our own car to drive to the parks....so much easier when you have a stroller!

 

[flynnibus]

It's all about packing the entertainment to keep the kids satisfied. That goes for planes or cars. DVDs help in the car greatly.

Your kids are old enough now that you can explain to them how to pop the years so the kids should be better on a flight now then if they were younger.

The ability to pack how you want is a huge advantage when driving, but you are at the putter limits I would want to drive. It financially possible I would still prefer to fly, the time is just worth it. And kids fly fine.