Driving to WDW- what to bring...

[Luvmydisney]

So, due to our changing budget, we (myself, DH, DS5, DD4 and DS 9 mo.) are now driving to the World instead of flying. What items should I bring along in the car that I might have left at home due to baggage restraints? Thanks for the tips!

 

[wendysue]

So, due to our changing budget, we (myself, DH, DS5, DD4 and DS 9 mo.) are now driving to the World instead of flying. What items should I bring along in the car that I might have left at home due to baggage restraints? Thanks for the tips!

Food. All those full size bottles of liquid that you cannot take on the plane. :ROFLOL:

 

[Pioneer Hall]

The nice part about driving is that you can bring whatever you want as long as you can fit it in the car. I would bring non-perishable food and drinks so that you don't have to worry about getting anything once you get down to FL.

 

[WDWLOYAL1971]

Definately snacks, water which I usually freeze half of a water jug then fill it up to make sure it stays cold for a long time. For the little ones, maybe some travel games, if you can little travel pillows for them to be comfy during the ride, just some ideas. Have a safe road trip.:wave:

 

[switts]

whenever I have driven down we usually will pack a cooler with some lunch meats to avoid having to stop nd eat at a mcdonalds or something like that. It saves a couple of bucks that way. Definately bring books/magazines to keep you occupied.

 

[lostpro9het]

Toll money!

 

[beckyj3266]

We make the long drive from NY because my husband doesn't like to fly. Some things our DD2 & DD4 love to bring along are colorforms, glow bracelets, little Disney character figurines,magnets on a cookie sheet (can also use cookie sheet as hard surface to put coloring books on), picture books, portable dvd player, and Disney cd's to listen to! As we hear the music for each ride, we talk about the rides & how excited we are to go on them! I also like to pack a bag full of candy & trinkets _ every time we make a stop, they reach into the bag & pull out a surprise! We stop for meals & we also make a 15 minute stop every 1.5 to 2 hours to let them stretch their legs & keep the grumpies away. There are lots of fun little stops to make along the way. It's a 21 hour drive for us, so we leave after dinner & drive through the night. By the time they wake up in the morning we are already halfway there! There are a lot of cool ideas of ways to keep the kids entertained on the ride down. Search the web for some other great ideas! Enjoy the drive!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

:wave:Snacks purchased at Sam's. I'll stop on my way in to grab a case of Dasani and 12-packs of sodas.

Laundry detergent, bleach, and fabric softener. I was never brave enough to attempt to pack a white powdery substance in my luggage when flying. Bleach was an absolute no. Fabric softener is a nice perk because at the price of ordering from Garden Grocer it was an extra I was willing to forego with my grocery order.

Extra blankets & pillows.

Extra clothes (if you're like me and enjoy some amount of choice depending on my mood whenever getting dressed).

And the lovely thing is if you forget something or if you need something you don't have, hop in the car & go get it. Also, the morning after a particularly trying day/evening with teenagers my sweet husband ran out to get me a Starbucks while I showered.

 

[TakeMeThere81]

I love the ideas you have already posted! I never thought of the cookie sheet/magnet idea before(probably because my cookie sheets are stone!)

:wave:Snacks purchased at Sam's. I'll stop on my way in to grab a case of Dasani and 12-packs of sodas.

Laundry detergent, bleach, and fabric softener. I was never brave enough to attempt to pack a white powdery substance in my luggage when flying. Bleach was an absolute no. Fabric softener is a nice perk because at the price of ordering from Garden Grocer it was an extra I was willing to forego with my grocery order.

Extra blankets & pillows.

Extra clothes (if you're like me and enjoy some amount of choice depending on my mood whenever getting dressed).

And the lovely thing is if you forget something or if you need something you don't have, hop in the car & go get it. Also, the morning after a particularly trying day/evening with teenagers my sweet husband ran out to get me a Starbucks while I showered.

Great tips! I would also say, save room to bring home big bags of oranges and grapefruit from the Florida stands! I can't remember what exit it is but there's this great place on the way home we always stopped for citrus.

Also bring wipes, lots of wipes. Bring more than you think you need, you will thank me for this one, they certainly come in handy! And a few plastic supermarket bags for trash bags. That way you can keep it under control and throw things away as you go, and it won't look like a bomb went off in your car once you get to WDW. :lol:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I love the ideas you have already posted! I never thought of the cookie sheet/magnet idea before(probably because my cookie sheets are stone!)



Great tips! I would also say, save room to bring home big bags of oranges and grapefruit from the Florida stands! I can't remember what exit it is but there's this great place on the way home we always stopped for citrus.

Also bring wipes, lots of wipes. Bring more than you think you need, you will thank me for this one, they certainly come in handy! And a few plastic supermarket bags for trash bags. That way you can keep it under control and throw things away as you go, and it won't look like a bomb went off in your car once you get to WDW. :lol:

Amen, sister! My boys are teens and I still keep plastic grocery bags and containers of wipes in my car because one of my biggest pet peeves is having a trashy car. If the boys get out at any time and leave anything inside I'm on 'em like white on rice. Hubby's truck is the one that looks like the bomb went off. He can have it!

And I know I still totally owe you an email from like 6 months back. Admittedly, I deserve to go straight to Disney buddy h-e-double-hockey-sticks. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. ((((hugs))))

 

[zurgandfriend]

Not sure if you have a dvd player in the car/van or not. If so stock up on Disney DVDs.

As also stated, games for the ride. We used to have a couple of highway Bingo games that kept our son busy for a long time. You would have to check of different items to get Bingo such as a farm and silo, power lines, a tanker truck etc, maybe you could find something like this on-line or make your own. Coloring books or other small games you can get at the dollar store might also come in handy.

 

[jlevis]

You don't say where you are staying but we have a timeshare with a full kitchen and laundry. We take cereals, jams, jelly, peanut butter, snacks, napkins, wipes, laundry detergent, bottled water, pop stuff like that we won't have to buy while there. It is just the two of us so YMMV with the little ones

 

[Poofiesdream]

GPS or maps!

 

[jrhighteacher]

We drive everytime from Chicago. I agree with the previous post...garbage bags are a must. If you don't want to bring the ones from the store, because they also take up room when not being used, Target sells small plastic garbage bags. I think they come in a 10 pack for $1.00. They come in a container like travel baby wipes do. Any garbage that accumulates gets thrown away on the next stop for gas. That way the car is always clean.

 

[NewtoDisney2009]

We are leaving for a 10 hour drive down tomorrow! I also appreciate the advice. Thanks everyone!!!!

 

[Foolish Mortal]

Earplugs

 

[pixiesteno]

I know you will have baby wipes galore but I would pack a couple of nice soft wash clothes to have if things get a little messier than what wipes can handle in a ziplock baggie. DH and I also take along the mesh folding hampers. You can find them at Walmart and they are a couple of bucks each and can really help to keep a vehicle and hotel room neat. When not in use the fold up to a small flat circle and are easily stored in the pocket of luggage. I am thinking with 3 small children there will be at least a change of clothes per day per child if they are anything like my sons were and how the grandchildren are.

 

[Clark Griswold]

We used to drive about 17-18 hours from central Illinois and we used to bring TONS of cookies, chips, lunch meats, and a cooler full of drinks. I'd bring cards and small trivia games for entertainment.

 

[bigorangeandy]

We drive and have found that a plastic laundry basket is great for putting loose items in for the drive, and then does its job for the dirty cloths once we arrive. We have also checked out books on CD from the library for the trip, usually the Kingdom Keepers series. The wife and kids always carry extra blankets and pillows for the trip, they work well in the van and in the room.As others have mentioned we also bring lots of drinks and snacks, the cost of two bottles of water at the parks will pay for a case of water from home.
We also tend to drive from the room to the parks, except for MK, as it tends to be a little faster, most of the time.

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

a few things to add....

I know one thing my kids will be bringing with them - homework! But I'm not suggesting that for you - LOL.

An extra collapsible suitcase or an extra large reusable shopping bag for any souveniers you might buy.

Before we used the DDP we ate breakfast in the room while everyone was getting ready so I brought paper plates, napkins, small bottles of milk and my kids ate the cereal or oatmeal bars.

And finally, bring your own beach towels if you plan on going to the pools.

Hope you get a lot of inspiration! :wave: