Driving from Raleigh to Orlando (Fayetteville, Newport: coupons, hotels, construction)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are planning our first drive to Disney since moving here last year. We will leave on a day when the (3) kids get out of school early, and will split the ride to keep our sanity. Mapquest says its a 9 hour drive. We want to drive 4 hours, stay overnight somewhere ( any recommendations on a reasonable safe place to stay 1/2 way) and then finish the trip the next day. Is there a recommended route to take or just follow the Garmin and Mapquest routes? I am willing to drive through at night with the kids sleeping, but my better half nixed this option. Years ago she lost a close cousin in a late night accident when they were doing the same thing.
Any comments from those who have made the trip is appreciated.
Awww c'mon you can do it in one day. LOL We did it with 3 kids 4,3,and 2!!!! Really! And we are alive to tell about it. LOL
Its not a bad drive. Its really rather easy and just pace yourself. I would save the hotel for one night for some extra fun at Disney! But thats just us.. we are half crazy.
We did this trip last year and we did it in one day also. It was my wife and I and our <2 year old son. I think that it took us a little longer than 9 hours because we hit some construction at the Florida border. We picked up I95 outside of Fayetteville and followed that all the way to Florida. . . . then took I4 over to Orlando. Make sure you time your arrival to miss Orlando rush hour because you are arriving on the east side of Orlando and WDW is on the west side.
I drove down there last summer & did the basic thing you plan to do: left in the afternoon, stayed somewhere overnight halfway down. We took the most obvious route: I-95. This road goes right through Savanna, Georgia which you will probably reach close to dinner time. We chose not to stay the night there, though, because it's already a very popular vacation destination & the hotel rates seemed to be higher because of that. Instead we drove down a bit further to the Jekyll Island area (I think the town is called Brunswick). It's big enough to have plenty of hotels and restaurants along the road, but not too busy.
On our way down we stopped at the Georgia welcome center. There are always free booklets there that give the addresses and phone numbers of hotels along your route, as well as hotel coupons! Definitely pick up one of these. Be sure to call the hotels from the road so that you can secure a discounted room.
Are you planning on hitting the parks the day you arrive? If not, there are various places on Disney property where you can wander around for free. The Disney Village Marketplace is a favorite of my family. Lots of shops & restaurants situated on a lake. It's a good way to waste time & satisfy the kids' desire to experience anything Disney-realted.
Thank you MrsSteel, great info. We will have DVDs. The kids are 6 to 12 and after just a few hours, they get pretty restless. We can look for a hotel with a pool. That is a good solution for pent up energy.
We've made the drive a couple of times since moving here with younger kids as well, it really isn't a bad 1 day drive.
Both times we were on the road by 5AM, put the kids in the car half asleep and they managed to stay asleep for a couple of hours, arrived at our hotel in Disney in time for pool time and dinner the first day.
Location: Boca Raton, FL but want Clayton, NC ASAP!
439 posts, read 1,751,863 times
Reputation: 92
Quote:
Originally Posted by NCMommy2-4
Awww c'mon you can do it in one day. LOL We did it with 3 kids 4,3,and 2!!!! Really! And we are alive to tell about it. LOL
Its not a bad drive. Its really rather easy and just pace yourself. I would save the hotel for one night for some extra fun at Disney! But thats just us.. we are half crazy.
I say ya just skip school and leave 7am!
L
I'm in agreement here. I've done the overnight drive twice--once from S. Fla. to Newport News, VA and the other from S. Fla. to the Outer Banks. I only have 1 child for the trip. It worked out nicely because she slept the majority of the time. And for our drive to OBX I did the majority of it. It was 950 miles total and my dh did 270 of that. As long as you guys switch off, you're good (we usually switch at fillups).
As far as the route, I'd say I-40 to I-95 to I-4 in Florida...that'll take you right in to Orlando. Have fun and good luck!
Just want to say have a GREAT time at Disney. We live 2 hours from Orlando, so we do it a few times a year. Frequent trips to Disney will be about the ONLY thing I will miss when I move from Florida to Raleigh.
Don't forget Seaworld while you are there... we always love that place.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
