Road Trip from NJ to Disney World!

Je-Ree Olenik

Wish Upon A Star
Joined
May 30, 2017
Hey!

Instead of taking the 2 hour flight we decided to drive 16 hours to Disney World this time from New Jersey.

Yes, we are crazy LOL but wanted to see how much money we would save and enjoy a family road trip for the first time.

Has anyone else done this and any tips?

Thanks!
 
I have not, but I know a family who regularly drives from OKC to Disney, which is a similar distance. They usually rent a Suburban or something big with fold-down screens in the back for the kids. They leave at night and power through all in one trip, taking turns driving. :crazy2: That sounds absolutely insane, but it works for them, and they aren't paying for a hotel room that they're just going to sit in for one night.
 
I have not, but I know a family who regularly drives from OKC to Disney, which is a similar distance. They usually rent a Suburban or something big with fold-down screens in the back for the kids. They leave at night and power through all in one trip, taking turns driving. :crazy2: That sounds absolutely insane, but it works for them, and they aren't paying for a hotel room that they're just going to sit in for one night.
We did the exact thing once from Maryland, checked in early and went to the parks that day. It was rough for the parents but the kids were fine and ready to go because they slept the whole time. We are driving again this time but stopping in Savannah for some sleep. We should be able to easily make it to CSR by noon. It is nice to have your car in Disney and you can bring more stuff vs flying, but downside is they now charge for parking.
 
Hey!

Instead of taking the 2 hour flight we decided to drive 16 hours to Disney World this time from New Jersey.

Yes, we are crazy LOL but wanted to see how much money we would save and enjoy a family road trip for the first time.

Has anyone else done this and any tips?

Thanks!

My parents do Pennsylvania to Florida all the time. They leave at like 2 am (so sleep a little and then get on the road) and do it in one go. It’s doable. I’ve personally done NJ to FL no kids driving at night swapping with my husband. The next day is rough though. If you do this straight I’d recommend planning on the first day being a resort day so you can take turns watching the kids by the pool and relaxing before the parks. Also, from NJ through to Richmond the traffic can be awful (think standstill), so no matter how you do it I’d recommend trying to avoid rush hour if at all possible. I’ve left my house in northern va (where I now live - yup I’ve moved quite a bit) at 8 pm and hit traffic on 95S through to Richmond (think thanksgiving timeframe but summer is not much better because everyone heads to the beach)...

That is why people choose to drive at night no traffic. Plus shorter breaks with the kids asleep...
 


I grew up doing road trips with my folks and wanted my kids to experience a true road trip at least once. I don’t work in the summer, my husband has limited vacation so he flew in and out. I drove with my two daughters, 8 and 15 at the time from
CT. Stopped for two overnights going down (DC and Atlanta to see family/friends) and once on the way back (Williamsburg). Wanted to leave my kids on the side of the Jersey turnpike on the way back (just kidding, kind off) but wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Definitely a lot for one to drive, especially the Orlando to Williamsburg leg. Wasn’t the fastest route but we were meeting friends and family at all stops. My kids are 20 and 12 now and do remember it being fun.
 
We were going to make the drive (either nonstop from my aunt's house in North Jersey or with one stop from MA) but then ended up finding fares on Southwest and Delta that made it slightly cheaper to fly if I used up my SW points. It can definitely be cheaper than flying, but make sure you are taking into account the cost of gas, the cost of parking at the resort (or parking at the parks if you're staying offiste), the extra oil change you will need after the trip, road snacks/meals and tolls. We had made a list of hotels that we could probably crash at on the way if we needed to (one in NC, one in SC and one in Jacksonville) so that we had an "out" if we really were too tired to keep driving.

Have a wonderful (and safe) trip!!!
 
Thanks everyone! Yes we plan on going the whole way and not stopping. Switching every 4 hours. Coming back home will be the worst because the excitement is gone and will probably be tired.

Plan on packing ALOT of snacks/food...also plan on vlogging for YouTube so that should help lol

sucks that they charge parking now tho....

thanks again!
 


We drive 16 hours from PA to FL twice a year. Just got back last week. Kids are 10, 8 and 3. We have a minivan and we leave late afternoon. I pack the kids each individual lunch boxes with their dinner and snacks. They get their kindles or tablets with Netflix movies and shows downloaded (our van doesn't have a dvd player and the ones that hang on the seat backs mean cords everywhere, fighting over dvds, etc). They have other activities (activity books, little dolls/animals, etc) but 1 gets carsick so we're limited. I print out a scavenger hunt for each kid and when they complete it, I have little surprises wrapped up for them. My husband works and I don't like to drive at night so I drive first while he sleeps. We stop at bedtime for bathroom break, get the kids settled for bed and switch drivers. DH drives most of the night, stopping for gas as needed. We have learned not to wake the kids up to ask if they need a bathroom break but will ask them when we stop for gas because they tend to wake up. I will start driving closer to sunrise until we get there. DH usually takes a short nap once we arrive and then we have an earlyish bedtime that night. The reverse trip is not as smooth for the drivers because we are usually exhausted but the kids are too and sleep almost the entire time. We use 3 tanks of gas each way.
 
We do it all the time from Staten Island, NY. We have stayed overnight on the road and driven straight through. We try to leave at 3 in the morning to avoid Washington DC traffic.
 
We drive 16 hours from PA to FL twice a year. Just got back last week. Kids are 10, 8 and 3. We have a minivan and we leave late afternoon. I pack the kids each individual lunch boxes with their dinner and snacks. They get their kindles or tablets with Netflix movies and shows downloaded (our van doesn't have a dvd player and the ones that hang on the seat backs mean cords everywhere, fighting over dvds, etc). They have other activities (activity books, little dolls/animals, etc) but 1 gets carsick so we're limited. I print out a scavenger hunt for each kid and when they complete it, I have little surprises wrapped up for them. My husband works and I don't like to drive at night so I drive first while he sleeps. We stop at bedtime for bathroom break, get the kids settled for bed and switch drivers. DH drives most of the night, stopping for gas as needed. We have learned not to wake the kids up to ask if they need a bathroom break but will ask them when we stop for gas because they tend to wake up. I will start driving closer to sunrise until we get there. DH usually takes a short nap once we arrive and then we have an earlyish bedtime that night. The reverse trip is not as smooth for the drivers because we are usually exhausted but the kids are too and sleep almost the entire time. We use 3 tanks of gas each way.


Thanks! i will def have a disney themed coloring book for my little princess plus she has an iphone and ipad to keep her occupied. i'm sure she will sleep a lot. we plan on leaving 11pm night before checkin. thanks for the info!
 
We do it all the time from Staten Island, NY. We have stayed overnight on the road and driven straight through. We try to leave at 3 in the morning to avoid Washington DC traffic.

thanks! we don't plan on staying overnight, going straight thru
 
The man drove from NYC to Ft. Lauderdale a few times once with bickering women and two children in the back seats. Nope not me, it was the now frmr DIL, her aunt, DGD as a 2 yr/old toddler and her cousin who was 5 at the time. They stayed in a motel one night and then he powered on as the only driver.
Another time he drove down, again to Ft Lauderdale (he has family there) with a friend and they just switched drivers back and forth without stopping for the night. This tells me driving straight through can be done ;).
 
We drive 16 hours from PA to FL twice a year. Just got back last week. Kids are 10, 8 and 3. We have a minivan and we leave late afternoon. I pack the kids each individual lunch boxes with their dinner and snacks. They get their kindles or tablets with Netflix movies and shows downloaded (our van doesn't have a dvd player and the ones that hang on the seat backs mean cords everywhere, fighting over dvds, etc). They have other activities (activity books, little dolls/animals, etc) but 1 gets carsick so we're limited. I print out a scavenger hunt for each kid and when they complete it, I have little surprises wrapped up for them. My husband works and I don't like to drive at night so I drive first while he sleeps. We stop at bedtime for bathroom break, get the kids settled for bed and switch drivers. DH drives most of the night, stopping for gas as needed. We have learned not to wake the kids up to ask if they need a bathroom break but will ask them when we stop for gas because they tend to wake up. I will start driving closer to sunrise until we get there. DH usually takes a short nap once we arrive and then we have an earlyish bedtime that night. The reverse trip is not as smooth for the drivers because we are usually exhausted but the kids are too and sleep almost the entire time. We use 3 tanks of gas each way.

These are great tips - plan to drive for the first time in June!!
 
We do it all the time from Staten Island, NY. We have stayed overnight on the road and driven straight through. We try to leave at 3 in the morning to avoid Washington DC traffic.
Excellent point. DC/Baltimore is a form of Hades similar to the Cross Bronx Expressway. Reaching that point before 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning is a thing of beauty.

For long car trips with kiddos when we don't want to stop to eat or like the highway offerings, we snack on the mixed fruit salad from Stew Leonard's (hope there is one near you; so worthy and every piece tastes like well fruit not just looks like it, LOL), buy pre cut celery sticks and put a couple of ice cubes in the plastic container to keep them crisp and cold and add in some baby carrots, sticks or curls; nothing wrong with grape tomatoes either. Goes well with peanut or almond butter, or hummus. Sometimes I make granola clusters and go as light as possible on the sweetener so they're not too sticky. Mixed nuts with coconut flakes and dried fruit makes a tasty substitute for the granola as well. Use s/s insulated travel mugs for soup; keeps hot for a nice bit of time. Make a muffuletta or nicoise pan bagnat sandwich with a good sturdy bread like ciabatta, boule, or any Euro peasant style round bread. Neither of those sandwiches use refrigeration needed condiments so they hold up well for car travel. We rarely drink sodas so I make some home brewed iced tea, freeze the bottles and they should remain cold until you reach FL. Only half freeze the first bottles you'll be drinking. You can do much the same with juices.

@Je-Ree Olenik and @MooseBucks, be sure to know what comfort stations are open on your chosen route in case nobody else has mentioned this yet.
Try to keep crumbly snacks to a minimum in the car; nothing like trying to sleep a top dropped goldfish. When you stop at a rest area go ahead and remove that fleece type blanket from the seats so you can shake it out, spray it with Febreeze, and turn it over.
 
Excellent point. DC/Baltimore is a form of Hades similar to the Cross Bronx Expressway. Reaching that point before 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning is a thing of beauty.

For long car trips with kiddos when we don't want to stop to eat or like the highway offerings, we snack on the mixed fruit salad from Stew Leonard's (hope there is one near you; so worthy and every piece tastes like well fruit not just looks like it, LOL), buy pre cut celery sticks and put a couple of ice cubes in the plastic container to keep them crisp and cold and add in some baby carrots, sticks or curls; nothing wrong with grape tomatoes either. Goes well with peanut or almond butter, or hummus. Sometimes I make granola clusters and go as light as possible on the sweetener so they're not too sticky. Mixed nuts with coconut flakes and dried fruit makes a tasty substitute for the granola as well. Use s/s insulated travel mugs for soup; keeps hot for a nice bit of time. Make a muffuletta or nicoise pan bagnat sandwich with a good sturdy bread like ciabatta, boule, or any Euro peasant style round bread. Neither of those sandwiches use refrigeration needed condiments so they hold up well for car travel. We rarely drink sodas so I make some home brewed iced tea, freeze the bottles and they should remain cold until you reach FL. Only half freeze the first bottles you'll be drinking. You can do much the same with juices.

@Je-Ree Olenik and @MooseBucks, be sure to know what comfort stations are open on your chosen route in case nobody else has mentioned this yet.
Try to keep crumbly snacks to a minimum in the car; nothing like trying to sleep a top dropped goldfish. When you stop at a rest area go ahead and remove that fleece type blanket from the seats so you can shake it out, spray it with Febreeze, and turn it over.

More great tips :) love this thank you!!!!
 
We drive straight through from KC. We get on the road early AM and pack snacks for us and the 3 kids. Believe it or not, but bubblegum is a big entertainment piece for us. We also make sure when we stop we make sure everyone stretches and take an extended lunch break. After breaks, it takes us about 21 hours. It's not for everyone, but definitely cheaper than flying for us.
 
we snack on the mixed fruit salad from Stew Leonard's (hope there is one near you; so worthy and every piece tastes like well fruit not just looks like it, LOL), buy pre cut celery sticks and put a couple of ice cubes in the plastic container to keep them crisp and cold and add in some baby carrots, sticks or curls; nothing wrong with grape tomatoes either. Goes well with peanut or almond butter, or hummus. Sometimes I make granola clusters and go as light as possible on the sweetener so they're not too sticky. Mixed nuts with coconut flakes and dried fruit makes a tasty substitute for the granola as well. Use s/s insulated travel mugs for soup; keeps hot for a nice bit of time. Make a muffuletta or nicoise pan bagnat sandwich with a good sturdy bread like ciabatta, boule, or any Euro peasant style round bread.

You travel in style!
 
You travel in style!
<giggles> That food menu is a norm for our start out car meal during our weeks' long camping trips that are generally the longest car trip in distance we make on a regular basis. "Deprivation" will ensue sometime later;).
 
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On one of our many trips driving, hubby got sick at one of the places we ate so we are more or less tired of food or worried about food on the road. We will pack with us for the trip down fresh fruit salad, trial mix/snack. We might prepare food the day before to take with us or make sandwiches.

Coming home we might not have as much or can't be as prepared as when we drive down. So for both ways, we will stop at McD for some oatmeal and coffee. We have also stopped at Cracker Barrel - their food is pretty consistent - we won't pick some random place.

Have fun and good luck!
 

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