Driving To Florida?

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worfbb77

New Member
Hi Everyone,

I am looking at going to Walt Disney World in May with wife and little one he will be two years old when we go. I am planing to drive from Boston, Ma area down. Has anyone done this or can give good tips on such a drive? I would greatly appriciated. Have a good one.
 
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ynot167

ynot167

New Member
wdwhoneymooner said:
I did the drive from Boston once and my brother has done it thrice. I was in college and don't think I could ever do it with a two year old. There were five of us and made it in about 22 hours (I think) with no overnight layovers. Even with a DVD player for the wee one and many breaks , it's gonna be a tough ride. I'd recommend using the rest areas to the max and bring some outdoor toys like: bubbles to chase, a ball to play catch, or anything that'll get your son to move and REALLY stretch his legs. And try to time his nap time(s) with a very active break to tire him out and extend his zzzzz's. We do this on our drive from Atlanta, which is about 7 to 8 hours.

Even if he's potty trained, I'd still put him in pull-ups with diaper rash cream, just to be sure. We also keep a big bag of toys/activities on the passenger's side to hand over when our kids tire of watching videos.

Good luck!
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Bringing outdoor toys for the rest areas is a great idea. I'm planning a drive down with my wife and three kids 5,3,and 1 in December from NJ. I would not have thought about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Thanks for the tip!:sohappy:
 
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Choya

Choya

New Member
The race is won in the pit stops. We drive from north of Houston twice a year. 16 hours, 3 stops (gas-food-bathroom, gas-food-bathroom, bathroom) 23 minutes total stop time last trip), leave at 5pm and drive all night. Kids sleep, watch DVD when awake. I eat sunflower seeds and drive all but about 3 hours which my wife fills. Check in the next morning and hit a park. I sleep well the first night. Works for us but not recommended for everybody. Been doing it since the kids were really kids. Sunflower seeds are the key to staying alert for me. I flew once with my son (for the Everest AP Preview) and arrived just as tired as if I'd driven.
 
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O

orlando.vip

New Member
former bostonian

I am originally from Boston and have made many driving trips to Florida. I live here now and run VIP THEME PARK TOURS. I would be glad to give you any help you need and answer any questions you may have. I know a great shortcut through DC that avoids the traffic and saves an hour off the trip. Have made this trip about 20 times before moving here. Call me at
863-859-4237.

Steve
 
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J

Jayhawkie

Active Member
The one place that I suggest that you visit either on your way to WDW or on the way home is St. Augustine in Florida. It is so beautiful. It is like looking at a postcard. It is one of the oldest cities in the US and has an old spanish fort, not to mention shopping on an old cobblestone street which I might add you cannot drive down. You could on St. Augustine Beach which is on A1A at the La Fiesta Inn. They are just a five minute drive from the main city of
St. Augustine. Salt Water Cowboys is a great place to eat while you are there. St. Augustine is about a 2 hour drive from the world so it would be a nice little jaunt for you at the end of your trip. Also, make sure that you stop at the visitors center at the Florida border. You get orange or Grapefruit juice and make sure that you get your picture in front of the Welcome to Florida sign!!!! In the center you can get lots of pamphlets on the world or just places that you would like to visit in the future. It is a fun half hour venture!!! I am from Kansas and have stopped at the visitors center every time since I was eight years old and still get pamphlets and I'm 33 now!! HAVE FUN!!!!!
 
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Hakunamatata

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
slappy magoo said:
Don't know if this is what you meant, but most states, if not all of them, will not allow anyone to wear an ipod/walkman/discman with headphones while driving. Wouldn't want anyone getting a ticket on the way to WDW.
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So I broke the law all the way from Houston Texas to Orlando Florida....ooops. :lookaroun
 
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maharet97a

maharet97a

New Member
Thanks for the pipe cleaner and outdoor toy suggestions. We have to drive from California to Florida in December with a 15 month old and a 3 year old. :brick: .
 
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wdwhoneymooner

wdwhoneymooner

Well-Known Member
ynot167 said:
Bringing outdoor toys for the rest areas is a great idea. I'm planning a drive down with my wife and three kids 5,3,and 1 in December from NJ. I would not have thought about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Thanks for the tip!:sohappy:
Click to expand...

No prob. Mommies and Daddies need to share what works or else we'd all arrive @ wdw in the wrong mood. :hammer:
 
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KevinRyanCole

KevinRyanCole

New Member
My family has driven for years... Now it's just me and my mom driving down... We leave in the evening and get there early morning. Last time, i did the majority of the driving, but we never had a problem with all six kids growing up and driving down... We used to have a portable TV with VCR, but nwo you do have your personal DVD players... they helped a lot.
 
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Mad Stitch

Mad Stitch

Well-Known Member
All these suggestions with portable DVD players, kids have it easy these days. I suggest some good old fashion highway bingo and the spot a license plate from every state in the country game.
 
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WDFAN1977

WDFAN1977

New Member
I have done this trip with small children driving from DC to WDW. My suggestion is a portable DVD player and a night stop somewhere midway to refresh.
 
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wdwforus

wdwforus

Member
We are from right next door and I have been on 4 trips driving to WDW myself, not doing the driving though. My parents always took 2 1/2 days to do it. First day somewhere near Richmond, 2nd day to South of the Border, and last day the push to Orlando. I am planning on a similar approach for our trip next year in July. We are hauling a 28' camper and are planning on 3 days. We have 3 ages 12, 10, and 3. We did a trip to NC this past spring (the little one was still 2) and he did great. We did it in 2 days with an overnight in Va Beach and I wont hesitate doing another trip with him again. The DVD was a plus and me and my father in law took turns driving. This next trip though will be just me doing the driving and it should be interesting. If we can survive 7 of us in a Suburban for 2 days you guys should make it no problem. Our little one wasnt potty trained yet so that helped also. He has since mastered it and that might make the next long trip interesting.
 
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Jessie&Buzz

Jessie&Buzz

Active Member
I've driven from the Pittsburgh area several times. The first time my dd was 6 months old. The last time my dd was 6 years old and my ds was 18 months. We left home around 2 pm (nap time). We got out at a Walmart somewhere along the way to get something I had forgotten. We ate dinner in the car thanks to Walmart's popcorn chicken (much cheaper than McDonald's or Wendy's). Then we hit a rest stop around the kids normal bedtime and changed them into their pj's. They slept all night. My dh and I took turns sleeping/driving. We arrived in Orlando around 7 am the next morning. Talk about making time! We took several toys for the kids and my dd loved playing highway bingo. We got cards from Cracker Barrel's country store. Of course when you travel with small children, you stop 10 times more than you would if it was just adults.

I think it's do-able depending on how your child(ren) is/are in the car. Mine do great. This time we are flying so that we can spend more time there. :D

Have a wonderful and safe trip!
 
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K

KrazyKowboy

New Member
If any of you are driving south on I-75 and coming through Atlanta, plan a stop at The Varsity Drive-In . Open 24/7/365.
Get off at exit 249D North Avenue exit across from Georgia Tech. It's a great part of Atlanta nostalgia.
The Varsity has become an Atlanta institution known and loved by all. The walls are lined with photos of every imaginable personality in the world that has been there.
What Makes The Varsity So Special?

smallBuilding.jpg


It's the Worlds Largest Drive-In
Our Downtown Atlanta location is on more than two acres and can accommodate 600 cars and over 800 people inside. On days when the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets are playing a home game, over 30,000 people visit The Varsity.
Legendary Volume
Two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2500 pounds of potatoes, 5000 fried pies and 300 gallons of chili are made from scratch daily.


3.gif
 
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