The Big Drive

[tinkerblonde11]

My mom is terrified of flying so whenever we go to WDW, we drive... from CT... 24 hours in total. Since we can't drive 24 hours straight we usually try to reach South Carolina or even Georgia, stop in a hotel, and reach Disney for check-in the day after. Haven't done it for 6 years, but prepping for the long haul again in a few weeks. Wish us luck! Anyone else skip the plane and take long drives to the World?

 

[gostone23]

We always drive as my wife hates to fly but not that far. Usually 9-12 hours.

If you can make it to Savannah, the city is not far off 95 and is beautiful to spend some time in.

-r

 

[RKSteel]

Last year we drove from Long Island, since our trip in 2004. I must have selective memory because we are driving down again next month. We drove down to Florence, SC, which is about 11.5 hrs with stops. Then it was about 7 the next day. I don't mind driving and airfare is too much for 5 people. Toughest part is getting south of DC/Northern VA before traffic and construction delays.

 

[zurgandfriend]

I wish you the best of luck, we have not driven to Orlando but have done the drive to Toronto and/or Montreal a few times. Sometimes the trip there is almost as much fun as the destination. Also, as I always say, don't stop at south of the border, enjoy!

 

[Figgy1]

YES!!!!!!!!!! We always drive! We love it and we save a ton, plus we like to have our own car! Offer to do some of the driving if you're old enough and don't bug your parents! Bring some movies and something to read! Have fun!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Yes.. skipping the airport and DME. This year will be our first drive to Disney from Maine. With a stop in NJ and then possibly somewhere in between. In NJ we will be adding friends along and then able to share driving duties. Depending on the drive time we might make it to Disney a day earlier than I had originally planned.

 

[PUSH]

In our 12 trips, we've flown once. I live in Wisconsin and the drive is about 21 hours. We've driven straight through before, but we normally get just past Atlanta, GA and stop for the night. Then we'll arrive at the world anywhere from noon to 3 in the afternoon depending on when we get up, and how the traffic is.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We drove quite a few times when I was a kid. My husband and I did a road trip there in 2011 and it was fun! We stopped at a couple places along the way and went to the beach too. We live in northern Wisconsin so it was a 20+ hour drive but we played trivia and did Mad Libs along the way. Plus hubby's car has satelite radio so there is always something good to listen to. I did miss the excitement of leaving from the airport and arriving in MCO and having my first ride be the monorail!

 

[JohnD]

As a native of Jacksonville, I recognize it's mostly a drive-through or drive-around city, especially for someone driving to WDW. So, if you're thinking of by-passing Jax, don't be so quick to drive straight through on I-95 or the now-named I-295 West Beltway which takes you on a long, boring half-loop around the west side of Jax. Instead, consider the I-295 East Beltway (formerly 9A). It's less-known, so less traffic. You also have the benefit of driving over the Dames Point Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River. The route is much shorter than the I-295 WB and just 1.5 miles longer than I-95 directly through. See http://goo.gl/maps/CDZ3J

 

[Susan Savia]

We always drive and stay the first night in SC and arrive the next afternoon. We like having our vehicle in Florida to visit the parks as well as other places in the area.

 

[PrincessMia]

We've driven the 14 hours from Cincinnati to Orlando for the past 2 years, and are gearing up for another trip in October. We LOVE having our car to drive from park to park. Hauling around an exhausted (and often sleeping) child at the end of the day, we were soooo happy to be able to plop her into the car seat and head back to the resort without all the waiting for buses and hoping to get a seat. That said, I miss the excitement that comes with going to the airport.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We drove from NJ a number of times when I was a kid...and we've driven for our last two trips (from Houston area). I actually prefer it more- when you can extend the road trip to make it more of an adventure. This past driving trip...we drove straight through and it really wore me out...mainly b/c DH didn't have the energy to pull full driving shifts. Still, it's nice saving the $ if you have the time to do a road trip.

 

[piazza]

We drive from Buffalo New York, usually with eight of us all together, wife and I, five children ages 2 to 20 and a friend or two. It takes 19 or 20 hours depending on traffic and potty breaks. we either stop the first day in Hilton Head @ at the Disney resort or Savannah, Georgia. We flew once and ALL missed the drive, its part of the adventure and we will always drive! GOOD LUCK ON YOUR DRIVE!!! And have a magical vacation! I am envious of you.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

My parents and I used to do this (from downstate NY) when I was a kid, back in the 80s. A good 20 hours or so. The highlight (for me anyway) was reading all the ridiculous South of the Border signs (Pedro says almost there!). By Savannah I was clawing at the windows to get out. Would I do this again, today? Two words. "Heck" and "no."

Good luck on your drive!

 

[WLBound]

We've driven the past few times and plan to do so again this September. We didn't mind flying but my husband is a little nervous to do this now since he had to get an ICD and apparently airport scanners can potentially deprogram them (and a cardiac event at 30,000 feet would not be fun). We stopped in Florence, SC last time and plan to stop in Savannah, GA this year. We took the Auto Train going home because we didn't feel up to a 1,000 mile drive home after all that walking in the parks and I think we are leaning towards doing that again this trip.

 

[emcclay]

24 hours from CT? When I made the drive with my best friend it was more like 16-18 hours.

 

[tinkerblonde11]

24 hours from CT? When I made the drive with my best friend it was more like 16-18 hours.

Oh wow! Maybe we just drive slowly our driving hours range from 22-24 depending on traffic, etc.

 

[smk]

We always drive, flown only a couple of times. It is much cheaper for us to drive. We play games, and just got a kindle fire to listen to audio books or play games on while the other is driving. We stop when ever we want but the trip down is usually a push to get to Valdosta so the next day we reach WDW in a few hours. The drive home is a different story all together. We linger at the resort, try to delay getting back in the car, drive slower. Hate the drive home.

 

[TinkerbellKate]

We always drove when I was a kid. It was about 18 hours from our house to Mickeys. We'd stop just north of Atlanta and wake up early the next day to finish the drive. There is something magical about driving under that Disney sign that immediately takes me back to being an excited 13 year old on her first trip to Disney!

 

[taz0162]

Drove from Chicago South West Suburbs Dec/Jan. One thing to consider with your trip planning is what major cities will you be driving through at approx what time...Will that be that cities Rush Hour Morning or late afternoon commute? We timed our trip just right all the way until Atlanta that was bumper to bumper at 8:30 at night. We stopped South of Atlanta and woke up early the next morning to finish up the trip. One the way back North we had a hard time prying ourselves away from DTD and only made it to TN and had the bulk of the trip to finish the following day.