From Wisconsin to Orlando for a week... Driving for the first time...

[abe_bb]

Good morning all!

Looking at all sorts of things while planning our vacation, 12 months out lol.

The situation:

Normally, our family flies. Then again, last time we went it was just my wife, our daughter, and me This time however, our newest addition (who is almost 2 already!) will have her first trip to the world.

On top of that, we are going with some family who have never been there before, and they are bringing their 4 year old.

We kicked around the idea of flying, but since we are all trying to pinch pennies and such (more souveniers for the kids after all), we brought up the idea of renting a van and driving down together.

Now, I'm a car rental nub. i never rent cars, even when I go on business. I always get a taxi or a towncar service. So i've never experienced this before, or even know where to look.

Does anyone know of a service for renting a car fit for 7 people and luggage on a cross-country trip? Or are we crazy (potentially. We do live in Wisconsin afterall). We would be willing to drive down, then do a seperate rental to drive back if needed. Any advice or tools would be appreciated

 

[kstella]

Given the cost of renting a vehicle big enough, gas, tolls, stress of driving all the way from north western Wisconsin with small children and travelling with people you don't normally travel with, I would think flying would be so much easier.

 

[corey154]

I think you are a brave person...the thought of a car ride with a two year old for more than an hour...then add other family and a four year old that isn't yours on top of it!!! LOL.....I'm sure you can do it, but I'll be praying for you...keep us posted!

 

[SAV]

I dunno...We drove down from Northern Illinois once....once. My wife vowed to never do that again. My daughter was 2 when we did it and she did fine since we had the in-car VCR and hours of movies for her(remember, this was about 7 years ago). There were a couple of dicey times, but all in all she was a trooper.

But you need to factor in diaper changes, food stops, let them out to run around stops and general crabbyness(wife and daughter ) You are going to have the cost of the rental, fuel, a hotel for one night each way since you would most likely stop. Then factor in the 2 days of driving, the 3 meals per day, your time and most importantly...your sanity. Can you imagine listening to a 2yo and a 4 yo arguing and fighting(you know they will sometime over a 2 day period)

I can book Air Tran out of Mitchell for about $165 round trip for each of us, so approx $750 ish for the 4 of us. You will be able to drive down for less than that, but your overall savings to drive would be what? A couple hundred bucks? For us, the way to go is to fly in and be done with it in 3 hours.

 

[Cubs Brian]

I dunno...We drove down from Northern Illinois once....once. My wife vowed to never do that again. My daughter was 2 when we did it and she did fine since we had the in-car VCR and hours of movies for her(remember, this was about 7 years ago). There were a couple of dicey times, but all in all she was a trooper.

But you need to factor in diaper changes, food stops, let them out to run around stops and general crabbyness(wife and daughter ) You are going to have the cost of the rental, fuel, a hotel for one night each way since you would most likely stop. Then factor in the 2 days of driving, the 3 meals per day, your time and most importantly...your sanity. Can you imagine listening to a 2yo and a 4 yo arguing and fighting(you know they will sometime over a 2 day period)

I can book Air Tran out of Mitchell for about $165 round trip for each of us, so approx $750 ish for the 4 of us. You will be able to drive down for less than that, but your overall savings to drive would be what? A couple hundred bucks? For us, the way to go is to fly in and be done with it in 3 hours.

But thats on Air Trans, I'd rather fly on the Wright Brothers plane. Any flight from Eau Claire is bound to be more expensive because it's a regonial airport.You could check into renting an Excursion, it would be kind of tight. Have you considered 2 smaller vehicles or renting a small camper? The camper might be more expensive but you would have more room, drive in shifts to eliminate hotel stay and pack your own food(microwavable or sandwich and such.

 

[E P C O T]

Void.

 

[SAV]

But thats on Air Trans, I'd rather fly on the Wright Brothers plane.

To each his own...we have flied on "Air Trans" as you call it and loved it. They actually have real planes if you can believe it. If they are willing to drive all the way to Disney, they could always drive the couple hours to Mitchell or drive the 2 hours to Minneapolis and fly from there. I just did a very, very quick search and Air Tran does fly out of Minneapolis, but it is more expensive than Milwaukee.

By the way, do you pass "Soldier's Field" and stop at "Jewels" on the way from Plainfield to Wrigley?

 

[twilight mitsuk]

consider amtrak?

 

[rwdavis2]

You would need a huge van for 7 people and luggage. They aren't cheap to rent. There may also be a charge for taking it out of state. IMHO, you probably won't save that much vs. flying.
BD

 

[cemeb4dk]

We live in Northern Illinois and prefer to drive, just for the cost savings factor. But we are a family of three, and have a travel bubble for the roof. We always take our own car so we never rent.

Is taking your own personal vehicles out of the question, because I dont see you all fitting in one vehicle for that long and with luggage, you guys would kill each other... Why not each family take their own car, and caravan down together. This way kids wont get on each others nerves and what not. Even if you had to rent a car I would think renting two mid size would still be cheaper than renting a larger van. While we prefer to drive that just works for our family, my daughter does well in car, and we leave about 2:30 in the afternoon and get to disney about 10am. I drive straight thru and we usually stay for 11 -14 nights so its not like I feel that I have to turn around and drive home right away. Only you know your family make up, and how they will handle the trip, but since your 12months out still keep an eye on airfare, and maybe it may even be worth traveling to a larger city airport a few hours away.

 

[Mikester71]

We always drive down (Pontiac Montana van) with 4 adults and 2 teens (adult size) from Canada and LOVE it! We love the scenery and crossing through all the States and having the freedom to go wherever we want, when we want. We split the cost of gas with my brother and mother-in-law, which makes it pretty affordable for all of us.

Can't wait to make the 18-22 hour trip AGAIN in 393 days!!!!!

 

[bjlc57]

have driven this trip many, many times..

Hi.. I live in LaCrosse.. and I have driven this trip, many, many times..

I use to leave from my folks house in Milwaukee..

but leaving from LaCrosse is about the same deal but you add no more then 3 hours..

one.. I have rented a car from Enterprise.. I may or may not have told them where I was going each and every time.. but its always been unlimited mileage..


we have had a Pontiac Grand Prix.. a ford exploder, ( explorer ) and that was the year that ford was having all the problems.. what I found out was that the air in the tires were intentional kept low due to a "better ride".. I filled the tires and had no problem..

and the last time we took a chevy Blazer that became a Suburban due to the 4 wheel drive kicking in..

the major reason for renting, is that if it breaks , its not your problem.. and they will fix it NOW.. with a different car.. and the cars are always up to snuff.. so to speak.. they are new and ready to go..


from the upper midwest.. you have two choices.. take 57 or 39 what ever it is through Illinois or take hy65...

TAKE HY 65.. TRUST ME.. unless you want to want to drive nails into you and your passengers heads, 65 is the way to go.. BAR NONE.. and don't believe map quest for a moment..

there is NOTHING TO SEE, going through Illinois.. its like the dark side of the moon.. hours of NOTHING..

You take hy65.. and there is a ton to see, including being within spitting distance of Mammoth cave in Kentucky.. I mean.. like a couple of 100 yards of the park.. really..


to do this trip.. you must, must follow some simple directions.. YOu need to leave at about 2 am from Eau Claire.. maybe even earlier.. maybe 1 am ..why?

so you can drive right through down town Chicago.. alone.. and after that its all cake..

Listen to this.. you stay on 94 to hy 65.. No turns nothing to look for .. just drive.. on your HOME ROAD.. this allows you to not having to look at mile markers.. you know if you are on YOUR ROAD.. you are in good shape until you get to almost Gary Indiana..


the only other choice you have to make is to go to Atlanta or Birmingham..

if you go to Atlanta, on 75..you will go over the mountains in Chattanooga..
if you go toward Birmingham, no mountains..


Rules of the road. NO ASKING ARE WE THERE YET.. You can ask how far we have come, and about how far is it.. but NO are we there yet..


every one uses the bathroom at the same time.. no , I don't have to go..

this is we go, YOU GO.. and then we aren't stopping every hour..

The scenery is FANTASTIC.. and there is plenty to see once people wake up..

and there are no worries or decisions.. You are on two roads at max..


Get the Green Book.. the Travelers visitors guide.. that book will help you find a place to stay for a decent price..

and I wish that I was going along.. for the first time, since I have been 10, which is 1967, we are flying to Florida..

I love the trip..

if you go to Birmingham.. consider staying in Decatur Alabama Which is north Alabama.... or Hoover on Birmingham's south side..

again.. leave EARLY.. 4 am or so.. you take Hy 65 to Montgomery.. 231 to hy 10.. in Florida..

when you go through cottonville, Florida. .there are a bunch of roadside stands.. these are the only places that yoU REALLY GET A DEAL ON ORANGES..

on your way back you may want to schedule an extra night. .You will be exhausted but have a smile from ear to ear..

Nashville, of all places is the actual midpoint from LaCrosse. .

I wish you well.. let me know if I can help you in any way..

 

[barrettismyhero]

I rode in a bus in high school from Chicago burbs down there...

The ride down was great.

The ride back was not. Breakdowns, getting sick.. Not fun.

Id recommend flying. 2-3 hours beats a day of driving.

 

[tiggerdaddyo]

Living in Sheboygan, we take AirTran out of Mitchell. For our trip this Memorial Day, cost was about $800 for the 4 of us. We had originally thought of driving, but that would add several days to our trip, not to mention hotel rooms, meals, gas, etc. Also, having a 12 and 8 year-old sitting next to each other in a mini-van for 4 days of driving may be cause for justifiable homicide Finally, as my wife doesn't drive, I'd be shot for the first few days at WDW. When I figured in all those other factors, it just made more sense to fly. I would check with a travel agent, like AAA or MouseFan Travel, to see if you can get a group discount on airfare. I think AirTran does offer some discounts for group travel...

 

[tiggerdaddyo]

Amtrak is more expensive than flying...

 

[meekoman]

Me and my wife will be driving from Superior Wi with our 3 year old on the 27th. We will be stopping at Wilmington Nc at my sister's place for a couple of days and then on to wdw. Just to Wilmington, it's over 22 hours and we plan on stopping at Seymour In for the night. To fly out of duluth mn, it costs just over $400 per person and out of Minneapolis, its about a hundred bucks less. I figure it will cost about $500 to and from Wilmington which includes gas and hotel. The only thing we will lose out on is the travel time by driving.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

No way would I drive, driving to Chicago from Milwaukee is tedious enough, I couldn't imagine from WI to Disney, I would go nuts.


I would rather fly coach sitting next to an unwashed fat guy eating a huge bowl of pork n' beans.

 

[yensid67]

Good morning all!

Looking at all sorts of things while planning our vacation, 12 months out lol.

The situation:

Normally, our family flies. Then again, last time we went it was just my wife, our daughter, and me This time however, our newest addition (who is almost 2 already!) will have her first trip to the world.

On top of that, we are going with some family who have never been there before, and they are bringing their 4 year old.

We kicked around the idea of flying, but since we are all trying to pinch pennies and such (more souveniers for the kids after all), we brought up the idea of renting a van and driving down together.

Now, I'm a car rental nub. i never rent cars, even when I go on business. I always get a taxi or a towncar service. So i've never experienced this before, or even know where to look.

Does anyone know of a service for renting a car fit for 7 people and luggage on a cross-country trip? Or are we crazy (potentially. We do live in Wisconsin afterall). We would be willing to drive down, then do a seperate rental to drive back if needed. Any advice or tools would be appreciated

My thought if you are really intent on driving to the World and intend on saving and pinching pennies as much as possible, and taking into account how many people will be going...my suggestion is that you look up rental car agents in your area and inquire for a Van that can accommodate you large group in one vehicle. This way the adults would split the costs of the rental as well as gas. To get a idea of how much gas you will be needing, once you know what types of vehicles are available, go to gasbuddy.com and go to TRIP CALCULATOR and enter your information and it will give you a ballpark figure based on the current gas prices, places to stop and even directions if you need them!
I also have access to an online book that is only about $20 and its updated aleast once a month. I can give you the link if you email me! or I can help you with rental discount codes for cars/vans through reputable companies such as AVIS and ALAMO. I am in the midst of plannig a trip for December 2011 and its not easy, but with planning this far out, it gives you enough time to research rates and fares, and gas pricing! I can also help you locate discount tickets as well...use the email below and I will try to help you as much as I can!
Whatever you decide to do I have driven from PA to FL many times and found that if I leave at midnight, I get to Orlando around 6pm the next night! But now I leave around 6pm and take short breaks EVERY 4 HOURS, to gas up, grab a snack, take a break, or grab a meal for 30 minutes. This adds to your time travelling, but I think for me its the best way for me to travel. It gives me that little bit of umpf to go the next leg of the trip!


Have a Magical Day!
Will
:wave: from PA!

 

[abe_bb]

Sorry for the ueber late reply to this everyone - we had a rough patch with the extended family (2 funerals, quite a few scares, illnesses, etc) and things are finally settling down after 3 months of heck).

The disney trip is back into the planning stages, and this is still in Discussions Jcat (because I know she will see this hehe) still wants to fly, I want to drive... Even though the kids will be 10 and 2, and it will be January... I think the road-trip aspect brings out more fun

Thank you for the tips everyone, especially bjlc57 taking it all into account...

 

[bjlc57]

Hey I am glad that I could help.. and you made my day by saying thank you..

so many on various forums do not..

if there is anything else I can do for you please let me know..

since you posted last.. we flew to WDW.. and got a rental car there.. it was totally different.

I will say this.. I don't know where you are staying, but I would from now on, STAY ON BASE.. we drove past the "old Holiday INN " and other places that we used to stay at.. and its all bad news.. I was shocked by the number of closed hotels in the Orlando area.. and I was ULTRA PLEASED with the security of staying on base..

you are in a land where numbers could go "either way" between flying and driving.. and in January , you may get deals that don't exist in March.. especially out of the cities.

I wish you well my friend.. let me know if I can help in any way..