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Help for Disney World road trip

Walt Disney World: driving to WDW with 6 boys

From Betty Rohrer
Posted May 21, 2010 at 10:56 PM
help I am headed WDW in mid Aug. the group grandma,granddad,2 moms,1dad,and 6 boys[9yo,2 5yos,6yo, 2yo and 16months] we are driving from Pa and camping along the way. any ideas for keeping the are we there yets away?


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From David L.
Posted May 22, 2010 at 5:12 AM
hmmm... give them all lolly pops, if you have a portable movie player bring that, listen to a children's music for 30 min- 1 hour and stop and do something else, have all the adults take turns reading a chapter book or two, and isn't there some medicine that makes kids get really sleepy?
do you need any help with theme park stuff?

From Nick Markham
Posted May 22, 2010 at 7:24 AM
I would stop along the way as much as possible. Driving for any longer than four-five hours will not work very well with a child.

From James Rao
Posted May 22, 2010 at 8:43 AM
The trip down should not be bad as the kids will be looking forward to the destination. However, on the trip home... watch out! We listen to books on CD a lot, and that helps. "Hatchet" was a good one we just listened to on our recent trip. Check out your local library for some others.

A portable DVD player is a good idea as well. You can let them watch their favorite Disney movies as you make your way to the parks!

From Anthony Murphy
Posted May 22, 2010 at 11:01 AM
Get coloring books at the Disney Store or another store. The story or DVD player might be a good idea too

From Bob Miller
Posted May 23, 2010 at 1:29 PM
Betty, I have been through this with my now 11 year old grandson Zachary and also when I use to take his mother all over the place when she was young.

Best advice, travel at night as much as possible. With all the drivers you have, that should not be a problem. You travel when the children are naturally sleepy.

DVD players are a must with about two dozen movies and also cartoons, and take headsets or ear buds. They make a controller that can be used with a DVD player that actually lets the kids play simple video games on the player, I have one.

If the kids have hand held games such as Game Boy or a Duel Screen, take them along. You can use rechargable batteries or you can buy a car adapter.

Take small multi use toys for the small ones, like Leap Frog toys.

Play road games with the older children, adults included. Two we always played, were looking for license plates from all the different states and countries. Split the car or cars your in, into two different teams and make some kind of reward for the winners. This game can last the entire trip.

The second game was counting cows, yes cows that are along the Interstate, you'd be surprised how many there are. Each team counts the cows on their side of the car. One catch, you lose all your cows if there's a cemetery on your side of the road and you have to start all over again. But you do set a limit on the total number of cows, like 100 or 500. So everyone is looking for cows or cemeteries. Also make some kind of reward.

And for the grown-ups, you can always entertain the kids by singing the old standard "99 bottles of beer on the wall" Take kid songs on a cd, and sing along with them.

Being from Pennsylvania also(about 60 miles Northeast of you), that 1050 mile trip from Mount Carmel to Florida can be a hassle with children. During the daytime, stop about every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Take about 1/2 to 1 hour food breaks and also a 10 to 15 minutes gas stop.

Like I said before, I've been through this at least 15 times, and when you break up the trip into small hops. it's not to bad.

From Jenny Rees
Posted May 24, 2010 at 6:14 AM
You can download kids activity packs from the disney web site. They have colouring pages and puzzles. I always try to take lots lof little things for them to play with and get them out one at a time. This way, I can offer them something different when they start to get bored...which is usually quite quickly. Try a little jigsaw, some card games, books, something to make and always take a dvd if you have one. I agree that travelling at night makes for the best journey, and the kids are refreshed when you arrive. Good Luck, it sounds like you've got your work cut out.

From charles henderson
Posted May 26, 2010 at 4:55 PM
Hey
there is no "IF" you have a portable DVD player! If you don't have one you buy one. You may need to buy two.
Also if you think you don't need strollers when you get to the parks you are Dead wrong. Little legs get tired fast.

Good luck with this one.

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