by Wishes Diva
Whenever my husband and I visit Walt Disney World from our home in western Ohio, we drive. Everyone around us thinks we are crazy to make the 15+ hour trip in the car, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! Personally, my husband and I like to make the drive overnight when we go to avoid traffic and shorten the trip. We tend to leave around 9pm and drive straight through until we arrive!
There are definitely benefits of driving to Disney. Check out my list below!
- Having your own car on property. Now we typically only use our car for a few things while we are on property, but having it there is a huge comfort for us. Having our car means groceries! We always make a grocery run the day we get to Disney, and having a car means we can go off-property to get things at normal prices. We like to buy breakfast foods and snack food for in the park while we are there, along with some drinks for in our room. Now I know there are services that will deliver groceries to your room at Disney for you, but we are bargain shoppers so we definitely prefer to go ourselves! Getting to drive around on property as well is a perk. You can drive to other resorts to look around without having to wait on Disney transportation. You can also drive to Downtown Disney as well! (Tip: When you are visiting the parks I would definitely not suggest driving. Parking prices are pretty hefty and Disney transportation is a definite perk of staying on-property in that respect!) Having a car also means that we can get places easily if we need something or have an emergency situation. Luckily that has never happened to us, but having the car there is a definite perk!
Driving through downtown Atlanta at 4:30am!
- Having the freedom to bring everything you need without extra baggage charges. Usually I love the convenience of flying. But when we travel to Disney, driving gives us the ability to pack everything we need without being restricted on space or having to pay extra to the airline. We can bring plenty of clothes and shoes to help us get through our trip no matter what happens! This is especially helpful if you are traveling in a season where you aren’t sure what the weather will do! Sometimes Florida can be unpredictable when it comes to temperatures. I have found this to be especially true in the off-season. So if you are traveling during winter, driving gives you the ability to bring layers so you are prepared no matter what the weather! We also like to bring stuffed animals and other things to see what our MouseKeeper will do with them and driving makes it so everyone can come along for the ride!
MouseKeepers had fun with our stuffed animals!
MouseKeepers threw a party with our stuffed animals!
Our stuffed animals anxiously awaiting our arrival back to our room, with the help of MouseKeeping!
- Sunscreen, hairspray, and other liquids. Without having to worry about TSA guidelines, driving gives us the ability to bring any liquid/aerosol/gel that we may need. This list includes sunscreen and aloe vera gel which are a must for every trip. It also means that we can take home any groceries and drinks that we do not finish while at the parks. This is a definite must if you are worried about wasting money!
Sunrise as we drove through southern Georgia.
- Enjoying each others company. We love taking road trips because it gives us the chance to spend time together in our crazy busy lives. We take the time in the car to talk and have the required Disney Sing-Along at some point throughout the drive. We will also sometimes keep video updates on where we are so we can remember the silly or fun things that happened along the way!
My husband, best friend and I on our last trip in March.
So next time you are planning a trip, if you are close enough, consider driving! It is definitely not for everyone, so be sure to think it through and discuss with your travel party as well! In my opinion the perks of having a car on property is well worth the added travel time.
