For those folks driving!

[Scrooge's Accountant]

We also travel from PA and on the way down, we stop overnight. On the way home, we usually drive straight through.

When researching hotels on 95 I use this site to look up hotels by exit, then I research on tripadvisor and look up reviews, etc. It all depends on how long/far you're willing to drive.

Some people like to drive during the night, but we would rather stay overnight on the way down so we can jump straight into doing things when we arrive and not be to tired. I'm not wasting one moment! On the way home we will leave the resort around 5 - 6-ish AM and drive all the way. It takes us about 17 hours.

Thank you for the site, that will be extremely helpful. I want to get there as quickly as possible but don't want to be exhausted from the drive, it will be a balancing act I guess.

 

[mrocco90]

Here are some of the things I did when my kids were younger:

DVD player with a few favorite movies along with a few new ones
CD/MP3 player with new music
Hand-held video games
Headphones...and a spare set or two
Small drawstring back pack with activities such as: coloring book/pages, colored pencils, pencil sharpener (had a bad experience with crayons melting in a car on an 85 degree day in PA. No crayons in our cars anymore); sticker and/or activity books; tablet for drawing; pipe cleaners or Bendaroos, magnetic play sets (like Colorforms but magnets), Colorforms; small figurines.

I always checked Dollar Tree, Five Below, the birthday favor sections at Target and Walmart, and the Dollar Spot (or whatever they call it now) at Target for fun little things to use in the car. If you have a AAA travel store near you, they usually have some fun little games for the car as well.

I always only put a few "activities" in the drawstring bag. I kept one extra activity hidden by my feet or under my seat and the rest were in a bin in the trunk/cargo space. If the kids got bored with the activities in the bag, I could get out the extra one at my feet. At the next stop, I'd get another one out of the trunk and hide it at my feet again. Some people will wrap each of these items like a gift just to add a little more fun to it. Be sure to keep a few things set aside for the drive home. I always had leftover things at the end of each trip because I'm a chronic over-packer.

We also took either small lap desks or used a rimmed cookie sheet and a travel pillow with a small sheet of rubber gripper shelf liner on top of it to keep the cookie sheet from sliding off. This provided a flat surface for coloring/drawing.

A cup holder or suction cup soap holder attached to the car window to hold colored pencils while using them.

A travel pillow and small blanket.

I also give each kid their own snack bag (again, you can just put a few things in it and refill from a secret stash as needed). It kept me from having to constantly hand out snacks (though I was traveling with 3-5 kids on any given trip). I always controlled the drinks and only handed them out as needed.

When the kids were young, we also made sure to take a frisbee, ball, and bubbles to use at rest stops to let the kids run off some pent-up energy.

I always keep a roll of quarters to use for "special treats" in the vending machines at the rest areas. While most machines take dollar bills, some of them are very fussy about the dollar bills they will accept so I try to save myself a headache and just use quarters. They also come in handy for vending machines at the hotel.

If the restaurant we stopped at for lunch had a play area for kids, I'd take the kids right to that area when we arrived. DH would go get food for me and him and we'd sit and let the kids play while we ate. When we were finished eating, we'd get their food to go and get back in the car to start traveling again. The kids would eat in the car and usually by the time they were finished eating, they'd be ready for a nap.

Pack a separate bag with clothing (including swimming suits) and toiletries you'll need for the overnight stay so you don't have to lug all of your bags in for the night. I made that mistake the first time we drove...and we were doing the drive over 3 days that time. After having to lug all of our stuff into the hotel room that first night, I spent a few minutes rearranging things and made sure we only needed to take 2 bags in the next night. We keep this bag in an easy to reach spot in the car so we don't have to dig for it when we arrive at the hotel. I usually put an extra change of clothes for the kids in this bag in case we have any kind of spill in the car during the drive.

I make sure to have a small pack of baby wipes in the car for sticky hands and other mishaps during the drive. Also an old towel or two rolled up and stored under a seat can come in handy for many things. A roll of paper towels would work as well. I also keep a small Happy Meal size bucket lined with a ziploc bag in the car to use in case someone gets car sick (only happened once...now we know our son needs to eat something before we get in the car in the morning). Keep a few extra ziploc bags in the car...just in case.

You can also go to momsminivan.com to get some more ideas. We always do the license plate game. I print out a sheet for the drive down and the drive back. Our kids are older now (the youngest is 11) so they keep themselves occupied in the car for the most part, but DH & I still do the license plate game. We (including the kids), like to watch for and count all of the South of The Border signs. Unfortunately, there aren't nearly as many as there used to be. When we first started making this trip in 2001, we'd count ~100 signs. On our trip last year I don't think we even broke 50...but it's still something fun to do.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions! I'm going to start stocking up on stuff now for the trip. You def suggested things I wouldn't of thought of. I'll have to check out the website too. Thank you!

 

[Luvamouse]

Hi.. My husband and I are thinking about driving from Ct in Oct with our 5 year old. We usually fly but my husband really wants to try driving this time. I don't enjoy driving so the majority, if not all, will be done by him. We're hoping to leave around 730 pm Friday, drive thru the night, get breakfast and continue driving and only stoping for food or bathroom breaks. Hoping to arrive in Disney Saturday night. His plan is to sleep all day Friday and wake up when it's time for us to go. Coming home were thinking of stoping somewhere half way for the night. Does this plan seem possible, also any advice would be great! Thanks!

We'll be driving to WDW from RI for our 6th drive down this June. We have never gone 95 because I do NOT have the patience for it. Our way has no tolls after the bridge over the Hudson, there are breakdown lanes NOT used for travel during rush hour and no 8-lane highways--all for just over 100 miles more. We actually had a friend leave from Tampa when we left WDW and we were close to each other when we took 26N to aim for 81N. He stayed on 95 and we got home just before them. No big accidents, just traffic issues. Of course YMMV, but for our sanity, here is our route: We take 95S to Rte 9- Up to 91S-- 691 then catch 84W. (Probably won't apply to you depending on where you are in CT.) In Wilkes-Barre we get on 81S and head South about 340 miles to 77S toward Charlotte. We stay the night in Mooresville, NC because we are NASCAR fans and find the 13 hour drive is all we care to do most days. The next morning we continue on 77S to Charleston and 26E toward 95S. Down to Rte 4 and into WDW. We have driven straight through. We now have no reason or interest, it has never helped. I am a morning person and DH works 2nd shift so I start at 5 a.m. and he takes up for me later. We found that the energy crash we'd experience after arriving from a straight through drive ruined the first day-- or two. Going home we either stay back in Mooresville or push it to the Shenandoah Mt area- about 14 hours. It takes us about 23 hours of drive time including stops, usually no restaurant meals on the road. We enjoy the trip, and my kids really like being able to see the country. At 21 and nearly 16, I'm pretty grateful for that. We've been doing 1300 mile+ road trips since my younger was 3, and we've simply learned you cannot overestimate the benefit of even a short night's sleep and getting out of the vehicle. Over the years, I've found it best when I used Google Maps to find my preferred stops by mileage, I could also zoom in to check out the area. It's easy to type in "lodging" on Maps to get the locations and links to the hotels. I often check Tripadvisor for ratings and I have all of the Hotel Chain loyalty (free) cards FWIW. Easy to log in and book. A tip-- whenever possible, always book at hotels where there is a 6 p.m. day of reservation cancellation policy. If something goes wonky on the drive and you are going to get to your destination, you can cancel before 6 p.m. and not lose any money. Going on Friday will help you as well because you don't have to think about rush hours! We will be leaving on a Thursday morning . Above all, enjoy the ride!! ANd 81 has gorgeous mountain views...

 

[la79al]

We are leaving on Thursday to head to Florida with 2 kids and a 9 month old in the minivan. Planning on leaving sometime after 3:30 and driving all night. Visiting family in Ocala so plenty of time to recover on Friday. We're not sure how the baby is going to do in the car so would love to miss as much traffic as possible. Suggestions on what time to leave? Would prefer I-95 to I-81 I think. We are near Gettysburg so about an hour from Baltimore.

 

[Luvamouse]

We are leaving on Thursday to head to Florida with 2 kids and a 9 month old in the minivan. Planning on leaving sometime after 3:30 and driving all night. Visiting family in Ocala so plenty of time to recover on Friday. We're not sure how the baby is going to do in the car so would love to miss as much traffic as possible. Suggestions on what time to leave? Would prefer I-95 to I-81 I think. We are near Gettysburg so about an hour from Baltimore.

Well, in the FWIW department, 95 and 81 are only minutes different, literally, and 95 is about 40 miles shorter. I think it really depends on traffic/construction/tolls, etc. I'd suggest putting your address and resort address into Google maps to see all the construction on 95, that may help you decide. Up here a lot is at night surprisingly. Personally, if you are good with driving at night, I find leaving close to bedtime can work, and it often coincides with diminishing traffic. It is a bit over 14 hours non-stop for you I'm guessing, so with a few stops, you could leave at 7 p.m. and be there mid to late morning. I'm not good with morning traffic projections for your last few hours though. It can be busy when back on 95 and Florida traffic.

 

[dkoerner27]

My DW, DD5 and myself will be driving to Disney in December from the Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton area of Pennsylvania (aka the Lehigh Valley) and are seeking suggestions on our travel plan. We will be leaving late Friday 12/2 or early Saturday 12/3 for a Sunday 12/4 arrival date. Wondering what time we should leave and where we should stop overnight along I-95? Something clean and safe. Thanks in advance.

We live in Brodheadsville (just north of wind gap) and we are driving down next month. We have made the trip previously several times. My wife typically works the day we leave while I'm home packing the truck and napping with our son. She gets home around 4 and we hit the road by 5. We have always taken 81-77-26-95. We drive straight through, I drive most of the way, she takes over in Savannah. We arrive in Disney World by noon the next day, some times earlier. The problem with driving at night on that route is that it is a VERY boring drive, with Virginia being the worst part. During the day it's a beautiful trip, at night, not so much. When we came home from our last trip in September we came home 95 all the way, leaving the world around 2pm and getting home at 8am the next day. If you're driving at night I recommend taking 95, at least all the cities are beautiful and give you something to keep you occupied while you drive.

 

[Scrooge's Accountant]

We live in Brodheadsville (just north of wind gap) and we are driving down next month. We have made the trip previously several times. My wife typically works the day we leave while I'm home packing the truck and napping with our son. She gets home around 4 and we hit the road by 5. We have always taken 81-77-26-95. We drive straight through, I drive most of the way, she takes over in Savannah. We arrive in Disney World by noon the next day, some times earlier. The problem with driving at night on that route is that it is a VERY boring drive, with Virginia being the worst part. During the day it's a beautiful trip, at night, not so much. When we came home from our last trip in September we came home 95 all the way, leaving the world around 2pm and getting home at 8am the next day. If you're driving at night I recommend taking 95, at least all the cities are beautiful and give you something to keep you occupied while you drive.

Thanks for the tip and enjoy your next trip Let us know how it goes.

 

[MudQueen22]

I talked to Dh about driving all night. He said he didn't want to because if you have car trouble, it's hard to find repair shops at night. He's got a point.
It's a 15 hour drive for us, but we don't get in a hurry. It's more like 18-21 hours for us.
We go to the RR when we want. Stop to stretch. Stop to eat and let littles run off energy.
We stay overnight in a hotel on the interstate.

Portable DVD player.
Kid books
Coloring books.
Barbies
Road games, like auto bingo or interstate bingo or license plate bingo.

Snacks
Music
Each other. <3

 

[bluezy]

I talked to Dh about driving all night. He said he didn't want to because if you have car trouble, it's hard to find repair shops at night. He's got a point.
It's a 15 hour drive for us, but we don't get in a hurry. It's more like 18-21 hours for us.
We go to the RR when we want. Stop to stretch. Stop to eat and let littles run off energy.
We stay overnight in a hotel on the interstate.
....
. <3

Very good point!!!! And one that a lot of people probably don't think about. We've made numerous 16+ hour drives to Disney and only once had mechanical problems severe enough to require repair en route. We always have our mechanic give our car a thorough check-up before we make the 2,000+ mile round trip, but sometimes there's just no warning of a problem. On one trip we got a huge radiator leak. Had to pull over along I-95. Let me tell you, it's *not* fun standing along that roadway waiting for help (we could only get the car off the road by a few feet and didn't feel like it was safe for us to sit in the car. There was, however, a "safe" place for us to stand beyond the guard rail.) It took AAA almost an hour to get to us because we needed the extended cab tow truck due to having 6 people in the car. We tried to get a cab to come get us but it was going to be a 1.5 hour wait and an ridiculous cost for it. We were fortunate that the AAA driver was very helpful and when we went to the first mechanic who told us it would be another day or two until he could work on it, the driver immediately said, "get back in the truck, I've got at least 3 other places to try." The second place we went was able to look at it within an hour and had it repaired within 4 hours (had to wait for a part to be delivered). We were able to walk around the town and just hang out while the car was being worked on. As we walked around for those hours, we kept saying over and over again, "Thank heavens this happened during the day....." and "Thank heavens this happened on a week day and not a weekend when auto repair places aren't always open...." Thankfully this all happened on our drive home and while an inconvenience, it wasn't throwing off our Disney schedule.

 

[la79al]

Is anyone familiar with the Fredericksburg Virginia area? I think we are going to meet 95 there and I think it would be the perfect time to get dinner and let the kids have a stretch break. Looking for a decent park sort of area or at least a restaurant with a play area.

 

[DSLRuser]

I talked to Dh about driving all night. He said he didn't want to because if you have car trouble, it's hard to find repair shops at night. He's got a point.
It's a 15 hour drive for us, but we don't get in a hurry. It's more like 18-21 hours for us.
We go to the RR when we want. Stop to stretch. Stop to eat and let littles run off energy.
We stay overnight in a hotel on the interstate.
. <3

We have newer cars, so break downs are not a big worry. I like to drive through the night because traffic is non existent. Our 16 hour drive timing puts us in atlanta at 2:00am. We breeze on in. When the highway starts to get crowded again in the morning from people checking out of hotels, we are around ocala, and just 3 hours from WDW at that point.

 

[bluezy]

We have newer cars, so break downs are not a big worry. I like to drive through the night because traffic is non existent. Our 16 hour drive timing puts us in atlanta at 2:00am. We breeze on in. When the highway starts to get crowded again in the morning from people checking out of hotels, we are around ocala, and just 3 hours from WDW at that point.

The car that left us standing along I-95 was a "newer" car. Any car can break down. A piece of debris on the road can cause a flat tire or damage at any time during the day or night. While older cars may be more susceptible to a breakdown, new cars are not immune to problems and often cause a false sense of security.

If you're (that's a general "you" not directed specifically at anyone) traveling through the night, it's important to be prepared with what you might need (blankets, flashlights, flares, etc.) in case a breakdown happens and you have to wait for an hour to be towed to a garage that won't open for several hours.

 

[DSLRuser]

no worries. That's a risk we take with night driving.

 

[Original Amber]

You should Pre Pay inside for Petrol (gas)
Never use your Bank Card on the Petrol Pump Slot ....... always Inside the Gas station counter & within sight.

Why? And, within who's sight?

 

[Original Amber]

That's a risk we take with night driving.

I drove at night from IL to DC in 2014 and loved it.

We were supposed to leave about 12 hours earlier, but first there was a torrential downpour so I couldn't even put bags in the van. Then my blood sugar dropped suddenly, drastically, and dangerously. It was around 8pm before we finally left. It was beautiful watching the sun rise over the mountains, especially since we live in Flatland.

 

[kandb]

Look for the WAWA Gas Stations & Racetrack

Remember Price displayed is per Gallon ( Nearly 4 liters )

You should Pre Pay inside for Petrol ( gas ) ..... the price paid is set on Pump ...... then fill .

IF your tank is FULL before you reached your Pre payment you collect a Re fund inside.

This will be done Even if you have used your Bank Card ( Sometimes refund by cash , usually refund back on card )

Just Keep Receipts for checking when you arrive home.

Never use your Bank Card on the Petrol Pump Slot ....... always Inside the Gas station counter & within sight.

I'm confused. We live in NJ, where they pump your gas but when we have been in florida, I believe we just slide our credit card at the pump. Is that not recommended?

 

[Woodview]

To Both Original Amber ( Post 2314 above ) & Kandb ( post 2316 above )

I was replying to my Post no 2287 & the post of c3h3a3r no 2282 both on page 115 of this thread.

Poster c3h3a3r is from The U.K. ..... England & as I am from Ireland I was giving info . from an Overseas person's position.

To both Original Amber & Kandb my views would still / should apply to you .

Most gas stations are Self Filling & you are far safer to pre pay Inside the Shop &

Swipe your Card there ( inside ) & If the attendant Swipes your Card ... It SHOULD BE done in Front of You

........ Not Below counter ... Or beside Till .. But in FULL view of you.

In that way your card is Less likely to be " Cloned " or copied.

I hope this makes sense to All . both USA & UK Visitors to Florida.


>>..........

I am amazed how many American people hand over their Credit Cards to complete Strangers and allow them to

Walk away with it ..... and move out of sight .. before Swiping said card.

This is Not Done in Europe . ........

 

[Original Amber]

I am amazed how many American people hand over their Credit Cards to complete Strangers and allow them to

Walk away with it ..... and move out of sight .. before Swiping said card.

This is Not Done in Europe . ........

I think at least some of that is the result of the days of the knuckle-buster. An attendant would fill the tank while you sat in the car. He would take your credit card inside the station, run it through the knuckle-buster, and bring the receipt and your card out to you so you could sign the slip.

I'm not worried about someone cloning my debit card. I never have any money, so a thief wouldn't get far. Also, I don't have negative credit, I have NO credit.

 

[North of Mouse]

To both Original Amber & Kandb my views would still / should apply to you .

Most gas stations are Self Filling & you are far safer to pre pay Inside the Shop &

Swipe your Card there ( inside ) & If the attendant Swipes your Card ... It SHOULD BE done in Front of You

........ Not Below counter ... Or beside Till .. But in FULL view of you.

In that way your card is Less likely to be " Cloned " or copied.

I hope this makes sense to All . both USA & UK Visitors to Florida.


>>..........

I am amazed how many American people hand over their Credit Cards to complete Strangers and allow them to

Walk away with it ..... and move out of sight .. before Swiping said card.

This is Not Done in Europe . ........

It may not be done in Europe, but it's the way we all (most) of us pay for fuel here in the US. Yes, there are occasional cases of fraud, but for us, personally, we are protected by our banks. The convenience would be lost if we had to go 'inside' to pay. We 'do' us common sense and get fuel at well lit stations at night.

Also, here in the US, most restaurants have waiters take your card to their 'station' to complete the transaction so it is out of sight then - just a mostly normal thing that happens here. We were once scammed by a dishonest waiter that used our card to pay a personal debt, but our credit union caught him soon enough ('some' thief using his own name for fraud LOL).

Anyway, these things are the 'normal' here so we don't live in 'fear', but are vigilant, and our banks back us up.

 

[mckennarose]

Last year while driving down to Disney, my daughter and her husband stopped in VA for gas. It was the middle of the night and my daughter's debit/Visa card was declined. Her DH paid cash for the gas and they tried again to purchase something with her card and it was declined again. We (dh and other family) were already in SC in our hotel (we don't drive during the night) and she called us in a panic, not knowing what was happening. They met us at the SC hotel in the morning and we had to wait until the bank opened at 10 AM to call. The bank explained that the charges in VA looked out of the norm, so they declined the purchases thinking they were fraudulent. She had to explain to them that we were traveling, where we were traveling, and they made a note for her future purchases. My DH and I then called our bank about our cards and they made a note of when and where we were traveling, and for how long so we didn't have the same situation. The bank told us that it was a good idea for any future trips so they know that we are actually using the cards and they aren't stolen. I'll be calling them before our next trip in May.

Also, my DH has had his debit/visa card number stolen twice before. The banks know that credit card fraud is so common that they won't deny you when you report it and they are very quick to rectify the situation. Thieves don't have to actually see your card or hold it to get the info. off it. They use technology like skimmers and RFID readers to digitally grab your info. I use a Travelon bag when I travel anywhere which has RFID protected pockets.