Long 22 hr drive. Stop? or Drive straigt through?

[Bear Necessities]

We are planning our WDW trip for this May. We have 3 children ages 11, 4 and almost 2. Currently we have it planned to drive and stop part way in Chatanooga, TN. I guess the point to my question is : Is it doable to drive straight through? I wonder if it would be entirely too much for all of us. We probably wont change our current plans, but wondered if any brave souls have tried it or done it and how was it? Just trying to see if we can add a day to our stay in WDW?

 

[MELSMICE]

Even if you did drive straight through I think you would need a full day to recover - thus still taking that "extra day" you are trying to add to the trip. If it was only you & DH I would say do it, but with 3 little ones, it probably wouldn't be worth it. They will probably get crabby & fight too much.

When I was young & drove with my parents & siblings to WDW we would leave late evening/early morning on a Friday night (12 midnight or 1 a.m.) My dad would drive all night & mom would take over over in the morning. We would make the "big" stop around dinner time on Saturday in Atlanta. We'd wash up, eat, get a good's night rest, wake up early & continue on to WDW. It was also about a 20 or 22 hour ride.

It must have always worked because we did it at least 3X that I can remember.

Have a great time when you go!

 

[Disney Fool]

Please, for safety's sake, STOP and allow time for a good night's sleep. I've driven from Massachusetts several times, it's a 24 hour drive. I try to leave at 6 am the first day and drive until 9 or 10 p.m; stay overnight at a hotel, and continue the next day starting out at 7 am, arriving in Orlando at 3 in the afternoon. Some folks stay over two nights, breaking the trip up into three 8-hour segments. I've driven there only once straight through and I must have been crazy!!! I do not recommend it. You will be totally worn out after spending that much time in one car. Not only that, your children will be extremely cranky and who can blame them? Not a great way to begin your vacation. Also, after a week or so at Disney, I can guarantee you won't want to get back in the car to go home. Take your time if at all possible.

 

[jenny2]

We've driven straight through, and didn't need a whole day to recover!

It's usually a 24 hour drive for us (including lots of breaks for the kids!). We just did the drive 2 weeks ago. DH works nights, so he slept during the day. We gave the kids dinner, gave them their bath and left around 8pm. He drove most of the night while I slept, then when he got tired I woke up and drove. We took lots of breaks going down and got there around 8pm. Checked in, unpacked, put the kids to bed and were asleep by 10. Up and ready to go the next morning!!

 

[margiemc]

We drove down last year and we stopped and stayed overnight. We left Philly around 2am and drove to Kingsland, GA about 5pm. We stayed there and got up and drove about 3 hours the next day so we were there by 12pm. We have one DD5, and she needed the break as much as we did.

We also drove down twice before without stopping. Of course, that was a few years ago without kids! It was doable then, but definitely not now!

 

[disneymom3]

We drove down last Dec and stopped one night on the way down after driving from about 7 pm the night before.

On the way home, we left Orlando at about 5:00 and ended up driving straight thru. It worked out fine as we were about 5 hours away from home when we would have stopped anyway.
Would I do that on the way down, though? No. It was okay coming home cause everyone just crashed into their own beds, but my kids need some time to get used to a new place before settling down for the night.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

It really depends on you and your kids, and no one else can guess that.

With that said, it's "doable"- if you think you and your children can handle it. We drove 20hrs straight just a little over a month ago- with children very close to the ages of yours (they were 2, just turned 5, and almost 9yrs old). We just made lots of stops (not scheduled, just whenever we needed to -to eat, get a snack, change diapers, restroom breaks, stretch our legs, whatever.)

There are also things you can do that make the trip more enjoyable for your children. We had a small tv in the car with a vcr so they could watch Disney tapes the entire drive. We brought toys (some that were new to them to keep their attention- but inexpensive ones), things to color (we bought the marker/paper sets that the markers can't write on anything BUT the paper- so we didn't have to worry about everything getting covered in marker LOL), snacks and drinks, etc.

However, this was only "doable" for us because.... I'm a night owl and driving at night wasn't dangerous for us. That is when I'm most "awake". If we were both the types that had set bedtimes and always slept 8hrs at night (for example) then one of us would have been driving while very tired and that's not a good idea- ever.. but especially when you have your entire family with you! So I drove at night, my husband drove during the day. This worked well on the driving- when I got tired after driving that night (getting tired around the time I normally go to sleep around 4-6am) then I just made a "pit stop" for restrooms/etc and my husband took over (he's used to getting up early for work).

Now I will admit we probably wouldn't have been as rested as possible to do the parks that first day. We left in the early afternoon (husband driving, then me driving at night, then him finishing up the drive in the morning) and arriving near Disney around 9am. We didn't do the parks that first day though. We did Wonderworks which was fun for the kids but WAY less walking for all of us and not as tiring as trying to cram a day in the parks in that day. We did wonderworks, checked into the hotel in the afternoon having a semi-late lunch at a Golden Corral there, then went back to Wonderworks again- then did the dinner "magic" show there. It was extremely fun for the kids (my son still asks to go back to the "upside down house" even though it was the first thing we did in a 9 day vacation!) yet it didn't tire us out. We didn't hit the parks until the next day.

 

[tinaluis]

We just completed the drive to WDW from Chicago and we stopped overnight just before Atlanta, GA. When we started out we doubted we'd need to stay overnight anywhere, but when we finally approached GA, it was like heaven knowing that we only had to drive another hour or so. It helped to have an existing reservation in GA too, because I felt like we drove a little further than we normally might have (about 700 miles) and we only had about 500 left the next day. On the way home we made a reservation in Nashville (about 700 miles) and, again, only had about 500 miles left the next day. We've driven straight through before without kids but it was better for us to stop overnight with the kids. Even the added time it takes for them to get used to the new room and open all the drawers, turn on the TV, the lights, etc. was minimal compared to the good night's sleep we got.

 

[deb305]

tinaluis,
From your post it sounds like you may be coming in on I-75. If so,remember that a few miles north of Chattanooga there is a high fog area, and to watch for the alerts!
We drove I-75 from Dayton in January with a 4.5yr old and a 13 month old. We stopped after 11 hours of driving, the kids were just too restless and DH too tired. On the way down we stopped at Macon Georgia, and had less than 6 hours drive the next day, pulled into WDW before 12:30.
I advise stopping,chances are that you'd spend the next day recovering and would not be in great shape for the parks. Since we were staying at GF it was a lot cheaper to spend $70 at Hampton Inn the night before, and arrive early at GF than to pull in around midnight at GF and pay their rates.
Good Luck!!

 

[tinkerbee]

We have done both. When we do stop it in in Macon GA. When we don't stop its because we had to work the day we were leaving so we would leave around 3 pm and arrive around 11 the next morning. But this time we will leave home around 6 am be in Macon around 7. Leave Macon around 7 and reach the world around 1 or 2. So stopping seems to work better if you can leave early in the morning.

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

We drive from SW Michigan ... Get on the road by 4:00 am and then stop for the night about 8:00 pm in southern GA. Only 4-5 hours the next day into WDW.

We are really READY to pull off the road then and can just unwind by ordering a pizza at the hotel and getting a good night's sleep. We are fresh when we pull in the next day around noonish.

We also make a stop on our way home (Elizabethtown, KY) ...

I'd definitely plan on stopping overnight -- for safety, if for no other reason!!

 

[Tinkerbells2000]

We also take off around 4 in the morning, and stop around 6 or 7. We have 4 kids, ages 8, 7,5, and 3 and they need that time to unwind. I'm not sure how your kids are, but mine get VERY restless in the car after awhile. There are only so many games you can play, and movies you can watch before you just have to get out. We always try to find a hotel with a pool so that they can get some energy out ... Then, the next morning we only have about 4 hours to drive, then we are at Disney, and ready to go. I am sure you can drive all the way through with kids, but for sanity purposes, I would suggest stopping....

 

[JetMom]

I would defintely stop. Everyone is going to be tired, cranky and uncomfortable if you try to drive straight through.

Last year we drove from NY to FL which was about 18 hours of driving. We left at 3:00 p.m. (right after school) we stopped in Richmond at about 11:00 p.m.

After a good night's sleep, we left at about 7:00 a.m. and arrived in Orlando at about 5:00 p.m

We had a relaxing evening swim and a quiet dinner and we were ready to hit the parks the next morning.

 

[Verandah Man]

Our drive from our home in NJ to WDW is 20 hours. We have done both, straight through twice, and stopped overnight in Lumberton, NC all the other times. Lumberton is the half way point for us. The two times we drove straight through, it took me a day or two to recover, especially since I did all the driving myself.

Now, when we travel, we take rest stops every two hours, if nothing else, just to get out of the car and stretch. It makes the trip more relaxing and enjoyable for all concerned.

 

[westjones]

We have done it with 19 hours, but I really don't like to do that.

If I were you, I wouldn't reserve a place....just drive until you get to a good stopping time. With 22 hours, you could get up and leave by 6:00 am and drive until 11:00 that night (that would be about 18 hours). Then get a good night's sleep wherever you are at that time, and then get up the next day and go the other 4 hours (getting you there in time to go to one of the parks if you want, or enjoy the pool at the hotel or visit DisneyQuest or a waterpark or whatever you would want to do).

If you do decide to drive straight, try leaving at night so you get the 'night time' driving over first (that is what we do, we leave around 6 or 7:00 pm after DH gets off work, and we get to Orlando around 3 or 4:00 the next afternoon).

Again, I don't enjoy it; but it can be done.
DJ

 

[msmith16]

We leave NJ at 6:00 AM and drive to Savannah, GA., getting there around 7:00 PM (with a stop for lunch and other it stops on the way). The next day, we only have about a 4 hour drive to Disney. With kids, I think you need to break up the drive, as they need the time to get out of the car and stretch, etc.

 

[wilderness01]

We have done both. It is very hard on the kids and parents to drive straight through. We start early and drive late. Our short stay overnight the last time down was a godsend. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[sm4987]

We are from Arlington, Texas and we drove the 16 hours straight through. By the time there was a midpoint, we noticed that it would be in Florida, so we decided to keep going. We left at 3:30 in the morning and were there by 8:00 that night. It was great for us. The kids watched videos, slept and colored. My husband drove the whole way!!! I was shocked. It was so beautiful. Do what you think is best for your family. If you think your children and you are up to it, go for it!!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

It wasn't hard on my kids. (it was hard on ME... but not them nor my husband- they all got plenty of sleep and I didn't! LOL)
But then when you consider they sleep around 10hrs at night anyway (since they are younger)- it was only really about 8-10hrs daytime driving- and only that much because we stopped so many times to eat, change diapers, restroom breaks, etc.

They still slept most of the daylight hours also! (it helps when you have children that fall asleep everytime you drive, sometimes before you even get one block from your house)
LOL

Just depends on the kids I guess.

 

[threeboysmom]

Wow! I guess I'm in the definite minority here. It takes us exactly 24 hours and we prefer to drive straight through. One trip we did stop at a hotel for the night, and it was our worst trip! Never again! 2 full days in the car with 3 kids did not go over well at all - talk about cranky kids!! If we drive straight through the night, the kids all sleep about 10 hours, and they are only awake for 1 day in the car which is about all they can handle. Works perfectly for us. If it were just DH and I, we would stop the night. But with kids, driving through the night while the kids sleep is the way to go for us! By the time they wake up in the a.m., we are crossing the border into Florida.