Those that have done the drive to Disney

From Long Island, how long did it take?

Did you drive straight through or stop to sleep?

If you stopped to sleep where did you stop?

What time did you leave Long Island?

Am I crazy to take on a drive like this with 3 kids (8, 6 and 4)

Thanks in advance for all advice/tips.

Message edited 3/9/2015 2:43:45 PM.

Those that have done the drive to Disney

I can't answer any of your questions, other than the crazy one I think it's crazy to do without kids, I would never do it with kids! I'm not a fan of being in the car for hours on end though

Re: Those that have done the drive to Disney

We've done it a bunch of times. We leave at 3 am and drive until we hit Savannah, Georgia. We stay overnight there and then get up early the next day and finish the drive. We stop for lunch and do dinner in Savannah. It's really not that bad...the kids watch movies and we stop at a few rest areas and let them run around.

Those that have done the drive to Disney

I have never done the drive to Disney but have done it to Tampa and once to Cocoa Beach. I will never do it unless I have no other choice again in my life. Its not traffic of anything that makes it bad its just being in the car that long I need a day or so to recoup.

Re: Those that have done the drive to Disney

We did it in February 2013 with our then 2 year old. We drove because we decided on a last minute trip. Would I do it again? Maybe.

We left at 4am and drove to Savannah with a bunch of stops along the way. Our intention was to get as far south as we possibly could so we only had limited driving on day 2. I will admit, the last 2 hours were rough. DD was soooo cranky. We had stopped at a Cracker Barrel about 2 hours north of Savannah and when it was time to get back in the car DD had a fit. Who could blame her??

Anyway, the next day was a breeze. We had about 4 hours to Orlando.

On the way back our intention was to stop in Fayetteville, NC. This is a common stopping point for those making the drive. We didn't know this beforehand and it was impossible to get a hotel room. So we drove north to Smithfield and found a hotel. If your plans are to stop in Fayetteville I'd make a reservation so you're not driving around like fools like us.

Good luck! It's definitely an adventure!!

Those that have done the drive to Disney

When I was a kid we lived in Florida (Clearwater area) and would drive to NY every summer.

My parents would leave at like 4am and drive straight through to NY. They would take a break at South of the Border (SC/NC Border) for a couple hours to rest up. They shared the driving.

The only other stops we made were for food, gas and bathroom - and most of the time that was all done with 1 stop.

It would take us about 18 hours.

As an adult, I would not do this drive because I hate being in the car that long. If I were making it a road trip that would be different but I am always on a mission in the car.

You should price it out because it may not be cheaper to drive then to fly.

Re: Those that have done the drive to Disney

Thanks for the replies. I'm 50/50 right now. Part of me thinks I'm out of mind to even consider it and part of me is intrigued considering airfare for 5 at the time we want to go is about $1700. Driving would make the trip about $800-1000 cheaper.

Re: Those that have done the drive to Disney

Re: Those that have done the drive to Disney

We did it recently with 3 kids. We drove straight through. We left L.I. At about 7pm and got to Orlando by about 3 pm the next day. Honestly, for us, it wasn't bad at all. We would definitely do it again.

Re: Those that have done the drive to Disney

We are driving in 2 weeks...if we were to fly it would be $917 a person....we have 6 people!!! That's like another trip!

Our plans right now are to leave around 5, and hopefully drive to savannah. We will stay overnight, and then drive to Orlando. We are not counting anything as definite, just what we are hoping to do!