If you drive to Orlando from the DC metro
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Anonymous
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We usually have a hard time packing (i.e. we take forever to get out the door the first Saturday of a driving vacation.) We stop somewhere around Florence because no matter how late you start from DC you can usually make it to Florence without falling asleep at the wheel. Florence has a mall and restaurants like Outback Steakhouse and is not as roadside scary as some of the other pitstops along I-95. I noticed Lumberton has grown up a lot in the last few years and is also not as scary as it used to be. By which I mean drug dealers in the parking lot no other town economy type places.
Last year we left without a stopover hotel reservation the Saturday of spring break, thinking it would be no problem and not being sure how far south we would get. Big big mistake, we ended up driving all night because literally all the rooms were full and we finally found something at 4 am near Fort Stewart GA 15 miles off the highway. I joked to my DH after I heard Obama was going to speak there, 'Tell him to bring his own coffee!" Hinesville is a Waffle House military town. Savannah is very close to the interstate and would make a nice stop if you get an early start. Unfortunately for us there was a music festival in town and the entire city was booked up. On the way back we started from Amelia Island and made it up north in one day. Somehow it's easier coming home. Bring a portable DVD player for the kids. |
Anonymous
How much does that cost? |
ThatSmileyFaceGuy
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Depends but I just priced it out for 2 adults and 2 children (under 15) leaving on a Monday and returning on the following Monday with a standard car and added on a 4 person bedroom and that was 2235 r/t. Includes your food and figure about 20 hours each way |
Anonymous
| You could fly and rent a car for that price. |
Anonymous
| yeah, that is insane. My gas should be about $500. |
Anonymous
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We have done this trip about 6 times from Bethesda. We leave as early as possible in the a.m. and drive straight through (two drivers). We pack the car the night before, have clothing laid out, and hit the road by 4a at the latest. We stop for a sit down lunch somewhere to relax a bit, switch drivers, then head down.
Heading back home we have stopped overnight twice (just couldn't get out the door early enough). We have never had an issue finding a hotel, we seem to always end up stopping in S. Carolina. |
Anonymous
| I think I'd rather try leaving at night, to let the kids sleep in the car as we drive. But I don't want to fall asleep and kill my family either. I know I would be fine from 8 pm until 3 am or so, and at that point I think my wife would be ready/game to take over ... |
Anonymous
| Why is it worth driving? Isn't airfare relatively cheap? |
Anonymous
Good question. We usually fly to Orlando (my sister lives there) but we are going to drive this time for Spring Break because we are in the mood for a road trip! Also, we're going to bring our dog this time and would just rather drive with her than go through the hassle of flying and checking her in cargo. She loves the car. At Spring Break, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, airfares do tend to go up so I can see with a big family it can get quite epensive to fly. |
ThatSmileyFaceGuy
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Also depending on what you are doing (meaning if you aren't staying on Disney Property), you could have the added expense of renting a car |
Anonymous
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we're planning on staying in savannah for a night on the way down.
i've done the drive-through-the-night thing before, up to boston, and it's nice for the kids... sucks for the parents. unless you actually LIKE to be sleep deprived while on vacation. |
Anonymous
Before kids we did this, woke up where my DH had pulled off in a rest stop in north Georgia. Loved seeing sunshine and those sabal palms and driving over the whatchamaloosa river in the morning sun. DH suggested we look for a nice B&B next time instead of a souless motel. This place in Dillon SC looks nice but they only take kids 12 and up. http://thecolumnsbb.com/ |
Anonymous
air fare for 4 people, plus taxis, plus rental car, has to be at least $1,600. gas is probably $400. |
Anonymous
Airfare has been <$200 RT (nonstop) from DCA whenever I've priced it this year. We rented a minivan (in Orlando) for 8 days for $260 in September, a regular car would have been $120 for the week. Not sure about taxis, we take Metro to DCA so that's another $10 each, RT. I think you can get 4 people to Orlando from DC and rent a car for around $1000, most seasons. So, while driving is cheaper, it's also a lost day on either end, vs getting on a plane at 8am and being at your hotel 3 hours later. My vacation time is worth some cash. |
Anonymous
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Just did that over winter break - We planned to leave at 6pm, but ended up leaving at 10:30pm. My husband and I took turns each 150miles while the other slept. We stopped at South of the Border to go to the bathroom and have a coffee (around 3am). Then we stopped again at someplace that I don't know the name to have breakfast at 8 or 9am - we spent almost one hour there. We got to Disney around 1pm.
No police whatsoever. On the way back, we left at 10am and stopped a bunch of times, including for dinner (about 1 hour and half). OUr child was miserable and from 10am till 6pm didn't sleep at all! If I had to do it again I would travel during night time but leave earlier (6pm or so) and drive straight through. |