Tips on driving from Ottawa to Orlando

[villaofmemories]

We have often thought about driving to Orlando instead of flying to save on costs. Has anyone driven from Ottawa, with young children? How long did it take? What time did you leave?


Thanks!
- Stacey

 

[nepean]

We have driven to Orlando 15 times with our DD. The first trip she was three and this trip she is 18. We had ground rules. The first one being no asking are we there yet. When she was little we did not have a DVD player in the car but we have since she was about 10 and boy I wish we had it earlier. She can watch movies for 4 hours and we don't hear a peep. It takes us about 26 hours to Orlando and we usually leave early in the morning. (6-7 am.)

We drive straight through with two drivers. We now have a third. This trip was difficult because we drove right into that major US storm. We kept going and drove out of it, about 3 hours behing schedule and stopped in Weldon, NC for the night. It was stressful driving. We drive a Santa Fe with snow tires so we didn't have problems but other cars were all over the place.

We also have a plug in cooler and keep drinks, sandwiches and snacks. This saves on stopping and eating fried foods the whole way. We stop for gas and bathroom breaks.

Coming home is another story. We drive into the cold.The mountains in PA are really quiet at 2 am. We sometimes stop in Fredericksburg VA and get home the next day around 6.

I don't like to fly and the cost of driving is 1/2 the cost of most flights from Ottawa. If you have any questions PM me.

Linda

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

Hi, neighbours...

I've been going to Orlando every year since I was a young kid. (now an adult w/kids)

We always drive. Like the previous poster, it takes about 26 hrs. I like to leave at 4am.

I have driven straight but I prefer to stop and sleep, then finish off the drive.

My kids were always great travellers. Bring stuff they like, so they can keep entertained.

Our DVD player is a fabulous thing! Coloring books, games, music, toys, books are handy.

Believe me they will sleep alot too!

Give it a try....it's cheaper and you'll have your car when you get there.
There's great shopping in Orlando...outside of WDW.

Happy travels!

 

[ccudmore]

We've done it before too. It takes us about 23-24 hours that we break into 2 days. The first day we drive to Roanoke Raipids, NC which is about 13 hours. We leave at 6am and arrive in NC at 7pm. There's a bunch of great hotels right by the highway there. Then the second day we leave about 8am and get to Orlando about 6pm. Most hotels in Roanoke Rapids have good CAA discounts. On the way back we stay overnight around Richmond, VA or Fredricksburg, VA.

There's a number of ways to go there, but we usually take a route that makes sure we miss Washington DC.

 

[GABY6]

We've travelled Ottawa to Orlando with grandchildren for 13 years. All kids started at about three( no bottles,no diapers).We often travelled with three at a time (3yr and up).Originally only tech stuff was MP3 and headphones.It was 27 hours (2days)of word games, songs, stories and lots of sleep. We always stop overnight in Roanoke Rapids N.C. at a hotel with an indoor pool. It works out the kinks and works off excess energy in little people.We have a place just 10 minutes from Disney so we arrive about 6:00 p.m. the second day. We start both travel days at 5:00a.m.There is always major construction somewhere and you just take it in stride or get a G.P.S. SYSTEM it can keep you informed of concerns on your route these days.
Plenty of clean rest areas on U.S.Hwy 95 and 81. Also MacDonald's usually has clean washrooms.The trip is good time for final plans and discussions.Pack good snacks and stop at grocry stores to get fruit and veggies daily. We miss it now that our children and grandchildren don't travel as much with us!

 

[anijac1412]

Hello all, I'm from Ottawa too.

We were thinking of driving this spring as well if we go. However, we would have to get there roughly around 12pm as opposed to in the evening since we would be boarding the Disney Cruise ship. Any suggestions on when to leave/stop/rest/etc if that's the case?

Do you think just staying at a hotel in Orlando the night before the cruise would be easier?

TIA!

 

[Sheribo]

We drive straight through every March Break. 2 drivers and about 24 hours. The rule for our gang (3 teens now), when we stop for gas, everybody uses the bathroom and gets food. We always pack sandwiches and munchies for the trip which is really helpful. Not everyone is hungry at the same time so they can eat whenever they want and we don't have to keep stopping.

On our Disney Cruise, we stayed at the Radisson in Port Canaveral. Beautiful rooms, hot breakfast, shuttle to the boat and free parking while you're on your cruise. We didn't want to be exhausted for a first day of the cruise. It was the best. We'll do it again for sure.

 

[Greenfield1984]

Hi there,

Just wanted to say that if you're looking at driving only to save costs, you should definitely check out flights out of the US. We're from Ottawa, and on our last trip in October we flew out of Rochester for $350 total for 3 of us (much cheaper than driving and saves a lot of time). It's a bit of a drive to get there, but Syracuse is also an option which is closer.

I dont have any tips on driving because the last time I did it I was 7, but I do know that long road trips are fun too, so have fun either way

 

[rjan67]

We drive straight through every March Break. 2 drivers and about 24 hours. The rule for our gang (3 teens now), when we stop for gas, everybody uses the bathroom and gets food. We always pack sandwiches and munchies for the trip which is really helpful. Not everyone is hungry at the same time so they can eat whenever they want and we don't have to keep stopping.

On our Disney Cruise, we stayed at the Radisson in Port Canaveral. Beautiful rooms, hot breakfast, shuttle to the boat and free parking while you're on your cruise. We didn't want to be exhausted for a first day of the cruise. It was the best. We'll do it again for sure.

We are also staying at the Radisson before our cruise (although we are going on Carnival this year)!!

I have 3 kids currently 7, 9 &12 and have done the Disney drive from Ontario since the older 2 were 3 and 1. Definitely need a dvd player!!! I have also been known to bring the gamecube in the car, but this year they all have nintendo ds's so we will bring lots of games (maybe a couple of "new" ones from Gamestop that are used), especially Mario brothers games as they are downloadable, meaning they can all play the same game together. I usually make them up a "goody" bag - colouring, treats, word puzzles, whatever. I also take advantage of some of the video stores that have no late fees and bring some new movies, or I pick up a new one. They also all have Ipods to listen to. This year I may bring some books on cd. I have to say though that the best drive for them (but not for dh and I) is the straight drive down. They sleep most of the night and when they wake up we are in Georgia. If you plan to stop, I usually stay at a Holiday Inn Express as I know what I am getting (cleanliness etc) plus they have a great continental breakfast and usually have an indoor pool- a necessity for kids travelling in the car all day!! You need to check ahead however, because as you travel farther south - some pools are outdoor and they will not be open yet. Definitely worth paying for. We still try to stop at Mcdonald's with play areas to let them run around. Or we have picked up food and found somewhere outside and played soccer or frisbee for 20-30minutes to take a break if they were getting "hairy" in the car. I think because they have done it since they were young and we do long camping trips (i.e. to Fort Wilderness one year, this past summer to PEI) they are pretty used to it.

 

[Cdn Gal]

My only tip- bring lots of change for the road tolls.

 

[nepean]

What road tolls? We have driven Ottawa-Orlando 15+ times as recently as this past December/January and have never paid tolls.

Nepean

 

[DisFan2]

What road tolls? We have driven Ottawa-Orlando 15+ times as recently as this past December/January and have never paid tolls.

Nepean

Agreed on the tolls. The only ones we've paid are for the bridge at Gananoque, and two others that were our choice - i.e. we take the PA turnpike for about 15 minutes (total cost $2) to save a bit of time, and the Beeline in FLA (because we drive down to Titusville to our favorite restaurant, Dixie Crossroads, before hitting WDW).

We generally take about 23 hrs. in both directions, depending on the weather. We take our time going down - our first night we stop in Chester, VA, just south of Richmond (total drive: about 12 hrs) and second and third nights in Savannah, GA (total drive: about 7 hrs), before arriving in Orlando. On the way home we drive back to Chester (always on a Saturday) and then home on the Sunday. Last fall we made great time coming home, the drive time from Chester was around 10.5 hrs. - got home in time to see the Amazing Race at 8 p.m.!

Driving can be a lot of fun and you do get to see and experience more of the American south. The drive home? I find it can be very difficult psychologically, especially when you're driving back into winter.

 

[Cdn Gal]

Well somehow I always seem to run into them- either around Philadelphia, or even around Orlando we have paid. I remember one year we drove from New Brunswick down and we always seemed to be paying. We have the GPS now so perhaps that makes a difference? (We haven't drove for a few years) But we might this year as we will be in Virginia for a week. I'm still trying to convince DH that this would be a good thing. I mean another 12 hour drive and we are there!

 

[Dawnabelle70]

Hi Everyone! We will be making the dreaded drive from Ottawa to Orlando for the kids' March break this year. We are departing Ottawa on Friday, March 9th with plans to arrive into Orlando on Saturday. We are travelling with two 8 year old boys and a 10 year old girl. Recommendations on the Friday night stop over? We plan to leave by 5am Friday morning. Any and all help is appreciated!!

 

[webworm]

Hi Everyone! We will be making the dreaded drive from Ottawa to Orlando for the kids' March break this year. We are departing Ottawa on Friday, March 9th with plans to arrive into Orlando on Saturday. We are travelling with two 8 year old boys and a 10 year old girl. Recommendations on the Friday night stop over? We plan to leave by 5am Friday morning. Any and all help is appreciated!!

I found this with DirectAir from Plattsburgh, NY if you don't want to make the dreaded drive with the kids. Fly into Lakeland and return from FortMyers/Punta Gorda for $158 rt inc taxes.

PLATTSBURGH,NY LAKELAND, FL D1 - 4401 10Mar2012 07:45 PM 10Mar2012 10:45 PM
Passengers Fare Per Passenger
Fare Rules Services Taxes Subtotal
1 Adult 49.49 USD 0.00 USD 29.51 USD 79.00 USD

Total Price: 79.00 USD

FT MYERS/PUNTA GORDA, FL PLATTSBURGH,NY D1 - 5618 17Mar2012 02:00 PM 17Mar2012 05:00 PM
Passengers Fare Per Passenger
Fare Rules Services Taxes Subtotal
1 Adult 53.67 USD 0.00 USD 25.33 USD 79.00 USD

Total Price: 79.00 USD
http://www.visitdirectair.com/

 

[Thing1]

I see most of you leave in the early morning ... we were planning on leaving around 5:00PM, thinking the kids would be awake for 4 hours then sleep through the night (as we take turns driving) then we would arrive the following evening around 7:00ish - in time for a swim and a good nights sleep. This way I thought we would be well rested for the following day.
Do you think this is not the smartest choice? Would love your input ....

 

[minnie mum]

The only problems I could forsee with that plan is if you run into bad weather. Especially in the mountain areas. Low vis and bad roads at night could put a crimp in things. I'd watch the weather forecast very very closely for the days just before you leave, and adjust your plans accordingly.

We drove one year and ran into heavy snow in upstate NY. That was NOT a fun day, and added an extra 4 hours.

If both of you are used to long drives at night, and don't have trouble staying awake while everyone else sleeps, then you should be OK. Just be sensible and stop to stretch and recharge every couple of hours- even a 10 min. break makes a huge difference.

 

[jjjellybean]

Wondering if anyone has recommendations for hotels in charleston, south carolina? {travelling from Ottawa in Nov)
Thanks!

 

[jjjellybean]

Travelling from Ottawa to Disney in Nov. Another stop is Roanoke. Any recommendations for hotels? Travelling with our 4 year old.
Thanks!

 

[Evelyne]

We have been driving for the 20 past years, sometimes 2x a year. We took our oldest for the first time he was 2, then DD came along, they are now 21 and 18.
Driving with young children ask for more planning, KEEP THEM BUSY!!!, DVD, I pod, game boy or wathever technology you have, keep snacks on hand. I used to go to the dollar store buy all kinds of little things, I made surprised bags and then gave them along the ride (2 or 3 each).

We tried different ways, stopping for the night, drving thrue, leaving at 4am, noon, midnigth... All of the options have good and down sides. I guess you will have to try a couple of them to see what goes better for your familly. We always fell that going staight thrue goes better for us.
When you leave you know that around the same time on the following day you will be in the Magic... It is always between 23-25 hours,
Now, we sometimes go without the kids and still keep it that way. The best part of going with the kids now is that they can drive!!!
Have a magical trip.

1990 to 1999 Off site
2000 to 2003 All star Sports
2004 to 2011 Pop Century
2012 The World was great again (Pop Century) without the kids for the 1st time
2013 March Disneymoon with the kids
2013 September 2th adult trip, kind of another Disneymoon