Updated! Anyone drive to WDW w/10 in van for 15 hours? - We did!

[SteveH]

I used to drive trips like this all the time, usually had 2 staff and 13 kids, though never drove overnight with them. My wife and I did it with our 2 kids in a minivan, about a 15 hour drive and used the same tips we'd done on other caravans. By the time we hit the FL/GA boarder I was spent, stayed the night there - easy drive into WDW the next morning.

A good rule of thumb is to rotate drivers every 2 hours, first sign of the driving showing fatigue they are changed period not open for debate. It's best to have 2 alert adults in the front seats, let the driver the just finished take the pick of the other seats, usually its right behind the driver seat. Driver chooses music, everyone else sucks it up or uses headphones. Have caffeine or cold beverages and snacks handy. Other front seat person does the navigating. Check your tires at every stop, its a pain but a blow out is way worse. Plan stops head of time; everyone out, everyone uses bathroom. Bring a football or something to get out and run around a bit.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Thanks so much for this! So glad you had a great trip and enjoyed being together! I will re-think the seating plan based on your review.

Packing may be an issue (I am the worst). We are only going for 6 nights and will have washer/dryer. We will be shopping for groceries after checking in.

It sounds like you will have a blast. I checked with our kids and they were very comfortable having 3 people in the 2nd row. Plenty of leg room.

Depending which van you get - the regular Ford transit 15 seater van doesn't have much storage space in the back. Maybe look to rent a 12 seater. Although there was much storage under the seats. The underneath of some of the seats were 8 1/2H x 16W x 16D. Definitely enough for a carry on. Some seats underneath area were smaller.

Enjoy!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Thanks so much for this! So glad you had a great trip and enjoyed being together! I will re-think the seating plan based on your review.

Packing may be an issue (I am the worst). We are only going for 6 nights and will have washer/dryer. We will be shopping for groceries after checking in.

Another thought - get the 15 seater and just remove some of the middle seats to give more leg room. We didn't have that option because ours was a one way rental.
Enjoy!

 

[mickeymom629]

Another thought - get the 15 seater and just remove some of the middle seats to give more leg room. We didn't have that option because ours was a one way rental.
Enjoy!

Thanks! Good idea to think of removing some middle seats. We will see how packing goes. I appreciate your responses!

 

[mickeymom629]

Enjoy!

Quoting just to get your attention.

Just had to say that I just watched a few of your trip videos in your signature and I am so impressed!!! Extremely clever and entertaining. What a great family!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Quoting just to get your attention.

Just had to say that I just watched a few of your trip videos in your signature and I am so impressed!!! Extremely clever and entertaining. What a great family!

Aww thank you so much. We love going to Disney and love making those videos. Now that the kids are older it is hard to get everyone schedules lined up but we try. Enjoy your trip! Come back and tell us how it goes.

 

[tikitorie]

Our family of five has driven to Disney 4 times from Pennsylvania (16 hours), in a minivan- two of those times in Jan when weather was a concern. We usually drive down in 2 days (stopping in GA) and we drive straight through in the way back but we always allow for 2 days in case of bad weather. The last time when a storm was due in PA the other 3 families in our group who flew missed 1.5 days of the trip due to delays. We woke up extra early and got far enough south before the storm hit.
We always say how much we love driving to Disney... excitement building, planning, talking about the trip and watching Disney movies in the van.
We also always say how much we hate driving back! Everyone is tired, cramped and on each other's nerves.
We have done both driving and flying and when it comes down to it we prefer the drive -but it is crucial in winter to have extra time built in to leave earlier or later or take longer that you expected. Also important to pack smart (and light) to leave as much room as possible.
Like anything else, it's what you make it.

 

[crzy4dsny]

I’ve spent a lot of time in vans like this before I retired. We would get sent out on occasion with nine guys and they would give us a location and we would just sit in it for sometimes 10-12 hours. They aren’t all that comfortable and don’t ride smooth. The people sitting on the left side will have a window that they can put a pillow against and lean over and get kind of comfortable. The people sitting in the middle and on the right side have nothing. The seat backs are not very high, so your kind of just sitting with nothing to lean against, there aren’t even arm rests. The further back you sit the worse the ride gets. In the back you feel every bump and dip in the road. Riding back there can give you motion sickness. The only one who is somewhat comfortable is the driver, even the front passenger seat is bad because the engine compartment blocks the room for your left leg. I would rather stay home then ride that far in one of those vans.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

Hi All - I tried searching but couldn't find much. DH and I are planning a trip for January and have reserved a rental for a 15 passenger van for 7 adults and 3 kids in car seats (2 5-year olds, 1 2-yr-old). We are driving from MD. Luckily, on the way down, we are driving at night since one DS is a night worker, so hoping the rest of us can sleep most of the way.

Has anyone done a trip like that?

Editing to remove my estimation of hours and stops and to add that when my 4 kids were little, we drove everytime to WDW and/or to visit relatives in FL. We had a 12 passenger (15 passenger w/last bench removed for trunck space) van, so every kid had plenty of room. We are not new to driving long distances but this is the most people (adults) we will have. We will have 3 different drivers this time. Some passengers on the way to FL may fly home so there will be less people going back. The only one who gets car sick is one of the drivers.

I really was just wondering if anyone else has done anything like this or similar.

That sounds like my childhood right there! 3 generations, kids ages 3, 6, 9, and 12, from northeast Ohio to Orlando overnight. We used to do all sorts of trips like that. As long as the drivers are up for it and don't accidentally get stuck like 3 night-shifts in a row (like my poor parents did once), then why not?

 

[mickeymom629]

I updated my original post to tell about our recent trip. I forgot to mention that it "only" took about 12.5 hours to get to Disney this time with two quick stops. It took about 14 hours on the way back because we ate a meal in the parking lot of McD's so the 2-year-old wouldn't have a fit about getting back into his car seat so soon, and we had to detour off 95 and get to Route 1 for a little bit very early in our trip back because of an accident ahead that required a helicoptor. Luckily we were right near an exit but had to cross 3 lanes to get to it.