To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy?

charlene · 05-20-2004

We live 12 miles outside of Philadelphia, really far from Florida?!!!! How long of a drive would that be 30 hours? We have Annual passes that wount expire till october. But we are on a low budget. Wait let me rephrase that ....a very very low budget.(we just bought a new mini van). I have a friend who will let me stay at their 3 bd townhouse in orlando (1 mile from the gates) for 400. for the week. But now is the problem of convincing my hubby to drive. We have 3 kids 9,6,4...

Am I crazy to want to go back so badly that i am willing to drive 30+ hours?

MagicalMoments · 05-20-2004

30 hours seems like too many hours from Philly to FL! We live in Northwest Indiana, real close to Chicago. It takes us 21ish hours. And that is with stopping, eating etc. We have left at all different times of the day. The best scenario for us is leaving early in the morning, driving all day! Then we would get there in the in the early morning. For example, leave by 6 am, get there by about 3 am. I would go for it!

jbtoursejg · 05-20-2004

We drive almost every year. My kids are now 8 and 10. Our drive time varies from 18-23 hours from central Connecticut. The time variable is really due to when we leave and how much later than 7pm we drive. After 7pm you can usually go the speed limit of 75 from Washington on down.

tigger · 05-20-2004

You would be crazy not to...

I don't think it will take you 30 hours to drive down there. If I could be forward I would suggest living early, really early in the morning like 5ish. That way you would miss most of the DC rush and get there in time to get a good rest before hitting the the parks.

charlene · 05-20-2004

Ok I will make it my new goal to bug my husband until he gives in! Afterall we do have a new van!

**Dana** · 05-21-2004

Charlene -

Good to see you! I made that drive with my parents, sister and brother back in the day. My Dad swraes it only takes 23 hours to get there and he told me to tell you to leave late in the evening and drive through the night so the kidos can sleep most of the drive. He said he and my Mom did this and took turns driving so the other could rest. He also said that they were both bushed that first day in the parks, but at least he didn't have to listen to us kids say "how much longer?" every five minutes

I wouldn't follow his suggestion about leaving at night. You and you DH would be wiped out. Maybe do as the others suggested and leave around 4 or 5am. That way the kids will still be likely to sleep at some point during the drive. That's a long time in the car.

BTW: got room for two stow-aways?

preidel24 · 05-21-2004

Charlene:

I live in Central Jersey and we have driven twice. It's not that bad it's only 17 hours. We leave at 9-10PM and we are in Orlando by 4Pm the next day. The kids slept most of the way and it really wasn't bad at all. My kids are 16, 13 and 9. You can PM if you need any info.

Paula

inluvwithdisney · 05-21-2004

I think you should go for it!! We are thinking about upgrading our park hoppers to AP's and drive from Denver!! How crazy is that!!

I am not sure how long that would be!!

BUT ANYTHING to get to WDW!!!

phayes93 · 05-21-2004

We live near St. Louis and it takes us about 15 hours to drive. We always leave ultra-early (around 2 a.m.) so we arrive in the evening around 6 (have to add an extra hour for time zone change). When we stay at a deluxe or moderate WDW resort, we spend that first nite at a Downtown Disney hotel, get up early the next day and go to our on-site resort. We either leave our luggage or check in early (most of the time, our rooms are already ready and we get to check in before noon!). When we stay at a value resort, we go straight there.

We usually drive and when the kids were younger, it did become a challenge once in a while to play referee (boy and girl four years apart), but for the most part, the drive down goes fairly quickly - just play Disney CDs, watch Disney DVDs (if you can) and keep talking about everything you and the kids will be doing "this time tomorrow."

Good luck and have a great trip!!!

**llama** · 05-21-2004

[quote=phayes93]We live near St. Louis and it takes us about 15 hours to drive. We always leave ultra-early (around 2 a.m.) so we arrive in the evening around 6 (have to add an extra hour for time zone change). When we stay at a deluxe or moderate WDW resort, we spend that first nite at a Downtown Disney hotel, get up early the next day and go to our on-site resort. We either leave our luggage or check in early (most of the time, our rooms are already ready and we get to check in before noon!). When we stay at a value resort, we go straight there.

Getting to St. Louis to us meant half-way there or half-way home, so we've spent a lot of time travelling to WDW! But it's amazing how you can put that time to use. We would always bring "story tapes". As the kids got older I would try to choose things that the whole family would enjoy. Some classics even. We've done "Tom Sawyer" and "Anne of Green Gables and the "Witch & the Wardrobe", to name a few. I also taught both my girls to "cursive"write while on our way. My oldest still likes to tell people that she learned to write by the time we got to Tennessee, but it took her younger sister all the way to Atlanta. thus proving who the more intelligent one was.

tinkerbell · 05-21-2004

we drive from North East Texas and have been doing so for the past 8 years, the girls have their PS2 games and videos to watch .. I just got some great suggestions for food for the trip instead of stopping along the way to eat. we normally drive right through t Gainesville fl. and stop there for the night so that we are only an hour away from the resort and breakfast with mickey the next morning. We have drove straight through which took about 15 hours with stops for gas and potty breaks.

sjpurple · 05-21-2004

We drive from Tennessee. It takes about 12 hours. I start out early in the morning about 5:30am. We lose an hour beacouse of the time change. I really enjoy the drive. We will have 3 adults this time and a 11 year old.
I would say you should try it too. There are all kinds of things to do on the drive there.

monorailgoof · 05-21-2004

Good idea charlene!-
I definetely think that driving overall will save you the money!
It's also a great experience for the kids!:)-MoNoRaIlGoOf

pixie_1999 · 05-22-2004

We live about 45 minutes East of Philly in South Jersey...and we travel to NC<to pick up my parents>which is 9 hours and then on to Disney is only about 9 more hours...but we also stop for a stay over in Savannah....we don't need anyone getting cranky in the car

karliebug · 06-11-2004

Have you checked airfare out of Phila lately? I got my tickets for 98 roundtrip, which is less than what we would pay for gas to drive! Southwest and usair are both offering low rates. I can't imagine driving with my kids(5,9,14). But maybe that is just my kids. We can't seem to go more than 30 miles without"she's hogging the armrest" or "she's looking at me funny". LOL

05-20-2004	#1 (permalink)
charlene Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: suburban Philadelphia, on the Jersey Side Posts: 220	To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? We live 12 miles outside of Philadelphia, really far from Florida?!!!! How long of a drive would that be 30 hours? We have Annual passes that wount expire till october. But we are on a low budget. Wait let me rephrase that ....a very very low budget.(we just bought a new mini van). I have a friend who will let me stay at their 3 bd townhouse in orlando (1 mile from the gates) for 400. for the week. But now is the problem of convincing my hubby to drive. We have 3 kids 9,6,4... Am I crazy to want to go back so badly that i am willing to drive 30+ hours? __________________

05-20-2004	#2 (permalink)
MagicalMoments Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Indiana Posts: 463	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? 30 hours seems like too many hours from Philly to FL! We live in Northwest Indiana, real close to Chicago. It takes us 21ish hours. And that is with stopping, eating etc. We have left at all different times of the day. The best scenario for us is leaving early in the morning, driving all day! Then we would get there in the in the early morning. For example, leave by 6 am, get there by about 3 am. I would go for it! __________________ 1970s Twice to Disneyland 1976?? (The year Space Mountain opened!) Comtemporary 1986 (February) Off site 2001 (September) All Star Sports 2003 (March) All Star Sports Port Orleans FQ & Disney Cruise 2003 (July) All Star Sports 2004 (April) All Star Sports 2004 (October) All Star Sports for MNNSHP!! 2005 (March) All Star Sports 2008 (November) for MVMCP, I hope!

05-20-2004	#3 (permalink)
jbtoursejg Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: connecticut Posts: 185	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? We drive almost every year. My kids are now 8 and 10. Our drive time varies from 18-23 hours from central Connecticut. The time variable is really due to when we leave and how much later than 7pm we drive. After 7pm you can usually go the speed limit of 75 from Washington on down. __________________ [countdown=December 27, 2003 10:00 AM EST;off to Walt Disney World;Red]

05-20-2004	#4 (permalink)
tigger Official Sunshine Pumper Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: In my own skin Posts: 2,924	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? You would be crazy not to... I don't think it will take you 30 hours to drive down there. If I could be forward I would suggest living early, really early in the morning like 5ish. That way you would miss most of the DC rush and get there in time to get a good rest before hitting the the parks. __________________ * Taking this post seriously might induce serious medical issues. Please consult your doctor if you feel light headed, dizzy, have dry mouth, ringing of the ears, incontinence, vomiting, loss of vision, numbness or tingling, upset stomach, hair loss, change in breathing, toe fungus, dry skin, muscle aches, runny noise, teeth pain, heaviness of limbs, sudden hunger, dry or red eyes, or a feeling of confusion or lost.

05-20-2004	#5 (permalink)
charlene Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: suburban Philadelphia, on the Jersey Side Posts: 220	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? Ok I will make it my new goal to bug my husband until he gives in! Afterall we do have a new van! __________________

		MouseBuzz.com > Mouscellaneous > Travel Tips
To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy?

05-21-2004	#6 (permalink)
Dana Super Mod/Packen' Kracken Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Joisey Posts: 23,782	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? Charlene - Good to see you! I made that drive with my parents, sister and brother back in the day. My Dad swraes it only takes 23 hours to get there and he told me to tell you to leave late in the evening and drive through the night so the kidos can sleep most of the drive. He said he and my Mom did this and took turns driving so the other could rest. He also said that they were both bushed that first day in the parks, but at least he didn't have to listen to us kids say "how much longer?" every five minutes I wouldn't follow his suggestion about leaving at night. You and you DH would be wiped out. Maybe do as the others suggested and leave around 4 or 5am. That way the kids will still be likely to sleep at some point during the drive. That's a long time in the car. BTW: got room for two stow-aways? __________________ ~82 off-site~91 off-site~97 ASMusic~ ~00 ASMovies~02 Wilderness Lodge~04 Animal Kingdom Lodge~ ~05 Animal Kingdom Lodge & Polynesian~ ~05 Port Orleans French Quarter~06 Old Key West~ ~07 Port Orleans French Quarter~08 Old Key West~ ~09 Saratoga Springs~10 Port Orleans Fench Quarter~ My Disney Countdown Counting down to: 10 day do all or die trying trip. 270 days 4 hours 48 minutes

05-21-2004	#7 (permalink)
preidel24 Big Cheese Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 902	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? Charlene: I live in Central Jersey and we have driven twice. It's not that bad it's only 17 hours. We leave at 9-10PM and we are in Orlando by 4Pm the next day. The kids slept most of the way and it really wasn't bad at all. My kids are 16, 13 and 9. You can PM if you need any info. Paula __________________ ^i^ * Postcard Pixie * ^i^ ~ Sharing the Disney magic ~ Discover the Magic - and you'll be hooked for life!!!

05-21-2004	#8 (permalink)
inluvwithdisney I need it to be May 28th! Join Date: May 2003 Location: Disney ~~ In my mind!! Posts: 2,783	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? I think you should go for it!! We are thinking about upgrading our park hoppers to AP's and drive from Denver!! How crazy is that!! I am not sure how long that would be!! BUT ANYTHING to get to WDW!!! __________________ AVATAR: My kitties: DISNEY & EPCOT Disneyland ~~ Offsite~~ August 1991 Disneyland/Calif. Adv. ~~ DLH ~~June 2001 Disneyland/Calif. Adv. ~~ DLH ~~ Sept. 2002 WDW ~~ POR ~~Sept. 2003 WDW ~~ POLY~~ Sept. 2004 WDW/Disney Cruise ~~ POR/Disney Wonder ~~ December 2005 WDW/Disney Cruise ~~ POR/Disney Wonder ~~ August 2007 WDW & US/DC/SW ~~POR ~~August 2008 Proud member of Disney Overplanner AnonyMOUSE My Disney Countdown Counting down to: 16 DAYS with the MOUSE!! 9 days WDW/7 days Eastern Carribean Cruise!!! Playing and cruising with the MOUSE!!!!

05-21-2004	#9 (permalink)
phayes93 Mouse Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Godfrey, Ill. near St. Louis Posts: 1,263	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? We live near St. Louis and it takes us about 15 hours to drive. We always leave ultra-early (around 2 a.m.) so we arrive in the evening around 6 (have to add an extra hour for time zone change). When we stay at a deluxe or moderate WDW resort, we spend that first nite at a Downtown Disney hotel, get up early the next day and go to our on-site resort. We either leave our luggage or check in early (most of the time, our rooms are already ready and we get to check in before noon!). When we stay at a value resort, we go straight there. We usually drive and when the kids were younger, it did become a challenge once in a while to play referee (boy and girl four years apart), but for the most part, the drive down goes fairly quickly - just play Disney CDs, watch Disney DVDs (if you can) and keep talking about everything you and the kids will be doing "this time tomorrow." Good luck and have a great trip!!! __________________ Off-site 1972, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1997, 2000 Yacht Club 1991 Old Key West (Vacation Club) 1993 Caribe Royale 1995 All-Star Sports 1997 Disneyland Pacific Hotel 1999 All-Star Sports 2000 All-Star Movies 2001 All-Star Music 2002 Dolphin 2002-2003 (Xmas) Caribbean Beach Resort - 2003 Port Orleans Riverside & Poly - 2005 Pop Century - December 2005 Pop Century - Dec. 2007-Jan. 2008

05-21-2004	#10 (permalink)
llama Practically Perfect Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Slurpee Capital of the World Posts: 7,379	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? [quote=phayes93]We live near St. Louis and it takes us about 15 hours to drive. We always leave ultra-early (around 2 a.m.) so we arrive in the evening around 6 (have to add an extra hour for time zone change). When we stay at a deluxe or moderate WDW resort, we spend that first nite at a Downtown Disney hotel, get up early the next day and go to our on-site resort. We either leave our luggage or check in early (most of the time, our rooms are already ready and we get to check in before noon!). When we stay at a value resort, we go straight there. Getting to St. Louis to us meant half-way there or half-way home, so we've spent a lot of time travelling to WDW! But it's amazing how you can put that time to use. We would always bring "story tapes". As the kids got older I would try to choose things that the whole family would enjoy. Some classics even. We've done "Tom Sawyer" and "Anne of Green Gables and the "Witch & the Wardrobe", to name a few. I also taught both my girls to "cursive"write while on our way. My oldest still likes to tell people that she learned to write by the time we got to Tennessee, but it took her younger sister all the way to Atlanta. thus proving who the more intelligent one was.

05-21-2004	#11 (permalink)
tinkerbell Neverland Tour Guide ® Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The Ark-La-Tex Posts: 7,596	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? we drive from North East Texas and have been doing so for the past 8 years, the girls have their PS2 games and videos to watch .. I just got some great suggestions for food for the trip instead of stopping along the way to eat. we normally drive right through t Gainesville fl. and stop there for the night so that we are only an hour away from the resort and breakfast with mickey the next morning. We have drove straight through which took about 15 hours with stops for gas and potty breaks. __________________ Stinkerbell, so named by Darth Official Defender of Swiss Family Treehouse MB chitchatter. We don't need no stinkin' post counts Protect Texas!!! Arm A Dillo

05-21-2004	#12 (permalink)
sjpurple Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: TN Posts: 372	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? We drive from Tennessee. It takes about 12 hours. I start out early in the morning about 5:30am. We lose an hour beacouse of the time change. I really enjoy the drive. We will have 3 adults this time and a 11 year old. I would say you should try it too. There are all kinds of things to do on the drive there. __________________ Shirley Yes, I am a barista barista(bar'ista) n. Italian for coffee artist DVC Member Saratoga Springs 2004 ENJOYING THE MAGIC SINCE 1972 My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Bay Lake Tower - Bay Lake View 58 days 4 hours 48 minutes

05-21-2004	#13 (permalink)
monorailgoof Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 267	Yes! Good idea charlene!- I definetely think that driving overall will save you the money! It's also a great experience for the kids!:)-MoNoRaIlGoOf __________________ Por favor mantegase alejado de las puertas! Everyday's a holiday....Only in Disney World. A pirate's life for me "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."-Walt Disney

05-22-2004	#14 (permalink)
pixie_1999 Junior Mouseketeer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: new jersey Posts: 18	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? We live about 45 minutes East of Philly in South Jersey...and we travel to NC<to pick up my parents>which is 9 hours and then on to Disney is only about 9 more hours...but we also stop for a stay over in Savannah....we don't need anyone getting cranky in the car __________________ seeing disney through your childs eyes-----priceless 6/04-akl 1/04-byc 6/03-gf 2/03-poly 11/02-cbr 6/02-wdws planning vero beach in 8/04:)

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06-11-2004	#15 (permalink)
karliebug Queenbee of MB Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Pocono Mts. PA Posts: 2,372	Re: To drive or Not to drive ? Am I crazy? Have you checked airfare out of Phila lately? I got my tickets for 98 roundtrip, which is less than what we would pay for gas to drive! Southwest and usair are both offering low rates. I can't imagine driving with my kids(5,9,14). But maybe that is just my kids. We can't seem to go more than 30 miles without"she's hogging the armrest" or "she's looking at me funny". LOL