The other benefit to staying on site is that you don't have to see the rest of Orlando (which is kind of awful).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We drove and broke the drive up. Really wasn't so bad. And then you can go to less expensive restaurants when you are there without paying for a rental car. We stopped in Savannah. Take the free ferry across the river and back.

That's what I was thinking---break up the trip, have a car so we wouldn't have to stay on property.

There are 3 major perks for staying at a disney resort though - the proxmity to the parks (driving around orlando is awful and parking is like $20), the benefit of extended magic hours, and advanced booking of fast passes.
Just something to think about. Everything is a tradeoff snd it depends on how well you plan your trip to take full advantage of the options.

Anonymous wrote:We drove and broke the drive up. Really wasn't so bad. And then you can go to less expensive restaurants when you are there without paying for a rental car. We stopped in Savannah. Take the free ferry across the river and back.

That's what I was thinking---break up the trip, have a car so we wouldn't have to stay on property.

We drove and broke the drive up. Really wasn't so bad. And then you can go to less expensive restaurants when you are there without paying for a rental car. We stopped in Savannah. Take the free ferry across the river and back.

Auto train might be an option Op.

Agree to keep an eye out on deals to Orlando or even another airport and drive the last leg of the trip. Cramming 6 people into a car is miserable for such a long trip including the parents who tire after awhile....Iknow bc we're also a family of 6.

Having said that, do you have airline miles with your credit card? Something to think about too.

I'd rather stay in a less expensive hotel and fly, than drive. We also go the park on arrival and departure day. My kids hate the car - 6 hours to the Outer Banks and we all are miserable. I can't even imagine.

Just saw tickets for $74 roundtrip

Anonymous wrote:There are six of us, so even cheap flights (which aren't always easy to find) will be a big chunk of change. Trying to compare cost of driving vs flying.

We are also a family of 6, so we always drive. We like to just knock it out in one day, leaving around 4 am and arriving in Disney World around 6 pm or so. We keep our stops to the bare minimum--just food, gas, and bathroom breaks, ideally all at once. We don't really run into any traffic until we are right in the Orlando area.

A few times we have stopped overnight in Florence, SC. There's nothing really to see there--but it's right off I95 with just about every hotel chain, restaurant chain, etc. so it's convenient.

There are six of us, so even cheap flights (which aren't always easy to find) will be a big chunk of change. Trying to compare cost of driving vs flying.

Anonymous wrote:Best/most scenic place to stop off 95 is Savannah. Love it there. An 8-9 hour drive.

Ha! I'm 10:59.

Savannah is a good place to stop. Charleston is nice, but it's further off 95. Savannah doesn't really take you out of your way. Beaufort SC is also pretty, and has a nice downtown park for the kids to play.

Best/most scenic place to stop off 95 is Savannah. Love it there. An 8-9 hour drive.

It's about 15 hours give or take with kids but no major stops. I guess it's scenic in places if you like green stuff and there are hotels for an overnight.

The flights to Orlando are cheap. Not worth it to drive.

Is there anywhere remotely scenic or interesting to stop along the way--either to break up the trip or for an overnight?