[TK924]

OK, here's tha deal. We'll be leaving from central NC on Friday and driving straight through which, in the past, has taken somewhere between 10-11 hours. So when is the best time to arrive in Orlando? I know that we need to leave early enough to avoid rush hour, but when's the best time to try and be there? ;)

[MickeyMamma]

Depends on if you are sharing the driving and how tired you will be.

Otherwise, I would say that arriving at 8am might be a good time because you can stop and have a relaxing breakfast before hitting the parks.

If you will be tired from the drive, why not arrive in the afternoon and spend the time relaxing around your resort and have a nice dinner. Then you can start touring the parks the next morning after having a good night's sleep.

[TK924]

Ya, we plan on leaving between 4-5 a.m. on Fri morn.

Then, after check-in, go hang out around Downtown Disney. I just want to avoid as much traffic as possible.

Thanks. ;)

[Metalfan]

I'd schedule your arrival around the middle of the afternoon or later in the evening. Just so you dont hit the afternoon rush of people from work. anytime up until 4 pm and after 6 pm should be fine!

[TK924]

Thanks Metalfan, I think we're going to target getting there between 2-3pm. Hopefully traffic won't be too bad at that time.

[MissDisney]

Some might tell you to plan to arrange your drive so you get to the gates at 9 a.m. You could leave the park around 1:30 p.m. for lunch and check-in at your hotel. Swim a bit, and return to the parks for the afternoon and evening! Why spend a single day of vacation in the car, when a perfectly good pool/park/boat/golf course/restaurant/fishing pole/show is waiting for you at WDW? Maybe knock out 7 hours before bedtime, check into a hotel for some sleep and then leave at the crack of dawn again to get to Orlando early. As long as you drive safely, you can worry about being tired later. Don't know your style, but do you feel up to that kind of drive?...:)

[TK924]

Well, we went to WDW this time last year and did things this way: My wife drove the first 5-6 hours and then I'd drive the rest of the way. We check in, unload, relax, grab a bite to eat, then hit Downtown Disney. Seemed to work well that way last year, so I think we'll try the same for this year. :) :D

[MerlinMatt]

I can't really comment on driving in, but I can tell you how we did it last year and how we're doing it this year.

Last year, the kids had a half-day from school, so we drove them directly to the airport and we took off at 3. We were checked into *** by 7 and had a PS at Portobello at 8pm. We had just enough time after dinner to explore DisneyQuest for 45 minutes.

We were exhausted and yet we felt a little rooked because we got in so late.

This year, we're aiming at more effective exhaustion. ;)

We're waking the kids at 3:30 for a 6:30 flight. We should be checked in well before lunch. We might go hang around the Boardwalk and eat there or do a little Epcot and we have a PS for Portobello's (can you tell that's our favorite? :) ) for 6pm so there will be more time for DisneyQuest if we're up to it.

So, we'll still be exhausted, but more satisfied. :p