Road Trip Dallas, Tx to Orlando, FL (Terrell, Roma: rental car, rental)

[texasmove10]

Initially we thought of using air however now we are thinking of doing a road trip. We are doing this to add more fun to our vacation. As of now, we are planning for a week however would like to get some expert advise before we plan anything further.

- Does it make sense to do road trip with two kids with age 8 and 2 years? Or we should stick to air?

- We have a sedan and mini van. Since this is the first long road trip, not sure which one to use? Sedan is comparatively newer.

- When to start? Friday afternoon/evening? or Saturday morning?

- We are not planning to complete this drive in single shot. Where should we take halts for stretching? And where should spend the night? Preferably midway?

- We are planning to rent vacation home in Orlando. Any suggestions in terms of area and appx cost for a week? We are not looking for very expensive/fancy place. We will be OK with 2 bedroom without pool etc

- Places to visit in Orlando?

- Any other places that we should cover during this road trip?

- Planning to rely on Garmin GPS to help us with the route. Shall we buy road atlas as well?

Thanks for your help in advance!

[DFW_BB]

I look forward to reading the replies to your posting. Sounds like a fun trip! Here are a few threads a little dated that might have useful information.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dallas/956737-driving-dallas-orlando-round-trip.html
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...llas-texas.cfm

[slo1318]

Ive done it a couple times and enjoy the drive. If you're a get there and dont stop person, then dont do it, its long and painful. If you enjoy the journey then do it. Seems like we stopped stretch between Pensacola and Alabama. We went east to Schreveport then south thru Louisiana by New Orleans then onto Orlando.

Stops:

New Orleans
Mobile, Al
Pensacola or further to Destin for a nice beach stop.

[DaveG99]

I lived in Orlando for 12 years and moved to Dallas in 2006. I made the drive once. The only way I will drive that far is if I was moving back. My vacation days are to valuable to waste on driving across the country. Its a pretty boring drive. New Orleans is where I stopped. The beaches on the gulf are OK at best. If you want nice water you need to go a lot farther south. About 2 hours south of Orlando is where the water starts to become clear.


you dont need an atlas if you have a gps. Here are the roads you take...

I20 east
49 south
10 east
75 south
Fl turnpike south


Its easy.

[mSooner]

We are doing this to add more fun to our vacation.

Hmm...I wouldn't necessarily consider adding a 1.5-2 day road trip each way to fit this criteria. I've done the drive and would fly if it were a feasible financial option. You are going to spend 1/2 your vacation getting there! Plus, the theme parks are exhausting enough without almost 40 hours of driving there and back.

Unless, you stop in NOLA (which is out of the way), there isn't much to see between Dallas and Mobile. NOLA isn't really a "kid" place either. Mobile is exciting for about hour, then you still have a LONG way to go.

I do have a vacation home rental req, though I'm going to have to ask my aunt for the name of the place. She's stayed there a couple times and loved it. It's really roomy, but affordable and right next to Disney

The beaches on the gulf are OK at best. If you want nice water you need to go a lot farther south

I don't agree with this--Destin is gorgeous. We've done West Palm Beach, Sanibel Island, the Keys, and the Gulf Coast. Only the Keys beat Destin.

[loves2read]

Panama City Beach area is also some of the nicest beach/water around
we spent week there with friends who love Hawaii and they swore that the water/beach was better
but that was before the last two big hurricanes that came through that part of FL
know Destin area is still great

but that is a terrible drive--
have basically made it twice--once with kids going to Disney World and once with our daughter driving a UHaul to move her stuff to FL when she married--she drove her car and we drove the UHaul--
the roads are bad--the kind that turn musical and hum at you all the time--they are also bumpy and crowded with 18 wheelers
we stopped in Vicksburg to see the Civil War center going out when our kids were small--son and we loved it--daughter and her friend were gagging with boredom

stopped at the USS Alabama in Mobile on that trip as well--again son and dad loved it--females were not impressed

it is a long trip and frankly if you are going it to save money try to do it as long as you can w/o stopping--I mean drive through the night and have no pity on the kids or yourselves to get there

other wise just don't go all that way--go to the beach at Gulf Shores or Destin

[mami2emily]

Road trip will not be fun for your 2- year old...toddlers like to move, not be confined to a car seat for hours on end. But only you know what your kids will be able to handle. If flying is an option I would go that route. Also if your toddler is potty trained you'll be stopping quite often!

If you drive, I suggest getting your driving done mostly during the day. The few times we drove ATL-MCO at night it was very scary with so many big trucks on the road and long stretches in complete darkness. When we make the drive now we try to do the driving in the daytime hours when we can see everything better.

Enjoy your time in Orlando! My kids love Universal and Seaworld. And International Drive is always fun to walk in the evenings. One of our favorite places to eat is across from Fiesta Bay Mall on International...it's called Vittorio's...although it sounds Italian it's actually a Brazilian restaurant that serves the best food. It is NOT one of those Brazilian churrascarias with the all you can eat meat, but a traditional restaurant. Whenever we are in Orlando we have to go there it is so good.

[Squirl]

A little benedryl for the toddler wouldn't hurt.........

[Dax13]

Originally Posted by texasmove10

Initially we thought of using air however now we are thinking of doing a road trip. We are doing this to add more fun to our vacation. As of now, we are planning for a week however would like to get some expert advise before we plan anything further.

Driving that amount in a week is gonna be tough. Perhaps 10-14 days would be easier.

- Does it make sense to do road trip with two kids with age 8 and 2 years? Or we should stick to air?

Having made that trip 5-6 times a year for the past 6 years, I have an idea of what you are looking at. It is an 16-18 hour trip, straight through, depending on traffic and weather. This is stopping only for gas, and making use of that stop for bathroom and food. Not sure the kids are up to that. When I used to make the trip with my sons, I would leave Dallas at 5 am, and hit Pensacola early afternoon. Early enough to hit the beach for a few hours, stay the night, and leave the next morning. It's another 350 miles, give or take, to Lake City, where you pick up I75 south, and roughly another 200 to Orlando. The panhandle of Florida is a lot bigger than you think. Worst part of driving to or from is that just when you are at the end of your rope and tired, you are hitting either that nasty drive in from Terrell, coming home, or the mess that is Orlando. Either way, it sucks. Manageable alone, but with kids at 8 and 2? That being said, it is a nice drive in between. Air, on the other hand, can be expensive. You have to get out of DFW to fly SWA non-stop, but perhaps you can find a good deal. It's only about a 2 1/2 hour flight.....OK almost 5, with check-in and picking up a rental car, but hotwire does rental cars cheap.

- We have a sedan and mini van. Since this is the first long road trip, not sure which one to use? Sedan is comparatively newer.

Depends on condition, kid's comfort, and gas mileage. Your decision.

- When to start? Friday afternoon/evening? or Saturday morning?

Friday afternoon? traffic to Shreveport can be a mess. You may not be the only one getting an early start on the weekend. Friday evening? Maybe, but it's 3 hours to Shreveport, nothing till Vicksburg, and with the flooding, hotels may be hard to come by. There's not a lot of options for when you get tired. And you also have to consider how out of whack do you want YOUR schedule to be. Drive all night, and be exhausted the next day? I always chose to pack the night before, get up early, shower, and hit the road by 4:30...5 the latest. By the time the sun comes up, the gas tank is low, and you need breakfast, and coffee, you have quite a few miles behind you, and it's the start of a new day.

- We are not planning to complete this drive in single shot. Where should we take halts for stretching? And where should spend the night? Preferably midway?

Midway is roughly Pensacola. Good places to stop are the State Welcome Centers at each state line. I love the Vicksburg and the Florida Welcome Centers. Great to stretch the legs, but not sure how Vicksburg is holding up right now.

- We are planning to rent vacation home in Orlando. Any suggestions in terms of area and appx cost for a week? We are not looking for very expensive/fancy place. We will be OK with 2 bedroom without pool etc

- Places to visit in Orlando?

- Any other places that we should cover during this road trip?

- Planning to rely on Garmin GPS to help us with the route. Shall we buy road atlas as well?

Never used GPS...635 east/south to 80 East (Terrell), merges to I-20 East to I-49 South (Jackson, MS) to Hattiesburg. Take the loop around Hattiesburg at the WaffleHouse (59/98 south) to 98 south/east to 69 (Lucedale) South on 69 to I-10. East on I-10 to Lake City, Fl. South on I-75 to Wildwood, south on the Turnpike to Orlando.

or...as another poster said, I-20 east to Jackson, MS.
I-49 south to Gulfport/Biloxi, MS.
I-10 east to Lake City, FL
I-75 south to Wildwood, FL
Turnpike south to Orlando.

Nice thing about the drive is that outside of the drive between Dallas and Shreveport, and the drive between Pensacola and Lake City, every 100 miles or so is a decent sized town, to mark your progress.

Thanks for your help in advance!

I wish you luck on doing Orlando with kids at the age yours are. Disney, Seaworld, and Universal are massive, crowded parks to be pushing a stroller. I didn't take my boys until they were 8 and 12. Before that, I did the St. Pete area for vacations. Can be done cheaper, and the beaches are the best in the world. Lots of things for kids to do in the area, and you do have Busch Gardens if you have to do a theme park. Just my opinion..

[Spade]

Just a warning. Interstate 10 between the last bridge in Pensacola to Tallahassee is one of the worse drives in the United States of America. To keep you entertained, count the number of trees. Because that's all you are going to see.